Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - Excerpts: Hillary Clinton Announces Plan To Create Three Million Jobs By Investing In Infrastructure

Hillary Clinton delivered the following excerpted remarks to the Pennsylvania AFL CIO earlier today in Philadelphia, PA.

To read the full transcript, [Click here]

"...No one knows better than our unions what it means to fight for the underdog. Every day, you are standing up for workers who need someone to stand up with them. And I'm in this race for the very same reason – to fight for everyone who needs a champion in their corner.

"For me, this campaign is not about me – this campaign is about all of us. This campaign is meant to repudiate the political philosophies and the governing of the last 7 years. Because our current President and Vice President have a very different view of America. They honestly believe that somehow it works best for America when we keep giving more to those who already have more than enough, and that we take away from those who are struggling just to get to the level of subsistence and possibility. That's why they gave big tax breaks to oil companies making record profits, while you pay through the roof at the pump.

"I met with a group of truck drivers in Harrisburg yesterday. They are pretty fed up with high fuel prices and they were making their opinions known. Who is listening? I'm listening, but it doesn't seem like the White House is listening. The president is too busy holding hands with the Saudis to care about American truck drivers who can't afford to fill up their tank any longer. I meet workers all over Pennsylvania and elsewhere who lost their pensions; they have seen companies go into bankruptcy and discharge their obligations. We have a vice president, who, when he was CEO of Halliburton which now gets all these no bid contracts, don't they, from the government? Workers lost $25 billion in pensions. But Dick Cheney got to strap on a golden parachute worth $20 million. You get tax breaks to people who don't need them while our children get stuck with the bill.

"Now, I never thought I'd say this but ever since my husband got out of full time public service, he's actually made money, much to both of our amazement. But I have to confess, as recipients of all of George Bush's tax breaks, I can tell you I didn't need them, I didn't want them, I didn't ask for them. And when I am president, we're going to take those back from people making over $250,000 a year in America. And has there ever been in recent history a more anti-union, anti-labor president and White House? They are not just looking for the union label, they are looking to squash the union bug. They want to eliminate unions and union workers – it's ideological, it's personal.

"After seven disastrous years of George Bush and Dick Cheney, the stakes in this election couldn't be higher. And the need to change course couldn't be more urgent. But I am here to tell you, Senator John McCain, a friend of mine, someone whose service to our country I admire, is only offering more of the same.

"John McCain admits he doesn't understand the economy – and unfortunately he's proving that day after day on the campaign trail. 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 wealthy, if you're not well-connected, you fend for yourself; the others are taken care of it.

"But don't take just my word for it. Even a Republican Senator Mel Martinez from Florida after listening to Senator McCain's economic pan gave it an "incomplete," and he said: "where I think he fell short...is the fact that we need to do some things that can help families, that can help people." Well, duh. Yeah, we do.

"We need to do something that can help the American people for a change – put the middle class back into the driver's seat. Give our families the opportunities they deserve.

"You know, sometimes when that phone rings at 3am in the White House it's an economic crisis. It seems like John McCain would just let it ring and ring and ring.

"Well that's not good enough for the families that I have met across Pennsylvania. I was with a group of families in Harrisburg yesterday at a diner, sitting around talking. What were they concerned about? The high price of gas; losing their homes to foreclosure, being able to afford to send or keep a child in college; wondering where that next job is going to come from.

"These are the stories and concerns that are on the minds of the people here in Pennsylvania. I think we've had enough of a president who didn't know enough about economics, and didn't do enough for the American middle class. We're ready for a president who will meet the challenges of our time.

"Now I know taking on Senator McCain in November won't be easy. Republicans aren't going to give up without a fight. And no matter how beautiful your rhetoric, the Republicans are not going to turn off their attack machine – it doesn't have an off switch.

"But one thing you know about me is that when I say I'll fight for you, I'll fight for you. I know how to fight for you and that's exactly what I will do throughout this campaign. Look, I know there will be hurdles and setbacks between now and November. But I also know that I'm ready. I know what it's like to stumble. I know what it means to get knocked down. But I've never stayed down. I never will. And neither will you and neither will America. We are on the comeback trail as a country.

"This is one of the most important elections we've ever had. There is so much at stake. You heard as President George talked about what a difference it made to go from a Republican governor and Republican senators and Republican members of Congress. But we've got to finish the job and it's so important that the people of Pennsylvania have their voices heard and their votes counted. Senator Obama says he's getting tired of the campaign. His supporters say they want it to end.

"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. And I know that we are going to make it together – not just up those stairs, but we are going to climb that mountain to a better day for America.

"We have so much work to do and we won't get there if we quit or we walk away. We'll get there by staying and fighting and standing up for what we believe in.

"But I don't need to tell any of you this. No one knows better than organized labor how important it is to have a fighter on your side. When you send someone to the bargaining table, you need the strongest, toughest, most determined person you've got. Not someone who is just going to talk about problems. But someone who will roll up her sleeves and get the job done for you.

"A President who gets up everyday and asks, "What am I going to do for the American people today?" What am I going to do to make sure you've got good jobs that can't be outsourced? What am I going to do to make sure we have trade agreements that are pro-American and pro-worker and make sure that we can compete with anybody, anywhere, anytime?" If you give me the chance, that's the kind of president I will be.

"That's what I'll do because that's what I've always done.

"Alongside labor, I fought for and passed an extension of unemployment insurance in the wake of September 11. I went to the floor of the Senate everyday and stood up to the Republicans and said we are going to extend and expand unemployment insurance until we finally got it done.

"Alongside labor, I'm fighting on behalf of the brave and patriotic workers who came to Ground Zero after September 11. Across the entire New York area, ironworkers, operating engineers, laborers, everybody dropped what they were doing and came rushing to see how they could help; so many of them got sick. They had to quit working. The man who could carry hundreds of pounds, run marathons could barely walk up stairs or breathe.

"Alongside labor, I've fought for the collective bargaining rights of federal employees, The Department of Health and Human Services, The Department of Homeland Security, The Department of Defense, TSA screeners, and public servants like our firefighters and police officers.

"Alongside labor, I've supported the Helmets to Hardhats program, to help veterans get those good jobs that they deserve to have after their service. I'm working with my good friend, Congressman Murtha to expand this program and I am so proud to have Jack Murtha's endorsement. There isn't anyone I would rather have in a foxhole for a tough campaign and a tough election than Jack Murtha.

"And I've fought alongside labor in my home state of New York – home to one out of every seven union members in America. I've urged CEOs to return to the bargaining table, encouraged employer neutrality in organizing campaigns. I've urged construction companies to hire local union workers, and I've joined workers on the picket line.

"I'll keep standing with you, fighting for you, and speaking out every single day as President of the United States. Because I don't think the work ends with the election – the work begins with the election...." ...

"...First, I will fight for every single job in America, we can't save them all, but we're going to save a lot more of them than we have been lately. Then we're going to create millions of new, high paying jobs that can't be outsourced. President Bush has stood by and watched as we've lost 3 million manufacturing jobs since he became president. He's doing nothing about the loopholes in our tax code that actually encourage companies to ship jobs overseas.

Meanwhile, Senator McCain believes business as usual on trade is just fine. He says that some lost jobs "are not coming back;" that seems fine with him too. Well I think it's time for a different approach.

Today, I am announcing an aggressive infrastructure agenda will create at least 3 million jobs over the next decade. After the failed levees in New Orleans, the tragic bridge collapse in Minnesota, we don't need any more devastating wake up calls. And you don't have to look any further than the problems you had with I-95 to know that we have to take action now.

We're trying to run today's economy on yesterday's infrastructure – our bridges, our tunnels, our roads, our water systems and so much else – and we are jeopardizing American prosperity. So I will rebuild America by rebuilding, repairing and modernizing our infrastructure.

And I want to salute the work of your great governor, another incredibly visionary effective leader, Ed Rendell on this issue. He has not only made great strides here in Pennsylvania but he's leading the way nationally on infrastructure. I intend to work closely with him as President.

My Rebuild America plan will create a $10 billion Emergency Fund to identify and repair critical infrastructure problems. We'll modernize our transportation systems. We've got a lot of transportation and transit workers here and I'm proud to have your support. We're going to invest in public transit and inter-city rail. We're going to connect America with a national broadband infrastructure. All of our communication workers, our electrical workers, we need to have super information highway the way we have an interstate highway system so every part of America gets connected up, part of the global economy. We'll create a National Infrastructure Bank and I will use bonding authority to make these long-term investments.

Think about it, in World War II we had War Bonds. Maybe it's time we ask Americans if they want to play a part in rebuilding America. I think millions and millions of Americans will make those contributions. Then we're going to turn around and put them into projects that will strengthen our economy and create room for that economy to grow. We can put at least 3 million Americans to work..."