Van Jones's Resignation: Bad for the Country and Bad for Obama

[Better Believe It]

This moment will be looked back upon as giving a signal of encouragement to some of the most fascistic elements in the American political Right.

Van Jones's Resignation: Bad for the Country and Bad for Obama
by Rabbi Michael Lerner
Rabbi Michael Lerner is editor of Tikkun Magazine: a bimonthly Jewish and Interfaith Journal of Politics, Culture and Society


I signed the same statement on 9/11 that Van Jones signed, and there was nothing immoderate about it. It didn't say what the Right claimed it said (and the mainstream media chimed in without investigation). I'll explain below.

Jones's resignation is bad for the country and for the Obama administration. It's bad for America when progressive views are an excuse to purge someone from the administration while extremist right-wing views of past administrations were always given a "pass."

Jones was a rare progressive appointment among the wide array of Wall Street sycophants and inside-the-Beltway pragmatists who have misled Obama into a path that has caused him to lose his initial popularity and severely endanger his presidency.

The notion that Jones's past could have a serious impact on the future of health care reform defies all plausibility -- those who will oppose health care reform will do so just as strongly without Jones's presence in the White House as they would have had he remained. The message being given by the Obama administration is clear: if you on the Right critique us, we will pander to you and abandon our friends.

In conditions of expanding prosperity, this would create the possibility of a resurgence of McCarthyism throughout the society. In conditions of growing economic pain, this kind of mimicking of the worst behavior of the German middle-of-the-roaders during the Weimar Republic sets the stage for the possibility of a genuine home grown fascism in the U.S.

If, God forbid, that should happen, people will look back to the capitulations on health care, human rights, and many other policy areas of the Obama administration, but will give equal importance to the abandonment of Van Jones and the signal it gives to the Right.

Please read the complete article at:

http://www.tikkun.org/article.php/20090908084856114

[KoKo]

1. Glad to see this post. Marty Peretz (New Republic) called Jones a Communist, Anti-Semite...

Here's a link to the article or McCarthyite screed. Good for Rabbi Lerner. That piece by Peretz was not even worthy of Glen Beck...well..on second thought it probably was. Two folks from different spectrums but with the same views.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x480388

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[NoPasaran]

3. k & r

[GivePeaceAchance]

4. I'm not sure, how effective would of Dean been within the the administration than outside ...

I think if he's smart he'll organize and move policy the way it needs to go. Even if he doesn't if people are genuinely outraged that intimidation pushed out Van Jones then the best thing to do in his honor is help organize and push for green policy ofrward. This is the main thrust behind the attack they want to kill environmental policy.

[Moochy]

5. K&R

Give em an inch, they'll take a mile. No bipartisanship with the fascist right. :patriot:

[jason_o]

6. where is van

working

[whistler162]

7. In other words PANIC PANIC PANIC!!!