Van Jones' resignation: Glenn Beck gets a scalp, Obama gets a white feather
By David Neiwert Sunday Sep 06, 2009 5:30amA lot of us have feared from the get-go that, when it comes to dealing with the viciousness, mendacity and absolute ruthlessness of the wingnuts running the Republican Party, President Obama is bringing a Smurf doll to a street fight, trying to beat shivs and guns with lollipops.
Those fears were fully realized last night:
Van Jones, special adviser for green jobs at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, resigned Saturday, following weeks of pressure from the right and a flurry of revelations about his past statements.
"I am resigning my post at the Council on Environmental Quality, effective today," Jones said in a statement dated Sept 5 released around midnight on Sept 6.
"On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me.They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide," he continued. "I have been inundated with calls -- from across the political spectrum -- urging me to 'stay and fight.' But I came here to fight for others, not for myself. I cannot in good conscience ask my colleagues to expend precious time and energy defending or explaining my past. We need all hands on deck, fighting for the future."
White House officials had offered tepid support last week Jones after he issued two public apologies in recent days, one for signing a petition that questioned whether Bush administration officials "may indeed have deliberately allowed 9/11 to happen, perhaps as a pretext for war."
So this is what we can expect from Obama: When the right gets into full-froth rabid attack-dog mode, he folds. He'll even throw one of his best friends and most loyal liberal allies under the bus.
Best of all, he's just handed the most rabid of the haters who are undermining his agenda -- namely, Glenn Beck and the rest of the Fox crew -- their biggest scalp yet. The crowing that will follow is just the start.
They certainly won't be satisfied with this. Hell, this is just the appetizer. Beck has already made clear that Valerie Jarrett is the next one in his sights.
If President Obama and Rahm Emanuel think that letting the Fox crew drive out his appointees is going to help him win his legislative battles -- this was clearly the product of a White House more intent on trying to get its health-care reform package passed than dealing with the larger, more pervasive problem that threatens not just health-care reform but all of his initiatives -- he is sadly and badly mistaken.
Indeed, this whole fustercluck is an ill omen for health-care reform as well. It sure looks like Van Jones is just a precursor for the eventual fate of a public option, isn't it?
Well, Obama and Co. may get a white feather for their complete and utter lack of spine on this, but the rest of us don't have to take this lying down.
It's time for all-out political war with these wingnuts. Just boycotting Glenn Beck isn't going to be enough; sure, Jones' old organization, Color of Change, may have convinced 57 advertisers to drop out of supporting Beck, but all they did was shift their advertising dollars to other Fox programs. Rupert Murdoch still got their money, and thus eventually so did Beck.
If progressives want to have any hope of enacting their agenda, they have to do something about Fox News and its advertisers. And we obviously are going to have to do it without any help from this weak-kneed White House.
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I truly believe Jones threw himself under the bus, but that is neither here nor there now. You are absolutely right, Jones is just the first target and now Beck has momentum as he moves ahead to his next prey. This is making me mad as hell this morning. I don't know if Jones realized this or not, but he just handed beck exactly what he didn't have until now, credibility. Not real credibility but all beck needs to continue and ramp up his hysteria. Damn!
Good post, David Neiwert.
Just ignoring these idiotic demands from the extreme right is always an option, and a much better move than this. When Obama simply refused to acknowledge demands that he "release" another birth certificate, I thought yes, that's the way to deal with these things.
This looks like Beck and the Wingnuts rule the roost, and no, it won't stop with this.
Really pathetic.
.............Charles Freeman, whom AIPAC even came out of deep-cover to oppose, and of course, Rahmie knelt and O-bought-ma did nothing, again.
And does he think we voted for him so he could go make nice with the fringe dwelling GOP? I want soooo much to love this president. Why is he making it so hard to love him?
Goddamnit!
Patricia, I have a few observations about your comment. In my opinion, you're on the right track but I want to sharpen a few points. First, Mr. Jones did not throw himself under any bus. Unless what you mean is he has frankly and honestly spoken the truth in his various lectures, appearances and recent public statements. And that what he committed was an assault on the many injustices and Un-America treatment still handed to his African American brothers and sisters, by most of the rest of us. But the viciousness and hypocrisy of Ring Wing Psycho Babblers is especially repugnant; And they don't even spit out any of their customary denials for openly doing so. And further, Jones expressed his personal opinion of the irrational and opportunistic obstructionists in Congress. Who among us have not verbally expressed similar sentiments? And the only reason he is being cited on his remarks is because the same fanatical fringe, no-life idiots that refer to the President of the United States as a "Nazi', Marxist', Racist', etc. etc. etc.", openly and publicly hope and pray for his death, brazenly proclaim his remarks have no place in "This administration or in the public discourse." Incidentally, not one of the aforementioned squeal-ees have apologized for their hate talk, unveiled enticements to disrupt, disrespect and disgrace the spirit of the democratic process. Or for shamefully hoping for the failure of the President and his policies. Much less loose their jobs, with a sickening lack of support from their superiors. Quite the contrary, in fact. They got raises, promotions and a good slap on the back. And Jones was virtually shown the door to appease THESE people?? Now, Patricia, if this is what you mean by Jones being responsible for his demise with this administration, then it is a little clearer to me. However, on this point, I do not agree.
As long as the fanatical ring wing is out of power and they don't have the ability to utterly control EVERYTHING they are going to create these rifts for their benefit as long as they are able to get away with it. They are going to continue behaving like things out of The Sub-Twilight Zone, absolutely no matter if they have to cut their lips off to do it. Beck has no phucking credibility, Fox and it's entire gang have no credibility. What they do have is simply an excessively loud, small minded, redneck, racist audience that is in lock-step with each other; truth, logic or any rational thought be damned.
What is at stake here is not only the success of President Obama, but the possession of the reigns of government, law, policy and civil rights and liberties. If this President should fail in achieving meaningful and substantial change and the republican madhouse is allowed to reinvent themselves.....It will be directly because his party and the people who voted for him dismally failed to support him when he, and we, required it the most. It will be because we did not push and demand EVEN MORE and LOUDER than we have and do. Even when it hurts and is difficult at times to agree or understand. Even if it is sometimes against many our scatter-gun agendas. We were promised most of the Moon but it turns out we're not gonna get half. This is one of those times when we really have to have enough faith and strength to believe it was not planned that way. But I guarangoddamnedtee you, the potential alternatives are strikingly worse and much more permanent. We have our leader and we take him to war with us to prevent our own defeat. If you would rather be subjected to another round of draconian, completely one sided republican rule, then stay in that chair. Let the Nitwits win.
This news made me cry. How pathetic this country has become.
Great post. I have been floating the idea that Obama is a one term president because of this type of behavior from his office. I am a Republican for Obama who fought tooth and nail to get him elected, all of the work I did debunking the crazy extreme right propaganda during the election has been undone as I see my friends and relatives who voted for him now totally buying into this Beck type stuff. Makes me sick. Makes me sad. Makes me TIRED. I don't have the strength to go through another election for him. I am sure I'm not the only one. At this point a moderate Republican could win the next election pretty easily - just because everyone's sick of the controversy.
In spite of my disappointment, I am damn sure not ready to vote republican. I haven't seen a "moderate" republican in ages, by the way. The GOP shouldn't get happy slappy thinking the country is going to fold back over to them even if Obama fails miserably. What led us to vote for him still stands.
I just want the care Mitch McConnell got when he needed by-pass surgery.
He received it at Bethesda and I'm betting it didn't cost him a dime
But,but,but, that's a gummint hospital. Soshulism!!!!! He's wun o' them commies tooo!!!!!!!
mitch deserves the health care and all the money he get being bribed by corporate America. You see mitch has been smart enough to steal a lot from a lot of people and get away with it. That makes him smarter then you and you less deserving. You see if you are not smart enough to get out there and find a way to make a pile of money at someone elses expense then you are not worthy.
You have to be born with a golden key shoved up your ass and no amount of hard work and fairness can ever make up for the fact that you are a slave who has to work and mitch is a slave owner that never has to work.
OK got it?
republicanism is a mental illness!
avoid it like bubonic plague. UNUM Porvident has, or had, one in their ivory tower. Phish has one and I really do believe that there's some hidden connection between their namesake activity and somebody in the McConnell clan--slang does not just arise from the abyss.
Van Jones was jettisoned because he is a straight talker whose words cannot be misunderstood, only attacked. Nothing scares crooks of any party as much as a leader whose speech cannot be bought.
Walk proudly, Van Jones. It's a privilege to be hated by bastards like these.
Don't know why he would resign? Can beck and limpballs really apply pressure to anyone with a working mind? It is hard to express the shame I feel for the 25% of our country that is so fucking crazy that they would vote for the bush/chenny dictatorship, or a would rather live like the muslems under biblical law rather then the constitution.
To them I say go ahead just don't do it here.
republicanism is a mental illness!
Also a HUGE national security risk!
Imagine if they ever got into power again now!
Really!
All I feel like doing is swearing about this. After 8 years of forcing a political and in many ways illegal agenda down our collective throats, having one guy who believes in looking at facts in Obama's cabinet gets forced out. ANYONE with a modicum of intelligence who looks at the information from the 911 truthers regarding the WTC towers would have to at least concede there's something fishy going on. But NOOOO, let's ignore the f'ing facts and marginalize anyone who believes this crazy conspiracy theory. Obama, you're not just losing the battles but losing the war. If you think for a moment that doing something like this will appease the right so that you'll be able to push your agenda you're deluding yourself my friend. These sumbitches will stop at nothing! You've just given them a sense of confidence and now their blood lust will rise and start targeting more people. This just sucks major donkey dick.
Agrees with you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daNr_TrBw6E
There is something very fishy
Second that.
The Obama administration has shown itself to be gutness and naive. It is also a mild imitation of the G.W. Bush White House in terms of international policy, privacy issues and secretiveness. Most disappointing is the Dems' kow-towing to corporate America (banks and health care). If Obama doesn't push hard for a public option, it's time to burn down the house. Start a third party.
The democratic party needs an enema. If it is full of shit politicians who promise change, yet buckle to their elite republican rulers, it is time to purge them all from the party.
that would be easier and mo0reeffective than a third party anyway.
We need a new Social Democratic party.
What we need is proportional representation. Enough of the two-party stranglehold on Democracy. Democrats and RepubliCONS - two groups of corporate owned pigs feeding at the public trough. Enough!
An enema for the Democratic party and a strong, serious third party. That way, the Republicans will be shown for the insignificant, soulless nothings that they are.
all the people who'd gotten behind Obama would have gotten behind Kucinich instead.
(And I say that with great sadness.)
Bonsai Pajamas... I totally agree with both your comments. Just think How Dennis Kucinich feels, stuck in conress with all those sh*itbags who are supposed to represent US, poor guy. One of maybe 5 who have any integrity out of 435...It must be frustrating and lonely for people like DK and Maxine Waters. ...Brave people.
2016
Actually I have always thought that the reason there IS a Secret Service (which started around the same time the whoporations recieved personhood status from the ACTIVIST SUPREME COURT in the 1860's) was to make sure there always a corporate representative able to kill the president should he step out of line. Think about it, they do not take an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. The are the protectors of the "CURRENCY". They are capitalism's strangehold on this country.
Get rid of The Secret Service
...
third party is the way to go. there isn't one out there yet, but
i keep looking....
We have a constitutional right to do that. Time for a new one, even by their rules.
So the big problem with Van is that he wanted further investigation of 911? Nothing else too big?
The left is responsible for this as well. When leaders and constituents label anyone who questions the governments actions that day as a conspiracy theorist, they have nothing to complain about in the smear campaign. They are part of it.
I mentioned it a couple times before, but even the 911 commission felt they were hoodwinked and that there needs to be more investigating into that day.
It's the left and the right sharing kool aid, IMO.
He also called repugs "assholes." Well, didn't he speak the truth?
What did Cheney say to his fellow congressman?
For that I formally nominate him for the Medal of Freedom.
Hey if jeanne Kirkpatrick, Henry Hyde, Henry Kissinger, Irving Kristol, Donald Rumsfeld, Caspar Weinberger, Dick Cheney Robert McNamera, Milton friedman, Allen Greenspan, can win the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Van Jones has one hell of a chance to get one too.
Heck, I nominate my auto mechanic for a PMF in engineering.
How would you feel about a Republican in an important White House position calling all Democrats "assholes"?
I'm not suggesting that it was right for him to resign, but your attitude isn't helpful. Being entrenched and vicious (while being angry at 'the other team' for doing the same) is certainly nothing to be proud of.
They call us that and worse, spacemeat. Where the fuck have you been?
... being very "concerned."
A race to the bottom?
False dichotomies... And BTW, at least be intellectually honest and own to what you suggest. Jeez.
Oh, noes... someone called a spade a spade! We can't have that! Think of the poor republicans!
If you honestly think that Republicans are inherently inferior to Democrats, you're an out-of-touch bigot. You are no more useful than is a Republican screaming that liberals are all America-hating pussies.
they are.
Democrats aren't perfect for sure but republicans are inherently inferior and have been since at least 1980.
LOOK at the state of the US today and say that's not the case.
It bothers me that people can actually look at another group of human beings and dub them innately inferior with a straight face, for reasons that I thought would be terribly obvious. Critical thinking is something too many Americans forsake.
I think that the Democratic party is a superior entity--though only marginally, these days--to the Republican party, but that doesn't mean that on an individual-by-individual basis, all people who identity as Democrats are better than all people who identity as Republicans. Saying so is as stupid as suggesting that all redheads are less deserving of kindness than blonds, or that Seinfeld fans are inherently better than Frasier fans.
There are idiots everywhere, and there are very intelligent conservatives out there but you won't find them if you hide in an internet community of like-minded people and make blanket assumptions about the 'enemy' based on one-sided blog entries like the ones posted here. I like "Crooks and Liars" as much as the next guy, but it's not a news site - it's a politically-motivated blog, which doesn't claim to be impartial (I hope).
If you enjoy hanging around here, complaining about all conservatives with those who are obviously going to agree with your sweeping generalizations, so be it, but don't pretend that you are at all objective in your estimations.
Spacerneat - why do I picture Dick Cheney? I'm sure he called Dems a lot worse.
Is Dick Cheney the standard you hope to live up (or down) to?
'Dick Cheney started it!' is your mantra?
!
I think you got it exactly right, the Dems are part if it and have no one to blame but themselves, curt
The left is responsible for this as well. When leaders and constituents label anyone who questions the governments actions that day as a conspiracy theorist, they have nothing to complain about in the smear campaign. They are part of it.
19 guys planning to hijack planes and fly them into buildings IS A CONSPIRACY THEORY BY DEFINITION.
People examing the evidence (of the evidence still around and that we are allowed examine, hmmm) and fitting that evidence into scientific based constructs of what MUST HAVE HAPPENED to fit the FACTS, is NOT A THEORY. It is REALITY, and we all know what the RETHUGNIKKKANS say about REALITY...It has a liberal bias.
Bring back the Fairness Doctrine that is what scares them the most.
and no longer patronize other places insisting on broadcasting Faux Snooze on the big teevees.
My fucking dentist had Fox on. I stopped going to that asshole.
But I asked him to change the channel. He complied.
Good for all of us!
Kudos!
...if Obama does not come out swinging on health care and demand the Public Option this week his presidency will become a lame duck in the first year. My mother, who is a 67-year-old black female from the inner city and worked as a Silver Sneaker on his campaign has said that if he does not come out in support of the public option she is done with him and that he can forget 2012. She is also unhappy about this resignation and sees Obama's administration supporting appeasement over good policy. The Democrats will suffer greatly in 2010 and the Republicans are not picking up support so who can even say what the political structure of this country will look like when 2012 rolls around if Obama caves this week.
If we all work hard at it hopefully it will be a much much more progressive Congress. It's past time to dump the ultra far right radical Republican party and the far right wing of the Democratic party. They are nothing but a millstone around the neck of America.
The Fringers are ripping the Republican Party apart and there are no leaders to push back against them and the Democrats are caving in and cutting deals like Republicans, doing exactly the opposite of what they were elected to do. I just see some of the lowest voter turn out in decades if Obama gives into the Blue Dogs and Big Business. I think his health care speech is make or break for him and that walking the middle-way is not going to cut it. People want him to step up and lead and if he doesn't he can just place hold for the next person in 2012.
"The Fringers are ripping the Republican Party apart and there are no leaders to push back against them and the Democrats are caving in and cutting deals like Republicans, doing exactly the opposite of what they were elected to do."
Gee, you would almost think it is intentional. Sure works well for their rich benefactors.
EXACTLY EXACTLY EXACTLY EXACTLY EXACTLY EXACTLY EXACTLY
Say it loud, say it often, and say it TO HIM.
With Jones gone we have to worry that Obama might now repeat history. The pretext for forcing Jones out was pathetic. Like millions of Americans he signed a petition asking for an investigation into the 9/11 felling of the World Trade Center. He used the dreaded term "asshole" to accurately describe some Republicans, and then used it to describe himself and his friends. He may have said some things that some right winger might've construed as racist.
Did he kill someone? Did he engage in torture? Did he steal money? Is he a lousy parent?
This is McCarthyism at its most lethal, and administrative timidity at its most dangerous. If groveling to the corporate bloviators is Obama's strategy for making change, we are in deep deep trouble.
Sad but true.
You are absolutely right - I also posted that I worked hard for Obama in 2008 and just don't have the strength to do it again. I think Obama could get beat in 2012 by another Dem or a moderate Republican pretty easily - just to stop the drama.
Did Van Jones tell a senior US Senator to "F**k off" in the Senate???
No? Someone did once. Why the hell didn't that asshat have to resign???
That episode was the first thing to go through my mind this morning. Jones called republicans assholes before he joined this administration. The only thing I can see wrong with that is that he doesn't say the same thing now.
a frigging compliment. Because they are much worse then just assholes. They're dangerous homicidal assholes destroying what little is left of America after their reign of terror.
!
Fascist Assholes!
I like it!
Dangerous, Greedy, out of control Corporo-Fascists.
Jones was selected to his position by a President.
Cheney was selected by conservative members of the Supreme Court.
I am so happy that people are starting to think this way - but why, oh why, has it taken so long? The civil discourse necessary for a healthy democracy is so far gone in the United States of America, that I truly fear for the future.
The "promise of America" (the democratic ideal) makes me think that humanity will turn out alright. You can hear this in the writings/speeches of Al Gore or Al Franken. But the "reality of today's America" is so far along the road of disfunction, that I am no longer able to see how we will turn it around.
One small step would be to work to "unfund" the blow-horn of disinformation and hate, Fox News.
Thanks for a great post David!
how long it's taken "Liberals" to realize that this Obama Admin was doomed when he wouldn't vote down Immunity for the Phone Corporo-whores and declared he would fight the "good" war in Afghanistan. I saw this shite coming 2 years ago--the O-man is weak, weak, weak. It showed then and is coming out full blown now.
to show his true colors. He is nothing more than a back room politician, as evidenced by his closed door deal with big pharma, and does not have the good of the country at heart. I believe he deceived us in time of great need and now we are going to pay for it.
We needed a patriot and we got a fucking politician.
You should have voted for Jesus. Obama isn't perfect. Like all humans he needs help, not criticism.
I thought it was Rush's and the right's job to be sure the president failed, I didn't know we had to included. I refuse to be.
I don't expect miracles. I expect our elected officials-especially the president-to keep their word, stand up for their beliefs-if they have any-, protect and defend the Constitution and do what they promised after such an overwhelming vote for "change we can believe in." We got no change from this man. He is still practicing the art of rendition, making deals with corporations behind closed doors, denying access to guest lists, protecting war criminals, continuing the Iraq war, stepping up the Afghan war, and "the war on terror" that is a police problem, not a military problem, continuing warrantless wiretapping and on and on.
That is not "change we can believe in." That is the same old shit as the criminal empire of the bush/cheney regime.
I would love to give him merits on what he has done but so far I can see nothing that he has done that was promised to the American people that elected him for some real change...not just the slogan.
Second that. I voted for the guy, but with some concerns that the substance wasn't there. He's turning out much worse than I could possibly have imagined, an utter diaster for the Democratic party and the country.
A man who speaks from both sides of his mouth to the extreme, one side to the people to get their votes, and the other a subtext reassuring the corporations. If you look beyond the rhetoric, his actual policies are favoring big business nearly 100% of the time, with a few meagre policy crumbs couched in flowery rhetoric to appease his rapidly dwindling base.
It grows clearer by the day that he is using Republicans and Blue Dogs as a cover to intentionally sabotage real health care reform in order to ensure his campaign coffers remain full in perpetuity, screw the American people. It's obvious he knows that the public option was in their best interest as he stated so in his campaign rhetoric, but he won't lift a finger in office to fight for it. From the very outset he ruled out single payer and any chance of any sort of reform *start* being enacted (then will drag out over several years) before 2013 (HELLO?? Obama, did you talk with the Americans with "pre-existing" conditions, who are losing jobs and trying to scrape out $1000/month for health premiums, how they feel about the 4+ year wait??)handing a giant giveaway to the corporate interestes before the negotiations even began.
Obama is a corporate shill and empty suit whose only passion is himeself and the image of himself as "the president". He will not survive another election. His pockets will remain perpetually filled, however.
next presidential election; clearly Obama has conveyed to big insurance/pharma that he'll ensure the enactment of the meaningless health "reform" only if they agree to finance his next election campaign. It's all about him all the time, scr*w the people.
Hey maybe 3 or 4 of us knew it!
You and I, man--are we the only 2 who know this? see above comment
Maybe you should stop treating Fox like a joke and start seeing it for the propagandizing threat to democracy that it is. Start calling them out on their lies, and CALL them liars. The hate coming from the right isn't just a put up just for show. If you don't start treating these ba$tards like the scum they are we'll have them back in the White House.
You're absolutely right!
It seems that a DELIBERATE part of the corportist strategy is to hire insane extremists like beck so that the rest of the right-, left-wing oligarchy will seem rational and tame by comparison. This allows corportists like Obama, who appear 180 degrees different from bush and is so damned charasmatic, to come in on his Trojan Horse and accomplish what even bush couldn't do.
I have no doubt Obama shortly will turn his pockets inside out to proclaim, 'sorry, folks, no more money for medicare, social security...' It's what the radicals have been salivating over for years. Bush couldn't deliver it, but Obama will.
.
I don't want to sound as crazy as Beck or as paranoid.
I spent a about an hour last evening when I could not sleep researching the Mormon LDS religion.
What I read astounded me and made me wonder if Beck is not on a path to destroy the democrats and get Mitt Romney elected in '12.
Read the beliefs of his faith. He is preaching them to the public in his holy roller preacher style condemning anything that he does not agree with.
His own faith teachers him black people are inferior, how could he ever ever support a black president?
Their feelings are the truth, facts don't matter. Sciences are irrelevant when they interfere with religious truths.
Any literature that that is critical of his religion is satanic.
I could go on and on.
He constantly says that his faith saved him.
He is pushing his beliefs on the unsuspecting public.
God lives on a different planet, why save the environment when.
In my opinion, you make a bunch of very good points there and I had never connected the ideas of the Mormon religion with beck's rants. It does make sense.
I'm betting money Beck also starts going after Cass Sunstein, who is to head Obama's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Along with another Obama adviser, Richard Thaler, Sunstein wrote a book called "Nudge" which apparently advocates organ harvesting....using organs for transplant purposes, without the donor's approval.
I really don't know exactly what that book "Nudge" says, but while flipping channels late last night, someone on Faux News mentioned this. I have no doubt beck, hannity, and others will start bashing Sunstein soon.
I don't want Obama and the Democratic leadership wasting their time and political capital on what is merely a distraction. The "issues" are what matter. It's the environment and building a green economy that matter to me. Van Jones, I believe, sees it this way too. It's great to fight, but fight for the cause. Van Jones will continue to fight and so should we. Now is not the time to turn on the administration. If we do, they (the Repugs) win.
I do not mean to pick a fight with you, but don't be naive.
That kind of talk is like the Bush admin. saying that if we don't accept their bullshit, the terrorists win.
To me, this is more about the strength of the insane right wing than it is about this white house. The media is helping the right along by not pointing out the fallacy of their assertions. They simply repeat what has been asserted by the right and don't bother to point out it has little to no validity.
it. Oh, look! A shiny thing.
Why do we continue to let foreign interests dominate our news media? Lou Dobbs should be all over this.
EXACTLY. The FCC should mandate that media be owned by AMERICANS, not foreigners
Do you really believe that getting Murdoch deported and Fox News shut down will make this country into an actual honest democracy? If you do, then the depth of this problem is way beyond your understanding.
Savannah43,
At the gleeful anticipation of being labeled a "Conspiracy Theorist", the monopolized media and the orchestrated message they put forth is in actuality part of a larger and more insidious plan. And it is slowly but most certainly getting there on schedule. The masses still hold the manipulated and manufactured "news" and perspectives broadcast to almost every media equipped home in the world as gospel. When Katy, Charles, Diane, Williams and literally all the rest come on the screen with all the sincerity and professionalismthey appear to summon, people believe what they say. They wouldn't lie to us, would they? There are immanently powerful forces at work and frankly, almost no one has a clue what is happening to us, to what degree or what the ultimate goals truly are.
People just will not believe or accept the truth of the evil being perpetrated by evil people. Until it is far too late. Unfortunately, this is virtually guaranteed.
happier to read your second one. Your last statement is why psychopathic behavior is so successful. Being deemed a conspiracy theorist when an actual conspiracy exists is an honor, in my opinion.
To add to your theory, the manipulation of education is one of the reasons that people believe what they are told, instead of thinking about and then discerning the truth.
I cannot tell you how happy I am that you exist.
yep...that and, of course, Religion.
...
?
needs to face a primary challenger in 2012. One who will actually deliver on HIS promises. And Progressives had better start today to find him or her.
The sad truth is that nobody can deliver. Washington is owned, and not by us. Real candidates can't even get into the game.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7344...
are a dime a dozen. Candidates turned Elected Officials who do the work of the People and not of Mega-corporations who buy judges, wing-nut GOP politicians and stupidity from stupid people on Astroturf are rare.
As a proud Progressive who twice traveled out of state to canvas for the President I feel he has let the majority of Americans down and himself as well.
How, when the President has turned so weak-kneed, are we EVER going to convince average people like myself, to get up, get active, get on the street and rock the vote again? How are we going to convince them next election that THIS GUY/GAL will make a difference?
Instead, Progressives just have to be "good soldiers" and say thank you for getting thrown under the bus.
No. A primary challenger is what is called for here if the President fails to realize that the GOP and its truly insane supporters will fight him and call him and his staff names at every turn even if he says the skies are blue.
This President is losing support. Not from the right-They hate him anyway. From the Left.
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/audio/play/80655152/
Certainly Color of Change's success in getting more than 50 advertisers to drop Beck caused Beck to step up his attacks on Jones, but the real reason behind the general attacks on Jones was his race. And President Obama, to his great discredit, caved to the right & let Glenn Beck & extremist partisan Mike Pence run the White House personnel office, just as President Clinton dumped Jocelyn Elders for her egregious remarks suggesting masturbation was normal, oh my!
The fact is that many effective black leaders are now automatically disqualified from serving in presidential administrations, because most speak truth to power in a way lily-whites haven't the guts to & many make forays into radicalism. Beck, et al. have successfully punked not just Obama-Jones, but many, many black activists (especially men). If the President has accepted Jones' resignation, shame on him.
The Constant Weader at www.RealityChex.com
Great comment Marie.. People who are critical of Obama on this thread aren't doing it to be on the side of republicans, we are critical because we felt he should have stood his ground.
If he can't take the heat on a small issue like this, how will he stand up to resistance and smears on healthcare and other reforms?
Which is exactly the point.
Obama was not (s)elected to "stand up."
He was (s)elected to become a figure hated more than Bush. Being (half) black, he was already half-way there. His j ob is to absorb the responsibility for the last 30 years of GOPuke clusterfux, and to put a "black" face on them, so that the Murkin voiting Proles will have somebody to vote AGAINST when the next Fascist ticket appeats in '12...
Agreed. Its another one of those half-truths you tip-toe around. I thought it would be a better introduction to the idea than coming right out and saying Obama has been completely, knowingly and willingly compromised as the leader of the people and is really the leader of special interests and the current power structure.
Anyone who still believes we have a functioning 'democracy' has not been paying attention for quite a long time. Since the end of WWII, this country has been owned and played by the Powers that Be; the folks who control the money; the international banking cabal; ...call them what you will.
Soon as the 'health care reform' distraction goes down in flames, more folks will understand that our government is a fraud - of, by and for the fascist-corporatists - run by (s)elected 'leaders' from inside their own little group.
....and ol' Rahmie is a big part of O-bought-ma's weak-kneed stances. He's a PUKIE entrusted with weakening, the Dims and taking over the Democratic Party for DINO's who are really PUKIES in drag.
How do we know that the president wanted Jones to resign? We don't. If Jones was being honest in his resignation letter, he wanted this matter to go away so that all focus could be on health care reform. If he insisted on stepping down, there was nothing the president could do about that.
I don't believe the decision was made by Jones. he's had bigger fights in the past and he should have been able to sail through this.
I also don't believe it is Obama's decision entirely either. But I can see Rahm or Axelrod saying that it isn't good "strategy" or "PR" to have this guy with his controversy in the whitehouse.
Just speculation but that is my take. Obama's shown evidence of bowing to pressure before.
Who is this guy? I can't believe I committed my time and money in support of this milquetoast. Grow a pair, Mr. President.
he's never denied it!
Van Jones mistake was imagining the rules for white guys applied to him as well.
Not! (Obviously)...
He thought that being on the winning team accorded some protection.
And it would have, had he been a black Puke. Look at Michael Steele.
But Jones is an (inferior) member of the "Inferior" wing of the Party of Privilege & Property. That's the wing of the Poor and Colored Folks. The "Inferior" wing does NOT possess the dispensations accorded to the Superior wing, the wing of Whiteness and Cash. Winners or not, they are not permitted to speak 'accurately' about their opponents.
What, did Jones think he was a White man? Fool...
Ah-ha-ha. Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?
One of my favorite quotes, I use it all the time! (Really helps sort out the cool from the square).
It does seem like we voted for FDR but got Neville Chamberlain.
It seems that the Dems are more then happy to be known as spineless, capitulating fucking cowards who bend over backwards for a loudmouth minority of pathological liars and sociopaths. It’s becoming more and more clear that Obama is just another fucking corporatist who really doesn’t give a shit about progressive liberal goals as his White House has done nothing but tell us to STFU while completely shutting out Howard Dean, which I think is disgraceful, never mind that Dean SHOULD have been Obama’s VP instead of that fucking useless plank Joe Biden who has virtually disappeared since the inauguration.
Right wingers can get away with saying the most inflammatory and outright fucking evil shit imaginable but if someone in Obama’s administration says ONE FUCKING WORD out of step his touchy feely let’s all fucking hold hands and sing Kumbaya echo chamber, they get shitcanned INSTANTLY.
Understand that Obama is going to completely and utterly cave on Healthcare. He doesn’t give a shit and is only doing this to squeeze the insurance companies and pharmaceutical industries for more campaign donations and all the while he’ll blame the Repukes because they wouldn’t work with them Dems when the fact is that he never had any intention of pushing reform, otherwise he’d be on TV every fucking week explaining IN DETAIL what a Government Healthcare system would mean and what it would do for American’s. Guantanamo is still fucking open when all he has to do is make an executive order, bring those people to the US, and if they can’t be tried successfully in a court then ship their asses back to whatever shithole they came from. His administration will find a way of keeping Iraq going for as long as they can while shoveling more soldiers into the meat grinder of Afghanistan Not to mention that his cabinet is filled with Wall Street toadies who will make sure their buddies on Wall Street can continue financially raping the country.
Oh and if you think he’s worried about 2012, THINK AGAIN, because he knows that he can lose a significant amount of voters and still win because of the absolutely pathetic group of scum that the GOP has in their stable.
I wouldn't bet on that 2012 prediction. 46% voted for McSame last year. It wouldn't take a lot of liberals staying home in 2012 to make that 46% a GOP "majority."
He is Rahming himself into one term of do-nothing. These idiots have 1994 syndrome. They think they can throw their democratic base under the bus and get away with it because Clinton did. Well, he got away with it because of a good economy. Not gonna happen this time around.
I'm not normally a defender of a lot of what Obama has done or has not done, but this is not necessarily about the right-wing. There may be some very good reason that we will never know for propriety's sake. Let them crow on this one. It's not worth feeding the celebration. No knock on the importance of the environment, but it's the White House Council, not Secretary of State. We need to confront the right-wing, but be careful about following their lead on what's important and what's not.
I'm going to reserve my vitriol for the healthcare plan if Obama caves on the public option. What I would like to see Obama stand up to for once is big money.
Naive is a good word to describe Obama. If he thinks capitulating to the Repubs every time they cry foul over one of his decisions or appointees is a good idea, he'll be political road kill. You can't give in to these assholes. If there's one thing that Repubs do good, it's that they stick to their guns. The Dems have turned into the pussy party.
I guarantee that a case of champagne has been delivered to Fox News headquarters (somewhere in hell) and Glenn Beck is getting ready to tie one on.
called him NAIVE. I think her name is Hillary Clinton. The last eight months really begs the question "Was Hillary right?" I don't know if she would be fighting the Rethugs if she was president, but she did say that she would during the campaign. She didn't talk about a new kind of politics where each party can work together. She talked about taking this country and moving it to the left and leaving the Rethugs behind. Oh well, we'll never know.
It is we who are naive, if we still think there is any difference whatsoever between what Hillary would have done and what Obama is doing - or even if McPain had been appointed.
This country goes where the Powers that Be say - We the People have been screwed for a very long time. Wake UP!!
"I don't know if she would be fighting the Rethugs if she was president, but she did say that she would during the campaign."
That's what I said in my post. My point was that we fell for "We need a new kind of politics" as stated by Obama. Judging from Hillary's husband she most likely wouldn't have been any different. I am AWAKE!!! I've been awake for a long time. I'm not new to this crap. Also, I'm not surprised by what's going on in this administration. Sure, I voted for him (not in the primaries though), but I really didn't expect things to radically change. Especially not from him.
All indications are that Obama will cave in on the public option. I don't have a lot of hope that he will do otherwise.
As far as Van Jones, when I first heard this last night, I wasn't surprised, but I was very angry. But I thought about it; I don't want to give Herr beck any more satisfaction over this, and that's why I'm trying not to be so negative at Obama or Jones "resigning."
I have sent Herr beck a lot of scathing emails in the past, but I'm restraining myself right now on saying something to him about Van Jones. Not sure if I will or not....just don't want to give him the satisfaction.
Something needs to be done about these liars and haters. I think we need to get Dems to just out and out call them "liars" and "haters." I saw Harold Ford this morning on MTP, and he did get rather upset and really pushed back on Giuliani over healthcare reform. We need more of that, as well as more of the likes of Jan Schakowsky just saying very loudly how these jackasses are lying and spewing hate.
The battle is for health care. It is not for some minor government official's career. No one on this forum knows what the President is going to do or say, and, unless we want to put the GOP back in power, we should learn to accept leadership, learn discipline, stop demanding the whole loaf, and wait before we shoot off our keyboards.
I came to about the same conclusion in my comment at 7:22
Obama only has to say ONE FUCKING THING and that is he will NOT sign any Healthcare Bill that does not include a public option. But is he going to do that when he won't even fight to keep Van Jones?
Didn't you hear the statement from the WH on Friday? The progressives and the liberals need to "take one for the team."
JD and pop, the right picked this fight for Obama.
The charges against Van Jones were bogus, and the administration gave them credibility in exchange for political expediency.
There were many representatives who did not oppose the war in Iraq because it was not politically expedient at the time.
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Sorry, but if Bush can lose an election, have 50 + Cheney in the Senate, and a 222-213 majority in the House, then ram through the most radical corporate fascist agenda since Hitler, then I think Obama should be doing a much better job at getting the ENTIRE loaf!
and do. Are you familiar with the concept of extrapolation? If you are not, look it up. If you are, use it.
That this ELECTED Democratic Administration isn't working as hard for US as WE worked to get it in....(House, Senate, and WH)....
Just when I think I can't get any more disappointed....
sheesh. This has gotten OOLLLLLLLLLLLDDDDDDDD..
This whole thing is the result of Glen Beck mounting a campaign based on half truths and whole lies to remove a black man from the Obama administration. He attacked the president and his choices yet here it seems that everyone skips over that and instead attacks the president. I don't understand that strategy. Why not go after the source instead. This is a direct result of Beck's revenge. He did the attacking and now everyone is attacking the president.
Why didn't Barack pretend Glenn Beck was not even there? Why did he make his opinion relevant?
Why didn't he say Beck is nuts, and we don't respond to crazy people?
Then resign for telling the truth, in the hope "bipartisanship" won't suffer.
This guy is a freaking clown!
..we asked for the scalps of the Becks, the Billos, and the Rushes of the world.
Demand that a) they resign from their positions, b) demand a formal apology for all the lies they've commited, c) make them sign a formal affidavit saying they will not go near a mic, computer or even a typewriter for the rest of their lives. If they do, they'll be arrrested and sent to prison.
owned by the GOPukes but not paid from public funds.
That is, there is no leverage except bad behavior.
If it were me, I'd figure out how to plant meth in their cars, and then call a cop...
..if their contracts were terminated with extreme prejuduice.
Their contracts mandate they do exactly what they are doing.
Better than that, just keep a VERY close eye and wait for them to be caught actually doing something indictable.
Kind of like Security maintaining a bead on the gun-toters outside Town Hall meetings.
Make my day!
AS for those gun toters, make sure you always have a sign that reads:
"I carry the extra ammunition for the guy with the gun over here, for reloading after he empties his clip into the crowd."
That should get a couple of cops standing right by the asshole.
.
Is it possible that Jones' devotion to this administration was so sincere that he wanted to stop this madness, so he decided to bow out? I don't think that is an impossibility. I mean, I wish he had made a different decision but maybe he made the decision he felt was best at this time.
No Virginia, there is no Santa Clause. Obama has caved on just about every single issue Progressives elected him to address and fix.
Much more can be accomplished outside the public view. Now that Beck thinks he's won, he and his sheep will move on to someone else, leaving Van Jones alone to do the job that needs to be done.
I assume you are referring to his back room meetings with the Pharmie companies to assure them that drug costs will NOT be negotiated and things will go on status quo?
I hope not!
http://www.hr676.org
billion in "profits" (I laughed, too), Big Pharma has agreed to do so by reducing by 50% the price they charge seniors for brand name drugs while they are in the "donut hole." Wow. That gives a whole new meaning to the word "unselfish."
responsibility.
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