ABC: Obama flip-flopped on welfare reform
posted at 9:30 am on July 1, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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ABC News takes a critical look at Obama’s new ad, “Dignity”, and sees a reversal on Bill Clinton’s welfare reform program. While Obama takes credit for moving people off of the welfare rolls and into jobs, he sang a different tune in 1997 while in the Illinois state legislature. Rather than support Clinton, he called the president “disturbing” and opposed the initiative:
Barack Obama aligned himself with welfare reform on Monday, launching a television ad which touts the way the overhaul “slashed the rolls by 80 percent.” Obama leaves out, however, that he was against the 1996 federal legislation which precipitated the caseload reduction.
“I am not a defender of the status quo with respect to welfare,” Obama said on the floor of the Illinois state Senate on May 31, 1997. “Having said that, I probably would not have supported the federal legislation, because I think it had some problems.”
Obama’s transformation from opponent to champion of welfare reform is the latest in a series of moves to the center. Since capturing the Democratic nomination, Obama has altered his stances on Social Security taxes, meeting with rogue leaders without preconditions, and the constitutionality of Washington, D.C.’s, sweeping gun ban.
As ABC notes, Obama spent most of the last 18 months dodging questions about welfare reform. He would only say that “Bill Clinton isn’t on the ballot,” and refusing to say whether he supported the Republican-driven welfare reform program of 1996. The program’s success showed in the move of millions off of welfare and into jobs, while keeping unemployment low.
This isn’t as egregious as most of the reversals Obama has made in this campaign. After all, McCain reversed himself on the Bush tax cuts for good reason: they worked. So did welfare reform, and Obama could make exactly the same case. However, instead of treating it honestly, Obama wants to lie and pretend that he was for Bill Clinton’s welfare reform all along instead of just admitting he called that one wrong as a rookie legislator.
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Excellent find, it’s not surprising as Obama’s waffling/ flip flopping/ and general vagaries are becoming legion in number.
I think you might also want to check out MSNBC’s Freudian slip, and NYT”s revealing plans here:
http://noblesseoblige.org/wordpress/?p=2301
Tark on July 1, 2008 at 9:34 AM
Maybe it will be easier to list the issues that Obama has been consistent on. It’s a much shorter list.
That is a good ad though. Dumb voters will like it.
rockmom on July 1, 2008 at 9:34 AM
First–New month, new flip-flop.
Then–New day, new flip-flop.
Now–New hour, new flip-flop.
Mo-mentum.
jgapinoy on July 1, 2008 at 9:36 AM
There is some serious crazy on that ABC comments page.
rockmom on July 1, 2008 at 9:39 AM
You want consistency, here ya go:
20 Years: Wright, Ayers, Rezco.
JiangxiDad on July 1, 2008 at 9:40 AM
What’s gotten into ABC? Jake Tapper, now this.
They must be staffed with Clinton supporters.
BigD on July 1, 2008 at 9:41 AM
This is becoming comical. BO stands for everything and nothing at the same time.
swami on July 1, 2008 at 9:41 AM
Axelrod’s running the Chicago playbook to a tee.
yo on July 1, 2008 at 9:43 AM
Between the Clinton “preconditions” title this morning, and the “hubris” caption for this entry, I’d say you’re on a roll this morning, Ed.
As for Obama, after years as a “community organizer” in the poorest parts of Chicago, you might suppose that he would support welfare reform in the strongest manner possible. Alas, his ship steers as the wind blows, so he was against it while in Chicago, and he’s now for it once he needed to adopt a centrist approach.
This guy puts the Clintons to shame in the triangulation department. He’s like a feather in a tornado.
Flyover Country on July 1, 2008 at 9:46 AM
I used to think the GOP was going to have an easy go of running commercials emphasizing Obama flip-floppyness (not his ears)
But heck with commercials. McCain should be able to run a 2-hour documentary on Sir FlipFlopAlot.
cntrlfrk on July 1, 2008 at 9:48 AM
Perhaps everyone missed it, but Obama removed his “logo”, but replaced it with a new theme song…Here
Now we just need a good video editor, and we have a great commercial…
right2bright on July 1, 2008 at 9:49 AM
My flip-flops wish to sue Obama for sullying their good name and reputation.
Is there any sign that all of this flipping has flopped his campaign? I mean, the Obama fans I know aren’t even waivering yet, and it seems like every day there is new reason to stop supporting him.
Anna on July 1, 2008 at 9:50 AM
He’s the anti-John Kerry. He was against it before he was for it.
Dr.Cwac.Cwac on July 1, 2008 at 9:50 AM
Good gravy! Now he’s flipflopping before and after my breakfast! I’m afraid to go to the bathroom…he might flip-flop again.
MB007 on July 1, 2008 at 9:51 AM
Kerry is BO’s Senior adivisor. That could explain why BO flips flops a lot. Hey BO you should throw Kerry under the bus and start having a backbone and stop acting like Kerry
BroncosRock on July 1, 2008 at 9:54 AM
O! just Hopes we won’t notice all the Changes in his positions. That takes judgement, you know.
JimK on July 1, 2008 at 9:55 AM
Kerry’s got nothing on Obama. This is the King of Wafflers.
jencab on July 1, 2008 at 9:55 AM
Why, in the last two seconds of that clip, does he have that poor lady in a choke-hold?
Rhinoboy on July 1, 2008 at 9:55 AM
In my younger days after a night of bad food and hard drinking, my stomach would be upset (churning) in the morning. I now refer to that feeling as “Baracking”.
P.S. Now that I’m older it happens without bad food and hard drinking.
Dr.Cwac.Cwac on July 1, 2008 at 9:55 AM
His liberal/racial cocoon protected him from any repercussions. I’m sure he never quite appreciated just how necessary that was to his success.
JiangxiDad on July 1, 2008 at 9:56 AM
At this rate, by the Fourth of July Obama will take credit for suggesting the troop surge to General Petraeus, and the media will suspend disbelief, and the sheeple will believe him.
This guy will say ANYTHING to get elected, but does anyone have the foggiest idea what he would do as President? Does Obama?
Somebody from the McCain campaign should get busy writing an ad about every Obama flip-flop. At this rate, McCain would have to hire a thousand ad-men full-time!
Steve Z on July 1, 2008 at 10:00 AM
AMAZING.
When Obama changes his mind, it is a flip flop
When McCain changes his mind it is a an evolving policy correction.
Both are champions at flip flopping (or policy correctiong), but while the Captain was great at pointing these McCain flip flops back in the days of the CQ, well, not so much today.
Monkei on July 1, 2008 at 10:02 AM
One person’s waffling is another person’s policy evolving corrections … but who cares.
Monkei on July 1, 2008 at 10:04 AM
We’ll see if you can make this case stick come election time. Also, there’s plenty of objection to several of McCain’s stupid positions and reversals on this website.
Your complaint rings hollow.
JiangxiDad on July 1, 2008 at 10:04 AM
Urban Dictionary is just screaming for a definition right now.
MB007 on July 1, 2008 at 10:06 AM
He does embrace change. It’s just standing firm that he has a problem with.
RBMN on July 1, 2008 at 10:09 AM
We are in a whole new territory…time to go to the Google machine and figure out how to keep track of this.
Here is one solution…
Any engineers out there? We need to hook this up to a fairly large computer to keep track.
I have learned their are “D” flip flops (obviously Democrats), and JK (obviously named after John Kennedy), R-S (meaning Republican Safe, the only one that is okay), and a “T” (Two Faced) which is analogous to the “D”.
The democrats have perfected this to a point where a whole area of engineering is now being used to keep track. Google flip flop counters.
right2bright on July 1, 2008 at 10:16 AM
He walks!
He talks!
He flips!
He flops!
He does everything except take a single stand on anything!
pilamaye on July 1, 2008 at 10:16 AM
No doubt this supposed flip-flop is not because, although Barack opposed it back in 1997 “because it had some problems”, he took the initiative to push through some revisions to correct those problems instead of just doing nothing.
NOT!
It’s amazing that Barack always uses the ambiguous or amorphous “problems with X” he opposes and the MSM never gets him to describe the problems.
NOT!
But I can guess. There’s two little problems with everything he opposes: One, he doesn’t like it and, two, he doesn’t want it.
Dusty on July 1, 2008 at 10:18 AM
Hey, Sir “FlipFlot”ALot is infringing on my terrority here.
‘Naps”ALot is modeled after my Cat, in case you’re wondering. He was most wise, not as smart as my one other cat, but wise. I frequently ask myself ‘What would Alex do?’
/tribute to Alexander David K
Sir Napsalot on July 1, 2008 at 10:21 AM
What is amazing is that you can’t see the difference between pandering and actually evaluating a position and making a decision to change.
It is called discernment, something the Dems lack.
Oil goes up, we need to make a change, change our course because of events…Dems won’t change their course.
See the difference? It is called adaptation, being open minded, reacting to the changing course in history.
It is called leadership…
Now tell me again what plan the Pelosi led congress enacted this past year that helped us with our energy crisis?
right2bright on July 1, 2008 at 10:25 AM
[jencab on July 1, 2008 at 9:55 AM]
LOL. After the 2004 loss, the Dems came to the inescapable conclusion that what they needed was, “More waffles!”
Dusty on July 1, 2008 at 10:27 AM
BO, get a look at those sirens singing above the cliffs!
The Democrat “Centrists” began leaving the DNC when confronted directly by the progressive uber-reaching FDR over his attempt to recreate the SCOTUS vs. Constitution.
This point marks the 50 year exodus of “centrist” conservatives from the DNC that is now the Marxist Party.
DNC=MNC “menace”
maverick muse on July 1, 2008 at 10:29 AM
This is not the welfare reform that I knew…
Dale in Atlanta on July 1, 2008 at 10:33 AM
The system I’m currently working on is processing a little over 15,000 words every 50 milliseconds.
Not sure if that would do it.
We may need the RoadRunner.
cntrlfrk on July 1, 2008 at 10:34 AM
Hey, can’t you guys just leave Barack alone and let him eat his waffles?
Tark on July 1, 2008 at 10:34 AM
Squeeeeeeee! Barack Obama is everything I want him to be! And if he’s not, all I have to do is wait a day or two, and he’ll change! Yes, he can!
Hopenchange ‘08!
aero on July 1, 2008 at 10:42 AM
Yes we need to measure him in “petaflops”.
Thanks,
The next computer will be measured in “Barackaflops”.
right2bright on July 1, 2008 at 10:43 AM
right2bright on July 1, 2008 at 10:25 AM
Logic is beyond monkei. Even with his grip on Darwin, evolution left monkei behind.
“Adapt” according to nature at least begins with monkei see, monkei do. This tunnel vision monkei only sees monkei. Though at home in the jungle, he’s been seen participating in a zoo time-share vacation plan that is paid for by his participation in pharmaceutical research.
monkei is on dope hope
maverick muse on July 1, 2008 at 10:43 AM
Maybe his new logo should be FLIP-FLOPS instead of the faux presidential seal.
originalpechanga on July 1, 2008 at 10:44 AM
While endorsing waffles, Reid bans coal and oil from the menu.
maverick muse on July 1, 2008 at 10:45 AM
Kris Kringle brought Reid coal at Christmas for having been a bad boy. Reid knows all about coal, emerging himself from the mines. Talk about carrying a chip on his shoulder throughout a lifetime, Reid’s warped since childhood. He took Scarlett O’Hara’s advice; “I’ll never eat coal again!” He figures the best way to avoid ending up where he began is to shut down industry. “I’ll never let anyone work in a coal mine again!” Pencil pushers, ally!
maverick muse on July 1, 2008 at 10:50 AM
We have a couple of these guys around, they come in, drop a bomb (usually a lie) and then run off.
right2bright on July 1, 2008 at 11:06 AM
So, John McCain isn’t going to be Bush’s third term… Obama is??
Mazztek on July 1, 2008 at 11:09 AM
That was not the Barack Hussein Obama I knew.
kozmocostello on July 1, 2008 at 11:20 AM
He opposed welfare reform; now he says he supports it.
He opposed the death penalty; now he says he supports it.
He supported gun bans and said they were constitutional (in his expert opinion); now he says he always opposed gun bans, and of course there is an individual constitutional right to bear arms.
He strongly supported public financing of elections, said he would use it, and said the Republican nominee should use it too; now he won’t accept public financing (even though McCain has agreed to use it) because the public financing system is “broken.”
He thinks NAFTA was a bad deal and we should unilaterally re-negotiate it . . . . no wait, Canada, he didn’t really mean that, he was just pandering for votes . . . he really loves NAFTA and will keep it intact.
Gay marriage? He’s for it; no, he’s against it; no, he’s not sure what he thinks about it.
CHANGE . . . we can believe in!
AZCoyote on July 1, 2008 at 11:24 AM
Jeremiah Wright could not be reached for comment. (note: reaching under a bus can be hazardous to one’s health.)
Rovin on July 1, 2008 at 11:46 AM
Somebody with YouTube skills really needs to make a video of all of Obama’s flip=flops to the tune of the “Cha-Cha Slide”:
Slide to the left
Slide to the right
Criss-cross!
Reverse!
Everybody clap your hands…
rockmom on July 1, 2008 at 11:47 AM
Wow. You mean he’s been doing this same stuff for over 10 years now? “I don’t support A. I don’t support B either. Who am I? Who can say. I’m a good person. I don’t take positions — I transcend that. That’s the politics of the past.”
Paul-Cincy on July 1, 2008 at 1:55 PM
Stole my thunder.
Don’t tell us what you ain’t, Bambi, tell us what you are.
misterpeasea on July 1, 2008 at 2:13 PM