Organizing for America

Clinton Campaign Falsely Attacks Obama's Economic Plan

"If the Clinton campaign ever bothered to check their facts before attacking, they'd know that Barack Obama's comprehensive energy plan to create millions of new jobs was introduced a month before Senator Clinton's, and that his infrastructure plan invests billions more to rebuild our roads, bridges, and schools than hers does. But the real problem in Washington is not a lack of good ideas, it's the failure to come together and solve our problems because politicians are too busy scoring cheap political points like this one." -- Obama Spokesman Bill Burton

RHETORIC: Obama's "'New' Proposal For A National Infrastructure Bank Is One That Hillary Proposed August 8, 2007."

REALITY: Infrastructure Bank Proposals Have Been Around For A While--But Clinton Wasn't Always a Fan

2005 Democratic Senate Bill Included Infrastructure Banks, With 13 Cosponsors, But Clinton Wasn't One of Them. In 2005, Sen. Sarbanes sponsored, along with 13 other Democratic cosponsors, "A bill to provide for alternative transportation in certain federally owned or managed areas that are open to the general public." Part of the bill read, "A qualified project assisted under this section shall be eligible for funding through a State Infrastructure Bank or other innovative financing mechanism otherwise available to finance an eligible project under this chapter." Sen. Clinton was not a cosponsor of the bill. [S. 890, Introduced 4/22/05]

Clinton Also Did Not Sign Onto the 2003 Bill. Sen. Sarbanes also introduced "A bill to provide for alternative transportation in certain federally owned or managed areas that are open to the general public" in 2003. There were 18 cosponsors, all Democrats, including Schumer, Dodd and Corzine, but Sen. Clinton was not one of them. [S. 1032, Introduced 5/8/03]

RHETORIC: Obama's "'New' Proposal To Create 5 Million Green Collar Jobs Was Proposed By Hillary On November 5, 2007"

REALITY: Obama Advocated for Green Collar Jobs for Years--And Unveiled His Plan a Month Before Clinton Unveiled Hers

OCT 2007, MONTH BEFORE HILLARY'S PLAN: Obama's Said In His Energy Plan That Investing In Energy Would Create Millions Of New Jobs In The US. Obama said, "In meeting the challenges of earlier generations, we didn't just end a costly war or beat the Soviets to the moon - we also unleashed opportunities we had never dreamed of. The GI Bill sent an entire generation of Americans - including my grandfather - to college and then on to the middle-class. Legions of scientists and engineers emerged from our race to space whose discoveries and innovations have forever changed the world. That's why my plan isn't just about making dirty energy expensive, it's about making clean energy affordable - a project that will create millions of new jobs and entire new industries right here in America." [Speech, 10/8/07]

Apollo Alliance Co-Founder Bracken Hendricks Praised Obama's Energy Plan For Funding Programs To Train "Our Youth In The 'Green Collar Jobs' Of The Future. Hendricks, Co-founder of the Apollo Alliance and Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress said, "Barack Obama's plan to combat global warming and achieve energy security shows that investing in clean energy will drive good jobs and economic growth. This proposal reduces carbon emissions and boldly invests in clean energy alternatives and efficiency. From helping farmers locally produce bio-fuels, to training our youth in the 'green collar jobs' of the future; from helping US manufacturers retool to build more efficient cars, to creating a venture fund for emerging clean technology, this plan demonstrates that solving global warming is at the center of renewing America's economy." [Obama Release, 10/8/07]

SEP 2006: Obama Addressed Creating Green Collar Jobs In A Speech On Energy Independence. Obama said, "During World War II, we had an entire country working around the clock to produce enough planes and tanks to beat the Axis powers. In the middle of the Cold War, we built a national highway system so we had a quick way to transport military equipment across the country. When we wanted to beat the Russians into space, we poured millions into a national education initiative that graduated thousands of new scientists and engineers. If we hope to strengthen our security and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, we can offer no less of a commitment to energy independence." [Speech, 9/20/06]

APR 2006: Obama Addressed Green Collar Jobs In A Speech On Fuel Efficiency Standards. Obama said, "But it's precisely because of that competition that they don't have a choice. China now has a higher fuel economy standard than we do, and Japan's Toyota is doubling production of the popular Prius to sell 100,000 in the U.S. this year. There is now no doubt that fuel-efficient cars represent the future of the auto industry. If American car companies hope to be a part of that future - if they hope to survive - they must start building more of these cars. This isn't just about energy - this is about the ability to create millions of new jobs and save an entire American industry." [Speech, 4/3/06]

Obama Called for Green Jobs in Audacity of Hope...Published in 2006. "What we can do is create renewable, cleaner energy sources for the twenty-first century. Instead of subsidizing the oil industry, we should end every single tax break the industry currently receives and demand that 1 percent of the revenues from oil companies with over $1 billion in quarterly profits go toward financing alternative energy research and the necessary infrastructure. Not only would such a project pay huge economic, foreign policy, and environmental dividends—it could be the vehicle by which we train an entire new generation of American scientists and engineers and a source of new export industries and high-wage jobs...Aggressively investing in alternative fuel sources can also lead to the creation of thousands of new jobs. Ten or twenty years down the road, that old Maytag plant in Galesburg could reopen its doors as a cellulosic ethanol refinery. Down the street, scientists might be busy in a research lab working on a new hydrogen cell. And across the way, a new auto company could be busy churning out hybrid cars. The new jobs created could be filled by American workers trained with new skills and a world-class education, from elementary school to college." [Audacity of Hope, p. 169-170]

RHETORIC
"In addition, while Senator Obama was busy resuscitating Hillary's policies, he failed to offer real solutions for the most pressing economic challenges that Americans families face. As Hillary explained this morning, "a plan that fails to provide universal health care, fails to address the housing crisis, and fails to immediately start creating good paying jobs in America again will not turn the economy around and provide the real relief that our people need. We need real results not more rhetoric."

Senator Clinton's campaign can read about Senator Obama's health care plan here, his housing crisis plan here, and his jobs plan here.