Angry White Man
To understand the shifting tectonics of American politics, look no further than cable's high priest of populism, Lou Dobbs.
He is, in short, his own man. And unlike Buchanan, Dobbs holds your attention on-screen and in person. Because despite the hammering rhetoric, Dobbs in person is amiable and funny, simply a decent sort of guy. The kind of man you'd like to meet up with for a drink, who seamlessly finds a way to open the door for you, and who'll tap you on the shoulder and call you "pard'ner." And unlike Buchanan, reared inside the Beltway, Dobbs, like you, actually came from somewhere real.
Born in 1945 in the Texas Panhandle town of Childress, Louis Earl Dobbs came of age in Rupert, Idaho, raised by a mother who kept the books for a furniture store and a father who worked in the propane business. In 1964 Dobbs left Idaho, where he'd spent most of his youth working the bean and potato fields with Mexican migrants in the summer and playing football in the fall — because that is what you did when you grew up in Idaho in the early '60s — and came east, to Cambridge and Harvard, to Quincy House and "Cliffies," never really to return. Dobbs had never heard of Harvard before his guidance counselor and English teacher had put his application together. He arrived on campus at a time when the great mischief consisted of Animal House-like panty raids and road trips. When he left four years later, the whole place was up for grabs — full of intellectual wrath and student demonstrations over a far-off but emotionally close war that almost everyone knew would never be won.
He could have stayed the course, could have held down the banking job in Los Angeles he went into straight after graduation, raised a family there, returning east only for "The Game," where he'd sip martinis with old friends outside the Yale Bowl, remembering the punks they all used to be. But instead he grew restless, not to mention jealous of his friend who'd gone to work at the Los Angeles Times, and called nearly every television and radio station in the country looking for work.
He found work, if not money, at a television-radio outfit in Yuma, Arizona, a border town with border problems. It was here Dobbs reported on César Chávez, as Chávez was working to build the United Farm Workers Union. "He was almost alone in his fight to win better wages and working conditions for farmworkers, and he was being fought by the growers associations, labor contractors who brought in 'green carders' from Mexico to undercut the UFW, and the Teamsters union who tried to create their own farmworkers union... and of course the farmers themselves, and the big agribusinesses," recalls Dobbs. "Nearly all the activists today forget that he was one of the most vocal opponents of illegal immigration because they were, in his eyes, working as scabs... setting up the so-called wet line"—UFW border militias —"to stop the entry of illegals."
In 1980, Dobbs, who by then was in a weekend anchor's slot in Seattle, returned east, to New York and the brand-new network launched by Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld that would report the news over cable wires. Dobbs, the two believed, had the charm and presence to anchor CNN's daily financial show, Moneyline.
And so he did. Every night, for almost two decades, the pudgy redhead addressed what he called the "political economy" just as workers were finding their pension plans and profit sharing replaced with 401(k)s, and people not named Rockefeller or even Boesky were beginning to transfer their savings into the stock market. He led the uninitiated through price-to-earnings ratios and hostile takeovers and pro forma accounting. He had the ability to take in the language of power and finance and shoot it straight back at us as something comprehensible.
By 1999, Dobbs had been charged with heading all financial news for CNN, including its international outposts and CNNfn, a financial news network designed to provide the same sort of minute-by-minute stock market pornography that General Electric had mastered with the never-ending ticker of CNBC.
But by then it was no longer a good time to be at CNN, which Ted Turner had (with fiery regret) turned into a subsidiary of Time Warner. Dobbs feuded privately, then very publicly, with then-CNN president Rick Kaplan. Retreating to his horse farm in New Jersey in 1999, Dobbs was widely ridiculed when he took the reins of Space.com, a website devoted to astronomy and space exploration, subjects that had interested him since boyhood. From a distance he watched the tumult of the 2000 presidential election and the tumble not only of Moneyline under his replacements (hip tag-team Willow Bay and Stuart Varney) but also of the NASDAQ and Dow themselves. CNN eventually showed Kaplan the door, which led, in April 2001, to the reentry of a new Lou Dobbs.
This Dobbs was harder, darker. The bubble had sickened the people who'd watched the CNBC crawl with the same frenzy as a football game. They no longer wanted to hear from Judy on the floor. And then came WorldCom, Enron, and other scandals that left Dobbs, as well as his audience, lost. The system he had trusted and promoted had betrayed him.
When your family first came to the United States they were probably poor. Did anybody deport them because they were a burden? So why should you complain now? Here I did some research on the internet for you. Yes, knowledge is key !
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/464357/benefits_of_illegal_immi...
You cannot be serious, right? You try to provide one link from a pro-Immigration site fueled by the hispanic community and big business. Understand why they are for it, I would be too.
You avoided the litany of unbiased sites from state, municipalities, Census, and Federal figures that just say the basic accounting numbers.
Such as 61 Billion dollar price tag to the american tax payer each year and rising. Add to that the estimated 140 billion, again with a B and rising, that we provide essentials to the world's POOR and we definitly do more than all else on this freak'n Planet!
And make no mistake about it_this is good but again no one ever mentions it including the recipients.
And at least make sure to provide a link that at least works. I can provide you with thousands that do work but I can see it's a waste of time.
Lets face it, all we need is a common sense approach to our immigration policy. We do not want them flogged, whipped, beaten, or whatever else the radical left can think of to call us heartless bigots. Simply put, a policy that secures our borders and sets a realistic common sense set of numbers and goals. Thats it, I for the life of me cannot figure out what we are all arguing about since we all what the same thing_that is a country of immigrants and humane policies.
It is obvious you are a right wing hate monger. You critize the source before reading the link. You can’t even get the link to work. Make sure you do not add a space between “c” and “om”. Don’t let the fact get in the way of your opinion!
^ Idiot alert!
You're IQ must be in the single digit range. The person said the link does not work you frick'n troll and it doesn't you KNOB. Learn to post in a message board you f'n tool.
BTW, Before you start shooting off your big mouth learn to spell, you moron. The word is critisize NOT critize you f*ck'n tool. ROFLMAO
Also, it "FACTS" not "FACT" to name a few. Your list of grammatical errors go on so long we can literally track you no matter what name you're using. Learn the language before you try writing it and particularly before you attempt put downs you f*ck'n retard.
You are just a right wing fear monger! Can’t even get a link to work. What a loser. Now I know why the USA is going down the drain! Even if you could get it to work, you probably couldn’t read it. You cannot handle the truth.
And now this left wing LOSER starts the trash talking from behind a keyboard to cover his/her own insecurities. I forgot more than you will ever know in computer/HTML/world. The hypertext link you gave is no good because the parent directory is no longer valid, but I realize a left wing butt sniffer like yourself will never understand. Now this LOSER wants to talk trash about the USA, wow, didn't take long for your true colors to come out. What a F*GGit you are!
^
Not the brightest bulb on the tree thats for sure.
Ignorance is the blanket that leftists wrap themselves in to avoid the bright light of truth. This continet had no (thats 0)human beings here until they found their way here. The idea that "indians" were the first is not backed up by science or fact. The "indian" was the third wave,at best, of humans to come over from somewhere else. The A.W M. is the reason we have the freedom to lead the world away from darkness by example. A country without borders is not a country.Mexicans have no superior right to be here as they are Mexicans-NOT Americans. If we are a nation of laws then we should enforce our laws to the letter. No catch and release, no open borders. To do less is anarchy. If you don't understand what America is about read the Federalist Papers, the owners manual of a free country.
Lou Dobbs epitomizes xenophobism and racism, its only a matter of time when viewers will finally figure his dubious one way show out
"Boorah" for Lou! The independent spirit that brings light to the greedy stain of incompetent global relativism. Those that break OUR laws would mandate that no institution, UNLESS in their favor, has right to install law or proprietorship. In truth, the sycophants would turn proprietor given half a chance, and it would become their law. They will tangle, turn, and twist fact to fiction, anything to achieve their purpose. Thankfully, there is a Lou Dobbs to speak for an ever dwindling targeted working class. "GO LOU!"
All these right wingers peddle fear. They talk about anarchy and Mexicans. These are words that they are hoping will get a strong reaction to scare people. Immigrants legal or illegal are coming here to work hard and become Americans. Once people are scared, they try controlling people with their own agenda.
Justice's IQ is so low he's not only reached bottom, he's started digging.
I'm a democrat and liberal which is why I want immigration reform. Only a retard thinks that the "right wing", wants border security. hahahahaha
Man, you are not the sharpest knife in the drawer, are you? The "right wing" as you call it WANTS OPEN BORDERS LIKE YOU MORON! Yea, that's right, you're the ONLY ONE on the board that isn't even smart enough to figure that out. They agree with you, you PUTZ. Read a little, and watch them on fox news. The ultra conservatives, I know that's a big word for you, they're the "right wing" you keep calling everyone, you and them both think alike.
I know that's a shocker for you and you'll feel so dumb that you will have to carry on your little masquerade to the end. Look it up, you're making yourself look silly.
Liberal Democrats do not watch FOX news. It is not a real news organization. Since you do, I can see why you are confused.
Man, you're thick. You again missed the entire point. I am not telling you to watch FOX news, rather the point was all the neo-conservatives on there WANT OPEN BORBERS. JUST LIKE YOU< GET IT?!?!?
You really don’t get do you. Why would the neo-conservatives want OPEN BORDERS? What is in it for them? Get real, use some of your grey matter. If you have any left. Stop with your propaganda. What neo-cons are afraid of is immigrants becoming citizens and voting against them.
No, you're the one that doesn't get it!
Your comprehension skills are matched by your equally bad spelling and grammar. Here is how you responded:
Why would the neo-conservatives want OPEN BORDERS?
Duh, maybe because they are part of big business and want access to all the cheap labor forcing wages even further down. Get it? I know, you can't.
And the Libertarians, you ever hear of them? I know, to big a word for you. They also want Open borders dummy because that is a part of their creed and they are on the RIGHT!
Ron Paul ring a bell?
In extremely limited knowledge you can only think of one part of the Republican right but you are unaware of a major part that has open borders as part of policy. Ever hear of our president GW Bush? He has advocated open borders and what party does he belong to? WOuld you say he is part of the right? ROFLMAO
Open a book or two and learn you're embarrassing yourself.
It looks like you have lost your brain cells long ago. You sound like a brain stem. If big business needs cheap labor all they need to do is move to a lower wage country. GW Bush has Mexicans in his family. He does not want to separate Mexican families that live on both side of the border. He understands that people like you and “Lou Dobbs” are using Mexicans as scapegoats for all your problems.
You continue to "hack" the english language you. What does a brain stem sound like(LOL)? Your agenda speaks loud and clear. Unable to understand even basic economics, very telling.
You need to be fair to Barack.You come across as a Racist but I really think you are smart enough to know that Obama really should be the next COMMANDER IN CHIEF.There was a time when I truly respected you.Cool it. There is life after the election.Don't alighn yourself with the established bigots.
We uncouth populists in the USA don't blow up loaded trains a la India when we are chapped. AND how DARE Lou Dobbs discuss issues we care about? I mean the CAste...urrr..ruling class does not like that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just wish Mexico would address the massive human rights violation that is their country before preaching to us.
It is a shameful sham that Mexico's one and only successful program for their citizenry is the edict of how much you can get from the country just north of you.
Give it up Dobbs u might win a battle or 2 but we have already lost the war. These F'ers take everything from our system with no alliance to us.
I say give them everything! The entire system and when they F*k it up like every thing they got their hands on then everyone will see.
Good man LD, accept the awful truth and come over to the dark side. Liberal left radical policy has pre-determined our fate. We have already lost cuz much of their base is exactly who we need to fight.
80% of us agree with you Lou. Kepp up the good fight!
Why are there so d*m many mexicans? I mean they're FN everywhere.
Written by Sridhar Pappu?!?!
And he's editorializing on Dobb's stand on illegal immigration!
Only in America!
Anyone who listens to Lou Dobbs should reconsider how they're spending their precious time. At one time he did well, now he's just what his name implies, he's full of Dobbs; I just can't bring myself to say what kind of Dobbs; for some reason, a mud dobber comes to mind.
Secure our borders, just like the countries millions come here from do. Hypocrisy in its most blatant form! They will use slang terms from their native tongue to describe Dobbs but avoid the message. Simply, he is right.
I agree with Dobbs on the ever growing attack on the middle class in this country, what little there is left.
We have the right, but moreover, an obligation to protect our sovereignty.
You are not alone. He is so self-righteous. I really wish he would run for president, then maybe the pundits would come after him.
Mr. Dobbs upsets me, and I am an independent-minded 50 something female. He reminds me of a blowfish. All he does is harp on things, he's totally negative, and offers no real solutions. I view him as simple-minded. Issues like illegal immigration just aren't that simple. Fixing one problem in this complex world(and he apparently wants to fix this one with a fence and guns, come on), begets other problems that we can only imagine. He is such a turn off. I would like to know who his followers are.
Lou is a very intelligent, highly educated American, practicing the right to speak about the hypocrisy of it all. An overwhelming majority agree, in essence, with what he is expounding. When you consider the diversity of the republic it is an astounding reality that so many understand exactly what he is talking about.
In truth, we need a compassionate and protective change to immigration. This is the land of the free and of the immigrant but that doesn't mean open borders. It NEVER has meant that. That is, essentially, what Dobbs is saying.
Lou Dobbs is so sickeningly xenophobic.
He recently called the Pope's visit to America "repugnant."
The Pope has way more moral authority than constipated Lou Dobbs will ever have, and if he wants to critize America, he can and will.
Americans are so sick of this fat pig trashing immigrants all the time.
Get over yourself,Lou Dobbs.
Lou Dobbs represents everything truly repugnant about America. His xenophobic, holier than thou pontificating is sickening. He is an angry fat white man who loathes anyone with brown or black skin. CNN needs to get rid of this insufferable douche.
Lou is angry, but hey there is a much to be angry about in this country.
I love when they march_go back to Mexico and march for more rights there.
Good luck!
America is a great country. We have done more than our share. Enough is enough, time to limit the amount of people that come through the door. Our dinner table is full and our rooms are filled.
