Big Business' Hidden Hand in the Smear Job on Van Jones

I am very happy to see http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8632338">the real reason for the smear campaign against Van Jones is getting publicized. This would make an excellent piece for Rachel and/or Keith.

Big Business' Hidden Hand in the Smear Job on Van Jones

How Americans for Prosperity, the astroturf group that organized town-hall thuggery, teamed up with FOX News to force out Van Jones.

By Adele M. Stan, AlterNet. Posted September 8, 2009.

If you thought the targeting of Van Jones for vilification by the right was about his race, his youthful flirtation with socialism, or a petition he signed about the 9/11 attacks, you'd only be a little bit right. And if you think it was about the Color of Change campaign against Glenn Beck's show on FOX NewsChannel, you'd really miss the mark.

The racism and red-baiting suffered by Jones at the hands of Beck and his admirers are simply key elements in a marketing strategy designed to serve Very Big Business -- the oil and other business interests that support the astroturfing group Americans for Prosperity. The strategy is simple: prey upon the worst fears of the right-wing folks who live next door in order to get them to organize against their own interests.

When word of Van Jones' resignation from his White House post hit the airwaves, Americans for Prosperity's Phil Kerpen, the group's policy director, wasted no time in taking personal credit. In his column on FOXNews.com, Kerpen wrote, "The Van Jones affair…is one of the most significant things I've ever had the honor of being involved in."

Progressives first became familiar with Americans for Prosperity because of its role, along with Glenn Beck's 912 Project, in organizing the disruption of town-hall meetings across the country at which members of Congress were scheduled to discuss pending health-care reform legislation with their constituents. Many assumed the AFP astroturfers, who are not required to disclose their funding sources, were aligned specifically with health-care interests -- and indeed they may be aligned with some. Look a little closer, though, and you'll find at the top of their agenda the derailment of energy reform, especially the cap-and-trade formula for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Much more (and embedded links) here: http://www.alternet.org/workplace/142481/big_business'_hidden_hand_in_the_smear_job_on_van_jones/?page=entire

already, so what's the downside?

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"In Kerpen's August 28 appearance on Beck's show, he broadened his attack to include the http://www.apolloalliance.org/">Apollo Alliance, on whose board Jones once sat. The Apollo Alliance seeks to build public-private partnerships on green jobs, working with business, labor unions, government officials and activists. After that, Kerpen brays, Beck "began pounding away" on Jones.

Americans for Prosperity, FOX News and the Murdoch Agenda

Americans for Prosperity, http://www.alternet.org/politics/142068/utilizing_public_airwaves,_media_mogul_murdoch_is_big_muscle_behind_fraudulent_astro_turfers/?page=entire">as AlterNet reported, works closely with the personalities of FOX News, and has long received substantial funding by the oil money of David Koch, who http://www.afphomehq.com/index.php?PageID=43">serves as chairman of the board of directors of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation. But even that fun fact offers too narrow a view of the agenda advanced by Americans for Prosperity with the mighty assistance of Glenn Beck's uber-boss, Rupert Murdoch, owner of FOX and the Wall Street Journal, and chairman of the colossal News Corporation. Together, these two entities oppose any form of regulation that would disturb the status quo for Very Big Business -- conglomerates that range in sector from nuclear power to the for-profit prison industry.

To these entrenched interests, Van Jones is a very dangerous man, indeed -- even as a mid-level White House aide. (Now that he is "liberated" by his White House resignation, as http://www.alternet.org/story/142460/5_reasons_why_van_jones_and_progressives_are_better_off_with_jones_out_of_the_white_house/">AlterNet Executive Editor Don Hazen writes, they may soon rue the day they sought to turn Jones out of the government.)


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how does cap & trade do that?

i'm not trying to be snarky, but the exposition doesn't make sense to me. so far as i can judge, koch's mouth should be watering for c&t. it gives him more ways to game the market.

everyone with investment $$$, the same.

the only losers i see would be industries that depend on fairly predictable energy prices.

The are afraid that the money from cap and trade would go to the 'green groups', as he calls them. The green jobs initiative is meant to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels.



He also explains their thought processes in this Faux & Friends video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvTbb0ldppw

speculators, & koch would know that.

the money wouldn't be going to "environmental groups". & koch would know that too.

Sorry, but I had to laugh at the fact that his had negative recs until I got to it (now 0). I swear, if there was a thread with breaking news on how world hunger had been abolished, some angry nut would STILL find a reason to unrec it.

You just have to laugh at this point.

Thanks for neutralizing it, man.

Thanks for getting this info out.
I rec'ed your other threads on this, too.

I'm surprised this isn't getting any traction. It's actually quite a big story.