The muted response to the racist campaign against Van Jones says volumes about where so-called progressive whites and the most powerful Green and liberal groups. Judging by just how quickly the administration surrendered to Glenn Beck’s assault, grassrootsers still don’t count for much within the White House.
A recent story in AlterNet explores some of the ties between Astroturf groups and the FOX news campaign. Jane Hamsher at Firedoglake offers her take on why liberal institutions have distanced themselves from the whole affair. So what’s really at stake? And what does the Van Jones story reveal about American politics?
Ludovic Blain, Project Manager of Closing the Racial Wealth Gap Initiative, Rory O’Connor, co-founder of Globalvision and the author of Shock Jocks: Hate Speech and Talk Radio: America’s Ten Worst Hate Talkers and the Progressive Alternatives, Tim Wise, the author of Between Barack and a Hard Place: Racism and White Denial in the Age of Obama
, and Jane Hamsher, the founder of Firedoglake discuss the recent developments and what their impact might be.





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dirty hippies for taking all the killing toys away from the generals.
Obama never was a progressive. In fact none of the candidates really were. OK Kucinich, but he was treated as a joke by the party. The reason I left the D party in 72 is the same reason to leave today. Their smirking indifference to the left.
it’s begining to look as if Obama’s election is not the watershed event we were hoping for.
One would have thought that results of corporate control of our government could not be more clear
Unfortunately it looks more and more as if the American public will require even more evidence before understanding that we’ve reached the logical conclusion of corporate rule and we’ve got to return to;
“… Government of the people, by the people, and for the people.”
I just cannot imagine what’s so wrong with that, but then again, I don’t get paid as much as Glen Beck.
BTW, I just learned yesterday that if I would like to continue to recieve the exact same medical insurance coverage that I’ve been used to, it’s now going to cost $665.00/mon. instead of $435.00/mon.
I don’t think America is going to let dirty hippies run the country as much as they wan to. Americans don’t like Obama. They were mesmerized by “hope and change” but now have a big case of buyer’s remorse which may even include “progressives” as well as conservatives.
I hear ya. I’m a registered Dem who has never voted for a Dem prez candidate. I’d be an Indie except I couldn’t vote in the CT Dem primaries.
If you haven’t noticed america is rejecting the progressives, you can keep it in SAN Fran or NY…
Van Jones actions and Van Jones’ ideas are two separate issues, and it might serve us a little better to not conflate them. Most of what Jones came under fire for was a joke, but there were some actual teeth in some of the criticism. Where Jones failed was in his initial response, especially to the criticism of his signing on with the Truthers. Rather than indicate that he had signed it as part of some “youthful indiscretion,” or some similarly common DC excuse, he instead chose to pass it off as a mistake (which was so farcical, it smelled like a lie to even his allies). Jones created this distraction and should have known better. It’s no one’s fault but his own that he was forced to resign over it.
You’ve got to be kidding me. They’re about to (once again) pull the rug from under health care reform, and you expect me to concentrate on this shit? I perceive the injustice here, and yes, Glenn Beck will have to be confronted eventually, but do you know what? Fuck Van Jones, now he’s got more time to call his Congressmen about the public option. Go rewatch Sicko, people, and get your heads back in the game. Karl Rove could turn a meathead like Bush into a retail powerhouse by pounding out one message, one message, one message. In November, did you vote for healthcare or for Van Jones? FOCUS, LIBERALS.
“Obama never was a progressive. In fact none of the candidates really were. OK Kucinich, but he was treated as a joke by the party. The reason I left the D party in 72 is the same reason to leave today. Their smirking indifference to the left.”
We have a winner! Give that wonderful person a Cthulhu plushie.
http://www.toyvault.com/cthulhu/plush_cthulhu.html
“Van Jones actions and Van Jones’ ideas are two separate issues, and it might serve us a little better to not conflate them. Most of what Jones came under fire for was a joke, but there were some actual teeth in some of the criticism. Where Jones failed was in his initial response, especially to the criticism of his signing on with the Truthers. Rather than indicate that he had signed it as part of some “youthful indiscretion,” or some similarly common DC excuse, he instead chose to pass it off as a mistake (which was so farcical, it smelled like a lie to even his allies).”
Hi Clancy, I’m Adam, and I’ll be your 9/11 truther this afternoon.
What precisely is there wrong with signing a petition?
I don’t care if it’s a petition to investigate the appearance of the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man in Manhattan. What is wrong with signing ANY petition?
By the way, have your read what Van Jones Signed?
Here’s a link to the text…
http://www.911truth.org/articl…..6093059633
I’m not going to say a word about the events of 9/11/01. I’m just going to point out that polling indicates 2/3 of NYC residents want also want new investigation of the events of 9/11 done.
What do you plan on doing, disqualifying everyone that lives in NYC from holding federal office now?