flip-flopper

Definition

A politician who changes positions on issues with politically convenient timing, providing endless ammunition for opposition ads. The accusation suggests all the consistency of a weathervane in a tornado.

Example Usage

Opponents branded him a flip-flopper after video surfaced of him taking completely opposite positions on tax policy just two years apart.

Origin

Popularized in 2004 presidential race against John Kerry, though position-switching attacks date to ancient Rome

Fun Fact

The 2004 Bush campaign made 'flip-flopper' stick so effectively that they distributed actual flip-flop sandals at rallies featuring Kerry's face.

Source: Campaign attack terminology

Related Terms

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Lobby

The practice of professionally pestering politicians until they do what you want, which is basically what children do but with more expensive suits and fancier dinners. It's free speech for people whose speech comes with a corporate expense account.

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whip count

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whisper campaign

Spreading damaging information about opponents through informal networks rather than official channels, allowing plausible deniability while the rumors metastasize. Political gossip weaponized.

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germaneness rule

A requirement that amendments must be relevant to the bill being amended, preventing legislators from attaching random provisions to unrelated legislation. It's the parliamentary equivalent of 'stay on topic' with varying degrees of enforcement.

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presidency

The office, role, and ego-boosting title of being president, along with all the power, pomp, and terrible approval ratings that come with it. It encompasses both the position itself and the byzantine bureaucracy that springs forth from the president's desk. The term also covers the temporal stretch during which one poor soul occupies this demanding chair and ages visibly in real-time.

🏛️ Government / Politics

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Sequester

Automatic budget cuts that kick in when Congress can't agree on a spending plan, which is like your bank cutting your credit card in half because you and your spouse couldn't agree on a household budget. It's punishment for governmental incompetence, applied to everyone except the incompetent.

🏛️ Government / Politics

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