Van Jones, Green Jobs Czar

[Bob The Mercenary]

Is there something about this guy that I haven't been told that would change my opinion of him to a positive one? Because right now, all of the information I have been hearing about him is that he said "only suburban white kids shoot up schools", he "was" a 9/11 truther, and he compares George W. Bush to a crack addict. And Obama says he knew none of this when he oppointed the guy.

I understand that he is extremely learned and attended Yale Law. And that he is highly respected in the alternative energy field. I just want to extinguish any false advertising I'm getting before I start thinking of the guy as a lunatic who answers to no one but the President.

In his defense.

Originally Posted by Article

If people think Van Jones's work against police brutality was wrong, they could raise that concern for his qualifications. If they think his work to increase reading among prisoners to reduce recidivism was wrong, that's a legitimate issue. If they think his work trying to get minority youth involved in training for green economy jobs was misguided, that might be a useful debate.

I'm fine with all of that, by the way. And the comment he made about conservatives being assholes was actually not as abrasive as it was made out to be. Again, amazing what happens when you let the other side speak.

[bluestarultor]

Bob, you know how you always come in here asking if all the horrible things the people you know tell you about Democrats are true? And then they never are?

Just saying, Dems aren't all baby-eating gay terrorists or whatever. You really need to evaluate the information you get based on the sources it comes from.



That said, you answered your own question. If he's respected as a lawyer and in the alternative energy field, and those are the things he's dealing with, is there really any reason to worry?

[Bob The Mercenary]

Originally Posted by bluestarultor

Just saying, Dems aren't all baby-eating gay terrorists or whatever. You really need to evaluate the information you get based on the sources it comes from.

I was only referring to the one man, and most of what I've heard about him is true. I'm just wondering if all the bad stuff should be swept under the rug in favor of his knowledge of the field he's in.

[bluestarultor]

If he's not dealing with gun-toting white kids, 9/11, or George Jr., what's the problem? :J

He's been hired for a job and if he does it, I don't care if he's a Satanist. The real issue would be if he were a big oil exec, which, to my knowledge, he's not.

[Bob The Mercenary]

Well, that settles that...I guess.

He must have read this thread.

[Marc v4.0]

I can understand the remarks regarding 9/11 but..seriously...he said some bad things about Republicans?

Boo fucking hoo...like the Republican party isn't almost completely comprised of slander and trash talk these days.

[InThroughTheOutDoor]

Van Jones: Campaign Fodder

Van Jones, President Obama's green jobs czar, is having a tough week, politically. First, he had to apologize for calling Republicans "assholes" in February, before joining the administration, after a video of the comment surfaced and conservatives cried foul. Then it was discovered that he signed onto a 9/11 truth pledge in 2004, calling for investigations into whether people in the Bush administration "may indeed have deliberately allowed 9/11 to happen, perhaps as a pretext for war." In a statement last night, Jones said the petition "does not reflect my views now or ever." This morning, ABC's Jake Tapper reported that Jones was on the "organizing committee" of a 2002 march in San Francisco demanding a congressional inquiry into 9/11.

But maybe the worst thing, for him, is that he's now become campaign fodder: Republican 2010 gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner has cut a web video blasting rival candidate (and former eBay CEO) Meg Whitman for some glowing words about Jones--namely, that she was a "big fan" of some of his climate change and community-enfranchising efforts.

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009...ign_fodder.php

His politically unpopular views were his downfall, duh.

[Meister]

Originally Posted by Bob the Mercenary

swept under the rug

Maybe not swept under the rug but maybe recognized as having no particular relation to or influence on the subject he actually would have been handling?

[Tev]

Glenn's not taking the credit for this one.....well, at least not in the way he kinda is taking credit for it.

Anyway, as long as this guy could do his job, was a respected member of the community for which his job was centered, and did his job to the best of his abilities, I don't see why he had to step down. I mean, I understand that he might not have been able to take the political pressure I guess but it would have been a whole lot more satisfying to just see him tell them all off by letting them know just how irrelevant their accusations were. He's a czar. He answers to the president, not to Fox News or angry vocal conservatives.

[Wigmund]

Originally Posted by Tev

Glenn's not taking the credit for this one.....well, at least not in the way he kinda is taking credit for it.

Anyway, as long as this guy could do his job, was a respected member of the community for which his job was centered, and did his job to the best of his abilities, I don't see why he had to step down. I mean, I understand that he might not have been able to take the political pressure I guess but it would have been a whole lot more satisfying to just see him tell them all off by letting them know just how irrelevant their accusations were. He's a czar. He answers to the president, not to Fox News or angry vocal conservatives.

It's because of the political pressure, he stepped down to get rid of that Republican 2010 campaign fodder against Obama and the Democrats which would have really brewed up if he stayed there. Now, it'll be past news and I'd be surprised if large numbers of people are still worked up over him 12 months from now. Besides, he can find other ways to work towards the goals of "Green Czar" while not working with the administration.

Though I'd love it if some Obama official just told the Republicans and Fox News (Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity especially) that they're a bunch of twits that can go fuck themselves and can now shut the hell up while the administration fixes the bullshit the neo-cons unleashed while they where in power.