Posted on 02/24/2010 1:23:30 PM PST by SmithL
Van Jones — the Oakland social- and environmental-justice activist and author who went to Washington last year as President Barack Obama's "green jobs czar," only to be let go in the face of conservative criticism — has joined a White House-friendly think tank in a similar capacity.
Jones, 41, will serve at Center for American Progress as a senior fellow to lead its new Green Opportunity Initiative. He also has been appointed distinguished visiting fellow in the Center for African American Studies and in the Program in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.
"We are thrilled that Van Jones is joining us to spearhead a 'green opportunity' agenda to develop the policies and strategies that will ensure the clean-energy future brings not just climate stability and energy security, but also broadly shared economic prosperity," Kate Gordon, CAP's Vice President for Energy Policy, said in a news release Wednesday.
Jones will work with CAP's existing Energy Opportunity team to develop an agenda for expanding investment, innovation, and opportunity through clean energy and environmental restoration — especially for low-income and minority communities. That basically was his job description as founder of the Oakland-based nonprofit Green For All; as author of the 2008 New York Times bestseller "The Green Collar Economy;" and as special adviser for green jobs at the White House Council on Environmental Quality from March through September 2009.
CAP President and CEO John Podesta called Jones "a pioneer in the effort to promote a clean, sustainable economy that works for all Americans. I'm proud that he's coming back to CAP to focus on creating economic opportunity in distressed communities through the Green Opportunity Initiative and that he will be giving voice to those issues once again."
Jones resigned his White House post after conservatives targeted him for past political activities including his 1990s association with a Marxist group and a public comment disparaging congressional Republicans. In his first interview since his resignation, Jones told The Washington Post on Tuesday he has no "bitterness or anger" about what transpired last year.
"The good thing about being an American is you're free to think whatever you want, and you're also free to change your mind. That's my story. . . . God willing, I've got 10 or 20 years, 30 years, three decades more work to do. And it's my hope and belief that people will judge me based on that work."
And in a column published Wednesday on the Huffington Post, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People President Benjamin Jealous — a former Alameda resident — wrote he's proud to be presenting Jones with the NAACP President's Award at the organization's 41st Image Awards this Friday.
"Far from the divisive caricature painted by some cable news outlets, Van has been one of America's most effective and inspiring bridge-builders," Jealous wrote. "He has successfully brought together labor leaders, business executives, civil rights champions, students and environmentalists to find creative solutions to the ecological and economic crises."
The Center for American Progress was launched in 2003 and has been supported since with funding from East Bay billionaire banking moguls Herb and Marion Sandler, and has had close ties to the Obama Administration. Podesta, a former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, went on leave from CAP for a while to serve as one of three co-chairs of Obama's transition team; several CAP fellows and trustees were appointed to Administration posts; and CAP consistently has helped shape the message on Administration initiatives including health care reform, economic stimulus and national security.
A little affirmative action going on here for a slug.
John Podesta’s organization is as incestuous as all the other ‘progressive’ POS organizations out there.
Once you’re on the inside, I guess you’ve got it made for life...must be nice being an ex-con Commie.
Van Jones went from being an incompetent, agitating money-waster in the Obama admin to being an incompetent, money-wasting city official.
Correction, not city offical, but community organizer. We know those types never do any harm. (smirk)
Toto, I have the feeling we’re not in America anymore
Was in the gym spacing out —picked up Opra’s magazine, of all things, cuz it had some breathless article about Van Jones.
Apparently for awhile in Oakland he had it rough with his fellow lib activists there —he said he was having a civil argument with some Calif state gov’t official over the phone and all of a sudden it dawned on him that this white opponent guy was treating him waaaay better than nearly all other “activists” in Oakland.
For whatever reason things came to a head and he escaped to ultra lib, hippy Marin County —where they have lots of expensive Bed & Breakfast places, and nude yoga, and tantric WHATEVER; lots of quaint but whacko stuff up there. Oh yeah, it’s super WHITE also.
So he goes up there for some “healing”, and then starts dating some white law student up there (he’s now married to some white woman). And this is where he took the turn from his more traditional, “burn it all down, baby”-message to an equally leftist but more media friendly, “solar panels installed by criminals are suuuper groovy”-new message.
Anyway, he really liked it up in Marin banging white chix waaaay better than dealing with hood reality in Oakland, OK? Just go to Oakland and in an hour or so you will agree with Mr. Jones.
Of course it’s way hipper somehow to refer to “Van Jones from Oakland” cuz it gives him the simulacrum of streed “cred”.
But you should always picture him in a hot-tub full of naked blondes who are high, ok? That’s probably way more accurate, from the tone of this breathless article I read in “O”.
BUMP!
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