Stop Apologizing for the Stimulus

The president needs to make the case for his economic policies, not hide from them.

By Eliot Spitzer
Posted Monday, June 6, 2011, at 4:19 PM ET

The White House may hope to dismiss last week's dismal jobs data as a "little bump," but the reality is that the state of the economy is dire. President Obama must acknowledge the economic malaise. Then he can make the powerful and true case that the policies he has been pursuing are correct while the Republican alternatives are horrendous canards.

It's alarming that once again we are letting the Republican candidates' rhetoric and near-hysterical fear of government spending distort the national debate and keep us from the more dramatic economic changes we still need.