Van Jones joins the Center for American Progress

Van Jones is an exceptional and inspired leader who has fought to bring economic and environmental justice to communities across our country.

He has chosen to resign because he believed he was serving as a distraction to the president's agenda. I respect that decision.

Van was working to build a common ground agenda for all Americans, and I am confident he will continue that work. Unfortunately, his critics on the right could find no common ground with him.

Clearly, Van was the subject of a right-wing smear campaign shrouded in hypocrisy. Van's chief tormentor Glenn Beck, who spent weeks engaged in vicious name-calling, retains his perch at Fox News after calling the president a racist who has "a deep-seated hatred for white people" Van has set a standard that Beck would never impose upon himself.

I look forward to working with Van to move our country towards a clean energy economy that empowers and lifts up all Americans.

We said, “We want green jobs, not jails,” which became our big slogan—four syllables that totally transformed our organization. All of a sudden we were dealing with everything from climate stabilization, new technologies, and new business models to poverty eradication and job training. We didn’t know what we were getting into.
So what were you getting into?

The birth of a new economy in the United States and the world.

http://www.campusprogress.org/5mw/2114/van-jones%20/
http://www.americanprogress.org/events/2008/11/vanjones.html

FYI -

The Apollo Alliance is sending out the following email: (lol)

Dear XXXXX,

The Apollo Alliance is under attack from the far right, and we need your help.

Former Apollo board member Van Jones resigned from his White House post as Special Adviser for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation this week under pressure from these attacks.

Don’t let them stop us now! Contribute to the Apollo Alliance today!

Fox News has decided that the Apollo Alliance is at the head of a “vast left-wing conspiracy” and has had its attack dog, Glenn Beck, accuse our clean energy, good jobs coalition of hijacking the republic!

Make no mistake. They won’t be satisfied until the climate bill is dead. They have even spelled it out on Foxnews.com, where Americans for Prosperity’s Phil Kerpen writes:

“Now that Jones has resigned, we need to follow through with two critical policy victories. First, stop cap-and-trade, which could send these groups trillions, and second repeal the unspent portion of the stimulus bill, which stands to give them billions.”

What is going on here? The attack on the Apollo Alliance was just the opening salvo in a smear campaign that will ramp up as the right-wing continues to attack President Obama and our work to bring about energy security, climate stability and long-term economic prosperity.

We need your help to stop Fox News, Glenn Beck and Americans for Prosperity now! Please donate to the Apollo Alliance TODAY.

We know that our clean energy, good jobs message is working because polls show that a majority of likely voters support placing a cap on carbon emissions and believe that clean energy measures will lead to new job creation.

Thanks for helping us stop the right-wing onslaught against America’s transition to a clean energy, good jobs economy - and for all your support.

Sincerely,

Cathy Calfo
Executive Director
The Apollo Alliance

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