Next Steps for My Friend, Van Jones
Van Jones, the White House's top advisor on Green Jobs, resigned this morning in the wake of a focused campaign by the right wing to unseat him. In all the stories swirling around Glenn Beck/Fox's smear campaign on my long-time friend and colleague Van Jones, I hardly recognized who they were talking about.
You'd never know the "raging communist" they were scalping was in fact a Yale-educated attorney, best-selling author, and one of the most strategic minds in contemporary politics. Or that he has been fighting for a lifetime to try and improve the world around him -- most recently by pushing for green jobs and pathways out of poverty for millions of people around this country of ours, which is staggering under the weight of an economy built on dirty coal and big oil.
I, for one, am relieved that even more people around the country are about to get to know a remarkable man and a remarkable mind; and while others throughout the environmental movement lament his resignation, I am excited about the opportunity it presents for us to move this climate and energy bill and our country forward. But I am also deeply disturbed about what Fox's apparent victory means for the future of President Obama's administration and cadre of talented advisors.
What does this mean? Three things for sure:
1. More lynchings: Van's is just the first scalp and they wont stop there. But what they didn't bet on is that he can and will be even more effective on the outside than he was able to be on the inside -- particularly now that they have launched him to a position of national prominence and interest. As others have pointed out, Van's resignation could mean it will be impossible for outspoken progressives to work in the White House, which would be a very bad result for the country.
2. More trouble for Fox News and Glenn Beck: hopefully lots more. Color of Change mounted a successful campaign urging advertisers to boycott Fox news as result of Glenn Beck's racist remarks -- and 57 advertisers have agreed to work on getting their ads off the show since Glenn Beck called President Obama a "racist" who "has a deep-seated hatred for white people" during an appearance on Fox & Friends a month ago.
3. Bigger and better things from Van Jones: a remarkable, dedicated and strategic changemaker who is about to hit his stride.
Follow Gillian Caldwell on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Gillian1Sky
Gene Karpinski: Labor Day 2009: Protect the American Worker with a Clean Energy Economy
Only one-sixth of the world's top renewable energy manufacturers are based in the United States, which means we are losing out on millions of new jobs.
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Ms. Caldwell, two things for your short article.
1. You don't speak to the videos of your friend, out of context or not. Why?
2. Being a raging communist has nothing to do with:
Being Yale educated.
Being an attorney.
Being a best selling author.
Having a stategic political mind.
Just sayin'
I may disagree with communists, but I defend to the death their right to believe in it.
How about you? Have you no decency?
Please Ms Caldwell prove Beck wrong, that's all you have to do.
no, you conservative liars have to prove your case. Point to the words from Jones you don't like.
Obviously he wasn't vetted very well.
Obviously the Conservatives will attack for reason or nonsense, and Obama will cave.
Van Jones for Mayor of Oakland!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-a-palermo/glenn-beck-vs-van-jones-m_b_279416.html
Glenn Beck did not lynch Van Jones it's disingenuous to say so. Van Jones is an avowed, radical, revolutionary communist. The problem is not Glenn Beck, the problem is Obama allowing a radical communist as an adviser to him.
So after all of McCarthyism debacle, you still think communist have no right to work in politics in the modern USA?
The rest of the world, allows the communist party to compete in the market of ideas, why not the USA?
And it the Label "Communist" enough for you?
No need to know what his detailsed beliefs are?
And the conservatives presidents included are guilty of war crimes, war profiteering, stealing elections, and calling for the destruction of democr4ayc and it's replacement with plutocracy.
I do not think nor does the majority of American people that a Communist-Marxist has any business in the Whitehouse.
I'm still more bothered by Glenn Beck saying he hates the victims of 9/11 and Katrina than anything Van Jones has said or done. Van Jones has always been interested in improving the world around him, and sometimes young idealists think that means they have to be radical to change a world entrenched in apathy and the status quo. Glenn Beck isn't interested in improving anything other than his ratings and bank account.
Who's America's new target: Glenn Beck.
Your friend got jobbed, and we lost a thoughtful, energetic voice for marrying economic development and energy innovation.
I look forward to following Mr. Jones in his once again private citizen role helping to lead us out of energy insanity.
Let's put our tax dollars to use. Ditch Fox, CNN and MSNBC and get your news from PBS!
van jones is and will be a great citizen and leader. he's remarkable.
Would've been quicker to do this with snail mail.
Tell me what lies were told about Van Jones.
Too lazy to repeat the smears yourself--you want his defenders to do your research for you, eh?
Tell you what: I've been following Jones' work for about two years now. I've read his book and numerous of his essays and interviews. I've watched several speeches of his and followed the work of Green For All and the other organizations he's helped found. I'm pretty familiar with his life story.
Why don't YOU tell ME what you know about Van Jones, and I'll let you know if it's accurate.
Evidently some of that poison that Jones says white eco-environmentalists are spraying on minorities accidently hit you Gillian, Did you honestly think he was not a "Truther", was not a member of an openly Marxist organization, was not a member of a racist group, etc?
I mean those are 'elephant in the room' type of topics.
I have to agree with hornagain. A Yale educated lawyer should know what he is signing.
I also think the video of his hate speech is clear and in his own words. If he does not really have those views why would he say those things?
Joe
Why listen to anything that Fox Noise has to say?
Just curious. Did he say "those things" and did he sign "that petition"? If he did, how can you defend him? Beck may be a loose cannon but he didn't miss the mark on this.
Clearly, when you sign a petition you are not openly endorsing those views. You're being racist for suggesting otherwise!
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