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With less than four days before the Iowa Caucuses, we are now in full swing with the 2016 Presidential Campaign. As is with all Presidential election cycles, the two-word phrase, "flip-flop" has become part of the political lexicon. That being said, "flip-flop" is a term that should be eliminated from the tongues of all candidates. They all..."flip-flop." Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals...and Independents too - some of which are not loyal to any particular party - every politician...at some point or other..."flip-flops." And why? Because we ALL "flip-flop." Every human being changes his or her mind about something...and more frequently than one may think.
Just as those individuals running for a political office, all Americans "flip-flop" our opinions on a variety of issues. Look at it this way...the words, "I changed my mind" are uttered by people everyday. Think about it. How many times have you expressed that remark to someone? We all do...about lots of things. From what to eat for dinner to where to go on vacation...from the color shirt to buy to what movie to see on Saturday night...everybody "flip-flops."
Now granted...changing your mind about a restaurant entree or a style of clothing is not as monumental of a decision as a person switching from being pro-choice to pro-life or vice versa. But - for one reason or another - people do "flip-flop" their ideas and attitudes. Be it a politician or the average voter...an American can have second thoughts - or a change of heart - about both minor and major matters. I - along with many...or even most of you - are acquainted with people who - in the past - were...as an example...for a higher minimum wage...but now...because perhaps they own their own business... greed has set in...and they want to pocket more of the bucks for themselves instead of paying more dollars to their hardworking employees. Or...on the opposite side of the coin...maybe years ago, you were totally against the notion of same-sex marriage....but now...you realize that human rights should be equal for all people...whether straight or gay. And the possibilities of how you yourself have "flip-flopped" throughout your life...are endless. Maybe - at the time - you supported a particular President or Congress about going to war...but you eventually realized that such a determination was a mistake... and...if there was a similar occurrence today...your judgment would be different. And the list goes on and on. Such "changes of minds" may be your own, or that of a close friend or family member. Whomever it is...when it comes to "flip-flops"...we all do it.
So when any Republican accuses one of his or her GOP opponents...or one of the Democratic candidates of "flip-flopping"...or - in all fairness - when one of the Democratic contenders points the finger at someone in either party...of being a "flip-flopper"...let me remind them and you...that we are all part of the same human race...and each of us has the capacity to change his or her mind. And because of education, personal feelings or any number of other reasons...we all "flip-flop." Remember this...Ronald Reagan was a Democrat.
And that's The Controversy for today.
I'm Gary B. Duglin.
"We'll talk again."
The Controversy is a publication of GBD Productions. Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy is Gary B. Duglin.
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You make some good points Gary. We all do change our minds, all the time. However, I believe the political mind to just a tad more calculating than your average American choosing a dinner option. Let me explain.
ReplyDeleteWhen a politician, especially ones who have been "in the game" for a while, say something like, "I support xyz", I have little faith that they are truly altruistic. Politicians are successful because they know how to politic - that is, they know how to tell people what they want to hear in order to get elected.
So while I'm sure some things are genuinely held positions that they PERSONALLY believe, I am convinced from the history of all politics that what most of them are interested in is maintaining power. If that means telling people what they want to hear, then that's what they'll do, until the political winds shift. That's really more of what I think is going on when politicians are accused of flip flopping. They've been caught in transition from one political position to another, for whatever reason.
There is no doubt, Zack, that some politicians do change their position on an issue in order to - using your words - "tell people what they want to hear." But many non-politicians will do the same. I'd venture to say - that at one time or another - nearly every kid has turned to his or her mom or dad and said, "Okay. I understand." Or..."Yeah. You're right." When in fact, that son or daughter didn't agree with anything the parent was saying. I also think that practically every working person has had a boss - be them an immediate supervisor or the president of a company - and the employee has said, "Yes. That's the best way to go." Or..."Your idea is perfect." But then...once the employee leaves the boss' office, he or she says to himself or herself, "He is so wrong." Or..."If I was running this company, I'd do that differently than her." So everyone "flip-flops" for whatever the reason. And yes...it can be because you're simply agreeing with someone else because that's what the other person wants to hear. But as I wrote in my column, people change their minds on all sorts of issues - from choosing a dinner option to deciding that people who are gay have the same rights as straight people - when earlier in life, that same individual may have believed that marriage was only between a man and a woman. My point in my commentary is that since all human beings have the capacity to change our minds, politiicans - and the media - need to remove the term "flip-flop" from their vocabulary. It's not fair to anybody - Republicans or Democrats. GBD
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