When a Candidate's Flip Isn't Always a Flop

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I find it increasingly more odd and amusing to hear the punditry muse about how "little" the electorate knows about Obama. My Lord, the media has been shoving this man down our throats for over a year.Speaking personally, I already know more about him than I ever wanted or needed to.His problem is that he is inexperienced and thus when he abandons positions that he only assumed for short term political gain, viz. NAFTA, campaign finance, FISA, Drilling, etc. he does so egregiously and unskillfully.His flip flops are noticed because they are all too frequent and all too obvious. The MSM should not feel that anyone needs more intensive coverage of Obama than it has already provided. Please!!!

Robyn Stafford of FL 12:04PM August 14, 2008

John and Cindy McCain are career beer dealers (in John's case since he dumped his wife for Cindy.)
Now John wants to court evangelicals for the election. He's not flipping about selling beer and DWI and incarceration and drunkenness to the Arizona underclass. AND SO FAR, IT APPEARS THAT EVANGELICALS ARE TOO DARN DUMB TO KNOW THAT THIS IS A BRIGHT LINE PROBLEM. The sheep of the pews are fast asleep.

Daniel David of NM 6:34PM August 10, 2008

Thank you Gloria for your article. As a memeber of The Church of Jesus Christ of Lattrday Saints,and as a supporter of Mitt Romeny, I sighed with relief at you article on Candidates "Flip Flops". Fnally somebody got it right. Mitt Romney is and was and always will be Anti-abortion except in cases of incest or rape. For those who hold that Abortion is not acceptable in cases of rape and incest, they respectfully do not understand God's gift of Agency. God did not let Satan steal man's agency. We can either choose to give in to temptation or choose not to. If we do give in to temptaition, we lose our AGENCY and become subject to the flesh, or Satan. Becsuse God is our Father and he LOVES us, he provides a way back through a Savior, even Jesus Christ who pays the price and consequences for our sin, if we will repent and turn from them, so we can again have our AGENCY restored to us. AGENCY allows us to be free to act for ourselves. If we violate God's laws, or physical laws, we can lose our AGENCY. For example, if I choose to jump off a high building, the law of gravity will act on me following my choice to jump and I will fall. Once I have made the choice, I cannot choose anylonger the consequence. God is fair and he is also just. He is not going to make a woman go through the hell of bringing up a child which was fathered by violence, and force. To do so would take away the victims agency. The rapist chooses to rape, but the victim who did not sin does not. God does not forced her to bear the child of a wicked and evil man. If he did, what kind of God would God be? He protects the innocent. That is what justice is all about. Some people see God as Mercy only, but without justice, God would cease to be God, and would no longer be a loving Father. The whole beginning premise of Christianity is that Satan or the Dragon as he is called in the Bible, fought against God for the Agency of man. If that is the whole beginning premise of Christianiy, then one destroys Christianity by doing what God would never do, FORCE the human mind. He will lead, inspire, direct, but never FORCE. When women get themselves pregnant of their own free will and choice and then take away the life and Agency of their child, they have violated God's law of Agency. However, if a woman, is raped, she is an innocent victim and does not have to bear the consequences of anothers evil choice. Mitt Romney is right on this issue. His life, his marraige and his family speak volumnes about his character. As The Son of God onc said, "By their fruits, YE SHALL KNOW THEM." Look at the virtue of this mans life. His actions, the fruits of his life show him to be a follower of Jesus the Christ.

Ron Whitmer of 2:13PM August 09, 2008

Gasoline prices dropping steadily since Obama he said he would consider new offshore drilling proposed by a bipartisan group of Senators, as part of an environmentally self alternative energy package, last Monday. He caused oil prices to drop further with his call for 10% of 70 million barrels of the strategic oil reserve to be be released to the market.

Mr. Unite Us of CA 8:14AM August 09, 2008

Gloria,
Romney wasn't "firmly" pro-choice in MA. He was personally anti-abortion except for rape/health of mother issues. With 85% dems and 13% reps he simply said he wasn't going to challenge the issue in a no contest setting. So, the press defined him as pro-choice. In the eighties, when Mormon leadership produced a policy. It was considered pro-choice by the far right. Rape/health of the mother was not excused back then. Also, Mitt romney and his family had issues about abortion arising out of an in-laws sister's death from having an illegal abortion. Don't know all the issues but members of his family were divided on the issue back in that old context.
As MA Gov., when Romney was up close and personal on the issue and felt he had to make a decision he always came down on the side of life. As a LDS Stake president the media has several stories about his life positions. If you look or ask you'll come to know the facts. Everyone is so black or white thinking. Life's cards don't always deal us black or white hands.
Other than that...article was good enough!!

JonH of CA 11:15PM August 08, 2008

I'm constantly evaluating my perceptions of the world around me. I'd be an idiot not too given a human's inate weakness in assessing all of the facts surrounding a very complex world. If you never change your mind, you are underestimating the complexity around you, and overestimating your ability to understand all. Aren't we supposed to change our mind if we believe that we have been misled by the facts? I'd be very suspicious of anyone who claims that they understand everything perfectly. For instance, does anyone really understand how our economy works. It's a complex system. Who would blame anyone for changing their position on what might best fix the economy.
I thought your artical was quite good, and you are right on the character assessment. However, character is also something that is very complex and difficult to judge. Inappropriate character assessment can also be a mechanism for alienating others by not giving the benefit of the doubt, simply because we don't understand them. We all remember the playgrounds of elementary school. If you didn't look right, were shy, were too intelligent, had a disability, you could count on being made fun of. However, if the children took the time to understand those who were shy, they would find that they had judged them way too harshly, and they might be quite good friends. It is much easier to poke fun at them, then truly understand who they are, and why they are the way they are.
I think you and many others have misjudged Romney as being a "flip-flopper" based on an inaccurate perception of his character. How exactly were you "burned" by Romney? I suppose you have already made an assessment of his character, and assume that others have as well. On what basis would you do that? I hope it is not the unspoken basis of religion. Probably not, but there are others for which it is an unspoken basis for rejecting his character. It is a shame that people find it easier to poke fun at the Mormons on the playground (or at least try to discredit them based on their "character") rather than try to understand them.

Adrian of PA 7:06PM August 08, 2008

This article shows just how sick Americans and American Reporters have became. The hypocrisy is too much.
First, the news bashes George Bush because he makes a decision and won't change his mind on it. Then they bash McCain and Obama for changing their minds. Which one is the sickest?
I hope that when they make a promise to tax us to death, that they don't get bashed if they change their stance.
Every day I awake, read the news, and say to myself, "We are getting just what we deserve!" I wonder why we even bother to educate our children? Do they offer courses on "Making the right decision the first time?"

Really Concerned of TX 12:39PM August 08, 2008