Why Is Flip-flopping a Sin?

Some of the blog’s posting about Cindy Sheehan have got me thinking about something that bugged the shit out of me last year (about this time too): When did it become a sin to change your mind?

I mean, the Republicans spent a lot of time calling John Kerry a “flip-flopper” and having little rallies outside Kerry’s campaign stops where they all held up actual flip-flops and waved them in the air like good little bots. There was a lot of talk about how John Kerry supported the war in Iraq and had “flip-flopped” and how we can’t trust a man who doesn’t stick with his convictions.

There’s talk now about how Cindy Sheehan said or thought one thing when she and her husband met with President Bush last year and that it was completely different from what she’s saying now. The Republicans and their followers seem to think this is a horrendous crime.

In both of those examples, what the Republicans don’t want the public to realize is that both people made up their minds originally with one set of data at their disposal and as time past, new data was uncovered and this caused them to rethink their stands on things.

I certainly don’t see anything wrong with changing your mind in light of new information and facts. I don’t think we should stubbornly stick to our original belief until our dying day despite any conflicting evidence.

If I’d done that I’d still believe in the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, aliens, the Boogeyman and other make-believe creatures from my childhood. I’d probably still believe that Capital Punishment is wrong (now I’m undecided). I’d believe that aliens crashed at Roswell. I’d believe that as a woman, it’s my duty to get married and reproduce. I’d believe that role-playing games were the tools of Satan. I would never have been friends with PW again. I would never have dated BJ. I would never have dated JB the second time around or broken up with him again. I wouldn’t have changed my major from Mechanical Engineering to Computer Science. I would never have learned from my college experiences to open my mind and be more accepting and less judgemental (if you think I’m judgemental now… :p). Certainly I never would have believed that I could be an independent, single woman living alone and like it.

That’s a lot of mind changing, a lot of growing up, and a lot of discovery.

I imagine that Cindy Sheehan has gone through a lot of discovery this last year. I imagine that while grieving for her son, she began to question why he had to die. Bush led this country to believe that we would make the world a better place by invading Iraq and putting a stop to Sadaam’s giant hoard of weapon’s of mass destruction. The Bush Administration stirred this country up into a wild patriotic huricane and sent out sons, brothers, daughter, sisters, fathers, mothers, and friends off to war believing we were doing the right and noble thing.

But in the last year or so, even Bush and his Administration have been doing some flip-flopping. When no WMD were found, the reason we went to war changed in the rhetoric as if we were not supposed to noticed. We now are fighting for Iraq’s freedom from a tyrrant…and then little hints of things many of us long suspected began to trickle into the media — the Downing Street Memos among others.

I imagine that Cindy began to feel very angry considering her son had gone off to war thinking he was doing a noble and just thing and now the reasons were a little more hazy and tainted. I imagine that I’d change my mind too.

I imagine that’s why John Kerry changed his mind about the war. I imagine Congressmen change their minds a lot as bills and admendments come and go and change within hours.

I like to think it’s an admirable trait to change your mind when faced with new information and life’s experiences. Otherwise, what a boring carboard world we’d live in.

So, why do the Republicans think it’s such a sin? I don’t understand. I’d be happy to explore the philosophy behind it, if someone wants to explain.

Interestingly, a lot of Americans are exercising their right to change their minds. I remember when being against the war in Iraq meant being in a small minority but now polls show more than 50% of Americans think we never should have gone.

Hmmmm…some other big flip-flops:

• After years of isolationism, America decided to enter WWII.
• President Wilson originally didn’t want to give women the right to vote.

You know, I’ve always disliked those tacky little shoes, but I might go out tonight and buy a pair of flip-flops…just on principle.

tags: flip-flopping, John Kerry, Cindy Sheehan, George W. Bush, Republicans, politics

6 comments

1. on August 16, 2005 at 2:24 pm

   Tamara said:

   W has flip-flopped more times than a dying fish. Or whatever — trying to be creative with a headache. Aside from those you mentioned, he was vehemently opposed to nation building in Campaign ‘00, he insisted Clinton should have a timetable for withdrawing from Kosovo, etc. And Republicans are the biggest hypocrites I know, which is far worse than flip-flopping out of a genuine changing of the mind. State’s rights, except when Florida is going to insist on a full recount. Or when states want to legalize euthanasia. Small government, except when it comes to the privacy of our bedrooms and bodies. Bleargh. It’s making my head hurt worse just thinking of all the examples, so I’ll stop now. You know them all, anyway!

   Hope you’re feeling well.

2. on August 16, 2005 at 10:05 pm

   Big Dog said:

   Every person is entitled to change his mind. That is what helps us grow. When a person changes his mind based upon new evidence and a different set of beliefs there is a sense of growth. When a person (politician if you will) of either party changes his opinion because of political expediency or based upon polls then it shows a lack of character and a weak spine. John Kerry demonstrated time and again that he only said what the polls reflected he should say. Kerry changed his mind about the war because he saw Dean was a big hit as an anti-war candidate. If he had real convictions then it would make no difference.
   We can argue about the war. Every credible intelligence agency in the world said there were WMD and Hussein’s reluctance to cooperate despite 14 years of opportunity gave us few choices. The fact is he had WMD and they have not been found. We did find 21 jets buried in the sand. If he could hide that many big jets he could hide WMD.
   The President has indeed changed his mind about things, much like you say he has a right to. It is certain he did not do so based upon polls or expediency.
   DSM has no legs. Bush and Blair were not at the meeting and the information is third hand hear say.
   Sheehan is entitled to change her mind and hate the President if she desires. She is no more entitled to a private audience than any other mother who lost a child. Her actions are self indulgent and if there were no media attention she would have gone home by now.

3. on August 17, 2005 at 7:16 pm

   n. mallory said:

   I guess my problem with the whole concept is that the Republicans seem to make a huge deal about changing your mind. Everyone has a reason for changing their mind and if you do analysis, you can generally figure out their logic behind it; however, the Republicans make it sound like you’re going to hell if you happen to do so.

4. on August 17, 2005 at 10:00 pm

   Big Dog said:

   But I do take issue with one statement. In WW II America decided to be neutral and changed its mind is not an accurate statement and does not support the argument. America surrended its neutrality after, and only after, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. That does not make it flip flopping or changing one’s mind. We were attacked and we fought back.

   We might have remained neutral forever had it not been for that. Of course there is no way to know but it is not like we awakened one day and said let’s get in the war.

5. on August 18, 2005 at 9:27 am

   n. mallory said:

   I don’t agree that we would have remained neutral. Evidence suggests that our President and his staff were already interested in joining in the war by the time Pearl Harbor happened. It’s actually becoming one of my new favorite conspiracy theories — though I don’t agree that the President knew we were about to be bombed and withheld information.

   But my point was meant to be that things outside of our control changed and therefore the facts changed, so our collective mind changed.

6. on August 18, 2005 at 9:25 pm

   Big Dog said:

   So when Bush said Hussein had WMD (which he did) and then they were moved before we got there (he could not have disposed of them) the circumstances changed. How does that make Bush a liar?

   Does not matter what we knew or not in WW II. Fact is we were neutral and there is no credible way to know we would enter because of Pearl Harbor. We might be able to prove that we were interested in joining the war but we can not prove we actually would have done so.

   Be that as it may, we did not just wake up one day. take a poll and join the war.

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