Under the Bus

Another one bites the dust

Editor's Note: Thomas's commentary is in blue and Marcie's is in purple.

Yes, President Barack Obama has thrown another associate under his massive bus. It's been awhile since that happened, so some people may forget about the people he's tossed under it. His grandmother has been there and back (brought back in the waning days of the election towards the end of her life). Jeremiah Wright has been tossed under it. As has Tom Daschle and Governor Bill Richardson. With so many people under there one has to ask if there's any room left. Don't worry, folks. President Obama just put a brand new set of monster-truck tires on his bus, just in case. In case of what, you ask? The recent resignation of former Green Jobs Czar Van Jones has inspired the GOP in Congress to put a target on the President's numerous czars; czars that, as we observed last issue, we believe are unconstitutional unless they have been submitted to the Senate for confirmation. But Van Jones was an interesting target, and he might've slipped below our radar had he not decided to take on Glenn Beck.

Van Jones decided, foolishly, to target Fox News pundit Glenn Beck after Mr. Beck made some inflammatory remarks regarding the President. Mr. Jones began organizing a boycott of Mr. Beck's top-rated show. Let us debunk a few of the talking points running around out there about this boycott. Emails were circulated by Mr. Beck's supporters accusing some sponsors of withdrawing their ads from Mr. Beck's show. Companies like CVS Pharmacy and Geico Insurance were accused of yanking their ads from his show. This is untrue. Neither company ever ran ads on Mr. Beck's show because they do not run ads on shows that could be construed and viewed as controversial. Were there sponsors who pulled their ads? Yes. Was it due to the pressure applied by Mr. Jones. Undoubtedly he had a hand in it, but the majority of pressure likely came in the form of the astroturfing tactics being used by the Obama White House; organized outrage targeted against an opponent of the president. The mistake Mr. Jones made in his strategy is he failed to protect his own political skin.

When Mr. Jones launched his campaign against Glenn Beck, he failed to notice those of us that immediately drew a bead on him and started digging into his past. When he was first mentioned as a czar, during Valerie Jarrett's glowing remarks about how lucky the Administration was to have "recruited" him, many people -- ourselves included -- discovered that Mr. Jones was a self-admitted Communist. In October of 2005, he stated in an interview he was a Communist. (We have seen what high-level Communists are able to do if they have the ear of the President. For those unaware, we'd suggest reading up on Alger Hiss.) He has been a radical most of his life, whether it was through student organizations, or in the real world. This man is one of several supporters of the cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal, and was arrested during a protest of Mr. Abu-Jamal's incarceration and guilty verdict. That wasn't the first time he was arrested. In his own words he connected to the Marxist/Communist revolutionaries that regularly protest the government. But none of this mattered to most people, even the casual political observer. No, the ire of the people was loud and clear when it was revealed that Mr. Jones signed a petition calling for a full investigation of the US government regarding the events of 11 September 2001. In other words, people took notice of him when it was revealed he was a 9-11 Truther.

Most people that debate the Truthers usually give up after listening to five minutes of the nutty rants these people rely on. When Thomas and I run across these individuals, we usually just pat them on the head and send them on their merry way. You simply cannot talk sense to them at all. And while there is no evidence to show Mr. Jones was as rabid as most Truthers, the fact that his signature was on the petition was enough to warrant condemnation. A man with those beliefs has no business being that close to the Oval Office. This was the tipping point for him, and at the beginning of September when the news broke of his involvement the public was outraged. Gone was the feud between him and Mr. Beck. For the people -- the majority of which do not buy the crap the Truthers are shoveling -- this was the last straw. Van Jones had to go and they made their views known to the White House and to the Congress. As the controversy surrounding him started ramping up, several Republican lawmakers began taking up the issue of President Obama's czars. They sensed an opening, and they decided to run with it. No longer was Senator Robert Byrd the lone voice in the wilderness on the czars. The Republicans had joined the fray.

On 5 September Van Jones submitted his resignation to the president. While many MSM pundits claim he was forced out by a "racist minority," what was likely closer to the truth is that the president asked for the resignation. (No, we have no proof of that, but it makes more sense than Mr. Jones finally throwing in the towel. He had become a liability to the Administration.) The question that remains is who vetted this man, and allowed him a spot in the Administration? What has been discovered on that question is that it appears Mr. Jones was basically given a free pass. Just a couple short days after the election the incoming Administration stated that anyone wanting a job with them had to fill out a seven-page questionnaire. Mr. Jones wasn't ever asked to fill one out. The FBI did limited checking on him and gave him a pass; that despite his radical ties to more aggressive community organizing groups. A source close to the White House admitted that everyone in the administration knew who Van Jones was, and what his political ideas were all about, but they let him in the administration anyway. This doesn't show a lack of responsibility on the part of the Administration. It shows a complete disregard for what is appropriate when it comes to the president's key advisers. And no offense to some pundits out there, but Van Jones is another facet of the ideology the public elected back in November of 2008.

Regardless of the excuses, he should not have been in the White House. The Bush Administration made a fatal error in the nomination of Bernie Kerik to be the Department of Homeland Security Secretary. They did not vet him well enough either and his nomination blew up in their face. The same has happened to President Obama. But it was his hubris that caused this mess. He has not submitted approximately twenty-five of his czars to the Senate for proper vetting. Had he done so Mr. Jones likely would never have been accepted and installed in the White House. This is why we have that process enumerated in the Constitution to begin with. Presidents in the past have been bitten by the corrupt or questionable ties to advisers they consulted. (No one will forget the scandals that plagued the Grant Administration that stemmed from nepotism.) But the Senate stands as the guardian to make sure only the best, scandal-free advisers and Cabinet Secretaries are allowed to assist the President. The President did not give them their chance to investigate Mr. Jones which we believe is due mostly to the arrogance of the young President. His actions since his inauguration prove this fact. He believes he is more a king than a President, and his actions speak louder than his hollow words. Mr. Jones is the latest addition to the "Under-The-Bus" crowd, due in no small part to an ideologically partisan President who does not feel he needs to play by the rules. Let us hope that Mr. Jones will not be the last one under the bus.

He is a scholar of history, especially American history, and the United States Constitution. She has finished her undergrad studies, graduating with a BA in English and history and will move onto law school this fall where she will specialize in Constitutional Law. Together, Thomas and Marcie form the vanguard of conservative opinion at Hamilton, Madison, and Jay -- a blogging site devoted to advancing the conservative cause by challenging the liberal lies and deceit spread by the media, and espoused by the Left in general. Both are expert debaters, and have beaten many liberals into submission with their collective wit, and unmatched knowledge. The pair is married, and resides in Arizona

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