Lou Dobbs Crumbles When Pressed On His 'NAFTA Super Highway' Myth

Think Progress:

Last Wednesday, Media Matters Action Network issued a report, which found that cable news commentators Lou Dobbs, Bill O'Reilly, and Glenn Beck regularly "serve up a steady diet of fear, anger, and resentment on the topic of illegal immigration."

Last night on his CNN show, an edgy Lou Dobbs hosted Media Matters fellow Paul Waldman to discuss the report's finding. Waldman asked Dobbs to provide evidence of the "myth" he often promotes -- that there is a "secret plan" to build a "NAFTA Superhighway" from Mexico to Canada. Having trouble providing evidence, an exasperated Dobbs said finally, "You're charging nonsense." "I reject it, I reject you, and I reject your position," he angrily added. From the exchange:

Read the whole story: Think Progress

Comments

[IncredulousGeezer]

I would say, after 10,000 responses to this inflammatory post, most of which I have not read, is that we will reap what we have sown. The hatred expressed for Hillary exceeds what Bill experienced and I don't detect anyone being accused of a B/J.

If the supposition exists that Hillary was channeling an assassination of Barack, I guess no one would be able at this point to satisfy those imagining (maybe wishing) that was her meaning. Sober analysts of all persuasions seem to think otherwise, but, hell, what do they know?

All this leads to the strengthening of the otherwise impossible candidacy of John McCain. What will you sad souls think on the first Wednesday after the first Monday in November when you contemplate another term for George W. Bush?

[IncredulousGeezer]

Sorry.... this post was meant for another place where the bile was even more copious!

[DesertLight]

Let's just assume for the sake of the argument this so called highway is in the mix to be built. What the hell is the big crime. I don't get it. We have roads right now that connect Mexico to Canada. Why all the outcry?

[eugenegerard]

Lou has a lot of problems in his thought process. NAFTA and the Super Highway and the Amero aren't one of them. Everyone is feeling the effects of NAFTA as we write. It has drained the resources of both the US and Mexico. The Super Highway is a vehicle to break the Port unions on the East and west coasts.
Just wait until the dollar has no value, then try and tell me that the North American Union wasn't an engineered reality.

[rcampbell]

You haven't provided any proof either.

[eugenegerard]

The highway is just a vehicle to augment the moving of merchandise into North America without using the coasts. It is just part of the problem. The problem is the disabling of the US Constitution and hegemony so that a NEW economic system can be forced on the people of the US,Canada and Mexico.
Me proving this to you is a red herring. Don't believe any of it. People have made all this stuff up out of whole cloth. No such plans. There are no plans for a world government either. It's all make believe. Just a bad dream. Pay no attention. You will be much happier.
By the way you can get your Ameros from the Denver Mint.

[Joshper85]

Lou Dobbs is right
google the Amero
and watch Zietgiest

[rcampbell]

You haven't provided any proof either.

[eugenegerard]

Repetitively stupid and lazy.

[CLEDUC]

As Lou has gone on over the years, I think he's shifted. He used to be better. I get the sense that informing the viewers of what Lou thinks is more important to Lou than informing the viewers of all the facts. It isn't real journalism though I think Lou tries to masquerade it as ‘his brand of journalism’.

It's turned into a soapbox for Lou to market himself, his ideas and his books. He has these little round tables where they spend a tiny amount of time on an issue. The visitors throw out a sentence of two attempting to grab attention for their position. Lou gets the final word and too often his word tends to rule regardless of what anyone else has to say ... or they won’t be asked back.

Although significantly better informed, in some respects, he reminds me a little of a 2008 version of Archie Bunker, clinging to his values and pre-conclusions while unable to be more receptive to another’s point of view.

The show is appropriately named “Lou Dobbs Tonight”.

[Puller58]

You can trash Dobbs with good reason, but I detect a sly intent of trying to bundle the immigration issue with him. In essense, Dobbs is wrong, so there is no immigration problem. Well that is bunk. The problem exists and the forces that support "amnesty" have agendas that do not serve the best interests of this country. Democrats want to grow an artificial constituency to bolster their chances of staying in the majority, and Republicans want to curry favor with Corporate America by making sure there's plenty of people who will work for the "wages" no one wants. In ain't the jobs folks. It's the wages. As far as the highway goes, why in the world can't someone in government just hold public hearings and settle the mess?

[rcampbell]

Perhaps YOU have the proof of the NAFTA highway that Dobbs was unable to provide. Otherwise, you have no proof either.

[ProfessorDuh]

Who needs a highway? Reagan promised to end illegal immigration in 1986 if only we granted amnesty to 4 million or so, providing his corporate masters with cheap labor. We did, and now we have 12 million illegal immigrants and counting. What we have proof of is that this is a disastrous situation built on years of government lies.

[therealredstateblues]

Ever heard of Interstate 69?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-69

[guajiro]

Puller58, I would tend to agree with you except for the fact that you're mixing illegal aliens with legal immigrants. Dems court legal immigrants for their tendency to vote for Democratic ideals and of course illegal aliens don't vote at all. For all the hullabaloo about illegals voting, there is yet to be any proof offered of systematic voter fraud from illegal alien voting. Please someone post a link if you know of any. Corporate courting of illegal aliens is well documented, you're spot on there. But more to the point, illegal aliens and Americans in general aren't competing for the same jobs. if any American is competing for jobs that illegal aliens take then that American hasn't taken advantage of the superior education system this country has over third world countries.

[ProfessorDuh]

I agree. I'm a liberal, but I have to think that a republic that allows unrestricted illegal immigration isn't a republic at all. I don't know what it is -- some kind of a cheap-labor brothel, maybe? I also know that unrestricted illegal immigration will finally finish off the middle class in this country, not to mention the concept of citizenship.
Yes, when the Bush economic policies achieve their ultimate goal of a few hundred mega-billionaires who own the lives of the rest of the population, paying them subsistence illegal-immigrant wages, then the ultimate capitalist dream will be fulfilled. We won't need that rotten old Constitution any more either, because no one will dare talk out of turn to their masters for fear of being starved to death.
What a shining city in a sewer we'll have then, eh?

[Debmood]

Lou Dobbs is a hardcore racist. It's all he knows. You will not get him to change his twisted thought process of fear and hate mongering. He must own a lot of stock in CNN. They have become pure Tabloid garbage.
Rush has an excuse. He's a drug addict. The drugs have killed all of the few brain cells he had left.
I bet Lou and Rush are close relatives.

[Joshper85]

Your a little high your self Lou Dobbs is brings light to issues that are truthful.

[GoodbyeKitty]

Yeah.. When I think of truth, I think first of Lou Dobbs. Yeah...right... If he had any claim to credibility whatsoever, he lost it when he was interviewed by Amy Goodman on DemocracyNow. He came across as a petulant child.

[sarasotajeff]

well, we think someone could probably do that without the racism and hate mongering... Dobbs cannot

[firewmn]

I had to stop watching Lou.. He was pissin me off....

Now my 78 year old dad who is a staunch republican gets up from his afternoon nap to watch Lou..

"Ironic"... I never thought I live to see that day.. but here it is.....
I now watch Keith on msnbc.... hmmm??

[vegasobserver]

This has been out there for a long time. Regardless of what you think about Dobbs, the plan is real:

http://www.nascocorridor.com/

It's been in the works for 13 years. Real people are involved:

http://www.nascocorridor.com/boardlist.asp

It is principally a coalition of local officials in the USA, Mexico, and Canada, whose jurisdictions stand to profit if the "corridor" (i.e., superhighway) is built. But the group also contains some national and multinational corporate executives, including an executive from Lockheed Martin.

This group may not have the official endorsement of the NAFTA powers-that-be, but it has a lobbying presence in DC, and plans to use federal funds to build this superhighway, which would cut a path straight north, from a port on Mexico's southern Pacific coast, and pass through Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas, and into Canada. It's planned as a huge, multi-lane superhighway with an associated rail line. It would also serve as a major conduit for Mexican trucks to enter the US and Canada, now legal under NAFTA.

This group, which acts as a sort of quasi-official, transnational lobbying alliance, has explicitly indicated that they plan to stay "downlow" for the time being, and keep out of the spotlight, because they anticipate lots of opposition.

They apparently removed that map because it was being used by US "xenophobic groups" to publicize the NASCO supercorridor and generate hysteria about a "United States of North America".

[rpence]

Finally, people are standing up to this goddamn histrionic lying bully. And just like all bullies, yep, Lou crumbles when someone calls him on his BS.

Either he should clean up his act or he should be off CNN.

[jgalvan]

His the biggest Coc$s^&k^R of all time. Lou Dobbs peddles fear to his small audience of xenophobes. Heard that he is going to co-anchor with Sean Hannity next season.

[Oldbuck]

Until CNN gets rid of blow hards like Dobbs and Beck I will never know what they say because I want watch then the only News man they has is old Jack Cafferty. I use to watch CNN just to hear what Jack had to say but so tired of hearing Wolfe got where could not stand it. So I just watch MSNBC.

[Pema]

I couldn't have said it better myself. Wolfy lets guest say outrageous things, deliever nothing more than stump speeches and not say squat, Jack Cafferty is more the real newsman in CNN.
Ever since they let "Crazy Cajun" go no his judas rant, i have had it with CNN. It's Cafferty or nothing.

[bitterinsc]

Same here. If I wanted to listen to some ignorant, self-righteous, old blowhard, I'd turn on Fox News. I never thought CNN would promote bullies like Dobbs and Beck. It's really disheartening.

[vshdst]

I've gave up on Dobbs when he berated Obama and went on and on about a flag pin. This, from a man who thinks illegal immigration is killing this country and talks about the war on the middle class.
He's slipping.
How old is he?.

[vshdst]

The only decent one on MSNBC is Keith Olberman. I lke Chris Matthews but he bears watching. I can't for the life of me understand why they would have Buchanan and Scarbough on. Buchanan believes Black people should be grateful to whites for taking them from Africa and be thankful for all that whites have given them.
Why is this bigot given a pass and is considered and MSNBC analyst.?

[scoobynooby]

What crumble? I saw a time restraint response to a matter thats already an issue of record if you just look. The headline is erronius and just a grasping at straws to attack Lou. I get so sick and tired of hired far left wing spinsters like this guy is obviously. Its propoganda and Im tired of far left Idiots that do the same thing bush does, make like someone is unpatriotic for asking questions and following the answers to resonable assumptions and asking for more answers. The funny thing is no matter what you can always trace guys like this walden back to some sort of foundation/org which he is and then trace the moneys of that org. Big money is behind both sides of the fence now days as long as its in thier interests and theres all kinds of posers pretending to be doing something noble when they are really shrill agents. Dobbs askes the questions that millions of awake citizens are asking and the stupid, dumbed down by MSM left wing masses can grasp it because they cant step outside of thier bright blue fantasy of thier still being a viable democrat party. Lou is a great host. If there is a force that is spreading fear and the other side is seeing it and warning about it than don't it make fear mongering it makes it American!!

[rpence]

Nice rant. Just like Lou, you know how to throw tantrums and call names. But where's the evidence?

[scoobynooby]

We'll heres a nice article for your reading pleasure if you want insight there Mr Guy. Careful though its full of sense and may sour in your digestive tract. If you have a brain you can find some on your own. However, if you must be spoon fed than just go here.
http://www.infowars.com/?p=2327

[haiku1]

I disagree with Lou Dobbs on immigration and find his manner snarly and unpleasant. BUT the Super Highway proposal seems to be real and it's an American labor issue that the left needs to watch carefully. Check out the discussion under the original story for references to the planning that has been going on to bypass the Port of Los Angeles and its labor unions for Mexico and its low wage environment. The road is to go right through the center of the country, through states deemed more sympathetic to big business than California. The Bush administration has been pushing privatized highways--their higher cost will be passed on to American drivers and consumers. And then there's the issue of Mexican and Canadian trucks on US roads--a safety issue (trucks that are longer and heavier and operate with lower inspection standards) and a labor issue again--big trucking companies want to force drivers to drive monster vehicles that are inherently harder to manage at high speeds. Truckers have one of the most dangerous jobs in the country anyway. So listen, Huff Post, while attacking Lou Dobbs is mostly fine with me, you really ought to check this issue out a bit more. This new road system is going to be rotten for unionized American workers in trucks and in the ports and also dangerous for other drivers on the road. We need to be moving away from a trucking environment, anyway, and back onto trains for our cargo.

[castrochavez08]

I agree with haiku1 on the basic idea that Dobbs is wrong and dangerous on immigration issues, and he is correct on the NAFTA superhighway.

The SPP is for real, but it is a highly secretive group from the US Canada and Mexico who are working towards it. This is one reason why Dobbs has trouble coming up with slam dunk proof.

However, having a clown with very little credibility (Dobbs) champion this cause does serve the fascists who want the SPP deal, and control the media.
The issue is both raised and "killed" at the same time by having Lou on the case.

Kinda sad though how Huffpo plays along with this way of looking at the super highway to fascism.
The SPP is no joke, and if you want to learn more about it, use the GOOGLES as huffpo never covers it anyway....unless they attach it to a buffoon like Dobbs and downplay it.

[BlueOnBlue]

There's nothing particularly secretive about SPP. Here's their website, where they lay out their agenda for north/south trade...

http://www.spp.gov/

They also lay out some of the myths surrounding the subject, such as the "NAFTA Superhighway."

[vegasobserver]

This has been out there for a long time. Regardless of what you think about Dobbs, the plan is real:

http://www.nascocorridor.com/

It's been in the works for 13 years. Real people are involved:

http://www.nascocorridor.com/boardlist.asp

It is principally a coalition of local officials in the USA, Mexico, and Canada, whose jurisdictions stand to profit if the "corridor" (i.e., superhighway) is built. But the group also contains some national and multinational corporate executives, including an executive from Lockheed Martin.

This group may not have the official endorsement of the NAFTA powers-that-be, but it has a lobbying presence in DC, and plans to use federal funds to build this superhighway, which would cut a path straight north, from a port on Mexico's southern Pacific coast, and pass through Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas, and into Canada. It's planned as a huge, multi-lane superhighway with an associated rail line. It would also serve as a major conduit for Mexican trucks to enter the US and Canada, now legal under NAFTA.

The website used to have a big map on their homepage, depicting the route of the superhighway as a huge arrow from SW Mexico cutting northward through the US into Canada.

They apparently removed that map because it was being used by US "xenophobic groups" to publicize the NASCO supercorridor and generate hysteria about a "United States of North America".

[1differentdrummer]

I'm not sure Lou controls the content of his "news."