Photo credit: Getty Images LAS VEGAS – AUGUST 11: Van Jones with the White House Council on Environmental Quality tours a LEED-certified building on the UNLV campus during the National Clean Energy Summit 2.0 August 11, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Political and economic leaders are attending a two-day summit to discuss a domestic policy agenda to advance alternative energy for the country’s future.

Van Jones, Special Adviser at the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and green jobs and Founder & President, Green For All, resigned from his position over the weekend.

While President Obama endures accusations of being a socialist, Van Jones endured accusations of being a communist. Statements he made in the past about having “radical” ideas or being a communist have surfaced due to right wing efforts. Jones “apologized on Thursday after videotape surfaced of him using a crude epithet to describe Republicans and amid revelations he had signed a petition suggesting U.S. government involvement in the 2001 attacks in New York and Washington.” ~reuters.com

Check out this video of Van Jones on NOW with David Brancaccio on the episode Green Jobs: Hope or Hype? explaining what green jobs are and how they might help lift the U.S. out of this economic downturn. He also explains he was never a “czar”.

Jones’ resignation letter was released to the media. In it he said: “On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me.”

“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.”

I think ideas about Washington’s involvement in the 9/11 attacks are not uncommon. Black people as well as artists have had a history in this country of of sympathizing with communist ideas or of being communists due to the desire for real equality in the U.S.. I don’t find any of that unusual though obviously Van Jones has considered many ideas for how to bring about change in his lifetime.

It almost seems like Van Jones pulled a Tom Daschle move, that is deciding to distance himself from President Obama due to choices he made in his life that led to scandals. It seems rather than tarnish the president or derail his aims they decide to fall on the sword and leave the administration alone. Or least that’s what it seems like publicly. It’s a shame really, Van Jones’ arguments for green jobs for Black people and the poor were compelling. My initial thoughts were that they were too compelling and made too palatable, practical and threatening in some ways. Hopefully he can still continue to do good work outside of the administration.

Src: Obama’s “green jobs” guru Jones resigns after uproar

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