Progressives Must Guard Against Helping to Promote Republican Narrative That Alleges Obama "Flip Flops"

The Republican spin machine is locked and loaded to promote the notion that Barack Obama is a "flip flopper." Four years ago it was their principal line of attack against Kerry and it worked like a charm.

In 2004, the goal of this narrative was to convince swing voters that Kerry had no core values -- that his positions and commitments were blown by the winds of public opinion just as he was blown right and left in the notorious campaign ad of Kerry wind-surfing.

Not long after the 2004 election, I was in a New Jersey taxicab. The driver was a typical male New Jersey cabbie. "So what do you think of Corzine?" I asked. "Oh, Corzine, tough guy. Like him," he replied about the then-Senator.

"What do you think of Bush?" I asked. "Like him too. Tough guy. Stands up for what he believes," came the answer.

"What about Kerry?" I asked. "Kerry? Can't stand him. Flip-flopper."

People want leaders who are firmly committed to their values. The key thing that affected the New Jersey cabbie's view wasn't the positions or views of the candidates. It was whether they stood up for what they believed. There are many independent voters just like him.

I believe that John Kerry has very clear values, but he left himself open to be defined to swing voters as if he didn't.

Barack Obama is firmly committed to progressive values that contrast sharply with the values implicit in necon foreign policy and dog-eat-dog, survival-of-the-fittest Bush-McCain economic policies.

Obama is much less likely than Kerry was to allow himself to be characterized as a flip-flopper without core values, because his entire campaign is rooted in the discussion of values. It has drawn very sharp distinctions with Republicans on the critical symbolic questions of Iraq, the economy and health care. But that won't keep Republicans from doing everything they can to try to make Obama look like he is a "typical politician" without a moral core the same way they did with Kerry.

Last week's near-frenzy in the media over Obama's alleged "move to the center" on Iraq had no substance whatsoever. It was fed, virtually entirely, by the Republican National Committee and the McCain campaign that simply asserted that his statements on Iraq represented a "change " from earlier positions. That narrative was picked up and parroted by various media pundits as if it were true.

Unfortunately, some Progressives fell prey to the media wave and actually gave credence to this non-story, when the fact is that Obama has consistently supported ending the war in Iraq and withdrawing all combat troops within 16 months, at a pace that is responsive to the situation on the ground.

Progressives have to remember that the Republicans don't care about the nuances of these issues. Their goal is simple: make Obama look like he is changing his position.

All Progressives don't agree with every position Barack Obama has taken, but the fact is that very few of his positions have changed since the campaign began.

Progressives who disagree with Barack Obama but at the same time don't want to help Republicans usher in a third Bush term need to remember three things:

1). Go right ahead and disagree with an Obama position or statement -- but disagree on the substance. Don't impute some venal motive. Remember that even when you disagree with him on an issue or policy, Obama shares our progressive values.

2). Don't reinforce the Republican narrative that Obama is a "flip flopper." Disagreeing with an Obama position is very different from arguing that he agreed with you once, but now has changed positions just to win favor with the voters. First, that is generally wrong. Second, if Obama emphasizes one aspect of a position instead of another in order to attract a particular group of voters, that does not mean he "changed" his position. Third, remember that the Republicans are desperate to get Progressives to confirm their narrative and convince guys like my New Jersey taxi driver to elect John McCain.

3). Remember that there is a huge gulf between the values of Obama and McCain. Obama stands clearly in the progressive tradition of giving every human being equal opportunity to fulfill their potential. McCain stands squarely on the side of ultra-conservative values that protect the power and prerogatives of the wealthiest among us.

Obama stands firmly against the neocon foreign policies of preemptive war and unilateral action that lay at the root of the worst American foreign policy disaster in a generation. McCain stands just as firmly for the neocon vision and the Bush approach to the rest of the world.

Obama believes that economic growth happens from the bottom up and doesn't trickle down on the rest of us. He supports the rights of workers to organize to defend their standard of living, and a world where we're all in this together, not all in this alone. McCain intends to continue Bush's economic policies that have assured that all of the economic growth in the last seven years has gone to the wealthiest 1% of Americans.

Obama understands that our world faces the greatest environmental crisis in history as we seek to prevent human beings from altering our climate. First and foremost, John McCain's loyalties lie with the oil industry.

We need to remember that John McCain's campaign is managed by lobbyists from the biggest special interests in America, while Barack Obama understands the need to mobilize tens of millions of Americans to change Washington from the ground up.

Progressives should go right ahead and question Obama's positions on issues -- and they should continue to hold him accountable when he is elected president. But remember that the Republicans are desperate to convince independent voters that Obama is "just another politician" whose values flow from the latest poll instead of his own commitment to principle. Don't help them. If you do you will be wrong, and you will also help the Republicans fulfill their unthinkable fantasy of a third Bush term.

Robert Creamer is a long time political organizer and strategist, and author of the recent book "Stand Up Straight: How Progressives Can Win," available on Amazon.com.

Comments

[FiveFortyOne]

Surely the HuffPo posters who are insisting Barack Obama is "flip-flopping' are trolls. Progressives can't be so mean, devious and short-sighted, can they?

[jpetaluma]

There's disagreement and then there is bashing. You can tell a troll from a dissenter, because there comments are filled with so much sarcasm and vitriole.

[Budh]

Was it not John McCain, the war "hero" that spent the whole war as a prisoner , who had said that if we had stayed in Vietnam we would have won. That is exactly what he envisages for Iraq, made him the president and he will see to it that America stays in Iraq fighting Al Quida for a hundred years.

[jcjewell]

Obama gets a "pass" from me on all issues at this time. However, if he elects to vote for the horrendous, so-called "compromise" FISA bill now before the Senate, he'll be another "hold your nose and vote for" Democratic nominee as far as I'm concerned.
The Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Rule of Law, are Core Values that he vowed to uphold. Voting for this FISA amendment, with retroactive immunity attached IS an "Unnecessary Flip Flop", since he vowed earlier that he would support a filibuster of ANY bill that contained retroactive immunity.
And yes, I'm aware that the retroactive immunity in the FISA bill only covers civil liability, but I'm also aware of Bush's power to grant criminal immunity via a Presidential pardon. If Bush would pardon "Scooter" Libby, why wouldn't he issue a pardon for the Telecoms after this new FISA bill becomes law, thus scuttling any adjudication of criminal behavior by the Bush Administration and the Telecoms?
Since the illegal warrantless wiretapping, with Telecom complicity, began well before 9/11, ANY bill that thwarts or obstructs justice by granting retroactive immunity to any party involved in this illegal behavior, before ALL the facts are known MUST be rejected.
Obama will get my vote regardless, but only because the other guy is so much worse. Damn, I hate voting on that basis.

[leeskyblue]

Obama was a "liberal" when he represented people who were anti-war, suspicious of police power and pro social welfare. He was "always" against the war because in 2003 he was a local politician and it was easy for him. He has reversed on NAFTA, FISA, campaign contributions and he voted for the Patriot Act. What does the man believe in that he is not ready to leave behind, including the African-American vote which he knows is in his pocket.
McCain for all his sabre rattling may get us out of the war faster than any Democrat -- he will not have to contend with his own party, for one thing.
Spend time and money electing liberal people to congress. A real liberal majority might be able to make an honest man out of Sen. Obama.

[SanityClaus]

People need to breathe, and think, before they act.

The primary is over. The general election has begun. O is no longer talking exclusively to Democrats, he's talking to all Americans.

He's brilliantly acting to defuse all the weapons in the Republican arsenal so that when they pull out their bazookas and fire, the weapons will sputter and fizzle and explode in their faces like the Acme products employed by Wile E. Coyote in his battles with the Road Runner. Meep meep!

O has been remarkably consistent throughout his campaign with the person he has shown himself to be through his career in IL and the Senate, and the philosophies he espoused in his books.

If he modulates, well, things change. We had a President who refused to change in the face of evidence that change was necessary, and look where it got us.

Thanks for the article.

[jpetaluma]

Hey, Sanity, You directed me to The Field the other day. Thanks alot, it's great. Seems to have morphed into another web site from some infighting. I'm glad to see you are still here trying to maintain some balance and "sanity." It's been rough here and at DKos. Rush was given a $400 million contract. I think he's spending some of it right here with paid trolls.

[Titonwan]

It's good to have paranoia. It can keep you alive. It's also good to question what in hell is going through our candidates head right about now. FISA good? Come on!

[FearlessFreep]

I would have thought it was up to Obama not to flip-flop. (If the shoe fits, wear it.)

[Titonwan]

I guess that's why they're called flip flops. Just like the shoes, you can get out of em quick! Thanks Obama for your lovely tack on FISA. They're going to name a shoe after you for that :)

[Grissom1001]

So many of the little blogs on the net such as Daily Kos have been invaded with Republicans and unhappy Clinton supporters that are raising the roof screaming about how horrible Obama is for not support this or that or not being who they expect him to be. Many try to get the list owners to remove them but they let them stay and it damages the nominee...­. so good luck with your post but so many like the drama that this won't stop them from listening and it sure won't stop the Clinton supporters who will do anything they can to hurt Obama due to their having to live with the fact that their candidate lost.

[jpetaluma]

So true, Grissom. Titonwan (What kind of username is that anyway?) is really on a roll tonight. I wonder if he's getting paid by the hour or doing all this bashing for free?

[rover27]

AMEN!!

[SamiNJ]

"I don't belong to an organized politcal party. I'm a Democrat."

Classic.

[texanna]

Maybe it's Sen. Obama who should be doing the work to keep from getting the tag of "flip-flopper". Over the course of the last couple of weeks he's moved away from his primary campaign position on the FISA bill, his position on abortion rights, and the death penalty application - where he actually has taken a position that is more conservative than the SCOTUS majority! At this point, I don't trust him not to move away from his position on ending the Iraq Occupation. It's not my responsibility to cover his ass, it's his responsibility to keep running as the candidate that won the Democratic primary.

[AlButerol]

Well said!

[mspost]

Read SanityClaus' post above.

I agree with his post, and the article Robert Creamer wrote.

[Titonwan]

So? I agree with the article too! Now come closer so I can whisper this into your ear (psssst, Obama lied about FISA!) Don't tell any rethugs, promise? LOL