Van Jones Makes Me Green with Happiness

I am thrilled that President Obama has tapped Van Jones to serve as a special White House advisor. This appointment makes me think that Obama "gets it" because Van Jones embodies a critically important political strategy for the left.

Over the past decade Democrats faced a shrinking voting base and have groped to build coalitions. Even in tough times, Democrats have been able to rely on three groups (1) Labor, (2) Racial minorities (particularly African Americans), and (3) Environmentalists. These groups are so reliable I have jokingly advocated that the Democratic party should adopt the ANC flag because its base is clearly Red, Black, and Green.

Van Jones brings together these base building constituencies with an elegant and progressive political strategy. Jones has made local environmental justice efforts of the past 30 years suddenly visible and powerfully relevant. During the past several decades African American, Latino, and Native American communities have been battling undesirable land uses, disproportionate health impacts, and undemocratic zoning processes throughout the country. These efforts have generated new demands for community participation, expanded definitions of civil rights, and more diverse understandings of the environment.

But the EJ movement has also been decentralized and largely invisible.

As the founder of Green for All, Van Jones has brought visibility and coherence to the EJ movement and articulated a politically powerful vision that links the creation of new jobs, the employment and participation of the most disfranchised, and an insistence on sustainability. Jones represents a possible nexus of where consensus framing of progressive issues can be used to impact the material conditions of those Americans who are hurting the most in these tough times.

I must admit a little discomfort about the implicit gender politics here. EJ movements throughout the U.S. have largely been headed by women: Beverly Wright of the Deep South Center and Majora Carter who founded Sustainable South Bronx are just two of the best known women leaders in EJ. I'd love to see these sisters at the table too. President Obama's "basketball cabinet" strategy tends to lean a little too much on guy's voices for my taste. But I do think Jones brings a particularly keen public presence that will make him a powerful advocate of these issues. I trust that Jones will continue to be in dialogue with women leaders around the country, including Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins who will take over Jones' organization now that he is departing for DC.

I appreciate that Jones is deeply committed to ground-up organizing and expansive ideas about participation. His experiences as a community organizer and even his invocation of civil rights organizing forerunners like Ella Baker and Bayard Rustin reflect Jones' commitment to democratic participation in government processes. This commitment is a hallmark of the EJ movement.

Good job Barack, I'll be flying my red, black and green flag in support today.

Comments (25)

1. It's a little bit of a roller coaster here at "TN" on Obama's appointments, isn't it?

   Doom, despair, and agony on me at Charles Freeman one day...

   Hip-hip-hooray on Van Jones the next.

   Actually...a pretty good sign for his Administration that it's neither fully disappointing or fully impressing "The Nation".

   Posted by Mask at 03/12/2009 @ 10:00am

2. ". These groups are so reliable I have jokingly advocated that the Democratic party should adopt the ANC flag because its base is clearly Red, Black, and Green."

   You have no idea how many others jokingly refer to the reliability...almost,er, slavish in nature.

   Posted by YourJomamma at 03/12/2009 @ 10:18am

3. As long as the policies constructed by the current administration as a result of Van Jones' advise don't interfere with my basic Constitutional rights, hey I'm happy.

   Posted by PRESTERJOHNofASIA at 03/12/2009 @ 10:39am

4. Van Jones is one progressive that garners my respect. He is a enthusiastic promoter of entrepeneurial means to address the "green" agenda.

   The times that I have listened to him, I have been impressed with the fact that he is not part of the "govt is the only answer" leftist mentality.

   Posted by antisocialist at 03/12/2009 @ 10:50am

5. Posted by antisocialist at 03/12/2009 @ 10:50am

   Hmmm. Haven't heard him advocate organic clusterbombs yet. Are we talking about the same guy?

   Posted by Sorelish at 03/12/2009 @ 11:17am

6. Posted by antisocialist at 03/12/2009 @ 10:50am

   Gee, Larry, I thought everybody to the Left of...Sam Brownback or Bobby Jindal...was a Marxist?!???!?!??

   Posted by Mask at 03/12/2009 @ 11:22am

7. Who here thinks the govt is the ONLY answer?

   Posted by crabwalk at 03/12/2009 @ 11:41am

8. Who here thinks the govt is the ONLY answer?

   Posted by crabwalk at 03/12/2009 @ 11:41am

   The Progressives,the hard left and the the majority of democrats...

   and the umemployable.

   Posted by YourJomamma at 03/12/2009 @ 11:53am

9. The White House appointment of Van Jones reflects a new perspective on Civil Rights, labor, and environmental policy.

   Civil Rights..?

   Good he can start here and find out why the Feds are wasting time and worrying about illegals over American when considering the crime and costs of illegals...

   Here are your Dems at work..

   Outrageous treatment of a sheriff doing the Feds job of protecting borders and upholding the law...

   Jones needs to ask the congressman what the hell they are doing..for American Civil Rights..

   Approximately 200 convicted illegal immigrants handcuffed together arrive at their new part of the jail as they are moved into a separate area of Tent City, by orders of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, for incarceration until their sentences are served and they are deported to their home countries Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2009, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)(CNSNews.com) - The Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched an investigation of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office in Arizona following requests by congressional Democrats and allegations by liberal activists that the department has violated the civil rights of illegal aliens.

   Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), and Robert Scott (D-Va.) requested the investigation, and activists groups such as National Day Laborer Organizer Network and ACORN launched petition drives and rallies in support of the probe.

   The investigation focuses on Sheriff Joe Arpaio and dozens of officers under his command who were trained through the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Agreements of Cooperation in Communities to Enhance Safety and Security (ACCESS), which partners federal and ..

   cont

   Posted by YourJomamma at 03/12/2009 @ 12:06pm

10. cont..

    local law enforcement to enforce immigration laws. (The Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement division is known popularly as ICE.)

    In a letter dated March 10, 2009, Loretta Smith, acting assistant attorney general at the DOJ, detailed what her department would be investigating:

    "This is to inform you that the United States Department of Justice is commencing an investigation of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (''MCSO'') pursuant to the pattern or practice provisions of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994,42 U.S.C. §14141 ("Section 14141") and the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968,42 U.S.C. § 3789d ("Safe Streets Act"), and pursuant to the prohibitions against national origin discrimination in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,42 U.S.C. §§ 2000d to 2000d-7 ("Title Yr') and the Safe Streets Act, 42 U.S.C. § 3789d(c)."

    The letter continues: "The investigation will focus on alleged patterns or practices of discriminatory police practices and unconstitutional searches and seizures conducted by the MCSO, and on allegations of national origin discrimination, including failure to provide meaningful access to MCSO services for limited English proficient (LEP) individuals."

    "In conducting the investigation, we will seek to determine whether there are violations of the above laws by the MCSO," the letter says.

    Sheriff Arpaio's efforts to enforce immigration laws have been the focus of previous criticism, but Arpaio has defended his department and the results his ICE-trained officers have netted.

    Concerning the DOJ's investigation, Arpaio told CNSNews.com: "I will not back down.

    cont

    Posted by YourJomamma at 03/12/2009 @ 12:07pm

11. cont

    What I am doing is upholding the laws of the state of Arizona, and I will not be persuaded to turn my back on my oath of office as sheriff of this county."

    In an August 2008 press release, Arpaio's office detailed those results.

    "While the Sheriff's illegal immigration and human smuggling operations conducted on the streets and roadways here have netted nearly 2,300 arrests, another very successful effort to locate illegal aliens has been quietly happening inside Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's jails," the release said.

    It continues: "Despite the growing criticism of the Sheriff's illegal immigration fight by some valley politicians and activists, Sheriff Arpaio says 60 detention officers trained by ICE officials have conducted over 106,000 interviews and investigations of inmates booked into jail since April of 2007.

    "In those 18 months, 16,000 inmates were determined to be illegal aliens. Either they have already been deported or will be deported after being tried and/or serving their sentences for crimes committed in the valley. The work being done be Arpaio's detention staff is a likely contributor to the recent reduction in crime in the valley," the press release added.

    "That number of 16,000 represents a full one-third (1/3) of all inmates in the United States who have had holds placed on them after being identified by jail or prison officials as illegal aliens."

    The press release goes on to say that 20 percent of inmates in the Maricopa County Jail are illegal aliens and that of those, 2,000 illegal aliens - 70 percent - were arrested for felony crimes.

    Those felony crimes committed included the following: forgery, 12 percent; kidnapping, 10 percent; aggravated assault, 7 percent; driving under the influence, 7 percent;

    cont

    Posted by YourJomamma at 03/12/2009 @ 12:08pm

12. cont..

    7 percent; driving under the influence, 7 percent; drug charges, 27 percent; robbery, 3 percent; murder, 3 percent; and theft, 4 percent.

    The Democratic Congress members have also asked Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to launch an investigation into the training provided by ICE.

    These assholes in Congress should be helping stop the illegals instead of worrying about the arrest of those who break our laws...

    AND ACORN IS HERE..I CAN SEE WHERE ACORN IS GOING TO SPEND THE NEW OBAMA MONEY...

    Posted by YourJomamma at 03/12/2009 @ 12:10pm

13. cont

    Posted by YourJomamma at 03/12/2009 @ 12:08pm

    Oh, goody.

    Posted by Mask at 03/12/2009 @ 12:11pm

14. Illegals have NO civil rights...they are by definition not Americans in any way..and are criminals...

    The names of those in Congress should be hauled before the US media and grilled as to who they believe they are working for and why they are not investigating cabals like ACORN, the recipient of taxpayers funds, who are helping illegals, and thereore, why they shouldn't be stripped of those funds and arrested for aiding and abeting criminals.

    Posted by YourJomamma at 03/12/2009 @ 12:15pm

15. Mask,

    What do you think of this deal?

    Posted by YourJomamma at 03/12/2009 @ 12:15pm

16. What do you think of this deal?----Posted by YourJomamma at 03/12/2009 @ 12:15pm

    Well, first....isn't that going to include the 2008 GOP nominee for President? Co-sponser of the 2005 comprehensive immigration reform bill?

    Posted by Mask at 03/12/2009 @ 1:21pm

17. I love Van Jones advocacy and coherent focus on job creation and job growth, particularly for those at the bottom rung of the economic ladder.

    Turning this advocacy into action will be a challenge, but I am rooting for Van all the way!

    Posted by Metteyya at 03/12/2009 @ 1:22pm

18. You have no idea how many others jokingly refer to the reliability...almost,er, slavish in nature.

    Posted by YourJomamma at 03/12/2009 @ 10:18am

    Kind of like the reliability, slavishness, of the gun toters, the Christian's and the anti-abortionists on the right?

    Posted by Cccomfo1 at 03/12/2009 @ 1:46pm

19. The Progressives,the hard left and the the majority of democrats...

    and the umemployable.

    Posted by YourJomamma at 03/12/2009 @ 11:53am

    Nah that's just a lie you guys on the right seem to actually believe while the rest of us laugh at you. I guess if you repeat a lie long enough those who don't actually look at reality for their answers will start to believe it.

    Posted by Cccomfo1 at 03/12/2009 @ 1:47pm

20. Van Jones was profiled on ktvu's morning news this morning and seems like a sharp, charismatic guy and competent influencer. I like his emphasis on developing job skills for the underprivleged and his implied 'teach them how to fish' (me talking, not him) attitude.

    With his community activist past, I can appreciate how he and Obama would be fellow travelers. Heck, I bet Van Jones even pays his income taxes!

    Posted by freiheit1 at 03/12/2009 @ 2:56pm

21. Heck, I bet Van Jones even pays his income taxes!---Posted by freiheit1 at 03/12/2009 @ 2:56pm

    I'll bet Jones has had less "tax troubles" than...

    the current Governor of Alaska. Bet?

    Posted by Mask at 03/12/2009 @ 3:14pm

22. Does anybody else notice how the quality of writing nosedives from a lib site like Salon, to a rad site like this one?

    The only thing more suffocating than the obsessive identity politics is the verbiage. Does ANYBODY talk like that? Outside the Left's moated ivory towers? I'd rather be born to mother of "Carrie" than be a paperweight in Ms. Harris-Lacewell's office.

    Jones seems like a nice lefty. Better than the sleazy Clintonites and lobbyists.

    But just to be safe, better rev up the refrigerator trucks on the South Side come July, when the old folks who couldn't re-finance so they could run the AC hit the floor.

    Posted by gangpapist at 03/12/2009 @ 3:51pm

23. Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., said the situation in Mexico is far more important than Afghanistan at this point. "We need to raise this to a higher level," Lewis told The Associated Press.

    Speaking at a homeland security subcommittee hearing, Lewis praised the Homeland Security Department for using unmanned aerial vehicles along the border, but he slammed DoD for not providing helicopters to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border.

    "You can't chase these people around in trucks," Lewis said during the hearing.

    Since 2008, about 7,000 people have been killed in the drug wars, and violence is spilling into U.S. cities in some parts of the country.

    Lewis said every major city in the U.S. is affected by the drug wars. There have been reports of drug cartel members settling scores with adversaries in such places as Atlanta, Phoenix and Birmingham, Ala.

    The U.S. has given Mexico money and support as part of the Merida Initiative to combat drug trafficking.

    Earlier, Rep. David Price, D-N.C., questioned whether taxpayers are getting their money's worth in border protection as people continue breaking through barriers to enter the United States illegally.

    At a hearing on funding for border security, Price challenged the Homeland Security Department to explain why it has effective control of only 1 percent of the country's 4,000-mile border with Canada.

    Of the $3.6 billion Congress has allocated for border security, $2 billion has been spent building 610 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border.

    Posted by comancheamerican at 03/12/2009 @ 3:56pm

24. Earlier, Rep. David Price, D-N.C., questioned whether taxpayers are getting their money's worth in border protection as people continue breaking through barriers to enter the United States illegally.

    At a hearing on funding for border security, Price challenged the Homeland Security Department to explain why it has effective control of only 1 percent of the country's 4,000-mile border with Canada.

    Of the $3.6 billion Congress has allocated for border security, $2 billion has been spent building 610 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border.

    Officials from Customs and Border Protection defended the success of the border security measures. Acting Commissioner Jayson Ahern said 720,000 people were caught last year trying to enter the country illegally, and officials seized 2.8 million tons of narcotics.

    Officials said the escalating violence among Mexican drug cartels is evidence that the U.S. border security plan is working. "They are fighting for territory," Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar said of the drug cartels.

    Obamanation and the Demoncrats now think the best way to get MORE illegals into the country is to investigate the SHERRIF who spend all his time arresting them!!!!!

    Posted by comancheamerican at 03/12/2009 @ 3:57pm

25. At a hearing on funding for border security, Price challenged the Homeland Security Department to explain why it has effective control of only 1 percent of the country's 4,000-mile border with Canada.----Posted by comancheamerican at 03/12/2009 @ 3:56pm

    I thought you guys were worried about the SOUTHERN border? Scared we'll get more William Shatners, Mike Myers, or Elisha Cuthberts sneaking across the border stealing our multi-million dollar jobs?

    or...yikes...FROSTY??!!?!??!?

    Posted by Mask at 03/12/2009 @ 6:47pm