Green-jobs evangelist sells Obama's ambitious plans
Oakland activist envisions jobs in clean technology
WASHINGTON
— When Van Jones — Oakland activist, best-selling author and "green
jobs" proselytizer — spoke to online political organizers this past
fall, he couldn't resist kidding them: "You've really messed up. You're
about to win this election." Their favorite candidate, Barack
Obama, was going to inherit a mess, Jones predicted: "It will be like
cleaning out the barn with a straw. I don't know why he even wants the
job." Now Jones has signed on to help clean out the barn. Obama
has lured the 40-year-old Jones into his administration to work on
clean-energy issues and become a major spokesman for the president's
energy policies. Jones was given the unwieldy title "special adviser
for green jobs, enterprise and innovation." In the Bay Area,
Jones gained a reputation as a fierce advocate for racial and economic
justice. He shed a spotlight on police abuse in Oakland and San
Francisco, successfully fought a "super-jail" for juveniles and became
adept at mixing cajolery with confrontation.
