Hillary Clinton talks up 'green-collar' jobs in convention speech

DENVER--During the primary campaign, Hillary Clinton lashed out at her rival, saying she was the only candidate with the right plan "to create 5 million new, green collar jobs." She dismissed Barack Obama thusly: "My opponent doesn't have much experience creating jobs at all."

Through his Web site, Obama responded that he had a better plan to create "5 million green collar jobs."

The long-running dispute between Hillary Clinton--shown on the convention floor on Tuesday--and Barack Obama's over who had the best plan to create "5 million green collar jobs" is officially over.

(Credit: CBS News)

On Tuesday evening here at the Democratic convention, the Democrats' intra-party dispute over who had the best plan to create "5 million green collar jobs" officially ended. In a speech that extolled the virtues of working together to defeat Sen. John McCain, Clinton said her onetime rival from Illinois "is my candidate and he must be our president."

Joined by her husband, Bill Clinton, and daughter, Chelsea Clinton, the New York senator acquiesced on the green-jobs point. Obama will "transform our energy agenda by creating millions of green jobs and building a new, clean energy future," she acknowledged.

Except for Clinton loyalists, including some delegates who staged a rally in her support outside the Pepsi Center, this may put to rest the key question of who had the more efficacious plan--while not answering who came up with it first. The Obama campaign's "factcheck" site claims that "Obama advocated for green-collar jobs for years--and unveiled his plan a month before Clinton unveiled hers." (In an article titled "It's Not Easy Being Green-Collar," Forbes outlined this dispute.)

The issue of green jobs is likely to reappear again in the general election this fall, and Obama has some competition. McCain, the Republican candidate for president, also says he has a plan for green jobs, but doesn't seem to say how many millions of jobs he'll create: "Green jobs and green technology will be vital to our economic future. There is no reason that the U.S. should not be a leader in developing and deploying these new technologies."

[sanenazok]

Ugh, more stupid names for things. As if we need the term "green collar." It adds nothing but more jingoistic bs. These are high tech jobs. Of all the speakers on yesterday I liked the home health care worker the best. Obama had visited her and did some work. I guess that means he has experience to be the president. Also here's Obama's plan to generate 5 million jobs: start handing out money like there's no tomorrow - i.e. $150 billion over 10 years. Exactly how this money will do this is left up to Biden apparently. However, doling out cash must create jobs, no? Obama will make sure that the money supports the hippest technologies, ONLY. See his list: biofuels, plug-in hybrids, renewable energy, low emissions coal plants, and a new digital electricity grid. This is from http://www.barackobama.com/issues/economy/ (scroll down to 5 million green jobs). I guess Obama needs a magic wand! I give him credit for not using "green collar" on the site, though.

[Manhattan2]

The Democrats have it all wrong. They need to change their approach if they want to truly make a difference in our energy crisis. Their desire to spend money on renewable power without regard for efficiency and cost competitiveness will take good money "our money" and throw it into ill-advised solutions. We are for oil independence, energy conservation, and yes solar and wind power but only if we go at it the right way. The nation will slip into a deeper economic hole if we simply put money into programs like the million solar roofs project that do not work. Residential rooftop fixed angle solar panel installations and localized small scale wind mills will be our downfall if we are not careful. Check out SolarTransfer for more early information on a renewable energy program that makes sense.

[sanenazok]

I looked at solartransfer.com and it makes Obama's messages quite content-rich and specific! I can't even venture a guess what solartransfer.com is trying to push other than NOT small scale installations. Best part- copyright two years ago. Wow, you would think that this would be changing every week.

[Manhattan2]

There have been many advancements in the products our engineers are making. They will remain private. The Solar Transfer solution works as well now as it did 2 years ago. We can only say that residential solar power fixed angle photovoltaic installers and manufacturers should start diversifying. When our Energy Manifesto is released it will shine a light on this industry that is either blinded by greed or blinded by trying to be green. In both cases (the oil companies venturing into Solar and the environmentalist trying to do good) are wrong. Any politician pushing residential renewables with tax credits and incentives is putting tax payer dollars to bad use. The problem and solution is big and we have the answer. It will be released when enough people from both the left and right seek out the real solutions. President Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, John McCain, and Barack Obama have all been made aware of our research. What they choose to do with that information says a lot on where we are headed. If you have a photovoltaic solar panel on your roof and can prove us wrong send your information to [e-mail] . We only have one. One Earth that is!

[sanenazok]

If you developed an alternative technology for residential solar applications you should really get a patent. Amazon gets patents from clicking, so you should get it for your secret technology, or at least a part of it. Sure, patenting costs a few thousand but it will protect your invention for 20 years and allow you to publicize it and obtain funding (even from the government). I live in an apartment in Chicago so I'm not concerned about this per se.

Of course if all you have is a manifesto then that's not exactly a patentable invention. Even so, you should publish it rather than keeping it a secret and criticizing something (fixed angle cells) without providing an alternative.

[Manhattan2]

Thanks, patent it will be for the hardware but again phase 2 of the Solar Transfer could be done today and people still don't understand. We are unimpressed by the current solutions and companies pushing those solutions. Trying to do this privately for the right reasons. Finding little help.

[NotForObama]

Proof Barack Obama is an Elitis,
He has no Agenda, he answers no hard question,, He got Biden to give him more credibility ,,, Obama Stole the Presidential Seal ,,to call his own, I guess he thought he is Hitler for a second,
Now as we are speaking Obama is changing the stage,,,at the convention center, to a ROMAN THEME,
Now Barack Obama THinks he is Julius Caesar or worst He think he is the 2nd Coming of Christ,,,
The Ego on Barack Obama is getting worst and worst,, and its Barack Obama who wont let this go...
Soon He going to have some try to knight him, go for a dictator ship, what is next with Barack Obama,

[jamesliam]

At the Federal level, all this "green collar" rhetoric is nothing more than.... rhetoric. No subsidies, no grants, no nothing. It's nice to see some of the localities banding together though -- there's a green collar grant proposal in Chicago to place and train displaced workers at the Chicago Green Exchange, for example. I hope the new president follows suit.