With the star-studded accompaniment of Shepard Fairey and The Roots, activist Van Jones kicked off the “American Dream Movement” campaign with an event that was one part TED Talk and one part concert. Presented with help from MoveOn.org and other organizations, the event was billed as an attempt to bring together the progressive movement under a united front. Jones’s message centered on the economy and the dangerous rhetoric coming from the American right.
“We are being lied to” Jones said. “We know that we cannot solve the problems our country is facing while continually and continuously being lied.” Jones, the former Special Advisor for Green Jobs to the Obama White House, drove home the message that misinformation is preventing America from rebuilding the economy, and that confronting these lies is paramount to moving forward. Jones focused on what he called the four big lies. Lie number one: America is broke.
“We are not broke and we are not alone,” Jones said. “If we’re still the richest country in the world, why are so many American suffering right now?” Jones, backed by a large-screen presentation, took the audience through America’s economy, the financial collapse, and the aftermath.
He likened telling America that it is broke to telling people in a burning building that all the exits are locked when they’re not. Jones pulled no punches in addressing the need to hold Wall Street and America’s richest citizens accountable for their share of taxes, but stressed the need to make sure that any plans encourage job growth. “Nothing stops a bullet like a job,” Jones said. Jones moved on to lie number two: Asking the super rich to pay taxes hurts the economy. “You do well in America, you should do well by America,
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