Obama's Economic Plan Calls for Green Jobs

In his speech yesterday detailing his economic proposal for the country, Barack Obama stated that green jobs should be created for economic stimulus. The full transcript of his speech is here.

Some excerpts:

"We'll create 5 million new, high-wage jobs by investing in the renewable sources of energy that will eliminate the oil we currently import from the Middle East in 10 years, and we'll create 2 million jobs by rebuilding our crumbling roads, schools, and bridges."

"It is time to protect the jobs we have and to create the jobs of tomorrow by unlocking the drive, and ingenuity, and innovation of the American people. And we should fast-track the loan guarantees we passed for our auto industry and provide more as needed so that they can build the energy-efficient cars America needs to end our dependence on foreign oil."

"I won't pretend this will be easy or come without cost. We'll have to set priorities as never before, and stick to them. That means pursuing investments in areas such as energy, education, and healthcare that bear directly on our economic future, while deferring other things we can afford to do without."

John McCain also gave his economic proposal today (full text), and his had little mention of energy, only this: "I will lead reforms to help families keep their homes, and retirees to keep their savings, and college students to pay their tuition, and every citizen to afford healthcare, and America to reclaim its energy independence."

However, Politico says that green jobs are a focus for both candidates and—surprisingly—something on which they can agree as a boost for the economy. Their differences lie in what types of jobs would be created—McCain's would be in the nuclear sector, says Politico, while Obama's would be in the research and development of cleaner fuels. Will it work?