Al Franken: “I regret that Democrats have allowed the word ``stimulus'' to become a dirty word, one that we avoid using. The…”

“I regret that Democrats have allowed the word ``stimulus'' to become a dirty word, one that we avoid using. The President spoke a few weeks ago about his new plan to invest $50 billion in new infrastructure--projects that will improve safety and transportation. But he never once mentioned the words ``stimulus'' or ``recovery.'' That was probably a smart move on his part because, frankly, the stimulus has gotten a bad rap. But this is a reputation it absolutely does not deserve. There are Members of this body who opposed the Recovery Act because they thought it would not work or did not jibe with their theory of economics or of how the government should address recessions, and that is fine. They were entitled to vote the way they thought best. But now a year and a half later, we have been able to see the economic effects of the Recovery Act. To deny it has been a success is simply to ignore the facts. A recent poll showed that a majority of Americans believe that either the stimulus bill did nothing to help the economy or even made it worse. The economic data, however, indicates otherwise.”