Some simple notes that might be hard for Republicans to recall. First up is that the Republican-led House passed the sequestration provision as part of a debt deal compromise, 269-161, in August of 2011. Who voted yes? 174 Republicans -including Boehner, Cantor, McCarthy and Ryan. That meant fewer House Dems voted for it - 95 to be exact.
Secondly, President Obama never cast a vote for the Simpson-Bowles Debt Commission. Remember that it was the failure and only the failure of the Simpson-Bowles Commission that triggered the agreed-to sequester. The only statement I recall that Obama did make about the commission was that if Simpson-Bowles received passing approval from its 18 commissioners and passed the House and the Senate, Obama promised to sign it into law. Again, by virtue of his office, there was no vote Obama could cast beforehand to help Simpson-Bowles pass to avoid the sequester.
Among the seven voting against the debt commission to ultimately trigger the sequester were three House Republicans, Dave Camp (MI), Jeb Hensarling (TX) and of course our congressman, Paul Ryan. These three congressmen are also among the 174 House republicans who approved of the punishing sequester provision in the debt deal compromise. This in effect places Ryan among the only three House republicans to vote for the sequester cuts twice.
It's now done and history.
Does that make it Obama's sequester? Hmmm. Not quite.
Update: Only one congressional Democrat voted for the sequester twice - Sen. Max Baucus.
ADDITIONAL:
Rock Netroots - Paul Ryan's Budget Proposal Three Times Worse than Automatic Cuts He Call Crippling
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