Glenn Beck 1 - Van Jones 0 - Game over

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2008
Glenn Beck 1 - Van Jones 0 - Game over
8
Sun, 09-06-2009 - 1:42pm

Many on this forum don't seem to appreciate Glenn Beck. The major news media ignored the Van Jones controversy. Glenn Beck pushed it hard, Fox News to a less extent at least reported on it.

Anyway there is one less self avowed communist in the Obama administration today.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9AHL8O80&show_article=1

President Barack Obama's adviser Van Jones has resigned amid controversy over past inflammatory statements, the White House said early Sunday.

Jones, an administration official specializing in environmentally friendly "green jobs" with the White House Council on Environmental Quality was linked to efforts suggesting a government role in the 2001 terror attacks and to derogatory comments about Republicans.

The resignation comes as Obama is working to regain his footing in the contentious health care debate.

Jones issued an apology on Thursday for his past statements. When asked the next day whether Obama still had confidence in him, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said only that Jones "continues to work in the administration."

The matter surfaced after news reports of a derogatory comment Jones made in the past about Republicans, and separately, of Jones' name appearing on a petition connected to the events surrounding the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. That 2004 petition had asked for congressional hearings and other investigations into whether high-level government officials had allowed the attacks to occur.

"On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me," Jones said in his resignation statement. "They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide."

Jones said he has been "inundated with calls from across the political spectrum urging me to stay and fight."

But he said he cannot in good conscience ask his colleagues to spend time and energy defending or explaining his past.

Jones flatly said in an earlier statement that he did not agree with the petition's stand on the 9/11 attacks and that "it certainly does not reflect my views, now or ever."

As for his other comments he made before joining Obama's team, Jones said, "If I have offended anyone with statements I made in the past, I apologize."

Despite his apologies, Republicans demanded Jones quit.

Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana said in a statement, "His extremist views and coarse rhetoric have no place in this administration or the public debate." Missouri Sen. Christopher Bonds said Congress should investigate Jones's fitness the job.

Fox News Channel host Glenn Beck repeatedly denounced Jones after a group the adviser co-founded, ColorofChange.org, led an advertising boycott against Beck's show to protest his claim that Obama is a racist.

James Rucker, the organization's executive director, has said Jones had nothing to do with ColorofChange.org now and didn't even know about the campaign before it started.

Jones, well-known in the environmental movement, was a civil-rights activist in California before shifting his attention to environmental and energy issues. He is known for laying out a broad vision of a green economy.

Nancy Sutley chair of the council, said in a statement released early Sunday that she accepts Jones resignation and thanked him for his service.

"Over the last six months, he had been a strong voice for creating jobs that improve energy efficiency and utilize renewable resources," she said. "We appreciate his hard work and wish him the best moving forward."

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-03-2009
Sun, 09-06-2009 - 2:05pm

You know what they say about a broken clock being right at least twice a day. IMHO, Glenn Beck and Fox are broken clocks. Of course they would both zero in on ANYTHING which could be used to discredit anybody in the Obama administration. A lot of their exposes have been arrant lies or blatant efforts to make mountains of molehills. In this case, Jones was partially right:
<<"On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me," Jones said in his resignation statement. "They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide." >>
Unfortunately, Jones himself gave them enough ammunition with which to shoot him down.

Mr. Jones was not temperate enough in his language to be considered a wise choice for high public office. As regards his ideological beliefs, we no longer live in the days of Joe McCarthy (thank God!) and belonging to the Communist party is no longer grounds to be hounded, harassed, and blacklisted.

Jabberwocka

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-25-2008
Sun, 09-06-2009 - 9:54pm
Beck's a self-indulgent sycophant, whether right or wrong on a given topic.

 


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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-24-2009
Sun, 09-06-2009 - 10:22pm

I just caught a piece of this on tv news today... and the only comment I heard was him saying that there's never been a black mass murder school shooter.


What relevance that has, or even if it's true, I don't know.


But if it's true, I don't see the problem with saying it.

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-22-2009
Mon, 09-07-2009 - 2:48am

~Many on this forum don't seem to appreciate Glenn Beck.~

I appreciate him, although my reasons probably differ from those of some others.

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Avatar for claddagh49
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-20-2004
Mon, 09-07-2009 - 11:11am
But, how about the DC Sniper? I remember that very clearly.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-24-2009
Mon, 09-07-2009 - 11:24am

He specifically said "Columbine" type school shooters.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-24-2009
Mon, 09-07-2009 - 12:09pm

I appreciate him, although my reasons probably differ from those of some others.


Care to elaborate?


iVillage Member
Registered: 01-22-2009
Mon, 09-07-2009 - 2:03pm

Sure :)

He plays the role of rodeo clown on the Fox Network (his words), and does pretty much exactly what a rodeo clown does..

ie. He distracts, entertains with parody (although possibly his audience often doesn't realize this), puts himself in between the opponent and the rider (ie. politicial issue, politician, etc. that he supports) to take the focus off the actual issue with a lot of hoopla and carrying on... so that the rider comes out ahead.

If I were conservative or Republican, I'd probably be glad for that. In my case, though, the appreciation is limited to clear perception or recognition of what he's doing rather than gratitude.

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