Clinton talks jobs; hits McCain
Posted: Tuesday, April 01, 2008 1:17 PM by Domenico Montanaro
From NBC/NJ’s Athena Jones
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Hillary Clinton told a union crowd in the Keystone State Tuesday that investment in rebuilding the nation's roads and bridges and in public transit would create three million new jobs.
"My rebuild America plan will create a $10 billion emergency fund to identify and repair critical infrastructure problems and will modernize our transportation system," she said. "We can put at least 3 million Americans to work. We're also going to create at least five million additional jobs in green energy."
Spokesman Mo Elleithee said the three million jobs refers to infrastructure jobs over 10 years plus five million green-collar jobs over the same period for a grand total of eight million jobs.
The Economic Blueprint only had five million, because Clinton had yet to "assign a number" to the infrastructure jobs promised.
As has become common in recent days, the New York senator continued to criticize presumptive Republican nominee McCain for what she sees as his inability to manage the economy.
"John McCain admits he doesn't understand the economy -- and unfortunately he's proving that day after day on the campaign trail," she said. "He looked at the housing crisis, and he blamed consumers. His plan for the economy is to extend George Bush's tax cuts for billionaires and give a $100 billion additional corporate tax cut. The Bush/McCain philosophy could not be clearer -- it's the "ownership society,” which really means, "You're on your own. If you're not a crony, if you're not wealth, if you're not well-connected, you fend for yourself."
She said even fellow Republican Sen. Mel Martinez had given McCain's economic plan an "incomplete," because it does not do enough to help families.
Notably, the senator did not take the opportunity to criticize McCain for gaffes made during his trip to the Middle East, instead keeping the focus on the economy.
Today's speech, which followed a visit to a nearby sheet metal plant, kicked off the fifth day of an economy tour aimed at highlighting Clinton's ability to be commander in chief of the economy, but at nearly every stop along the way, the New York senator has also addressed calls by some Obama supporters for her to get out of the race.
"Sen. Obama says he's getting tired of the campaign,” she said. “His supporters say they want it to end. Well, could you imagine if Rocky Balboa had gotten half way up those Art Museum stairs and said, ‘Well, I guess that's about far enough?’ That's not the way it works. Let me tell you something, when it comes to finishing the fight, Rocky and I have a lot in common. I never quit. I never give up.”
Obama himself has not called on Clinton to get out of the race.
The "Rocky" theme has been recurrent here in recent days, with songs from the movie often blaring before and after speaking engagements. Mark Nevins, the campaign's state communications director, argued in a briefing earlier today that people here can connect with Clinton's profile and that many see her as a fighter in the same vein. Keeping with the underdog-who-eventually-conquers theme, Clinton also campaigned with Sean Astin of “Rudy” movie fame while in Indiana.
Polls have consistently shown Clinton ahead in Pennsylvania, a must-win state for her. But Nevins acknowledged that did not mean the race here would be a cakewalk.
"Recent polls show some tightening. I think this is a natural process and not unexpected," he said. "The Obama campaign is outspending us in the state in the neighborhood of probably 3-to-1."
In fact, NBC News reported Obama is spending about $2 million a week in television advertising here as compared to Clinton’s $400,000. Obama is also spending about the same in Indiana and North Carolina. Clinton is not yet on air in those states.
Nevins added Obama's strengths were in the big cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but that Clinton would give him a run for his money.
In introducing Clinton, AFSCME president Gerald McEntee noted that Sen. Bob Casey had spoken earlier to let everybody know that he was for Obama, but that he wanted everyone to know the 1.4-million member union was for Clinton. Still, he assured the crowd his union would support whoever becomes the Democratic nominee.
"We do have two great candidates. They are 10 times, 10 times, 10 times better than the boob that's in the White House and, arguably, also, and I hope this is true of American labor, whomever gets the Democratic nomination, you may rest assured that our union will carry the flag for that individual all the way to the White House," he said, adding that labor would lead the fight. "All the unions combined in America are prepared to spend $275 million" to keep McCain from winning.
McEntee also argued Clinton was against NAFTA from the start, saying, "Anybody that tries to hang it around her neck, is hanging it on the wrong neck."
Clinton repeated her commitment to renegotiating NAFTA in her speech.
Early in her remarks, she hailed the importance of the labor movement, saying it had changed America for the better. "Unions are America," she proclaimed, before quoting Martin Luther King, Jr. "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. summed up labor's significance before an AFL-CIO gathering much like this one. The labor movement, he said, was the principle force that transformed misery and despair into hope and progress," before going on to note that King was killed 40 years ago this week.
Clinton also had a rejoinder for Sen. Casey early in her remarks. "I know that Sen. Casey was here earlier and I'm looking forward to inviting him to the White House," she said.
*** UPDATE *** The RNC responds: "Senator Clinton’s attacks on John McCain are a desperate attempt to change the focus away from the divisive battle within the Democratic Party. Rather than attack Senator McCain, Clinton should explain how she will pay for her massive, new spending proposals and why she plans to raise taxes on hardworking Pennsylvania families and businesses. On a side note, Rocky Balboa has spoken, and he’s with John McCain."
