That was unnecessary. Dr Norman was already establishing his credentials as a highly credible economic spokesman.
It was political blindness not to see it would be used as weapon against them from day one.
Perhaps what wasn't so predictable was that it would be used effectively against Labour as well, the Greens potential coalition partner in Government.
But Norman and his economic advisers were too caught up in the policy to see the politics of it.
It reminds me of Don Brash calling for the decriminalising of marijuana at Act's law and order policy announcement, then naïvely wondering why all the focus went on it.
Norman suggested there had been no blow back from his own party members over his money-printing plan - though that is hard to judge given that the news media was banned from large portions of their conference at Queen's Birthday weekend.
Norman this morning said that during the Labour-Greens- New Zealand First inquiry into manufacturing, it became clear he did not have the support for the policy to be implemented.
With respect, that was also obvious from day one when David Parker pointed out it would not support telling the independent Reserve Bank Governor what to do - and it was already a tool he could use now it were deemed necessary.
It says it has ditched the policy because it has listened. More likely it doesn't want to listen to the mockery of the Prime Minister for the next 18 months about money printing.
Yes, it is a policy being pursued to stimulate some of the biggest economies in the world - US, UK and Japan.
That does not follow it could simply be replicated easily by small countries with similar results.
Smaller countries are more vulnerable. Smaller parties too, Dr Norman has been reminded.
