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Lou Dobbs leaving CNN for Mt. Olympus?
Is it just me, or did Lou Dobbs signoff statement for his last CNN show sound a bit megalomaniacal?
Over the past six months it’s become increasingly clear that strong winds of change have begun buffeting this country and affecting all of us, and some leaders in media, politics and business have been urging me to go beyond the role here at CNN and to engage in constructive problem solving as well as to contribute positively to the great understanding of the issues of our day. And to continue to do so in the most honest and direct language possible.
…I truly believe that the major issues of our time include the growth of our middle class, the creation of more jobs, health care, immigration policy, the environment, climate change, and our military involvement, of course, in Afghanistan and Iraq.But each of those issues is, in my opinion, informed by our capacity to demonstrate strong resilience of our now weakened capitalist economy and demonstrate the political will to overcome the lack of true representation in Washington, D.C.
I believe these to be profoundly, critically important issues, and I will continue to strive to deal honestly and straightforwardly with those issues in the future.
Unfortunately, these issues are now defined in the public arena by partisanship and ideology rather than by rigorous, empirical thought and forthright analysis and discussion. I’ll be working diligently to change that as best i can. And as for the important work of restoring inspiration to our great free society and our market economy, I will strive as well to be a leader in that national conversation.
Latino advocacy, and immigration rights groups are celebrating Dobbs’ departure from CNN. But their joy may be premature. I think Dobbs has some truly gigantic aspirations given the hyperrhetoric of this statement. This is the type of language offered by a political candidate. But I think a Senate seat may be too small a stage for our Lou. And a seat at a FoxNews desk is clearly too small an assignment. I jokingly wrote he is angling to become emperor. Andy Borowitz wrote a witty column a few weeks ago revealing Dobbs was headed for the Comedy Network. But maybe president will do in the meantime. I think we’ve just seen the beginning of a new Republican presidential campaign. God help us.
There is unfortunately in this country a long tradition of media celebrities turning right-wing and dabbling in politics. Ronald Reagan is of course a perfect example. California also had Sen. George Murphy, a former Hollywood star. More recently Law and Order D.A. Fred Thompson graced the U.S. Senate chambers (though thankfully his presidential campaign imploded). And if Mike Huckabee has any success, we could have Chuck Norris as federal sheriff or secretary of street-fighting.
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“I think we’ve just seen the beginning of a new Republican presidential campaign.”
The idea makes me shudder but I agree.
I think the Repubs decided that Sarah Palin and her ilk were a little too stridently ignorant to be elected.
Lou Dobbs puts a ‘moderate’ ‘reasonable’ veneer on his racism. He sucked my Dad in. My Dad is a very smart, progressive guy. But he got sucked in by the early incarnation of Lou Dobbs, with his ‘concern’ for the middle class, jobs going overseas, etc.
At that time, Lou’s face was supposedly one of populism. When Lou turned up the volume of his racism, my father stopped watching him. But he influenced my father who now expresses some anti-immigrant sentiment.
Dobb’s danger is that he is so “reasonable” . I guess so if you compare him to Palin and Glenn Beck. I think Dobbs would win if he runs, a lot of people don’t know that he is in the same barrel as Glenn Beck and O’Reilly.