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

[john85msy]

This guy is a joke. He claims he is an Independent but when you listen to him he steps too far to the right. Also, what is it with him and Latinos?

[BlueOnBlue]

Some links on how most of the story about the "NAFTA Superhighway" is a myth...

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070827/hayes

http://www.spp.gov/myths_vs_facts.asp

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1842420/posts

http://www.newsweek.com/id/73372

If nothing else confirms that this is a myth, that last story in Newsweek points out that one of the people pushing the idea has been Jerome Corsi, one of the guys behind the swiftboating of John Kerry.

Oh, and by the way, there are no little green men invading from space.

[vegasobserver]

Hardly a myth. The project is called the "North American Supercorridor", or NASCO, and they have a website which I've linked to here, and a board of directors featuring real people, some of them pretty well-connected.

There is a lot of controversy about this project, and the group has deliberately chosen to lay low and not seek publicity, as they quietly lobby for the funds on Capitol Hill.

[BlueOnBlue]

The "corridor" referred to by NASCO is I-35. It's been there for some time.

There is no plan to build a new, massive highway from Canada to Mexico. None.

[GoodbyeKitty]

In Texas, its called the trans-corridor, and it IS under construction. we live only 2 miles away from a huge chunk being constructed just west of IH35 in the Buda-Austin area. You should see this thing. the massive amounts of land that have been cleared...

[BlueOnBlue]

It is in Texas. And it's only in Texas. There is no new highway from Mexico to Canada.

Why would there be? The existing Interstate highways are plenty sufficient and go to many more locations in Canada and Mexico than would one single (mythical) highway.

It's amazing what crap people will eat when it feeds their fears.

[ObamaEdwards]

Just like Chris Matthews revealing the ignorant rhetoric of Kevin James. All you have to do is demand clarity, evidence, specific information, and boy do these lying media jackals start to huff and puff! They say we don't know what we're talking about, and if we saw the evidence they've seen, and well, they can't tell us because there just isn't enough TIME to get into all that... Just like the lying kid in school, who made so much noise about the lesson being dumb and the teacher being mean and the school being lousy--all to cover the fact that he didn't do his homework. Obama's coming. Truth and honesty and accountability are coming. Can you feel it? I can. Because the liars--in government and in media--are running scared and making wilder charges every day. Their day is almost over, and they won't go without a screaming hissy fit. Oh, Lou Dobbs. Better clean out your locker, dude.

[giantsteps]

Dobbs is a know-it-all bully. Just watch the loud-mouth, when he is pushed into the corner, he attempts to change the subject and attacks his guest.

I remember clearly an English professor from Ireland saying the problem with Americans is that they don't know how to say-I DON'T KNOW. Dobbs is the perfect example. He is rude, never truly listens("LISTENS" DOBBS not hear), he rambles like someone who has the answer for everything.

Pure and simple the man is a big mouth dink.

[Meah]

Lou Dobbs is an old bully punk! He must be tired of the brown people in his family. Takes it out on the whole damned country!

[Quantumystic]

Whatever you feel about Dobbs as an individual, he's dead on with the SPP/NAFTA/NAU thing.

Waldman repeatedly said that the Trans-Texas corridor was only in Texas. Yet Oklahoma just killed state legislation on this.
http://www.tulsabeacon.com/?p=394

Then it moves northward through Kansas. HCR 5033:
http://www.naftasuperhighway.info/KS5033.html

And the Kansas Mexican "SmartPort" in Kansas City.
http://kcsmartport.com/sec_news/media/media_coverage.htm

"Kansas City’s SmartPort is another example of how import trade is supporting warehousing and distribution growth in the nation’s interior. The development is designed to serve multiple corridors – inbound from the West Coast, East Coast, or NAFTA corridors- and does so by rail, truck, air, and inland waterway."

"NAFTA corridors"??? Those things that don't exist? WTFU, people.

[BlueOnBlue]

There is a "NAFTA Corridor." Yes. Some call it I-35 and it's not a secret.

The highways we already have lead anywhere you want to go in North America. Even the highway near your home.

Some people are trying to foster north/south trade. It's not a secret and it doesn't require a new highway three or four football fields wide.

[CAskeptic]

Lou is one reason I do not watch CNN any more.

[Scarllatti]

Please, please come back darling, He will change. I promise.

[Cyndee1113]

I cannot stand Lou Dobbs, I refuse to watch him.

[kevinw]

I don't agree with Dobbs on his unrelenting campaign against latino immigration, but I thought Waldman was pathetic. He did not have details to attack Dobbs's positions. He continually said that Lou needs to balance negative stories with positive ones regarding immigrants. That is the same complaint that Bush makes on war coverage. There are many holes in Dobb's arguments. He his however correct that certain industrial interests keep the flow of cheap labor coming through to help with crops and sweatshop work. Waldman was given an excellent opportunity to detail some of the logic problems in Lou Dobb's case. The main takeaway from the session was that he (Lou) needs to be more balanced because of the crazys out there. I can't believe that you put that Lou crumbled. He made Waldman look like a well intended dilettante who FEELS this is the right way to do this, but ha no facts to back himself up. He convinced no one, Unless you already believed in his cause, there was nor convincing case.

[insouciantlad]

Are you a moron? Did you watch the video? Lou Dobbs was eviscerated!! That xenophobic fool has no evidence for the garbage he dishes out...

[kevinw]

You need to separate your position on the issue from what actually took place. I watched the entire interview on his show and Waldman was pathetic. The argument that Waldman was trying to make may be accurate, but he was a weak sister on this show. And to your insulting comment I feel compelled to attack back at the age level you seems to operate at. "Im rubber you are glue what you say to me bounces off and sticks to you. Write back when you grow up.

[stanjz]

It would take too much time to go into how unemployment numbers are manipulated to be lower than they are. Let me say first , real wages have to be taken into account. Real Wages measures wages against inflation or expenses. Another way unemployment figures look lower than they really are is you take massive amounts of people who might be otherwise unemployed and put them into other groups-
like maybe 50 freakin million disabled Americans. How about three million in prison or more than any other other country in the world despite not having near the greatest population. Never mind discouraged workers which I doubt the government keeps good numbers on.

[Scarllatti]

You need to be awarded the "Nobel Price" on economics. i like especially, your number crunching

[3443649]

O'reilly, Dobbs, Beck. The three stooges of the talking head sect !

[seanymike]

Lou Dobbs is too smart to actually hold such oppositional goals. It's quite obvious that comments so acerbic like the leprosy comment are purely a way to gain viewers and heighten his celebrity. The man is no pundit or analyst, he's merely a Publicist with views that are fairly consistent with white supremacists. Let's please not spend too much time on him, he's lying for ratings and us talking about them is exactly what he wants.....to be the center of attention. A man who will attempt to turn factual evidence against him into a way to uphold his goals is a tell tale sign that this man is just fooling everyone who takes him serioulsy. I'm ashamed to actually make this post.

[Scarllatti]

EMPTY BARRELS MAKE THE MOST NOISE. The GOP and their minions have perfected the parroting of falsehood to a nauseating level. My only grouse is that there are few people out there with rights to vote who often easily buy into these blatant nonsense and then SHOOT ALL OF US IN THE FOOT WHEN THEY GO INTO THAT POLLING BOOTH.

That was how they gave us George.

[seenitall]

I certainly appreciate whoever coined the term "gas bag".

[Viper]

If OBAMA cant negotiate a truce with DOBBs when they have an 80% agreement across issues such outsourcing, free trade agreements, loss of MFG base, education,BUSH tax cuts, increased min. wage, then not much hope with Iran and etc.

No matter what you think, this war on DOBBs will re affirm an elitist label. 70% of America agrees with DOBBs on sealing the Border before you can reform Immigration.

We granted 3 million citzienship in 1987. Clogged up the system so lgeal immigration was put on hold for several years as with my wife. And here we are 20 years later, now with 20 million more.. and a population racing to 400 million while people are worried about the environment/CO2 with a population that is doubling every 50 years while real wages are down! Real unemployement is over 10% if you adjust for the fact that the Bush administration has decided that 5% less of our population than under Clinton is not seeking work. Unemployment among illegal aliens is 40% and thats not in the unemployment numbers.

We cant provide healthcare for those already here and not even for our own citizens. The U.S. life boat is leaking in a world that is now over populated and that cant regenerate resources at the rate they are being concummed.

Regards

[Scarllatti]

Viper (ooh, I cringe at your name). It does not matter who calls who elitist. If you believe we want to get real, then your assumption that this "elitist" label will stick makes not much sense.

Look, no one wants to be suffocated with the problems of illegal immigration. The point is that Lou Dobbs has lost the moral standing in the way he has gone about this. We have a spineless government and Congress who, for whatever political calculations, have looked the other way for far too long for this problem to explode. This issue will not be solved on the TV screens. It is far too complex for that venue. I do not want an anchor on TV to say certain things that some of us who are citizens will misconstrue and take matters into their hands. If you read what has been happening in South Africa lately about this immigration issue, you will not want my America to degenerate into that kind of savagery. We do not hold our "elected" officials accountable. If they know they will lose their political advantage at the polls, they will sit up. So, let us take this conversation away from Lou and his likes and bring it back where it belongs--- WH & Congress.

[Oldbuck]

I think you need to work on your math I dough that their is 30% who agree with Dobbs.

[TexasDem0]

Lou Dobbs was once a good journalist. He has lost his way, and I hope he is able to get back on track.

[Scarllatti]

I used to enjoy his program, MONEY WITH LOU DOBBS. What has gone wrong with poor Lou? I think he is trying to ape Bill O'Reilly. He is just not cut out for this line especially on CNN. i am sure the CNN management will be pouring over Lou's contract to see when it will expire so that they will ease him out quietly. He is becoming an embarrassment to CNN. He does not broach any argument different from his. We usually make jokes that all the correspondents who report back on Lou's program are "yes" people. Watch his program if you doubt me. NO DIFFERING OPINION FROM LOU'S.

[anticon]

You mean back when he was a neocon pimp?
Dobbs promoted right wings causes throughout the 80s and 90s.Now that those policies have destroyed the middle class,created a immigration problem and shipped jobs overseas he tries to pawn himself off as a populist.
He is the biggest windbag in the MSM.
And that is going some!

[CindyKay]

ROFLMFAO!!!!!!!!!