Outside The Tent...

Van Jones, the charismatic and connected former Green Jobs Czar, is now outside the Obama tent and in a position to dish to the talk-show circuit about the apparent drift within the Administration on climate change and the energy bill.

Just what Team Obama needs - an unhappy ex-insider chewing on their left flank.

Comments

[bad s##t]

Go Van!!! Give 'im hell!!

[Thomas Collins]

I think that attacks on Obama from the left will help him. Axelrod is smart enough, and TOTUS compliant enough (other than when the occasional mechanical breakdown occurs), to spin this to make Obama look more moderate. TOTUS has spewed Obama as Third Way Between the Extremes nonsense in the past. Look for more in the future.

[bad s##t]

What TC said...

[whitehall]

Here's an interesting critique of the whole "green jobs' snow job.

http://www.nctimes.com/business/article_1ffa81ff-4ce1-5cf2-b09d-a6128c1eb675.html

Let them argue the value of green jobs to the economy. Ha HA HA.

It is especially interesting that Jones had under his nominal control $42 BILLION of stimulus funds. That puts his budget over 12 regular cabinet departments in 2008 size:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_United_States_federal_budget

[Gabriel Sutherland]

I'm now reading that Van Jones was not a special adviser to the President at all. He was just an appointment. He was actually a special adviser to the chair of the White Council on Environmental Quality. Wiki says this office was created by the Stimulus. It wasn't. The same office bad a Bush 43 appointee heading it. He was James Speth.

So says the woman that hired Van Jones out of Yale Law.

[Original MikeS]

I read the green jobs critique. I was surprised by the claim that a 2007 report by American Solar Energy Society stated that 9 million people were employed in renewable energy jobs. I couldn't find that 2007 report, but I found this one for 2006.

That year the bottom line was this...

The growing “green economy” is already big business. A study by the American Solar Energy Society estimated that as of 2006 there were 196,000 jobs in the United States in renewable energy...

It seems that someone is making sh!t up again.

[PD]

chewing on their left flank.

"left flank" implies that there is a position even more to the left.

[LTC John]

I should think not, Mr. M. I believe he will slide back into the well funded arms of the Hollywood/Soros/Huffington types and play the martyred by the evil wingers meal ticket for a while yet.

[Original MikeS]

I had one more thing I wanted to say about Van Jones.
A handsome, clean, articulate, fairy tail story, guy like that would make a great DNC Chairman.

[Worth reel money, those. Watt's reel money, huh?]

OK, I'm buyin' tikkets fer the Palin/Jones Debates.
==============================

[Extraneus]

I guess Van will have to update his website soon, but here's what it says right now:

Who is Van Jones?

Van Jones is a globally recognized, award-winning pioneer in human rights and the clean energy economy. He is a 1993 graduate of the Yale Law School and an attorney.

Van wrote the definitive book on "green jobs": The Green Collar Economy. In 2008 — thanks to a low-cost, viral marketing campaign — his book became an instant New York Times bestseller. It is today being translated into six languages.

As a tireless advocate for disadvantaged people and the environment, Van helped to pass America's first "green job training" legislation: the Green Jobs Act, which George W. Bush signed into law as a part of the 2007 Energy Bill. He is the co-founder of a number of successful non-profit organizations, including the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and Green For All.

Van is the recipient of many awards and honors, including: the Reebok International Human Rights Award; the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leader designation; the prestigious, international Ashoka Fellowship; and many more. Van was included in the Ebony Magazine "Power 150" list of most influential African Americans for 2009. In 2008, Essence magazine named him one of the 25 most inspiring/influential African Americans. TIME Magazine named him an environmental hero in 2008. In 2009, TIME named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

In March 2009, Van went to work as the special advisor for green jobs at the White House Council for Environmental Quality.

Imagine the groupies.

[Gabriel Sutherland]

Fun Facts: News Corp published Van Jones' book through Harper Collins.

But yeah, loller all the way to the pub when watching Daily Kos call for a Murdoch boycott.

[What evah Nona wants, Nona gets.]

Any day now someone is going to ask Beck if he has no shame. It'll be an opportunity for Sarah to plaster Venona all over the net.

We're overdue for revision of that old myth.
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[Porchlight]

Imagine the groupies.

No joke. To be honest, he's not exactly hard on the eyes, either.

[Captain Hate]

Wiki says this office was created by the Stimulus. It wasn't. The same office bad a Bush 43 appointee heading it. He was James Speth.

Yeah the Wiki dissembling pace must be at least at Mach 1; internal focus groups trying to determine how much lying will completely capsize their already scant credibility.

[bishop]

Van Jones is a coffee clatch of myriad theories, he obviously believes the Native Americans were wronged "no more broken treaties", hence the idea to sequester the oil and gas,'this just isn't about solar panels. The part about poisoning immigrants,
because our "agricultural system is all wrong" it only feeds the planet, He's a proud Marxist, but much like Ayers finds the Gramscian view much more effective

[Extraneus]

Krauthammer is back in form tonight on Fox Special Report:

It's a reflection of the boss. The boss also had a history before he became a candidate of being around and friends with the likes of Jeremiah Wright and William Ayers. The liberals scolded us last year on how irrelevant all that is and how it's a smear campaign against Obama. But, if you live in that environment and you find nothing inherently wrong with that kind of radicalism. Then a Van Jones will show up. You'll watch him years and years and you'll think this guy is perfectly mainstream.

[Holidome Beertender]

I think TC had one too many TCs.

[Extraneus]

Ahmadinejad Challenges Obama to Public Debate at the UN This Month

Heh.

[PD]

"Ahmadinejad Challenges Obama to Public Debate at the UN This Month"

Oh, man. That's like trying to pick whether I want the Vikings or the Bears to win.

(Just kidding. Loathing for Obama aside, I could not hope for A-jad to best him, though sadly I expect that's what would happen.)

[Pofarmer]

Herd on the radio tonight that Obama is preparing his own health care plan.

Wonder how many crayons it's taking?

[Extraneus]

And for the ladies, Trainer spills secrets of Michelle Obama's arms .

Tricep pushdowns and hammer curls.

[Jim Ryan]

Ex, thanks. You've put me right off my pie.

[Captain Hate]

(Just kidding. Loathing for Obama aside, I could not hope for A-jad to best him, though sadly I expect that's what would happen.)

There's a large part of me that's not nearly as gracious as you are, PD. That this is even being mentioned just points out what a punk the Once is, and that's exactly the way that he's perceived by Ack-my-derelict which is why this is even an issue. He needs to go down hard.

[PD]

CH, it was indeed a sad bit of self-discovery on my part to find that I might *want* a U.S. president to get whipped by A-jad. I had to jerk myself back from that by appeal to principle: Our way of life is better, even with O as president.

[bishop]

Where exactly do they disagree, Ahmadinejad denies the holocaust, but thinks it was a nifty idea, Obama speaking where the Protocols are handed out like the auto trader, agrees but then feeds the Al Nakbah moral equivalence, they both agree that Iran deserves nuclear energy for power, although the latter is not so confident of its other uses. hE seems to concur that the debate is over, and apparently Ahmadinejad
says " I won". He opposes the sanctioning of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. both
think the status of the Palestinians are
the key issue in the Middle East

[pagar]

O/T, but check out the Tea Party Express report on Memeorandum. 10,000

[Captain Hate]

Our way of life is better, even with O as president.

Well yes but the Once is doing his best to level that out. I think he's at a distinct disadvantage because he hasn't demonstrably illustrated that he thinks our way of life is better; or if it is better it was acquired by underhanded means. I think that Im-in-a-jihad tossed out the challenge for exactly that reason. But I'm willing to be pleasantly surprised if in fact this stupid event even comes off. Again, that such a challenge was even tossed out illustrates the weak perception that our enemies have of him; and ultimately of us.

[PD]

Seen in a Newsbusters comment .sig:

We will Barry you! - Russian prophecy

Heh.

[PD]

I've been reading Thomas Paine's Common Sense, and have hit the appendix, which begins:

SINCE the publication of the first edition of this pamphlet, or rather, on the same day on which it came out, the King's Speech made its appearance in this city. Had the spirit of prophecy directed the birth of this production, it could not have brought it forth, at a more seasonable juncture, or a more necessary time. The bloody mindedness of the one, shew the necessity of pursuing the doctrine of the other. Men read by way of revenge. And the Speech instead of terrifying, prepared a way for the manly principles of Independance.
Ceremony, and even, silence, from whatever motive they may arise, have a hurtful tendency, when they give the least degree of countenance to base and wicked performances; wherefore, if this maxim be admitted, it naturally follows, that the King's Speech, as being a piece of finished villany, deserved, and still deserves, a general execration both by the Congress and the people. Yet, as the domestic tranquillity of a nation, depends greatly, on the chastity of what may properly be called NATIONAL MANNERS, it is often better, to pass some things over in silent disdain, than to make use of such new methods of dislike, as might introduce the least innovation, on that guardian of our peace and safety. And, perhaps, it is chiefly owing to this prudent delicacy, that the King's Speech, hath not, before now, suffered a public execution. The Speech if it may be called one, is nothing better than a wilful audacious libel against the truth, the common good, and the existence of mankind; and is a formal and pompous method of offering up human sacrifices to the pride of tyrants. ...

It just put me in mind of the President's upcoming health care speech this week, that's all.

[Jim Ryan]

This is interesting. A blast from last fall. Via Conservatives for Palin.

[bishop]

The question seems to firmly on the table, are we subjects or citizens, he seems to think the former, the Tea Party and Town
hallers think the latter; there's a certain
someone who would be at home wearing the tricorner hat:

Does this sound familiar:

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

[Gregory Koster]

Dear Extraneus: Rubbish. Michelle's gets her arms by holding one of her high heeled shoes and hitting everyone who disagrees with her, whenever this happens.

Van will keep still if he wants to cash in. Let him start blasting The Once, and his publication outlets will shrink drastically, less dough, not nearly so much face time on television. Given how careless Van is in paying his bar dues, I don't think he'd welcome Timmy the Tax Cheat's gang looking over his 1040s. Van knows dam well how ruthless The Once is to private citizens. Tom Collins has also excellently made the case for The Once telling Van "So what? Do your worst, and I'll do mine, Van."

Sincerely yours,
Gregory Koster

[AL]

I forced myself to read Obama speech to school boys and girls, and the only impression I got is that Obama is a clinical idiot.

Education is not a burden or necessary hardship to advance in life, and propel the country might. Education is self-enriching process of developing and releasing tremendous power of human mind curiosity and creativity.

[peter]

I am not sure if this is still current, but Michelle has been laying low lately (LUN)

[peter]

The kids over in art class are learning from the Dear Leader's speech:

[Porchlight]

New piece this morning at AmSpec about the Jarrett machinations in the White House:

Valerie Jarrett's Show

Includes some tidbits about the Jones hire and some more alarming stuff about the diversity czar and the Fairness Doctrine via Sunstein.

Saw elsewhere that Glenn Beck is going to introduce another czar on his show tonight.

[PeterUK]

Is it possible to stop calling these bozos Czars.they are Kommisars.

[pagar]

From the link posted by Porchlight.

According to administration sources, Sunstein's office is looking for ways to impose through the regulatory process those Obama White House health care, environmental, and labor policies that do not survive the legislative process.

"The goal from this White House is to have as much nonspecific language passed by Congress in policy areas like health care and the environment and then use Sunstein's office to put in place the regulatory language called for by Congress that gets us to where we want to be. It may very well be the most important job in this administration, given the lack of success we may have on Capitol Hill," says a White House source.

The leftist regulations are going to turn this country in to a communist regime without a shot being fired. It makes absolutely no difference what Congress does.
Every time someone tries to go to court the courts claim American citizens have no standing. If Obama can't get it done by himself, now Chavez has pledged to help him.

Marxist Venezuelan Leader Hugo Chavez On Obama: "We Have to Help Him"

[Jack is Back!]

We have been through this all before:

My grandfather was a consummate reader and "back porch" philosopher. When we renovated his house we found tons of books from the late 1880's through the early 1950's (when he passed away). One of those that I stuffed in the library at home was a book titled "Fools Gold" by "The Senator from Alaska". A nom de plume since, of course, Alaska wasn't even a state in 1936 when the book was published.

Its subtitle is, "An Expose of Un-American Activities and Political Action in the United States since 1860". But it is mostly a warning and indictment of the socialist policies of the FDR administration. If you took this book and edited it so that all you had to do was change the name of "Hoover" to "Bush" and "Roosevelt" to "Obama" it would read terrifyingly as if it was published today. Let me give you the first two paragraphs of Chapter 1 - The Case Outlined:

In November, 1932, because this nation, for two or more years, had been in something of an economic muddle, there was growing demand to "get rid of Hoover". It had not been difficult to create the impression that, in some manner not explained, he was personally responsible for the ills of the people. The vote that placed FDR in the WH did not come so much from those truly anxious to elect him as from those determined to unseat Hoover.

Three full years have elapsed since FDR entered the WH. His many promises, made on the stump, have not been kept. The Democratic platform has been tossed to the side. Experimental legislation, much of which is held unconstitutional by many, and some which has already been nullified by the Supreme Court, clutters the statute books. There are as many, if not more, persons out of employment now as there were on March 4, 1933 (back then inauguration day). The debt which has been created in the last few years is the largest in the history of the United States.

This is only the first two paragraphs and this book is 231 pages of history being repeated by those who don't know it or refuse to believe in the old maxim "the sure sign of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and getting the same results". If you are interested in the book I have a link LUN.

[Janet]

The Am. Spectator article is really good. I feel so sad inside for our country. The left has been using regulations to shut down our country for years. When I have to write letters to my Senators begging them to let American companies drill and produce energy in America - something is wrong. Who are these thugs that presume to tell American companies, and American landowners what they can and cannot do.
How many small businesses are never begun because of the burdensome regulations that have to be followed?...and paying taxes every step of the way under the guise of approvals, and impact studies, and...
It is so sad, and frustrating...I don't have the words.

[ben]

Then was then and now is now....

"When President George H.W. Bush delivered a similar speech on October 1, 1991, from Alice Deal Junior High School in Washington DC, the controversy was just beginning. Democrats, then the majority party in Congress, not only denounced Bush's speech -- they also ordered the General Accounting Office to investigate its production and later summoned top Bush administration officials to Capitol Hill for an extensive hearing on the issue.

"The Department of Education should not be producing paid political advertising for the president, it should be helping us to produce smarter students," said Richard Gephardt, then the House Majority Leader. "And the president should be doing more about education than saying, 'Lights, camera, action.'"

Rep. William Ford, then chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, ordered the General Accounting Office to investigate the cost and legality of Bush's appearance. On October 17, 1991, Ford summoned then-Education Secretary Lamar Alexander and other top Bush administration officials to testify at a hearing devoted to the speech. "The hearing this morning is to really examine the expenditure of $26,750 of the Department of Education funds to produce and televise an appearance by President Bush at Alice Deal Junior High School in Washington, DC," Ford began. "As the chairman of the committee charged with the authorization and implementation of education programs, I am very much interested in the justification, rationale for giving the White House scarce education funds to produce a media event."

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/When-Bush-spoke-to-students-Democrats-investigated-held-hearings-57694347.html

[Pofarmer]

They were making a big deal then over $26,750? My, how things have changed.

OT

Local call in show this morning was talking about the speech. Folks were calling in, and, basically, they don't trust Obama, not one bit. It doesn't matter what the topic is, they don't want Obama establishing a rapport with their kids, that may be used down the road for something else.

[PeterUK]

So how much did this ego trip into Academia for The Once cost. How many orphans could have been fed for the money?

[ben]

"So how much did this ego trip into Academia for The Once cost"?

Bush speech: A waste of money.

Obama speech: An investment in the future.

[PeterUK]

Whose future?

[ben]

"They were making a big deal then over $26,750? My, how things have changed."

And for the better too, since we now spend many times that on truly important things like photo ops with Air Force 1 over NYC.

[PeterUK]

Anyone costed junkets by The Once so far?

[Heavy, man, heavy.]

Cost it by the avoir du pie if you like.
=======================

[caro]

Janet, I feel sad, too. But at least we are forewarned.

[caro]

Can "regulations" that are not in laws pass constitutional muster?

[ben]

Republicans = junkets

Democrats = official missions of great importance and relevance

[Ranger]

Bob Herbert proves once again that to be either a Democrat or an NYT writer, you have to forget everything that happened before (pick a convenient date)...

From this mornings whine about how nasty and stupid politics are right now:

The political debate has been poisoned by birthers, deathers and wackos who smile proudly while carrying signs comparing the president to the Nazis.

Now imagine how the left would react of someone had written something like this in say, 2005:

The political debate has been poisoned by truthers, peaceniks and wackos who smile proudly while carrying signs comparing the president to the Nazis or showing him being shot, stabbed, or beheaded.

Total apaplexy at the crushing of decent I am sure.

[clarice]

caro, I'd guess if the laws are vague enough that the regs could be said to be permitted by the statutory language they might be.
See, for example:

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&invol=553&vol=380

[pagar]

"Can "regulations" that are not in laws pass constitutional muster?"

If the people who write the regulations determine who has standing to challenge them, I don't see where they can even be questioned.

[Jane the lynchpin]

Hey kids, I'm off to the radio show - then to DC via Philly. See you all there!

[Porchlight]

Jane, have a wonderful time. Can't wait to read the reports.

[Pofarmer]

Can "regulations" that are not in laws pass constitutional muster?

EPA anyone?

FDA?

USDA???

I'd say, yeah, no problem.

[Syl]

My impression from Obama's speech to the kids:

If you stay in school and work hard you too can grow up to embrace radical left ideology! Stick to it kids!

[clarice]

HEH-syl. Glad to hear from you again.

[Patriotism is the highest form of decency.]

Wow, Ranger, I like 'crushing of decent' as well as 'avoir du pie'.
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