POWIP Piece of Work In Progress – Former Abode of Dan Collins

Senator Jeff Sessions: it’s past time for Obama to put his debt plan on the table

Barack "L'etat c'est moi!" Obama

Which he's speaking about a debt reduction plan.  Because everyone's already seen the President's plan to increase our debt; that would be the risible "plan", that was not really a plan but a speech, that the MBM allowed him to palaver on about in April in a press op that was more about ripping Paul Ryan and his Roadmap for America,that had been released the day before, than about presenting a serious budget to the American people.  From Sessions' Senate website:

After my staff and I have had additional time to analyze the summary, even more questions and concerns have arisen. Serious flaws have been identified.… The production of the Gang’s summary at the last minute also underscores my severe concerns over how this process has unfolded… Senate Democrats and the White House have fiercely resisted formulating an actual debt plan at every step of the way. Instead, the president has pushed for secret meetings—avoiding the public accountability of putting a plan to paper—followed by press conferences at which he asserts his support for broad deficit reduction even when no such plan has been written. The real bluff from the president is the idea that a White House deficit reduction plan exists. It’s time for the White House to lay its cards on the table.

The production of the Gang’s summary at the last minute also underscores my grave concerns over how this process has unfolded. The Republican-led House has fulfilled its responsibilities. The Republican-led House passed a budget more than three months ago. The Democrat-led Senate, by contrast, has refused to pass a budget in 812 days, and refused to make one public this year. If they had presented a budget in public, in the open, we wouldn’t be in the situation we are in right now. The president presented a budget in February, meanwhile, that would have added a stunning $13 trillion to our debt. That remains the only plan he has ever put on paper.

Senate Democrats and the White House have fiercely resisted formulating an actual debt plan at every step of the way. Instead, the president has pushed for secret meetings—avoiding the public accountability of putting a plan to paper—followed by press conferences at which he asserts his support for broad deficit reduction even when no such plan has been written. The real bluff from the president is the idea that a White House deficit reduction plan exists. It’s time for the White House to lay its cards on the table.

[emphasis-ed.]

Sessions makes a good point.  The Cut, Cap, and Balance plan passed by the House of Representatives is the only plan that's on the table in writing right now; not to mention that it is a viable piece of legislation waiting for a vote in the Senate.  Make no mistake, no matter what anyone thinks of the McConnell "plan B" compromise, Coburn's own plan, or the outline of intent put forth this week by the erstwhile "Gang of Six", they are merely frameworks at best.

Once again the President has been leading from behind, and that's not cutting it for a pressing matter that may be disastrous if not addressed.  Instead of trying to "stay above the fray" and appear Presidential, Obama need to actually be Presidential .  This isn't like when he was at the Harvard Law Review, or frankly like most of his career in public life; he can't sit back, wait for others to do the heavy lifting for him, and appear at the last minute to take credit .

Try being a leader for a change.  Put the dang plan on the table, Mr. President.

I urge all our readers to e-mail or call the White House and give voice to this sentiment.

[Cross posted at The Conservatory]

Rocketman

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