Van Jones is, himself, one of the smartest people you’ll ever talk to or listen to, in addition to being Rolling Stone’s 2012 “12 Leaders Who Get Things Done” and TIME’s 2009 “100 Most Influential People in The World”.
Why is Trump succeeding? Van Jones said, “Can we cut it out? … Donald Trump is smarter than me, you, and all critics. You know how we know?
Because he has the White House, the Senate, the House, the Supreme Court, the popular vote, he has a massive media ecosystem bigger than the mainstream built around him and for him, and a religious fervor in a political movement around him, and his best buddy is the richest person in the history of the world, and the most relevant Kennedy is with him. This dude is a phenomenon. He is the most powerful human on Earth in our lifetime. And we’re still saying, ‘How is this guy doing it?’ We look like idiots.”
Jones graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (“Go Vols”) in 1990 with a B.S. in communication and political science. He then went on to earn his law degree from Yale Law School in 1993. After completing his education, Jones moved to California and began his work with CNN, and as an activist, focusing on economic justice and environmental issues.
Jones has founded and led several social enterprises:
• REFORM Alliance
• Color of Change
• Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
• Dream Corps
These organizations focus on various issues, including criminal justice reform, racial equality, and environmental justice.
In 2009, Jones served as the Green Jobs Advisor to the Obama White House, overseeing an $80 billion investment in clean energy jobs. He was also the main advocate for the Green Jobs Act, signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2007.
Van Jones has received numerous accolades for his work:
• World Economic Forum’s “Young Global Leader” designation
• Rolling Stone’s 2012 “12 Leaders Who Get Things Done”
• TIME’s 2009 “100 Most Influential People in The World”
• 2010 NAACP Image Award
• 2017 WEBBY Special Achievement Award
• 2020 Primetime Emmy Award for “Outstanding Original Interactive Program”
Let’s see how it goes. Character matters, also, but people can change. Patience and respect and humility aren’t always the outcome of stress and tragedy, but perhaps this time. The election results say, “We’re betting on you to change your character, even if you can’t (and don’t need to) change your unorthodox style.”
