On some level, isn't Bush right about about this? When he ran in 2004, he created a campaign that was explicitly about the idea that you don't want a president who will follow the whims and will of the people. That's what flip-flopping supposedly was -- a tendency to change your position in order to bring it into alignment with the majority of the American electorate. And that's what Bush ran against. It was an oddly autocratic campaign message, but the people loved it. And now, just as he said, he's totally ignoring the public's preferences. But that's what they elected him to do! I mean, give Bush credit, a lesser man might have flip-flopped on ignoring the public when that became an unpopular governance strategy. Not Bush, though! You may disagree with him, and your children may be dying in his failed war, and your income may be stagnating in his recession, but at least you know where he stands.(Image used under a Creative Commons license from Flickr user NeilT.) THE CASE FOR FLIP-FLOPPING.
On some level, isn't Bush right about about this? When he ran in 2004, he created a campaign that was explicitly about the idea that you don't want a president who will follow the whims and will of the people. That's what flip-flopping supposedly was -- a tendency to change your position in order to bring it into alignment with the majority of the American electorate. And that's what Bush ran against. It was an oddly autocratic campaign message, but the people loved it. And now, just as he said, he's totally ignoring the public's preferences. But that's what they elected him to do! I mean, give Bush credit, a lesser man might have flip-flopped on ignoring the public when that became an unpopular governance strategy. Not Bush, though! You may disagree with him, and your children may be dying in his failed war, and your income may be stagnating in his recession, but at least you know where he stands.(Image used under a Creative Commons license from Flickr user NeilT.) 
