Van Jones is one of a multitude of Americans who have declared on Twitter that they “Stand With Rand,” although as a former Obama adviser, he is an unlikely supporter. According to a March 7 article in the Washington Times, Van Jones has called Rand Paul a hero for his defense of civil liberties in the filibuster Wednesday. He has even gone as far as to express that his liberal friends are ashamed that it was not them doing it.
Van Jones referred to this filibuster as “a watershed moment,” which it certainly is when you consider Van Jones and his political past. According to the Washington Post, Jones resigned his position as Environmental Adviser in the Obama Administration under controversy in September 2009 because of his radical affiliations and statements in recent years. One group he was involved with had Marxist ties, and another group he supported accused George Bush of causing the 9/11 attacks to start a war. So, his endorsement of Senator Rand Paul was quite a surprise.
Rand Paul has struck a chord with many people across the political spectrum. He brought the issue of the constitutional use of drones to the country’s attention by refusing to have a vote on President Obama’s nominee for CIA Director until his questions were answered.
The Obama Administration was very slow in giving a concrete answer to Senator Paul’s concerns of whether drones would be used to kill Americans on American soil without a trial. Finally, Attorney General Eric Holder sent a letter to Senator Paul on Thursday that did confirm that it would not be legal, and Rand Paul was satisfied with the answer. CIA nominee John Brennan was then confirmed.
The Washington Times quotes Van Jones:
“What Rand Paul did yesterday was he used the filibuster the way it’s supposed to be used,” he continued. “… I think it’s wrong to call it a stunt … This was not a stunt, this was democracy.”
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