In his press conference yesterday -- with Treasury Secretary Geithner at his side -- President Obama finally made a lucid and forceful case for his economic stimulus package. Rejecting the "failed economic theories" that got us to this point, President Obama urged members of Congress to heed the demands of the American people and enact the change they voted for back in November in record numbers.
Now, in the past few days I've heard criticisms that this plan is somehow wanting, and these criticisms echo the very same failed economic theories that led us into this crisis in the first place -- the notion that tax cuts alone will solve all our problems; that we can ignore fundamental challenges like energy independence and the high cost of health care; that we can somehow deal with this in a piecemeal fashion and still expect our economy and our country to thrive.
I reject those theories. And so did the American people when they went to the polls in November and voted resoundingly for change. So I urge members of Congress to act without delay. No plan is perfect, and we should work to make it stronger. No one is more committed to making it stronger than me. But let's not make the perfect the enemy of the essential. Let's show people all over the country who are looking for leadership in this difficult time that we are equal to the task.
Make sure you read dday's fantastic post over at Digby's place. A sample:
Especially in the midst of this meltdown, we cannot sit back for a moment while the forces conspiring to maintain the failed status quo push ever forward. Forget about campaigning, this is governing. And while different rules apply, one thing is constant - nobody ever won the battle of ideas without speaking up.
