Lou Dobbs "Seriously Contemplating" Presidential Bid

Lou Dobbs for President? Don't laugh. After months of telling reporters that he "absolutely" would not consider leaving his highly-rated CNN show in which he crusades against free trade and illegal immigration, Mr. Dobbs posted a commentary on his Web site last week predicting a surprise new presidential candidate in 2008. The mystery candidate is an "independent populist . . . who understands the genius of this country lies in the hearts and minds of its people and not in the prerogatives and power of its elites."

Friends of Mr. Dobbs say he is seriously contemplating a race for the first time, although it's still unlikely. They spin a scenario under which the acerbic commentator would parachute into the race if Michael Bloomberg, the New York billionaire and favorite of East Coast elites, enters the field as an independent. With Hillary Clinton continuing to score badly in polls in the categories of honesty and integrity, and with the public's many doubts about Rudy Giuliani and other GOP contenders, Mr. Bloomberg may well see an opportunity to roil the political waters by entering the race late. If so, Mr. Dobbs then sees a niche for a "fourth-party" candidate who could paint the three other contenders as completely out of touch.

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Comments

[speakingtruth2power]

Populism is the cure for the cancer of corporatism but Lou is too out there on immigration and far too dogmatic with his opinions.

John Edwards is a better politician and Barack Obama has the potential to be great. The current GOP attack machine would have a field day with Obama but will find little to chew on with Edwards. That is why I promote Edwards/Obama 08!

Once Barack finds his true self within the populist movement and America gets to know him, his Presidency following John's, will be referred to the time when America found her stride and the age of people powered politics replaces the dark days of fascism.

[Nezua]

PLEASE Lou, run!!!! Man, this nation needs some laughter. Some good old fashioned belly laughter. I say do it, Lou. Take us There.

[susiesorority]

Don't bother.

[DuckofDeath]

"who understands the genius of this country lies in the hearts and minds of its people and not in the prerogatives and power of its elites."

Even a cursory look a the heartland would disabuse anyone of this notion. Genius...gimme a break, we're the Beverly Hillbillies of the Western world. At least Dobbs would put a halt to the runaway leprosy epidemic.

[Newspaperbrat]

Lou Dobbs is a national embarrassment, along with his fellow CNN bigot Glen Beck, the Fox team and Ann Coulter, etc. et al. Simple as that.

[irishamerican]

Rethugs are shitting their pants at this prospect. Dobbs cuts right into their base of xenophobic low information old timers. He is the new millenium's Buchanon. I would laugh my ass off to see this happen. Him and Ron Paul would make a great team. It would be the death of the Republican Party. Obama would cruise to a 70% Mandate.
Bring it on Lou!

[amanda85]

Riiiiiiiiiiiiight, America's "saviour" is someone who's even more openly racist than Bush...

[Maxbyte]

Bloomberg yes, Dobbs no.

I don't know why CNN thought it would be a good idea to put Dobbs on the air during prime time. The man's a complete loon.

[jinjinpinti]

To all those who so love to throw out the racist card to anyone who opposes illegal immigration: This is comparable to the tripe that neoCONS use tho label as traitors anyone opposing the illegal invasion of Iraq. You are of the same ilk who insist on dropping the "ILLEGAL" and condemning those "against immigration." Actually racism IS rampant in this issue, particularly in that group who insists on special dispensation of our laws in FAVOR of one particular, so-called (Latino?) race, to the disadvantage of multiple other actual races who were either born here or brought here as slaves, or immigrated here LEGALly. You must be closet Republicans as you use their smarmy verbal tactics soooo well.

[bagelmaven]

Man oh man, the field of candidates gets curiouser and curiouser. First Rudy who could not even make sure his advocacy of a candidate for homeland security was without taint or put the World Trade Center security in a place other than the Trade Center which was hit before, then Romney who flip flops more than a fish and does so brazenly; he's for gay rights and abortion rights in Mass and against them in Iowa oh brother, then Huckabee who would like to return to Medieval science eschewing evolution the one thing science can actually prove and the very reason antibiotics do not work anymore, Ron Paul who doesn't want to do anything for anybody. Now Lou Dobbs. Lou Dobbs is a ONE or maybe TWO issue candidate. His harangue against undocumented workers or illegal aliens as he likes to refer to people as if they were from another planet is now a ho hum what else is new.

Immigration is an easy answer issue: SECURE THE BORDERS AND CREATE A PATH FOR THOSE ALREADY HERE MOWING LAWNS, REPAIRING ROOFS, CLEANING HOUSES AT A REASONABLE COST. THERE IS NO WAY -- I WILL REPEAT -- NO WAY THE GOVERNMENT IS GOING TO ROUND UP TEN MILLION PEOPLE AND "ENFORCE THE LAW." IT'S TOO LATE FOR THAT. IF we did NOT spend all our GD money on insane TOTAL waste wars which eat up our treasury with our know how we could easily secure both borders and at the same time preserve the reasonable labor of those who want to work and do so without hurting anyone. Lou Dobbs is pandering to the worst in people. I too want to preserve this country's heritage and it's Anglo culture and English language but I don't want to do that by rounding people up who simply want to work. Do you REALLY think 10 million people would go back willingly with no one getting upset? Let's be smart and do what REALLY could work. Get real Lou, and get a new issue. This one is very very tired!!
Natalie Rosen, Framingham, MA

[boitexas]

Oh great, another narrow minded candidate, who happens to have a great paying job with benefits.
Mr. anti-free trade - when he starts to order, I mean ask his fanatical followers to STOP shopping at WalMart and actually have an impact on free trade, then he might have a smidgen of credibility, but barely.
His smug holier-than-thou - oh pity the middle class talk is just that - talk.

[desitter]

Someone said "Lou Dobbs is a Republican" - so what? He's a good person and knows the villains - a do-nothing, sell-the-farm and mortgage-the-future government in cahoots with a heartless and amoral corporate universe. The Democrats and Republicans have combined to make this mess over the space of the the 60 years since the War ended. It's time for a new political party and Godspeed Lou Dobbs if he wants to have at it.

-drl

[seamunky]

I like Lou!

[hoagiej]

Lou Dobbs is pathetic, and he will do anything for attention. This is evident by his transition from a low-rated financial analyst to a fear-mongering racist who covers it all up with a hatred of the Bush administration. He knows one issue and hardly has any of the qualifications for the office of the president. Can somebody say publicity stunt?? I guess I will. Publicity Stunt. And why would we want another racist in the oval office?? Too bad nobody listens to the resident of New Orleans.

[themodernleader]

Only propaganda prone citizens and the predatory benefactors of "free trade" of this bankrupt economy still believe in modern mercantellism with our Country being the host economy.
Lou Dobbs was the first independent news purveyor to show the disaster of free trade and the dissolution of the American economy.
Only lone Congressional voices in the Democratic Party warn of the coming destruction of our currency and economy.
Now there are Congressional hearings to voice misgivings of foreign government owned and controlled Sovereign Purchasing Organizations that are buying up what is left of our technology, land, factories and secrets of national security. And there is no public outcry of the foreign ownership and dictation of our once constitutionally bound organization known as as the United States of America. Mr Dobbs at least is prescient enough to articulate publicly the problem. That is more than the poll driven banality of the Democratic candidates and the poll driven sycophancy and demigoguery of the leading Republican candidates. Refusing to face our problems is the fault of all of us. The higher the leadership the greater fault resides. Where are our courageous, honest leaders?