COMMENTARY | Michele Bachmann, a Republican candidate for president, made accusations against competitor Herman Cain recently, according to CNN. Bachmann accused Cain of flip-flopping on the issue of abortion, which he said he was pro-life but then told CNN it was not the business of the government to interfere. As a frequent voter, here is how I feel about a candidate that flip-flops on crucial issues.
When it comes to choosing a candidate, I do not often think too much about a flip-flopper, especially if the issue is social such as abortion. I realize that a candidate might really lean one way on an issue, before realizing that the base of the party they represent feels another. Since I am Libertarian, the choice of Republican or Democrat does not mean much to me, but I understand how Republicans are more conservative and want a president with the same qualities. If a Republican candidate comes out and says they are for gay marriage, they might flip-flop once they see that the Republican base is not cool with this notion.
I think that there is definitely a difference between flip-flopping and changing one’s opinion based on reconsidering the issue. Sometimes a candidate might not have ever really thought about an issue, and the effect it has on the American people. For example, a candidate might be pro-life but then they have a family situation where abortion has been used as the best solution, which might make them reconsider the value of such a sensitive medical procedure. If it comes down to your spouse dying giving birth, or having an abortion to save her life, this might change the mind of the candidate to be pro-choice. I think that until a situation hits your own family, you cannot see the views of the other side clearly.
I did, however, choose to change my vote when it came to the 2008 elections, and I was going to vote for John McCain. I learned that McCain opposed President Bush’s tax cuts in 2001 and in 2003, but then all of a sudden in 2008, decided they were a great idea and supported them. I found this to be a horrible flip-flop because tax cuts are a huge issue and it is important to be concise on financial and economic issues. I also found that Mitt Romney has flip-flopped on important issues, such as health care, so I will not be voting for him in 2012. Romney signed the healthcare bill in his state of Massachusetts, which required all citizens to have insurance, and then later said that President Barack Obama’s similar healthcare law was wrong.