The man who voted present now says “I told you so”

Barack Obama never put forth a debt reduction plan.  Ever.

All Obama did was talk in generalities about what he might be willing to consider as part of a “grand bargain,” but it always was vague, the equivalent of voting present.  But when Republicans put forth actual plans to deal with entitlements (the Ryan plan) and to take dramatic action as to spending (Cut, Cap and Balance) the White House went along with Democratic demagoguing of the issue.

The beauty of voting present is that it allows one to sit back and watch, and then say “I told you so” no matter what the outcome.  If things turn out badly, you can say you didn’t vote for it; if things turn out well, you can say you didn’t vote against it.

Having voted present on the hard issues, Obama now is saying I told you so in light of the S&P downgrade, via The Hill:

But the administration didn’t miss the chance to say, in essence, “I told you so.””Over the past weeks and months the President repeatedly called for substantial deficit reduction through both long-term entitlement changes and revenues through tax reform, with additional measures to spark jobs and strengthen our recovery,” press secretary Jay Carney said in a statement.”That is why the President pushed for a grand bargain that would include all of these elements and require compromise and cooperation from all sides.”

Where was your plan, Mr. President?  If you can’t show it to us, then stop talking about “I told you so.”

Tags: debt ceiling

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