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LAS VEGAS -- Van Jones, the former Obama "green jobs czar" who was forced to resign after it was revealed that he signed a petition calling for an investigation into whether the Bush administration deliberately allowed the Sept. 11 attacks to happen, was given a standing ovation by liberal activists here at the Netroots Nation conference.

In a video introduction, former DNC chairman Howard Dean called Jones a "hero."

During his speech, Jones said that he threw himself a long "pity party" after his exit from the administration, but compared his own struggle to the larger state of the nation. He made the case for investing in new energy technologies, and dismissed concerns about the deficit.

"There's plenty of money out there, the only question is how to spend it," Jones said.

In an onstage Q&A following the speech the Nation's Ari Melber said that the only reason Jones was targeted was that he was black and progressive.

Melber also told Jones, "You're popular here because you get stuff done, but also because you're cool."

UPDATE: Ari Melber emails to say that:

I gave several reasons for why Van was targeted - he was black, progressive, and he lived a life with work that had the kind of creativity and experimentation that made it easy to smear and lie about him. I stated all these points together in my opening question.

Your post incorrectly suggests that I only gave the reasons of black and progressive.

I checked the video, and indeed he did also mention the third reason for why Jones was targeted. You can watch Jones's speech and the Q&A here, and the part Melber is referring to kicks in around the 35 minute mark.

Video of the standing ovation below.

View all comments (37) | Leave a comment

Siegfried X| 7.23.10 @ 2:25PM

If Republicans cheer for a "Birther", the Democratic media make it front page news. Yet they'll ignore this 9/11 conspiracy stuff.

However, I also blame Republican politicians for not equating the two, when they are on defense. It is the old, bad Republican idea that we don't have to play politics.

Crooz8er| 7.23.10 @ 6:38PM

Oh! Did Obama produce his original birth certificate and I missed it on the news? You know, the one I had to produce to get a drivers license or enroll my kids in school?

Nate| 7.23.10 @ 9:24PM

Crooz --

You're not the stupidest person to post here regularly, but you rival the stupidest with valiant and almost heroic efforts like the above post.

Crooz8er| 7.23.10 @ 11:20PM

Na,

You're not the faggiest libtard troll to post here regularly--oh wait a minute, yes you are! Haha!

(Being called stupid by a libtard who comes here every day just looking for a post from me---priceless!)

Oh, and did moveon.org ever give you an answer to my question on the James Byrd ad?

REMEMBER NOVEMBER!!| 7.23.10 @ 4:21PM

More lies from the loony left.

Van Jones is an avowed communist--like many in Obama's administration--and he DID sign the 9/11 Truther petition.

Nate| 7.24.10 @ 12:19AM

"Avowed communist."

Where have I heard that phrase before?

O that's right. From the same people who falsely accused Sherrod of being a "black racist."

Well .... we certainly won't be turning to them (or you) for information any time soon, will we?

REMEMBER NOVEMBER| 7.24.10 @ 12:32AM

Sherrod is a racist, and her skin color is irrelevant and means nothing to me. Too bad you fixate on it. Bigot.

Van Jones admitted in a 2006 interview that, "His environmental activism was a means to fight for racial and class justice and that he was a 'rowdy black nationalist' and a communist."

I thought you were proud of your Marxist identity, troll--why try to deny Van Jones'?

Lis| 7.23.10 @ 6:45PM

I would like to add that if you are not being useful then you are just in the way.
Who wants to read someone who does not respect his or her own argument enough to do the research and develop a case for it? Integrity practiced is integrity earned.

Kangalanatolian| 7.23.10 @ 7:06PM

The truth is treason in the Empire of Lies.

Wally| 7.23.10 @ 11:41PM

In Obama's case it's the Regime of Lies. Democrats are pathological liars.

Nate| 7.24.10 @ 12:19AM

Prove it.

REMEMBER NOVEMBER| 7.24.10 @ 12:33AM

You do every damn day, troll. All you do is lie.

Nate| 7.24.10 @ 11:42AM

When have I lied? Give an example. Prove I'm a "pathological liar."

Missy| 7.24.10 @ 1:23PM

My 12:54 post proves you're a liar.

Kangalanatolian| 7.23.10 @ 6:58PM

You would like to OUT 911 truthers?
Here are some for you:
http://patriotsquestion911.com.....html#Knesl

To condemn without investigation is the height of ignorance. The investigation is here:
http://911review.com/

Communism and the 911 truth movement have absolutely NO overlapping talking points. You may just as well have said that he was also a vegetarian.

Wally| 7.23.10 @ 11:40PM

Communists and Truthers like Van Jones hate Capitalism. I'm not sure if the stupid clown's a vegetarian.

Nate| 7.23.10 @ 9:21PM

"Truthers," like their spiritual cousins, the "Birthers," are a particularly ridiculous and pathetic symptom of a larger and more widespread and potentially dangerous pathology: the fact-free public discourse that flows from talk radio and cable t.v. and overwhelms nearly all political debate in this country.

As far as I know, Van Jones has denied any sympathy with the "Truthers"; I've seen no evidence that connects him to the Truthers, and you'll forgive me if I don't take Glenn Beck's word for it. Beck is not a reporter and doesn't hold himself to any standards whatsoever; he's a self-admitted "rodeo-clown," not a journalist. He's also a louse and a racist.

At any rate, I would look at the Sherrod story this week as the final proof of deliberate manipulation of information by Fox News to race-bait and pit Americans against one another for political reasons. Beck, Palin, Bachmann, and the rest of them are complicit as well, and THIS I challenge any of you to refudiate!

Crooz8er| 7.23.10 @ 11:22PM

You're stupid. And gay.

Missy| 7.23.10 @ 11:34PM

Nice Shakespeare!!

Dumb troll. Fox had nothing to do with Sherrod's termination--Obama fired Sherrod's racist butt before Fox even aired the tape. Lazy effort even for a moron like you, libtard.

Democrats are the party of race baiters and race hustlers--it's the only way you losers can win elections. Your ideas stink so you have to pit Americans against one another to prevail. If that doesn't work you just steal elections a la ACORN.

Nate| 7.24.10 @ 12:16AM

This is an example of what psychoanalysts call "projection," a neurotic response to anxiety that attributes to others the faults one recognizes in oneself.

Now -- you say that Obama "fired Sherrod's racist butt."

You must think, then, that Obama did the right thing (firing a "racist").

Whatever activity is going on in your brain, it seems undaunted by and untouched by and not remotely concerned with the actual FACTS of Ms Sherrod's story, which have been broadcasted and printed in every legitimate news outlet in the country for three days. Apparently, you haven't gotten this information, so I take it you're a Fox viewer.

Missy| 7.24.10 @ 12:54AM

Since you claim to be so well acquainted with Ms. Sherrod's trials and tribulations at the hands of Obama and the NAACP--why don't YOU give me the time-line of her firing in relation to Fox's airing of the Drama Queen's little racial dust-up?

According to big-time Liberal, WaPo's Howard Kurtz, "But for all of the chatter-- some of it from Sherrod herself-- that she was done in by Fox News, the network didn't touch the story until her firing was made public on Monday evening with the exception of brief comments by O'Reilly." Fox VP Clemente cautioned news analysts in an e-mail, "Let's take our time and get the facts straight on this story. Can we get comments and confirmation from Sherrod before going on air? Let's make sure we do this right!"

"Apparently" you're a lying sack of crap, Nate--like all you garbage-monger Democrats seeking to divide our country.

Crawl back under your rock, creep.

Crooz8er| 7.24.10 @ 8:50AM

Na,

The stupid neurotic gay troll who calls others names DARES talk about "projection?" Hardee har har.

Na na, you made the claim that Beck is a racist. To borrow your line:

Prove it.

And while you're at it, you can prove you're not stupid. And gay. And a racist. And a truther. Until you prove all those things, you'll be them. And if/when you ever prove them not to be true, why, I'll just call you other stuff and then say "prove it."

Nate| 7.24.10 @ 11:40AM

Clearly you're an educated man, but you've forgotten that logic forbids requiring someone to prove a negative. The attempt is repugnant to reason. Work it out.

Ryan| 7.23.10 @ 9:46PM

You dont find calling white ppl "the other kind" isn't overtly racist? What if I called black folk "the blacks"?

Nate| 7.24.10 @ 12:16AM

You just DID you insufferable dipshit.

Crooz8er| 7.24.10 @ 8:44AM

You're stupid. And gay. Prove you're not.

Zombee| 7.23.10 @ 10:11PM

Van Jones is a filthy communist, racist bigot, pile of excrement. The State Run Media Journo-list scumbags completely ignored the pile of filth and never challenged Obama to answer for him .
This choice spoke volumes about the impostor that sits in the White House today.

Nate| 7.24.10 @ 12:17AM

Thanks Adolph.

Missy| 7.24.10 @ 12:56AM

You're welcome Joe (Goebbels).

Crooz8er| 7.24.10 @ 8:45AM

Na,

You're stupid. And gay. Prove you're not.

David| 7.24.10 @ 11:13AM

Wow...you are all pretty pathetic.

Missy| 7.24.10 @ 1:26PM

Pathetic? That would be nutroot Nate.

Nate| 7.24.10 @ 12:24PM

The latest meme in reactionary outlets will seem to have been presenting an excerpt of a speech in which the audience reaction "proves" some scandalous point about the left.

This is scurrilous hackery, debased and unworthy of the name "journalism," but then again, not much in "conservative" outlets could pass muster under even the most generous and flexible review.

Reactionary propaganda works very hard to disguise itself as journalism these days -- a tribute, to the beleaguered, of the power of journalism to afflict the comfortable, and comfort the afflicted -- but it is curiously, marvelously, bafflingly, obviously, transparently, incredibly unsuccessful, so much so that we have to wonder not about the motives for the distortions, deceptions, and treachery (those are plain enough) but at how gullible the so-called "liberal" media is to give it any traction, attention, or deference. The proper response to Fox News and right wing radio and to treat it the way the larger society treats white supremacist and fascist websites and magazines: some unfortunate committee of experts in such filth is assigned to monitor it, no action is taken to prevent it (since to do so would only aggrandize and enhance the fantasies of persecution it endlessly spins with itself as the heroically persecuted victim), and life goes on, sometimes tediously and plodding, sometimes exuberantly, our spirits high and proud, but always with the knowledge that those who seek to exploit us will pit us against one another with whatever means they are allowed -- by us.

Missy| 7.24.10 @ 1:21PM

Liar. My 12:54 post proves you're a liar.

You make your hero, Goebbels, proud.

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More Blog Posts by Philip Klein

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