Clinton touts plan to ‘rebuild America’

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), in an address Tuesday to a powerful Pennsylvania labor union, said her plan to improve the nation’s infrastructure would create 3 million new jobs over the course of a decade.

The former first lady, who hopes to win Pennsylvania’s primary on April 22, spoke to the state’s AFL-CIO convention and blasted President Bush’s economic policies, saying they resulted in the loss of 3 million manufacturing jobs.

{mosads}“I’ll fight for every single job in America — and create millions of new, high-paying jobs that can’t be outsourced,” Clinton said. “We’re trying to run today’s economy on yesterday’s infrastructure — and we’re jeopardizing tomorrow’s prosperity.”

The New York senator wants to pour tens of billions of dollars into infrastructure improvement projects, such as for the nation’s highway and public transportation systems.

In her address to the labor organization, Clinton also ripped Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

“John McCain admits he doesn’t understand the economy — and unfortunately he’s proving it in this campaign,” Clinton said. “He looked at the housing crisis, and he blamed consumers. And his plan for the economy is to extend George Bush’s tax cuts for billionaires and give a new $100 billion corporate tax cut.”

In response, Republican National Committee spokesman Alex Conant criticized the former first lady.

“Sen. Clinton’s attacks on John McCain are a desperate attempt to change the focus away from the divisive battle within the Democratic Party,” he said. “Rather than attack Sen. McCain, Clinton should explain how she will pay for her massive new spending proposals and why she plans to raise taxes on hardworking Pennsylvania families and businesses.”