In an effort to show off his policy chops yesterday, Barack Obama laid out his $210 billion economic plan to a group of autoworkers at a General Motors plant in Wisconsin:
He called for creating the “green collar” jobs of the future:
Obama’s investment would be over 10 years as part of two programs. The larger is $150 billion to create 5 million so-called “green collar” jobs to develop more environmentally friendly energy sources.
From Obama’s uncharacteristically wonky speech:
This can be America’s future. […] The question is not whether a clean energy economy is in our future, it’s where it will thrive. I want it to thrive right here in the United States of America; right here in Wisconsin; and that’s the future I’ll fight for as your President.
It’s wonderful to hear Obama call for such a major investment in the alternative energy industry.
But as the Associated Press reports, he didn’t mention his support for higher fuel economy standards:
Obama pointedly did not include one of his biggest applause lines, that he would require vehicle manufacturers to raise fuel economy standards. Obama often points out that he delivered that message straight to the automakers during a speech last year in Detroit.
Last year, Obama told the Detroit automakers, “I’m making this proposal here today because I don’t believe in making proposals in California and giving a different speech in Michigan.”
Well technically, he didn’t say anything about giving a different speech in Wisconsin. (And to be fair, there is a primary coming up in a few weeks…probably not the best time to risk alienating the working class voters he needs to lock up the nomination.)
Tags: energy policy, green collar
