By Sarah Wheaton

In his weekly address for broadcast today, President-elect Barack Obama announced his intention to create 2.5 million new jobs by January 2011.

“There are no quick or easy fixes to this crisis, which has been many years in the making, and it’s likely to get worse before it gets better,” he said. “But January 20th is our chance to begin anew – with a new direction, new ideas, and new reforms that will create jobs and fuel long-term economic growth.”

Mr. Obama said he had “directed my economic team to come up with an Economic Recovery plan that will mean 2.5 million more jobs by January of 2011.” He was short on details, but other comments suggest the plan could be inspired both by New Deal-era initiatives and a promise from Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and later Mr. Obama to create 5 million “green collar” jobs: “We’ll put people back to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, modernizing schools that are failing our children, and building wind farms and solar panels; fuel-efficient cars and the alternative energy technologies that can free us from our dependence on foreign oil and keep our economy competitive in the years ahead,” Mr. Obama said in the address.

Read Full Post Here