Posted on 01/16/2017 7:24:18 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Less than a week before the inauguration, political commentator Van Jones predicted “a horrendous abuse of power” once Donald Trump takes office as president of the United states.
The CNN commentator spoke on Sunday night at the home of Netflix chief Ted Sarandos about the documentary “13th,” on a panel with filmmaker Ava DuVernay and media mogul Oprah Winfrey.
The film explores the abuses and racial inequities of the prison system, with the title referring to the 13th amendment abolishing slavery.
Asked by Winfrey what he expected of the new administration, Jones said, “I think mostly bad things. Both parties have a challenge. I think the president will prove to be authoritarian… You will see a horrendous abuse of power by this government. I think it’s good to hope for the best but we need to expect and prepare for the very worst.”
He added: “I think Trump is much worse than people understand… I think we’re on the verge of a kleptocracy.”
Jones has emerged as one of the leading voices calling out Trump’s contradictions and conflicts in the post-election media landscape. His comments on election night that the result was a “white-lash” caused a sensation.
The conversation among the three panelists took place before a private audience of several hundred influential Hollywood insiders, including producers, writers, actors and executives — from musician Quincy Jones to actress Frances Fisher to producer Sean Daniels.
The evening aimed to raise the documentary’s profile on Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, ahead of the coming Academy Award nominations. Many in the room were Oscar voters.
But the conversation turned mainly around the coming Trump administration, and how people who oppose him should respond. While Jones argued that it was important for the Democratic Party to understand and embrace the disaffected Trump voters suffering from economic stagnation and job loss, DuVernay said she was deeply pained by the idea that so many had voted for a candidate she considers racist, violent and homophobic.
“I don’t have a lot of empathy for someone who can raise their hand for violence,” she said. Trying to “understand” Trump voters is a distraction from her focus on her work, she said.
“The distraction of trying to educate and love this side is what will diminish me,” she said. “How am I going to stay centered ? What will I do? I need to stay focused on my goals. What I’m going to try to do to get through these four years is to get enlarged, and to do that will take all my focus.”
Winfrey mainly asked questions, but the tenor of the conversation made clear yet again that the Hollywood community is dreading the arrival of Donald Trump to the presidency. If Jones is correct, they have ample reason.
Obviously, Jackass Jones thinks just because his fellow travelers in the media didn’t say anything about Obama’s abuses of power that we don’t know about them.
EXACTLY... Democrats Hate too Much, has hit the nail on the head. Tell Van Jones that it was OBAMA who circumvented the process of legislative law and signed oh, so many executive orders and abused the power. Wow. This is calling the kettle black. But that might be a racist comment.
“The most insidious, evil power the press has, is the power to ignore.” — Chris Plante, WMAL/DC
Malcolm X said it better.
And ironically, they ignore him today even though he was, in my opinion, a lot more real and realistic than MLK ever was.
“If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.”
“The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.”
Malcolm X quotes have held up over time a lot better than any MLK quote, that’s for sure.
One more from Malcolm X, an amazingly insightful prediction that in my view very much explains the Trump phenomenon.
“I believe that there will be ultimately be a clash between the oppressed and those who do the oppressing. I believe that there will be a clash between those who want freedom, justice and equality for everyone and those who want to continue the system of exploitation. I believe that there will be that kind of clash, but I don’t think it will be based on the color of the skin...”
As I recall, he was one of Obama’s early “lawless” unconfirmed Executive Branch Czars, meant to avoid confirmation and scrutiny.
It is a shame that he is even more a hypocrite eight years later.
To Van Jones (mr. whitelash) Fa Q
And once again, FUBO, good bye
well Van’s self deception of America and is powers and Trump, will lead him to no where good fairly soon.
That wasn't abuse of power!
That was ignoring bourgeois rules for a higher good! /s
Who died and made Van Jones Czar???
TRANSPARENCY#smidgen
Apparently Van hasn’t been following 0bama’s pen and phone for the last 8 years.
5.56mm
More projection. The Democrats always accuse the Republicans of PLANNING to do something that the Dems are ALREADY DOING!
I’ve only seen this VJ person once - not the valjar version - and it was a day or so after the election. The most hate filled, arrogant jerk I’ve ever seen. A real glimpse behind the curtain that day. I turned him off after a minute or two.
Race solidarity trumps everything and the ends justify the means - and yet we are the racists
.........jeez, this is kinda sorta like my 7 year old grand-daughter venturing forth with an opinion on the flight controls of an F35 fighter plane.
Said the fox to the chickens.
Does anyone think Hillary wouldn't have redefined WA DC corruption?
I guess the left will now redefine corruption to include undoing political policies they initiated.
Or forced government insurance giving Iran billions and nuke power...................................
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