I think changing your mind is a bad thing, wait maybe I'm wrong

Glen says: Kerry is a flipflopper. In other words. He changes his mind when given new information. Is this a bad or a good thing?
Dan says: It depends on what the information is. If it's "john, we just got new accurate information that says your tax plan could be better if you switched to this new one" than its ok. However, if it's "john, the polls came back and the people changed their minds and want this other plan." than it's not good
Glen says: Well, then flipflopping is not bad. Only flipflopping for a bad reason is bad
Dan says: yes
Glen says: And someone who NEVER flip flops can neither change their mind for a good or bad reason
Glen says: Which is better...someone who MIGHT change their mind for a bad reason or someone who CANT change their mind for a good reason
Dan says: Some one who will not accept the possibility of changing is very bad
Dan says: if you refuse to change, that is the worst
Glen says: so bush is worse than Kerry
Dan says: yes
Dan says: Bush believes that "resolve" and "leadership" is more important than making the right choices
Glen says: Well, resolve and leadership is very important. But stubbornness is a negative.
Dan says: Resolve and leadership are not good if they are focused wrong. Hitler had great resolve and leadership
Dan says: When people go to vote, the value leadership slightly more than policy.
Glen says: But it shouldn’t
Dan says: Of course it shouldn't, leadership should be very minor. Presidents should lead by their policy and not the other way around
Dan says: Walk softly and carry a big stick. Policy is the stick. Bush drives a tank and sold his stick to the Saudis.

Comments

lindy said…
The republicans have been using this strategy since the beginning of the clinton administration- They accuse dems of having no backbone and of waffling. I counter accuse them of acting like dictators. Hitler, Stalin, Lenin, Saddam Hussein - these guys all had strong backbones when they made decisions, they didn't change their minds and they didn't need input from their constituencies either.
I do think democrats are responsive to polls and i think that can be called wishy washy OR it can be called listening to the people you represent. I believe it actually IS the latter. Bush and many other republicans feel that they ARE the office and they should make the decisions. It's a fundamental difference between democrat and republican philosophies. I do believe a leader needs strength of conviction but when you as a leader say something like,
"hmm i think we should drop bombs on iraq" and the whole world including your own citizens objects then unless you have information they don't have i think the responsible thing is to at least LISTEN to their objections and at least consider changing your mind. The republicans seem to think that once you've made a decision you just stick with it to the end no matter what. Interviews between Roosevelt and Churchill dealt a lot with this.
9:59 AM
Katie Lipka said…
Hmmmm. I can't agree that leadership capabilities are minor. President Carter's policies and positions were very in line with my own. But he was not a strong leader and, most people believe not an effective president.

Many different characteristics can make a strong leader. I don't think that believeing god put you in power and that you are "good" (and therefore all your decisions are as well) while others are "evil" makes you a good leader; in fact, I think it puts you in the Hitler category! It can make you appear strong however, which is an attractive quality to many people.

But you have to be able to inspire people to follow you or, no matter how great your policies, you won't be able to effect change.

From the movie Hoffa: "Better they should die from your mistakes than live without a leader." "Whadda we do now? Whadda we do next?" (Not that I advocate choosing mobsters as leaders...)
5:39 PM
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