It’s generally a bad idea to criticize someone for positions they no longer have and that they now argue against. It’s not really fair to say Biden sucks because of a policy he supported decades ago and no longer does. People should be allowed to change.
Even more, people should be ENCOURAGED to change. One thing that most politicians lack is the ability to reassess a position, and come to the conclusion that they were wrong.
If you blame someone for changing their mind on a position, you just encourage them to dig their heels in deeper and not be open to new information and ideas.
I don’t really agree. We can critique someone on a policy they may have changed position on if they continue to participate in politics and that policy still stands. Until they have an active hand in reversing what they imposed or step away from the job because they admit they are unfit, they don’t get the benefit of the doubt.
Actions speak louder than words sort of thinking here, which I’m inclined to believe.
At the very least, politicians who have changed their stances on issues they voted or worked towards in the past should make reversing those changes part of their agenda. Shows good faith, and is beholden to other branches of the government at that point.
Very often a policy can persist despite someone changing their views on it. Biden is President, he’s not in Congress anymore. The things he can do to effect changes that reflect his own changing views are different now. An example is his changing views on abortions over the last 18 years. In 2006, he stated he believed in limiting abortions, today he’s doing everything possible to protect access but as President, there’s not much he can do about Supreme Court decision and House/states controlled by Republicans. His views changed, but the political landscape makes actually accomplishing broader change near-impossible. That can’t be on him.
It’s generally a bad idea to criticize someone for positions they no longer have and that they now argue against. It’s not really fair to say Biden sucks because of a policy he supported decades ago and no longer does. People should be allowed to change.
Even more, people should be ENCOURAGED to change. One thing that most politicians lack is the ability to reassess a position, and come to the conclusion that they were wrong.
If you blame someone for changing their mind on a position, you just encourage them to dig their heels in deeper and not be open to new information and ideas.
I don’t really agree. We can critique someone on a policy they may have changed position on if they continue to participate in politics and that policy still stands. Until they have an active hand in reversing what they imposed or step away from the job because they admit they are unfit, they don’t get the benefit of the doubt.
Actions speak louder than words sort of thinking here, which I’m inclined to believe.
At the very least, politicians who have changed their stances on issues they voted or worked towards in the past should make reversing those changes part of their agenda. Shows good faith, and is beholden to other branches of the government at that point.
Very often a policy can persist despite someone changing their views on it. Biden is President, he’s not in Congress anymore. The things he can do to effect changes that reflect his own changing views are different now. An example is his changing views on abortions over the last 18 years. In 2006, he stated he believed in limiting abortions, today he’s doing everything possible to protect access but as President, there’s not much he can do about Supreme Court decision and House/states controlled by Republicans. His views changed, but the political landscape makes actually accomplishing broader change near-impossible. That can’t be on him.