Nation

Is "change" just a word?

Obama flip flops may undermine his message and appeal

By Jaymes P. Dunsmore
From the September 2008 Print Edition

In a widely publicized speech, (which some argue was plagiarized from a speech by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick) Senator Obama said “Don’t tell me words don’t matter. ‘I have a dream.’ Just words? ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’ Just words? ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself.’ Just words — just speeches?” Indeed, words can have great power, but only when backed up by action. Obama has run on a promise to change politics, but has he gone back on that promise? Are “change” and “new politics” just words? Consider the evidence:

1. Inconsistent on Iraq

Senator John McCain’s campaign has accused Obama of changing his positions on the war in Iraq. A new web ad on McCain’s website uses video clips of Obama speeches and interviews to illustrate his changing views on the war.

In January, 2007, Obama said he thought increasing the level of troops in Iraq would lead to increased violence; a year later, he claimed, “I said at the time, when I opposed the surge, that given how wonderfully our troops perform, if we place 30,000 of our troops in there than we would see an improvement in the security situation and we would see a reduction in the violence.”

Throughout 2007, Obama argued that the surge was not working and predicted that it would fail; however, on April 8, 2008, Obama said in the Senate, “I also think the surge has reduced violence.”

On the campaign trail on September 12, 2007, Obama said, “There is no military solution in Iraq,” and called for the immediate withdrawal of troops; however, on April 5, 2004, the Senator said he was against having a deadline for withdrawal. In 2006, he articulated the same position.

Obama has also flip-flopped on troop funding, while he has said he opposed continuing to fund the troops, however he has consistently voted to fund the war.

For those asking, “What is Obama’s position on Iraq?” the McCain campaign has an answer: “Whatever the politics demand.”

2. Public Finance Promise Abandoned

In September, 2007, Obama wrote, “If I am the Democratic nominee, I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election,” in answer to a question on the Midwest Democracy Network questionnaire. On March 1, 2008, The New York Times reported that Obama and McCain had reached a deal, “promising to accept a novel fund-raising truce if each man wins his party’s presidential nomination.” However, by June, Obama had backed his way out of that pledge.

On June 19, Obama announced he would forgo the public finance system, becoming the first major party candidate to do so since 1976, when the public financing system was created following the Watergate scandal, according to The NY Times. What changed between March 1 and June 19? The Obama campaign had raised millions of dollars from private donors.

Meanwhile, McCain, a long-time supporter of campaign finance reform whose name has become synonymous with the issue, remains committed to the public financing system. While McCain’s position has drawn fire from many within his own party, so that he has potentially more to gain by abandoning his pledge, he refused to do so.

3. Muslim Supporters Shunned

“Our campaign has made every attempt to bring together Americans of all races, religions and backgrounds,” said Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt to The New York Times, however many of Obama’s Muslim supporters feel otherwise.

In December 2007, Democratic Representative Keith Ellison, the nation’s first Muslim Congressman and an Obama supporter, volunteered to speak in support of the candidate. He was asked not to by the campaign, for fear it would spark controversy. According to Ellison, the campaign told him, “We have a very tightly wrapped message.”

The Obama camp has continued to distance itself from Muslims –literally. Recently, the Obama campaign has come under fire after Obama volunteers prohibited two headscarf-wearing women from sitting behind the candidate at a June 16 rally in Detroit.

“I was coming to support him, and I felt like I was discriminated against by the very person who was supposed to be bringing this change, who I could really relate to,” said Hebba Aref, in a CBS News report.

The Obama campaign has since apologized for the incident, which Aref said pleases her, but does not completely satisfy her.

Has the incident been blown out of proportion? Not in her view, according to a statement made by Aref. “I think this is a much bigger deal than maybe they’re [the Obama campaign] perceiving it as,” she said.

4. Open Debate Deal Dropped

At a May 16 news conference in Watertown, South Dakota, Obama said: “If John McCain wants to meet me anywhere, anytime, to have a debate about our respective policies in Iraq, Iran, the Middle East, or around the world, that is a conversation I am happy to have.”

In early June, Senator John McCain, proposed a series of 10 town hall debates, with “no process questions from reporters” and “no spin rooms,” according to CNN. McCain even went so far as to suggest he and Obama travel together to the first debate to demonstrate their commitment to waging more civil campaigns.

“Given our expenses,” McCain joked, “I know my campaign would agree to it.”

At first, Obama supported the idea, saying in a statement: “The idea of joint town halls is appealing and one that would allow a great conversation to take place about the need to change the direction of this country.”

However, the Obama campaign has dragged its heels, suggesting only five debates, including only one town-hall style open forum. As of mid July, weeks after the first debate was supposed to take place, still no agreement had been reached.

Many agree Obama’s hesitation to meet with McCain makes political sense, but that it undermines his message of change.

In a June 24 editorial, the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote “In cold, political terms, Barack Obama’s decision to opt out of the public financing system for this fall’s general election makes perfect sense. So does his continuing refusal to join John McCain at a series of “town hall” forums this summer.” However, the article’s headline screamed, “Obama’s tactics are at odds with his words about change.”

5. FISA Flip-Flop

In 2007, Obama spokesman, Bill Burton, said “Barack will support a filibuster of any bill that includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies.” However, when such a bill came to a Senate vote on July 9, Obama voted for it.

The bill, known as the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, was signed by the president the following day. It grants the government greater power to conduct domestic spying, and guarantees retroactive legal immunity for companies that cooperated with the government’s domestic wiretapping program.

Many Democrats, including former presidential hopeful, Senator Hillary Clinton, voted against the bill, which The New York Times called a win for the Bush administration.

“Spying on Americans without warrants or judicial approval is an abuse of government power - and that’s exactly what this law allows,” said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero.

Obama called the bill, “improved but imperfect,” however this clear reversal from his previous stance has upset many supporters.

“I really don’t know right now if I’ll vote form him,” former Obama supporter, John Rosinski, of Florida, told Time magazine. “He is just continuing politics as usual, becoming like any other politician.’

6. Tax Turn-Around

During a May 4 appearance on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press,’ Obama called corporate tax cuts “the exact wrong prescription for America.” On June 17, The Wall Street Journal reported “Obama Plans Spending Boost, Possible Cut in Business Tax.” While Obama’s shift is not a ringing endorsement of reducing the tax burden of American corporations, saying he was considering the possibility of corporate tax cuts is a major shift from his earlier position.

7. Cuban Embargo Reversal

Addressing Cuban-Americans in Miami, in August 2007, Obama vowed not to “take off the embargo” as president because it is “an important inducement for change.” According to the Washington Post, those remarks go against his position in 2004, when he argued the U.S. should end “the embargo with Cuba” because it had “utterly failed in the effort to overthrow Castro.”

8. Pot Pandering

While running for the Senate in 2004, Obama told Illinois college students that he agreed with eliminating criminal penalties for marijuana use, reports the Washington Post. By 2007, Obama had reversed his position on the issue, and at the Oct. 30, 2007, presidential debate, he opposed the decriminalization of pot smoking.

Will Flip-Flops Cost Obama the White House?

While Senator McCain has also revised many of his positions during the course of the campaign, none of his policy shifts seem to fly in the face of his campaign rhetoric quite like Obama’s have. If Obama is viewed as a flip-flopper, or even as a regular politician, it could severely undermine his message of change and sink his campaign. John Kerry’s 2004 campaign was damaged when he appeared to be reversing his position on Iraq. Likewise, George H. W. Bush’s re-election effort was hampered because he appeared to have violated his promise of no new taxes.

Obama is already losing supporters because of his policy reversals. His bid for the White House may be over if he can’t convince Americans that his message of change isn’t just words.

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