Obama The Communist Van Jones and the Demos Connection

about contact subscribe Monday, August 17, 2009 Obama File 82 Exclusive! Obama, the Communist Van Jones and the Demos Connection. Obama file 81 here

Why did President Obama choose a communist-Van Jones to be his "Green Jobs Czar"?

Why did Obama risk controversy by appointing a well known street radical to a senior position in the White House?

I have explored Jones' links to former Weather Underground supporters, '60s Maoists and the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism here-connections both men have in common.

There is another connection however-one as yet untouched by either the mainstream media or the blogosphere.

In a September 26 2008 article, posted on the website of the radical Institute for Policy Studies, two IPS staffers Phyllis Bennis and Chuck Collins posited 22 names they thought would make suitable appointments for an Obama administration.

Van Jones, of the Ella Baker Center, to direct the Commerce Department’s new “green jobs initiative,”

Nearly six months later, on March 10 2009 Van Jones was appointed "Green Jobs Czar" -or more officially Special Adviser for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

One organization unites Barack Obama, Van Jones and Chuck Collins-Demos a Fifth Avenue New York based think tank.

A little known, but highly influential organization, Demos is a key component of the "progressive" machine that brought Obama and the Democrats to power in 2008.

Besides being Director, Program on Inequality and the Common Good, at the Institute for Policy Studies, Chuck Collins works for Demos as Director of the Tax Program -Business for Shared Prosperity.

Incidentally in the mid 1990s, Collins was one of several IPS people who helped organise the New Party-which Obama joined in 1995 in Chicago.

Demos began as a vision of Charles Halpern--then the president of the Nathan Cummings Foundation and a veteran non-profit entrepreneur. He was troubled by the narrow conversation about America's future. On the eve of the 21st century, it seemed that America no longer had the imagination to tackle its largest problems and build a more just society.

Halpern set out to challenge the status quo with a new institution. He envisioned a dynamic hub for creative scholars and cutting-edge practitioners--an organization that combined ideas and action to chart a new set of priorities for America.

By 1999, Halpern had assembled a talented working group to develop Demos. Among them were David Callahan, a fellow at the Century Foundation; Rob Fersh, a long-time policy advocate; Stephen Heintz, Vice-President of the East-West Institute; Sara Horowitz, founder of Working Today; Arnie Miller, a leading executive recruiter; Barack Obama, then a state senator from Illinois; David Skaggs, a congressman from Colorado; and Linda Tarr-Whelan, an internationally recognized expert on women and economic development. This working group would eventually form the core of Demos' staff and Board of Trustees.

The question here is obvious. Why would an obscure Illinois State Senator with a funny name be "cherry picked" to help set up a new "think tank" in New York?

All the others had track records: Heintz was even a member of the "prestigious" Council on Foreign Relations.

One possible connection was Obama's work in the early 1990s leading Illinois Project Vote and his strong connections to the radical community group ACORN.

Demos worked extremely closely with ACORN and its voter registration wing Project Vote on several projects.

Demos President Miles Rapoport was one of ACORN's most ardent defenders when the organization was accused of widespread voter registration fraud during the 2008 election.

Another possible connection is through the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS)itself.

Several Demos personnel have IPS connections including founder "father of public interest law" Charles Halpern.

In the 1960s Halpern became corporate secretary to IPS. He began to attend IPS seminars and parties at the Institute and at the home of founder Marcus Raskin, where he mixed with radicals such as Paul Goodman and Ivan Ilich.

When Raskin and several other activists were arrested for conspiring to obstruct the military draft during the vietnam War, Halpern helped with their defence. Halpern even flew with Raskin to a meeting with the other defendants and their lawyers at the Greenwich Village home of radical lawyer and secret Communist Party USA member Leonard Boudin-father of future Weather Underground terrorist Cathy Boudin.

Halpern later served as as president of the left leaning Nathan Cummings Fund which was a significant IPS donor.

Several people around Obama have IPS connections including his Chicago mentor, former Congressman Abner Mikva.

In 1979 Don Rose, a mentor to Obama's right hand man David Axelrod served in the leadership of the IPS spinoff Conference on Alternative State and Local Policies, with Miles Rapoport.

The four founders of Progressives for Obama-Barbara Ehrenreich, Bill Fletcher Jr, Danny Glover and Tom Hayden all have IPS ties.

Ehrenreich is an IPS Trustee, Bill Fletcher Jr is an IPS Scholar, both are members of Democratic Socialists of America and both helped found the New Party.

Danny Glover chairs the board of IPS "partner organization" TransAfrica Forum and Tom Hayden is a long term IPS associate, going back to Conference on Alternative State and Local Policies days.

Even Saul Alinsky, the Chicago radical who's methods Obama learnt in his "community organizing" days was an occasional IPS lecturer back in the 1960s.

Seven years ago Van Jones was a San Francisco hardcore Alinskyite street communist. After hooking up with the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism, Democratic Socialists of America, former '60s Maoists, Weather Underground supporters and Demos he managed to land a job in the White House.

Twenty two years ago Barack Obama was a Chicago Alinskyite "community organiser". After hooking up with the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism, Democratic Socialists of America, former '60s Maoists, Weather Underground supporters and Demos he managed to land a job in the White House.

Trevor, another facinating "Obama File." Your closing question, "Could there be a connection?" My answer, YES! The web of radical/communist/socialist organizations working overtime to as Obama has said - Re-make America is astounding. It is my belief that Obama was "Chosen" as the radical lefts "Spokesmodel" to assend to public office to help sell a radical agenda. And of course Obama like most communists lie about their true goals. When Obama speaks about how he doesn't want single payer universal Health Care, or how he doesn't what to run the auto industry, AIG et al, we know his words are lies, because his actions are the opposite of his words. Communist have to lie about their true goals and dress thier agenda as something else for public consumption. As I always say: Obama is Communist dressed as a Democrat for public sonsumption. 2:55 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Forwarded to the "good guys" Robin 11:16 AM Anonymous Steve Nice Guy Northland said...

Eight articles, a massive thirteen backscratching responses from fascisctically inclined goons.

This is an astoundingly successful blog Loudon. 2:00 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Obama and his pals would much prefer the politically correct word used instead of communists they call themselves "progressive" so much more polite.It even sounds as if they stand for something other than their own lust for despotic power and rapacious greed. Remember democracy in the 21st century is all about window dressing, just look at NZ pretending to uphold the finest democratic principles, and yet we do not have a Fourth estate ,or an independant judiciary or a real opposition, one party state is the way. Democracy today is virtual reality managed by MSM. NZ even has a new system called "whitebox" .Trevor would know all about this fascinating development in state sponsored spying on the free people of NZ. NZ SIS has to make sure no-one is thinking improper thoughts, the whole game comes unstuck if independent thought were to occur, the media blinkers are essential wearing if we are to believe in the delusion of MMP. Disneyland is comparable, aye Trevor. 4:34 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Van Jones became a revolutionary communist following the 1992 L.A./Rodney King Riots (58 dead)
various sources

Posted on Sunday, September 06, 2009 10:19:07 AM by ETL

"Jones was arrested during the L.A. riots and spent a short time in jail. "I met all these young radical people of color," he recalls, 'I mean really radical: communists and anarchists. And it was, like, "This is what I need to be a part of." I spent the next ten years of my life working with a lot of those people I met in jail, trying to be a revolutionary.'..."

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2333342/posts
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From David Horowitz's FrontpageMag.com /DiscoverTheNetworks.org:

"Throughout its history, one of RCP's [Revolutionary Communist Party] principal objectives has been to foment civil unrest in the United States. The most notable example of such efforts occurred on April 29, 1992, when RCP members looted and trashed the downtown and government districts of Los Angeles, triggering the infamous Rodney King riots. During the days immediately preceding the violence, RCP -- which maintained close ties to the L.A. gangs known as the Crips and the Bloods -- had circulated throughout South Central Los Angeles a leaflet featuring a statement by RCP National Spokesman Carl Dix, titled 'It's Right To Rebel' -- a quote popularized by Mao Zedong.

Encouraged by Dix, RCP activists helped lead the riots that would leave 58 people dead, more than 2,300 people injured, some 5,300 buildings burned, and $1 billion in property damaged or destroyed. On the ten-year anniversary of the rioting, RCP member Joseph Veale fondly recalled the violence as 'the most beautiful, the most heroic civil action in the history of the United States.'"
http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6197
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Maxine Waters on the Los Angeles riots of 1992 (Rodney King riots):
"[Maxine] Waters has been criticized for her comments regarding the Los Angeles riots of 1992. In defense of the people that looted stores and damaged property, Waters said 'If you call it a riot it sounds like it was just a bunch of crazy people who went out and did bad things for no reason. I maintain it was somewhat understandable, if not acceptable. So I call it a rebellion.'[5] She also said it was 'a spontaneous reaction to a lot of injustice' and 'The anger in my district is righteous. I'm just as angry as they are.' She responded to the mass looting of Korean-owned stores by saying: 'There were mothers who took this as an opportunity to take some milk, to take some bread, to take some shoes. They are not crooks. Everybody in the street was not a thug or a hood.'"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxine_Waters#Los_Angeles_riots_of_1992
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FYI: World Can't Wait--Drive Out the Bush Regime is a Maoist-revolutionary movement organized by the Revolutionary Communist Party. Scroll down the list that appears (after clicking link) to find the World Can't Wait organization (rwor.org is the website of the Revolutionary Communist Party):
http://rwor.org/a/rwlink/links.htm
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From David Horowitz's FrontpageMag.com /DiscoverTheNetworks.org:
Profile: World Can't Wait (WCW)

*Revolutionary communist movement that stages protests against the Bush administration

*Organizes college and high-school students

*Founded in June 2005 by Charles Clark Kissinger, a longtime leader of the Revolutionary Communist Party

http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=7213
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Endorsers of the [World Can't Wait] Call to Drive Out the Bush Regime Include:

James Abourezk, Aris Anagnos, Rocky Anderson, Anti-Flag, Edward Asner, Russell Banks, Ed Begley Jr., Harry Belafonte, St. Clair Bourne, Gabriel Byrne, Margaret Cho, Ward Churchill, Paulette Cole, US Rep John Conyers Jr., John Densmore, Jesse Diaz Jr., Michael Eric Dyson, Steve Earle, Niles Eldredge, Daniel Ellsberg, Eve Ensler, Laura Flanders, Jane Fonda, Martin Garbus, Senator Mike Gravel, Andre Gregory, Sam Hamill, Suheir Hammad, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Jr., Mumia Abu-Jamal, Rickie Lee Jones, Sarah Jones, Brig. Gen. (Ret) Janis Karpinski, Jonathan Kozol, Rabbi Michael Lerner, US Rep. Cynthia McKinney, Robin Meyers, Mark Crispin Miller, Tom Morello, Viggo Mortensen, John Nichols, US Rep. Major Owens, Grace Paley, Harvey Pekar, Sean Penn, Michelle Phillips, Harold Pinter, Michael Ratner, Mark Ruffalo, US Rep. Bobby Rush, Susan Sarandon, Richard Serra, Jeff Sharlet, Rev. Al Sharpton, Cindy Sheehan, Martin Sheen, Nancy Spero, Gloria Steinem, Lynne Stewart, Serj Tankian, Sunsara Taylor, Studs Terkel, Gore Vidal, Kurt Vonnegut, Alice Walker, Naomi Wallace, US Rep. Maxine Waters, Cornel West, Ann Wright, Howard Zinn, and thousands more who have already joined us.

http://worldcantwait.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2538&Itemid=2

My apology for this long post, but it all ties together:

“Several people around Obama have IPS connections including his Chicago mentor, former Congressman Abner Mikva.

“In 1979 Don Rose, a mentor to Obama’s right hand man David Axelrod served in the leadership of the IPS spinoff Conference on Alternative State and Local Policies, with Miles Rapoport.

“The four founders of Progressives for Obama-Barbara Ehrenreich, Bill Fletcher Jr, Danny Glover and Tom Hayden all have IPS ties.

“Ehrenreich is an IPS Trustee, Bill Fletcher Jr is an IPS Scholar, both are members of Democratic Socialists of America and both helped found the New Party.

“Danny Glover chairs the board of IPS “partner organization” TransAfrica Forum and Tom Hayden is a long term IPS associate, going back to Conference on Alternative State and Local Policies days.

“Even Saul Alinsky, the Chicago radical who’s methods Obama learnt in his “community organizing” days was an occasional IPS lecturer back in the 1960s.

“Seven years ago Van Jones was a San Francisco hardcore Alinskyite street communist. After hooking up with the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism, Democratic Socialists of America, former ‘60s Maoists, Weather Underground supporters and Demos he managed to land a job in the White House.

“Twenty two years ago Barack Obama was a Chicago Alinskyite “community organiser”. After hooking up with the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism, Democratic Socialists of America, former ‘60s Maoists, Weather Underground supporters and Demos he managed to land a job in the White House.”

Check out ETL’s post #3, too.

"In a September 26 2008 article, posted on the website of the radical Institute for Policy Studies, two IPS staffers Phyllis Bennis and Chuck Collins posited 22 names they thought would make suitable appointments for an Obama administration.
Take note that this was several weeks before Obama was even elected.
Collins recommended;

Van Jones, of the Ella Baker Center, to direct the Commerce Department’s new “green jobs initiative,” "

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From the website of the Marxist think tank, Institute For Policy Studies...

Obama’s Agenda for Change and the 2009 Summit of the Americas

excerpt:

'Yes We Can' — Change for the Americas Coming from Below

Hemispheric resistance to the first attempt by the U.S. to force the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) on every nation on this continent led to its eventual defeat at the IV Summit of the Americas, held in Argentina in 2005. The organizers of the April 2009 V Summit of the Americas had hoped to focus on a social agenda of providing a decent living for all those who call the “Americas” their home. The emergence of the PPA, or Bush’s Plan B for the FTAA, represents a threat to the urgent need of having all nations in the hemisphere focus on tackling the disparities that make the region the most unequeal in the world.

According to Obama, “what's good for the people of the Americas is good for the United States.” Among the specific proposals Obama has made (political freedom and democracy; freedom from fear and security; freedom from want and opportunity) in the “New Partnership for the Americas” document, he says that “it’s time for a new alliance of the Americas” that leaves behind “eight years of failed policies” and “top down reforms”, and puts forward instead an “agenda that advances democracy, security, and opportunity from the bottom up”. For Obama to make good on his vision for a new "partnership" in the Americas, the divisive Bush PPA initiative must be laid to rest well before the April V Summit of the Americas gets underway.

The 2009 IV Peoples’ Summit in Trinidad and Tobago

On April 17-19, 2009, the IV Peoples Summit will be taking place in Port of Spain, Trinidad (while heads of state are simultaneously meeting at the V Summit of the Americas).The message of a "change agenda" for the hemisphere will be brought to the island nation by social movements coming from all points in between Alaska and Tierra del Fuego. A key focus for discussions during the People’s Summit will be the economic meltdown hitting the capitalist system, and the opening that this provides for the implementation of a peoples’ agenda promoting sustainable development, social justice, equity, and peaceful coexistence.[ie, communism/socialism -etl]

In conjunction with the Hemispheric Social Alliance, social movements present in Trinidad and Tobago will be providing a "change agenda" that, in large measure, will likely be echoed by representatives from many of the newly elected governments in Latin America and the Caribbean. The V Summit of the Americas will be an ideal setting for Obama to signal a new respectful and consultative role for the US in the Americas as well. Will Obama avail himself of the opportunity to take this courageous step forward? Ojalá!

Source: Institute For Policy Studies (IPS):
http://www.ips-dc.org/articles/933
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From David Horowitz's FrontPageMag.com/DiscoverTheNetworks.org:
Profile: Institute For Policy Studies (IPS)

IPS’s [Institute For Policy Studies] Washington, DC headquarters quickly became a resource center for national reporters and a place for KGB agents from the nearby Soviet embassy to convene and strategize. Cora Weiss headed one of the IPS's most successful forays -- into Riverside Church in Manhattan. She was invited there in 1978 by the Reverend William Sloane Coffin to run the church's Disarmament Program, which sought to consolidate Soviet nuclear superiority in Europe -- in the name of "peace." In 1982 Weiss helped organize the largest pro-disarmament demonstration ever held. Staged in New York City, the rally was attended by a coalition of communist organizations. During her decade-long tenure at Riverside, which became home to the National Council of Churches, Weiss regularly received Russian KGB agents, Sandinista friends, and Cuban intelligence agents. Weiss became infamous for her role in the psychological warfare conducted against U.S. prisoners of war held in the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" during the Vietnam War.

The Liberation News Service, which is a news source for hundreds of "alternative" publications nationwide (with antiwar, Marxist-oriented perspectives), was founded in 1967 with IPS assistance."

[lots more at link...]

http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6991

VI was set up to campaign for endorsed candidates-especially “progressive” candidates.

The government took an interest in IVI as far back as 1944,

In 1944 the FBI prepared a more extensive intelligence report on an active political group, the Independent Voters of Illinois, apparently because it was the target of Communist “infiltration.” The Independent Voters group was reported to have been formed:

“...for the purpose of developing neighborhood political units to help in the re-election of President Roosevelt and the election of progressive congressmen. Apparently, IVI endorsed or aided democrats for the most part, although it was stated to be “independent.”

Other prominent IVI activists included familiar faces Milton Cohen, Timuel Black and Trotskyist turned Socialist Party member Saul Mendelson.

Like Cohen and Black, Mendelson also went on to join Democratic Socialists of America.

When Mendelson died in 1998, Carol Moseley Braun and Barack Obama both spoke at his memorial service.

Both Barack and Michelle Obama were members of IVI and the organisation endorsed Obama during his 2004 US Senate race.

In July 2004 IVI celebrated its 60th anniversary. Members of the event committee included

http://newzeal.blogspot.com/2009/09/obama-file-85-security-implications.html

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