“Nobody knew that health care could be so complicated,” sputtered the leader, as it finally dawned on him that, no matter how many times he snapped his fingers, he couldn’t conjure up effective and affordable medical coverage for millions of Americans.
Pleased by the media’s response, “Nobody knew. . . ” became his signature line. “Nobody knew that foreign leaders could be so sensitive,” he liked to say after hanging up the phone. “Nobody knew that it could cost so much to build a wall from San Diego to Brownsville,” he explained to a skeptical Congress. “Nobody knew . . .” turned out to have a million uses.
By 2020, so-called education reformers had adopted “Nobody knew . . . ” as part of their mantra to excuse their lack of success at improving America’s public schools.
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