Obama Green Jobs Adviser Van Jones Resigns Amid Controversy

[Dino Velvet]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2009/09/06/obama-green-jobs-adviser-van-jones-resigns-amid-controversy/?test=health


Obama 'Green Jobs' Adviser Van Jones Resigns Amid Controversy
Van Jones, President Obama's green jobs adviser, had been linked to efforts suggesting a government role in the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

FOXNews.com
Sunday, September 06, 2009

White House green jobs adviser Van Jones resigned in the middle of the Labor Day weekend following persistent controversy over his past remarks and associations.

Jones, who served as an adviser to the White House Council on Environmental Quality, had generated mounting criticism over the past week. He earlier issued back-to-back apologies -- first, for calling Republicans "assholes" during a videotaped address earlier in the year, and second for signing a petition in 2004 supporting the "9/11 truther" movement, which believes the Bush administration may have been involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

The latter development, which came on top of several others, was perhaps the most devastating and led to calls for his resignation.

Jones stepped down late Saturday.

In a sharply worded statement, Jones said the controversy had become an unceasing distraction and assailed his critics.

"On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me. They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide," Jones said.

He said he had been "inundated" with calls from supporters urging him to "stay and fight."

"But I came here to fight for others, not for myself," he said. "I cannot in good conscience ask my colleagues to expend precious time and energy defending or explaining my past. We need all hands on deck, fighting for the future."

Nancy Sutley, chairwoman of the council Jones had been advising, said in a statement that she accepted the resignation, which was effective immediately, and called him a "strong voice for creating 21st century jobs that improve energy efficiency and utilize renewable resources."

The White House had stayed relatively quiet about Jones as the controversy developed, leading to speculation that he was on the way out. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on Friday said only that he "continues to work in the administration."

Asked about the resignation on ABC's "This Week" Sunday, Gibbs would not say whether President Obama ultimately urged him to leave.

"The president and the CEQ accepted his resignation because Van Jones, as he says in his statement, understood that he was going to get in the way of the president and ultimately this country moving forward on something as important as creating jobs in a clean energy economy," Gibbs said, adding that Obama does not endorse Jones' statements and associations.

"He doesn't, but he thanks him for his service to the country," Gibbs said.

White House adviser David Axelrod said Obama did not order Jones out of the administration, but commended him for the decision to step down. Axelrod said Jones showed his "commitment" to his cause by removing himself "as an issue."

"The political environment is rough, so these things get magnified," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Jones is considered a rising star in environmental circles. He wrote the New York Times bestseller "The Green Collar Economy" and has co-founded and worked with several groups dedicated to helping low-income and minority communities -- often through green jobs and better environmental policy. He got his start as a San Francisco-area activist.

Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, speaking on "FOX News Sunday," called the resignation a "loss for the country."

But critics raised questions about his fitness for a White House-level office, pointing to his radical activities a decade ago as well as more recent controversial stances.

Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., had demanded that the Senate Green Jobs and New Economy Subcommittee conduct hearings to probe Jones' behavior and "reassure the American people that their government is safe from his divisive, incendiary and ultimately counterproductive sentiments."

Jones was a self-described "communist" during the 1990s and previously worked with a group dedicated to Marxist and Leninist philosophies. His comments, even in recent years, were often racially charged. He's blamed "white polluters and white environmentalists" for "steering poison" to minority communities. In 2005, he drew a distinction between white and black youths involved in shooting incidents by referencing the 1999 Columbine High School massacre.

"You've never seen a Columbine done by a black child. Never," Jones said. "They always say, 'We can't believe it happened here. We can't believe it's these suburban white kids.' It's only them!" he said. "Now, a black kid might shoot another black kid. He's not going to shoot up the whole school."

Such statements did not draw widespread attention until after a February video surfaced showing him calling Republicans "assholes" during an address in Berkeley, Calif. Jones apologized, but faced down his past again when it was discovered that he signed a 2004 statement calling on then-New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and others to launch an investigation into evidence that suggests "people within the current administration may indeed have deliberately allowed 9/11 to happen, perhaps as a pretext for war."

Jones afterward issued a blanket apology for his past statements and said the petition does not reflect his views. An aide said Jones didn't carefully review the petition at the time.

But that claim was swiftly disputed by 911Truth.org. "He did agree with that statement and he did sign on to it," 911Truth.org spokesman Mike Berger told FOX News in a telephone interview from St. Louis on Friday. Berger said the group's "original board members individually confirmed all signatories that had signed on to the statement."

The calls for resignation mounted. And lawmakers said the problems surrounding Jones spoke to the broader concern about so-called White House "czars," top advisers and officials who do not need congressional approval.

Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., became the first lawmaker to call on Jones to resign, issuing a press release calling for a moratorium on the hiring of additional "czars" until the vetting process in Jones' case could be properly investigated.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said these officials are an "affront to the Constitution."

"When you take all these people that make policy close to the president and the White House ... and aren't approved by the Congress, you're just adding fuel to the fire by those who think Washington is taking over everything," he told "FOX News Sunday."

What kind of vetting process allows a Communist, Racist, 9/11 Conspiracy Nut to slip through the cracks?

[trish]

He earlier issued back-to-back apologies -- first, for calling Republicans "assholes" during a videotaped address earlier in the year, and second for signing a petition in 2004 supporting the "9/11 truther" movement, which believes the Bush administration may have been involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Well Jones was right about one thing.

[Cuchulain]

First Obama knuckles under to REICHwing nutjobs and throws the public option, and the Democratic Party Liberal base, under the bus. Then he rewords part of his address to school kids because of the same pressure. Now he dumps Van Jones because of the ravings of the lunatic Glenn Beck. Christ, I thought Harry Reid was a wimp, but compared to Obama, ol' Harry is starting to look like John Wayne. Pelosi may be the only Dem leader with an actual set of balls.

Beck's head will probably be so swollen he won't get through the door at Fox Noise this week.

[paulgutierrez]

First Obama knuckles under to REICHwing nutjobs and throws the public option, and the Democratic Party Liberal base, under the bus. Then he rewords part of his address to school kids because of the same pressure. Now he dumps Van Jones because of the ravings of the lunatic Glenn Beck. Christ, I thought Harry Reid was a wimp, but compared to Obama, ol' Harry is starting to look like John Wayne. Pelosi may be the only Dem leader with an actual set of balls.

Beck's head will probably be so swollen he won't get through the door at Fox Noise this week.
Reichwing?

That's funny because the Third Reich nationalized healthcare, banking, and the automotive industry.

I'm pretty sure that's what the republicans are against.

[notdrunk]

. Now he dumps Van Jones because of the ravings of the lunatic Glenn Beck.

Vengeance is a bitch. Glenn went after Van Jones when it was discovered that the organization that called for the boycott of his show happened to be founded in part by Van Jones. His past affiliations and comments did not help Van Jones.

A loony took out another loony.

P.S. Back in the 1980s, there was a black student that tried to shoot up his school. So, Van Jones is incorrect about saying whites only commit school shootings.

[hippifried]

I don't know enough about Van Jones to make any judgements on his job performance. He might have been real good at it or he might have failed miserably. We'll never know because he wasn't politically correct.

[Dino Velvet]

I don't know enough about Van Jones to make any judgements on his job performance. He might have been real good at it or he might have failed miserably. We'll never know because he wasn't politically correct.

From the videos I saw of him running his mouth he didn't look anything correct. Seems now he's trying to paint himself as a victim. How long will it be until he cries racism at his critics in the media?

[trish]

Speaking of running one's mouth, are you saying Glenn Beck is politically correct?!

[Dino Velvet]

Speaking of running one's mouth, are you saying Glenn Beck is politically correct?!

No. He's nutty too. He was right about Van Jones though.

[hippifried]

Right about what? I still can't figure out exactly what he did or why he's unqualified for the job he was hired to do. So far, all I've seen is that somebody or a bunch of somebodies don't like what he has to say about things that are irrelevant to the job.

So... What did he do, other than voice a personal opinion about something? What was Glen Beck "right" about? When did the republicans become so enamored by political correctness? Seems to me, the Glen Becks of the world have done nothing but incessantly gripe about it for at least the last 25 years. Maybe I'm wrong, but this sure looks like a witch hunt.

[notdrunk]

Right about what? I still can't figure out exactly what he did or why he's unqualified for the job he was hired to do. So far, all I've seen is that somebody or a bunch of somebodies don't like what he has to say about things that are irrelevant to the job.

So... What did he do, other than voice a personal opinion about something? What was Glen Beck "right" about? When did the republicans become so enamored by political correctness? Seems to me, the Glen Becks of the world have done nothing but incessantly gripe about it for at least the last 25 years. Maybe I'm wrong, but this sure looks like a witch hunt.

It is all about payback to Glenn. The organization that called for the boycott of Glenn's show was founded in part by Van Jones. The Right knew about Van Jones' history and they tried to somewhat publicize it; however, once they discovered that Van Jones helped found the organization that called for a boycott of Glenn's show, they went into overdrive publicizing his past and his connections.

You can be qualified for a job but your past can bite you in the ass.

[Dino Velvet]

Right about what? I still can't figure out exactly what he did or why he's unqualified for the job he was hired to do. So far, all I've seen is that somebody or a bunch of somebodies don't like what he has to say about things that are irrelevant to the job.

So... What did he do, other than voice a personal opinion about something? What was Glen Beck "right" about? When did the republicans become so enamored by political correctness? Seems to me, the Glen Becks of the world have done nothing but incessantly gripe about it for at least the last 25 years. Maybe I'm wrong, but this sure looks like a witch hunt.

Do a Google or YouTube search. If those videos don't convince you that it disqualifies Jones for an appointment there is nothing I could say that would change your mind.

[hippifried]

Right about what? I still can't figure out exactly what he did or why he's unqualified for the job he was hired to do. So far, all I've seen is that somebody or a bunch of somebodies don't like what he has to say about things that are irrelevant to the job.

So... What did he do, other than voice a personal opinion about something? What was Glen Beck "right" about? When did the republicans become so enamored by political correctness? Seems to me, the Glen Becks of the world have done nothing but incessantly gripe about it for at least the last 25 years. Maybe I'm wrong, but this sure looks like a witch hunt.

Do a Google or YouTube search. If those videos don't convince you that it disqualifies Jones for an appointment there is nothing I could say that would change your mind.
I did a google search before asking the question. I'm not going to bother with You Tube, because I'm not interested in somebody else's claims of claire voyance or simplistic assumptions of another person's thoughts.

I asked for a simple clarification of a statement you made. If you can't do it, just say so or say nothing. I can live with that. But don't get uppity & tell me to find support for what you're saying. So far, I have yet to see anyone come up with a disqualifier to Van Jones doing the job he was hired to do.

[Dino Velvet]

Right about what? I still can't figure out exactly what he did or why he's unqualified for the job he was hired to do. So far, all I've seen is that somebody or a bunch of somebodies don't like what he has to say about things that are irrelevant to the job.

So... What did he do, other than voice a personal opinion about something? What was Glen Beck "right" about? When did the republicans become so enamored by political correctness? Seems to me, the Glen Becks of the world have done nothing but incessantly gripe about it for at least the last 25 years. Maybe I'm wrong, but this sure looks like a witch hunt.

Do a Google or YouTube search. If those videos don't convince you that it disqualifies Jones for an appointment there is nothing I could say that would change your mind.
I did a google search before asking the question. I'm not going to bother with You Tube, because I'm not interested in somebody else's claims of claire voyance or simplistic assumptions of another person's thoughts.

I asked for a simple clarification of a statement you made. If you can't do it, just say so or say nothing. I can live with that. But don't get uppity & tell me to find support for what you're saying. So far, I have yet to see anyone come up with a disqualifier to Van Jones doing the job he was hired to do.

The information is all over the place. It's pretty much common knowledge by now about Jones signing the 9/11 Inquiry Petition, making racist statements about White kids shooting up schools, and belonging to an organization named (STORM), a group explicitly committed to revolutionary Marxist politics.

Guys like us are probably too far away in our political ideology to agree on most things. I feel Van Jones' baggage makes him a bad candidate for appointment. If you don't, that's fine. We'll agree to disagree and keep our discussion respectful.

[hippifried]

The information is all over the place. It's pretty much common knowledge by now about Jones signing the 9/11 Inquiry Petition, making racist statements about White kids shooting up schools, and belonging to an organization named (STORM), a group explicitly committed to revolutionary Marxist politics.
Oh, so I was right. This was just a witch hunt because he was "politically incorrect". I already knew all that crap. How is any of it relevant to the job he was hired for?

Look... Regardless of his strange tendencies toward conspiracy theories, ideological bent, or proclivity for hotheadedness & running off at the mouth, he's still an expert in this specific field with proven organizational skills. How many experts in green technology do you think there are, who know how to coordinate multiple organizations, & who would be willing to leave the private sector to brave microscopic scrutiny of their private lives by a media in a gotcha feeding frenzy, looking for anybody they can possibly attack for any reason? Now we're stuck with giving somebody OJT with billions of dollars at stake, all because of some pompous clown on the idiot box looking for ratings to save his ass because nobody will sponsor his insane rantings. Sorry, but I just can't find any virtue in vitriol.

[Dino Velvet]

The information is all over the place. It's pretty much common knowledge by now about Jones signing the 9/11 Inquiry Petition, making racist statements about White kids shooting up schools, and belonging to an organization named (STORM), a group explicitly committed to revolutionary Marxist politics.
Oh, so I was right. This was just a witch hunt because he was "politically incorrect". I already knew all that crap. How is any of it relevant to the job he was hired for?

Look... Regardless of his strange tendencies toward conspiracy theories, ideological bent, or proclivity for hotheadedness & running off at the mouth, he's still an expert in this specific field with proven organizational skills. How many experts in green technology do you think there are, who know how to coordinate multiple organizations, & who would be willing to leave the private sector to brave microscopic scrutiny of their private lives by a media in a gotcha feeding frenzy, looking for anybody they can possibly attack for any reason? Now we're stuck with giving somebody OJT with billions of dollars at stake, all because of some pompous clown on the idiot box looking for ratings to save his ass because nobody will sponsor his insane rantings. Sorry, but I just can't find any virtue in vitriol.

OK, let's go by your opinion and say Van Jones was a victim of a witch hunt and was run out of town by Glenn Beck and the rest of Fox News. He's qualified for the job as an Obama adviser even with his baggage that the Obama administration is already aware of. Why didn't Obama do the right thing and stick up for Jones instead of practically pretending he never heard of the guy?

[hippifried]

Jones wasn't fired. There's no evidence that he was pressured to resign. He left of his own volition. Maybe he just didn't want to be the catylist for a full blown rerun of the McCarthy era.

[Dino Velvet]

Jones wasn't fired. There's no evidence that he was pressured to resign. He left of his own volition. Maybe he just didn't want to be the catylist for a full blown rerun of the McCarthy era.

In your opinion, do you think there was not any pressure for him to step down? Don't you think Obama still should of defended him since you feel he was so mistreated?

[hippifried]

There wasn't any reason for the Whitehouse to pressure him. The only reason anybody even knew who he was was because he organized the group who lobbied Beck's sponsors to pull out, & he did it in a couple of days in his spare time. The job is all internal.

[Mugai_hentaisha]

First Obama knuckles under to REICHwing nutjobs and throws the public option, and the Democratic Party Liberal base, under the bus. Then he rewords part of his address to school kids because of the same pressure. Now he dumps Van Jones because of the ravings of the lunatic Glenn Beck. Christ, I thought Harry Reid was a wimp, but compared to Obama, ol' Harry is starting to look like John Wayne. Pelosi may be the only Dem leader with an actual set of balls.

Beck's head will probably be so swollen he won't get through the door at Fox Noise this week.
Reichwing?

That's funny because the Third Reich nationalized healthcare, banking, and the automotive industry.

I'm pretty sure that's what the republicans are against.

you forgot Gun control.

As for Glenn Beck he did a series on his radio program called "know your Ceasers (czars)" in which he profiled Van Jones. At the same time Van Jones said some pretty off the wall comments. As for what his job was he was the green jobs Ceaser...he helped draft the Stimulus bill among other things. did he do a good job....no not in my opinion. He and the others like him these ceasers get there by the whim of the POTUS. The POTUS Cabinet is approved by the Senate....who approves Ceasers?

Is Glenn Beck Nutty? yeah I think he would say so himself. He has said time and time again, "he hopes he is wrong about the direction the United States is headed". So the critics out there should call up his show and prove him wrong, please, because like him I am worried about the direction we are heading and I want to be wrong about this, but nothing the news, POTUS, some of you has convinced me. This has nothing to do with the present POTUS or Prior POTUS's it has to do with runaway government that thinks of us as our masters and not our servants. This started in the 1900's when a number of men thought they knew better than the founding fathers. This has to do with the Commerce Clause in the Constitution being abused as a pretext to controlling everything. This has to do with Government wanting to be our saviors and not our servants. He is just telling you to wake up. If you want to end the republic then fine do it, just don't let the Government do it on their own.

[trish]

Are you worried the president might be an illegal alien? Then you're more than nuts. You're stupid. Are you worried the health care program features death panels? Then you're stupid to worry about and nuts too. Are you worried Obama's going to repeal the 2nd amendment? Then you're an idiot. If you're afraid about as many silly things as Glenn Beck, then you're a coward and clown. Look out, they're going to control everything ... wwooOOOooooOOOOoooooOOOOOOoooo!

[hippifried]

When you start with an erroneous premise, the likelyhood is that you'll end up with an erroneous conclusion. The factoids in between can be real or not. It's irrelevant, because the false premise skews the interpretation of the facts.

I have better things to do than search for any little thing that Glen Beck may have accidently gotten right. When someone obviously doesn't know what they're talking about, & they're obviously working from a skewed premise to start with, they're just a waste of time. To tell the truth, I don't know what he said about Van Jones & don't care. If jones thought it was something he should resign over, oh well. If it was correct, so what? Beck's still a fool that doesn't know what he's talking about. Forcing someone else out of their job doesn't change that.

[techi]

As for Glenn Beck he did a series on his radio program called "know your Ceasers (czars)" in which he profiled Van Jones. At the same time Van Jones said some pretty off the wall comments. As for what his job was he was the green jobs Ceaser...he helped draft the Stimulus bill among other things. did he do a good job....no not in my opinion. He and the others like him these ceasers get there by the whim of the POTUS. The POTUS Cabinet is approved by the Senate....who approves Ceasers?

Is Glenn Beck Nutty? yeah I think he would say so himself. He has said time and time again, "he hopes he is wrong about the direction the United States is headed". So the critics out there should call up his show and prove him wrong, please, because like him I am worried about the direction we are heading and I want to be wrong about this, but nothing the news, POTUS, some of you has convinced me. This has nothing to do with the present POTUS or Prior POTUS's it has to do with runaway government that thinks of us as our masters and not our servants. This started in the 1900's when a number of men thought they knew better than the founding fathers. This has to do with the Commerce Clause in the Constitution being abused as a pretext to controlling everything. This has to do with Government wanting to be our saviors and not our servants. He is just telling you to wake up. If you want to end the republic then fine do it, just don't let the Government do it on their own.

Yeah, the Czar's are a potential long term problem. In general, there needs to be enough checks&balance and oversight in place so that things don't run amuck when we do have bad Presidents in office. Anyone that thinks that Presidential administrations cannot run amuck simply hasn't been paying attention to politics for the last 40 years.

Personally I thought that the stimulous package was pretty good. If the point is to beat up on Obama's current/past Czar's then Obama's old car Czar Steven Rattner is a much better target.
http://www.gregpalast.com/grand-theft-auto-how-stevie-the-rat-bankrupted-gm/

[hippifried]

"Czars" aren't a problem at all, once you understand what they are & what they do. They're the solution to an existing problem of overlapping jurisdictions.

The term itself is just media pork. It was coined by Richard Nixon as a joke, & the press picked up on it so they wouldn't have to type up the whole title of the job. Anything to save a couple of lines of column space. The modern shavetails on your idiot box don't even know why they use the term, for the most part. That includes Glen Beck.

What a "czar" does is coordinate the efforts of several departments on a single issue. For example: A program for the development of green jobs would have pieces running through the Departments of Energy, Education, Transportation, Commerce, Agriculture, Treasury, Interior, & maybe more. Each Department is a bureaucracy of itself, & they tend to butt heads. The job of the "czar", with his/her 5 line title, is to make sure everybody concerned is on the same page & not working at cross purposes. The coordinator doesn't run any of the departments. He/she reports to the President, who has the final say on any action of any department, on the given issue, so he can be better informed & make sure they're all doing what they're supposed to do. The "czar" is a presidential aide with a specific duty. Their power is overblown by the paranoid shriekers on the box.

Palast is full of shit. The oh so smart captains of private industry ran GM into the ground. They were heading for chapter 7, total liquidation, cancellation of labor agreements, corporate annihilation, stock debasement, & government receivership of the trust funds & maybe the UAW itself. The temporary restricted receivership staved off the filing & allowed GM to file chapter 11 with a workable reorganization plan that the bankrupsy courts could live with. They're already out of bankrupsy.

[jimbobw2]

Are you worried the president might be an illegal alien? Then you're more than nuts. You're stupid. Are you worried the health care program features death panels? Then you're stupid to worry about and nuts too. Are you worried Obama's going to repeal the 2nd amendment? Then you're an idiot. If you're afraid about as many silly things as Glenn Beck, then you're a coward and clown. Look out, they're going to control everything ... wwooOOOooooOOOOoooooOOOOOOoooo!

are you for real? clearly you are insane

[paulgutierrez]

That fucker banned flavored cigs. Bit ironic considering he's a smoker himself, not to mention he didn't ban menthols. :roll:

[hippifried]

That fucker banned flavored cigs. Bit ironic considering he's a smoker himself, not to mention he didn't ban menthols. :roll:
Who ya talkin' 'bout?

[trish]

Are you worried the president might be an illegal alien? Then you're more than nuts. You're stupid. Are you worried the health care program features death panels? Then you're stupid to worry about and nuts too. Are you worried Obama's going to repeal the 2nd amendment? Then you're an idiot. If you're afraid about as many silly things as Glenn Beck, then you're a coward and clown. Look out, they're going to control everything ... wwooOOOooooOOOOoooooOOOOOOoooo!

are you for real? clearly you are insane Scared you didn't I. All you fucking radical right wing nut jobs are such cowards. Why? Because you're afraid of everything. You're afraid of your own fucking shadows! Someone says "Barrack HUSSEIN Obama" and you go into a panic. Someone shouts, "Homosexuals are endangering marriage" and suddenly your stuck in worry mode. Someone says there's going to be death panels in the health bill and your heart stops. Rush has got you all running in circles. How does he do it? It's easy. You're gullible to the point of stupidity and you're all fucking cowards. It's not an new story with you guys either. It goes back as least as far as the McCarthy era when there was a homosexual, or a red, or a red homosexual in every corner. Your world is not unlike a Bosch allegory, jammed full of evil demons and soul snatching monsters. Be afraid. Be very afraid. OOOOoooooOOOOoooooOOOOOooooooo