Going Toe to Toe With Lou Dobbs

As part of the launch of THE UPRISING, I debated CNN anchor Lou Dobbs on his radio show, and now I have the audio. You can listen here.

Dobbs is the subject of a chapter in the book -- a chapter that has made a bit of news, because in it, Dobbs claims he supports increasing immigration levels.

The chapter on Dobbs in THE UPRISING looks at how his show -- in my opinion -- deliberately separates the issue of free trade from the issue of immigration specifically to stoke anger. Dobbs rarely connects his admirably progressive views on trade policy with his critique of immigration policy -- when, as I've shown before in my newspaper columns, the two policies are interconnected. In the radio debate, I bring this right up to Dobbs -- and he says my point about the connection between lobbyist-written trade policies and immigration policies is one from the "left" and motivated from "guilt."

As THE UPRISING shows, Dobbs epitomizes both the positive potential of today's populist uprising to change our country's economic policies, and the negative potential of today's populist uprising to stoke anti-immigrant and xenophobic sentiment. He is a populist -- sometimes a progressive populist, sometimes a right-wing populist. I give Dobbs credit for inviting me onto his radio show to vigorously debate the issue and his tactics. Listen here for the whole thing -- and if your interest is piqued, pick up a copy of the book and read the chapter on the CNN icon. It was one of the most interesting to report.

This is an ongoing blog series from the national book tour of The Uprising. You can order The Uprising at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Tattered Cover, Powell's or through your local independent bookstore.