I expect people to follow their own rules, that's where I expect consistency. It's part of the reason I despise religionists who pick and choose their rules based on what's convenient and what supports their desired position.
So, yeah, I'm disappointed that Obama hasn't carried through on some of his campaign promises, but there's still time for many of those to be met. I'm not disappointed that he's made some pragmatic choices and changed some of his positions, because the Democrats haven't enshrined consistency as a leading principle. Obama changed positions during the election cycle. It's not a surprise that he's doing it now. I'm not going to like all of them, but I may like some of them better than the original positions.
Republican talking points, whether campaign or during a term, do enshrine consistency. Whether it's Bush's "flip-flopper" charges against Kerry, "weather-vane" charges against Clinton's love of polls or Caribou Barbie's "I never supported the Gravina Island Bridge" lie, consistency (or at least apparent consistency) has been a cornerstone.
Deficit hawks are deficit hawks, not just sometimes-deficit-hawks. Small government advocates actually advocate for and vote for small government, not for huge spending and program increases. Pork-busters don't cart the pork home to their own district.
Only we both know that's not how it works.
Representatives that don't bring projects (dollars) back to their tax-paying constituents in their districts don't last long.
Democrats just don't feel as guilty about doing it. And that, there, is consistency.
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Re: Consistency Fetish
Date: 2009-04-17 04:21 am (UTC)So, yeah, I'm disappointed that Obama hasn't carried through on some of his campaign promises, but there's still time for many of those to be met. I'm not disappointed that he's made some pragmatic choices and changed some of his positions, because the Democrats haven't enshrined consistency as a leading principle. Obama changed positions during the election cycle. It's not a surprise that he's doing it now. I'm not going to like all of them, but I may like some of them better than the original positions.
Republican talking points, whether campaign or during a term, do enshrine consistency. Whether it's Bush's "flip-flopper" charges against Kerry, "weather-vane" charges against Clinton's love of polls or Caribou Barbie's "I never supported the Gravina Island Bridge" lie, consistency (or at least apparent consistency) has been a cornerstone.
Deficit hawks are deficit hawks, not just sometimes-deficit-hawks. Small government advocates actually advocate for and vote for small government, not for huge spending and program increases. Pork-busters don't cart the pork home to their own district.
Only we both know that's not how it works.
Representatives that don't bring projects (dollars) back to their tax-paying constituents in their districts don't last long.
Democrats just don't feel as guilty about doing it. And that, there, is consistency.