Van Jones; AFL-CIO

[Stephen Colbert]

Any opinions on these?

Seem to be controversial within the American public...

[The Douche]

I wouldn't really call the AFL-CIO "controversial within the American public". Somewhere around 11 million Americans are members... Its just an association of trade unions.

Its not even "controversial" with the tea party crowd, they just oppose all unions, nothing special about those affiliated with the AFL-CIO.


As for Van Jones, he is an ex-communist who was in the Obama administration.

[RadioRaheem84]

AFL-CIA was it was dubbed during the Cold War. A very center right trade union that would purge leftist members.

[KurtFF8]

Although the anti-Communism of the AFL-CIO has largely ceased to be a factor in the orgnaization over the past decade or so.

[RadioRaheem84]

Although the anti-Communism of the AFL-CIO has largely ceased to be a factor in the orgnaization over the past decade or so.

But its not like they need to be be these days either.

[Red Commissar]

These two are "controversial" only insofar as the narrow-mindedness of certain segments of the American public are.

Van Jones, as was pointed out, was in his younger days affiliated to a Communist group. He shifted out of this to become a bonafide capitalist entrepreneur. He found his way into Obama's cabinet in some "green" council as a special advisor, resulting in Glenn Beck and the rest of the peanut gallery to cite this as evidence of Obama being a "communist" and the islamofascistcommunazimarxisteurosocialist cabal that is destroying the Real America™

As for the AFL-CIO, it is a collection of various trade unions with bureaucrats who are often more aligned to the government and business interests. It is only "controversial" among segments of the American populace who hold an antipathy to unions and their activity and deride them as being bad workers (i.e. They just want more money, lazy, etc). But this is more tied to the fact that rank-and-file union leadership is usually aligned with the Democratic Party and subsequently Republican Party's ardent supporters hold negative impressions on unions in general, hence the "controversy".

[KurtFF8]

But its not like they need to be be these days either.


Well they never "needed to be," and anyone who does the history of the labor movement can point out that the expulsion of the Communist elements of the union movement (at various times) had a negative impact on worker gains via the unions.

I think right now the union movement is beginning to realize that the Democrats aren't doing much for them and they are thus looking for alternatives, which of course include many Communist (and to a lesser extent in the US, Anarchist) organizations who are more than willing to help out.

[RadioRaheem84]

I am always cautious of "former" communists turned reformers or liberals. I mean it makes me question just how strongly socialist they were in the first place? Thomas Sowell, the greatly praised right libertarian, thought of himself as a hardcore Marxist but he admitted to being dissuaded after working a stint at the postal office. :rolleyes:

Marxism and other leftist variants offer a scathing critique of the status quo that makes one either repulsed of the system or never look at the system the same way again. I don't know how Van Jones would even think that joining an American administration would have even been a "reformist" position.