According to Poor Richard and the Wall Street Journal, Lou Dobbs is considering running for the Senate from New Jersey as a third party candidate. Equally amazing, he hasn’t ruled out running for President. it was only last week that Lou Dobbs announced his departure from CNN where he went from finance journalism to advocacy journalism. He spent the last several years hammering away over illegal immigration, even going so far as stating that illegal immigrants were bringing leprosy into the country.

Now Dobbs is announcing a change of heart.

First, though, Mr. Dobbs is working to repair what a spokesman conceded is a glaring flaw: His reputation for antipathy toward Latino immigrants. In a little-noticed interview Friday, Mr. Dobbs told Spanish-language network Telemundo he now supports a plan to legalize millions of undocumented workers, a stance he long lambasted as an unfair “amnesty.”

“Whatever you have thought of me in the past, I can tell you right now that I am one of your greatest friends and I mean for us to work together,” he said in a live interview with Telemundo’s Maria Celeste. “I hope that will begin with Maria and me and Telemundo and other media organizations and others in this national debate that we should turn into a solution rather than a continuing debate and factional contest.”

Mr. Dobbs twice mentioned a possible legalization plan for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., saying at one point that “we need the ability to legalize illegal immigrants under certain conditions.”

Telemundo and Lou Dobbs are certainly not two names I would ever expect to hear together. Is Mr. Dobbs becoming the poster child for Mr. Make-Over?

37 Thoughts to “Lou Dobbs Goes Rogue”

  1. Punchak

    OMG –

    Maybe senora Debi Lee Segura Dobbs has got him to change his innards.

    Interesting aside – After graduating from Harvard, Dobbs worked for anti-poverty programs in Boston and DC according to Wikipedia. Current president did the same kind of work after HE graduated fr Harvard. An omen???

  2. JustinT

    So Dobbs was just pandering to racists for the sake of TV ratings but didn’t really believe the lies he was spewing? It was all an act? I almost feel sorry for the poor saps who fell for it. Losing Dobbs to the pro-immigration realists is a major blow for the teabaggers.
    Or, since Dobbs is running for office, this pro-immigration flip-flop could be a simple recognition of the political reality that overt racism is no longer a good campaign strategy. There are just too many minorities now. It works for cable news but not for elections in most states.

  3. Starryflights

    I am pleasantly surprised to find that Lou Dobbs has changed his mind about illegal aliens and amnesty. I guess that he figured out that to win public office, he has to win the Latino vote. I wonder if he also changed his mind about Obama not being a United States citizen.

  4. Second-Alamo

    Sorry, I’m not buying it. If he’s telling the truth, then he was willing to lie for profit while on CNN. If he is lying, then he is lying to obtain votes. Neither is a characteristic that I want in a candidate. Having said that, he pretty much fits the political mold perfectly!

  5. Rick Bentley

    Wow … I’m waiting for him to flip-flop back on this issue.

  6. I am wondering if there wasn’t a translation issue, between what he said and what someone wanted to hear.

    Didn’t Dobbs continuously rail against politicians pandering to special interest groups? Now he’s on Telemundo, announcing a possible candidacy? Something’s not right.

  7. Rick Bentley

    Sounds like Dobbs needs to do a blistering expose on himself.

  8. It makes no sense. No one has that kind of epiphany that quickly.

  9. Rick Bentley

    Harry Reid did.

  10. He still needs to do Dancing With the Stars first. An ideal competitor: Pat Robertson.

  11. Rick Bentley

    Harry Reid, 1993 – from http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1609707/posts

    In 1986, we granted amnesty–and I voted against that provision in law–we granted amnesty to 3.2 million illegal immigrants. After being in this country for 10 years, the average amnesty recipient had a sixth-grade education, earned less than $6 an hour, and presently qualifies for the earned-income tax credit. If making it easy to be an illegal alien is not enough, how about offering a reward for being an illegal immigrant? No sane country would do that, right? Guess again. If you break our laws by entering this country without permission and give birth to a child, we reward that child with U.S. citizenship and guarantee full access to all public and social services this society provides. And that is a lot of services. Is it any wonder that two-thirds of the babies born at taxpayer expense in county-run hospitals in Los Angeles are born to illegal alien mothers? Even after Congress has passed massive legalization programs, millions of individuals do not lawfully reside in the United States today, and many more continue to cheat the rules and continue to enter unlawfully. Under our immigration laws, cheaters tend to prosper. [The Immigration Stabilization Act of 1993 introduced by Sen. Reid] prohibits violators of immigration laws from filing for immigrant status.

  12. Dobbs Quote

    “I want to engage in a meaningful and constructive dialogue, and work with those who will work toward real solutions,” the former CNN anchorman also said, maintaining his position on immigration hasn’t changed despite what appears to be a more moderate stance. “I think we need to honestly come together, those who have differing views…and make some real progress toward an understanding a compromise for those who are in this country illegally.”

  13. hello

    JustinT :Losing Dobbs to the pro-immigration realists is a major blow for the teabaggers.

    If they are ‘teabaggers’ Does that make you the teabagee?

  14. Elena

    I am speechless

  15. hello

    That’s funny Elena, that makes you speechless but you seem to have no problem at all with someone calling an entire group of people ‘teabaggers’… why is that?

  16. hello

    I suppose that is that the “T” stands for in JustinT…

  17. Hello, did you have a comment on Lou Dobbs doing an about face, or giving the impression he is doing an about face? I suggest you simply ignore terminology you don’t care for. What you you like for Tea Party attendees to be called?

    Meanwhile, ad hominem attacks are frowned upon here.

  18. hello

    Yeah, I think it’s really odd, I couldn’t really understand it when I first read this but then it started to make sense after reading quote #12. I don’t think he has done an about face at all, I think he is just gearing up for a run at some sort of office. I almost fell on the floor laughing though at the idea of him running for President. 🙂

  19. hello, he must think we all have very short memories or that we are stupid. It doesn’t matter what one’s stand is on the immigration issue, he wont have friends.

  20. Witness Too

    I think it’s possible that he played the role of a screaming xenophobe for a television show, and yet in real life he is more moderate on the issue. He does have a Latina wife, remember. So at the very least he sees Latinos as human beings, which is a step above most of the anti-immigrant lobby. I would like to give him the benefit of the doubt. People are allowed to change their mind. Why shouldn’t they be allowed to reveal their true feelings about an issue if they evolve, or if you are no longer playing a specific role in the debate?

    As for the anti-immigrant movement (whatever you wish to call it), they should just move on to a new demigod. I’m sure there are many other TV personalities who would be willing to play the same role.

  21. hello

    The left will eat him alive, no matter what office he runs for. I don’t think he really stands a chance getting elected to much of anything but if he wishes to go for it that is up to him. Maybe 9500 Liberty will make a documentary of his campaign…

  22. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    JustinT :
    Losing Dobbs to the pro-immigration realists is a major blow for the teabaggers.

    Pay particular attention to the use of language here. It doesn’t take a psychiatrist to spot the…..ohhh……”Barney Frankish” leanings here.

  23. Slowpoke! (raising an eyebrow) Did you have a suggestion to replace the term?

  24. Witness Too

    Hello, anyone that “the left” is opposed to instantly becomes a hero to the right. I don’t see why Dobbs couldn’t be a viable candidate, without without anti-immigrant scapegoating. Why doesn’t “Mr. Independent” run as an independent? He probably doesn’t need the GOP backing. And, now that he’s no longer anti-immigrant, he wouldn’t pass the 10 question purity test.

  25. Witness Too

    I am just going along with what Dobbs’ is claiming that he stands for without questioning it. Of course I have some doubts based on his track record, but it is a big step that he came out and said what he said.

  26. RingDangDoo

    @Moon-howler

    No! Don’t replace the term! Moonbats are the only ones that use it, so whenever it’s mentioned we know who and what we’re dealing with! 😉

  27. Hello, why must you always think in terms of left and right? That seems so narrow and…off or on…black or white. Binary.

  28. Not sure what moonbats are but it is a little too close to my moniker for my comfort. 😉

    I also like bats. They eat insects.

  29. JustinT

    Why are people so upset about the name of the teabagger movement? Didn’t the teabaggers choose that name for themselves? I’m just repeating what I heard a teabagger say about his own teabagger movement. He also said he planned to teabag members of Congress.

    If I wanted to insult the teabaggers, I wouldn’t call them teabaggers, I’d call them ignorant racists. Inadvertently naming your movement after a sex act is no where near as idiotic as limiting membership in your movement to ignorant racists. Kinky sex never goes out of style. Ignorant racists? That’s another story.

  30. Justin, I always thought the expression had to do with vampires. sigh. You youngsters.

    I think there are people who would consider themselves …oh hell…I don’t know what term to use for them…someone disapproves of every expression…those who attend tea parties…I dont think all of them are racists. Some are, some aren’t. I sure don[t approve of some of the behavior I have seen but I don’t like assuming they are all racists nor do I have any proof or indication they are.

    I think the term racist has become over used and really doesn’t address the problem.

  31. JustinT

    Well, I only mentioned that they might be classified as racists because someone threw a tantrum over the term “teabaggers.”

    But honestly, do you think that Dick Armey and Glenn Beck could have induced such widespread panic and hatred if Al Gore or Hilary Clinton were the President? Do you think they would have bothered if John McCain were President? The deficits would still be huge. The debt would still be huge. I’m sorry have to point his out, but there is a reason that the nation is more than a third non-white, but every single one of of the teabaggers are white.

    Have you seen these people interviewed? They don’t know the first thing about our government. They clearly haven’t been paying attention to current events. They just know they were told to be angry and afraid and so they are. What’s the big change that happened all of the sudden? The President is not white. Thus the freak out. Everything else they claim to be upset about was ten times worse during the previous 8 years. But the President was white then, and a Republican, so all was right in the world.

  32. Rick Bentley

    “They just know they were told to be angry and afraid and so they are.”

    Like the Democrats and liberals on “Health Care Reform” proposals that don’t make a bit of sense and that they aren’t familiar with.

    “But the President was white then, and a Republican, so all was right in the world.”

    Not with me. I think that Obama is the new Bush. A confused novice elected on charm rather than substance.

  33. Justin, I have seen non-white people at tea parties. I don’t think that movement is race-driven. As for Glenn Beck and Dick Armey being able to instill fear if Hillary or Al Gore were pres? Yes. They would be able to stir up fear.

    Don’t get me wrong– I am not saying there isn’t a racially motivated backlash in this country. I see many signs that there is. However, I don’t think that is what is driving the tea party movement. I think disgust with the system and fear of the financial unknown is motivating that movement.

    My objection to them is that they might have very rational fears. However, attempting to drown out other voices is not the way to establish a dialogue.

  34. Firedancer

    Lou Dobbs’ “change of heart” is the height of cynicism (sp?), the reason why people distrust politicians and why they are cynical about the government. It’s as if he’s trying to get the last laugh. There is no chance in the universe that his years of immigrant bashing will ever be forgotton. And he is thinking of running against Mel Martinez.

    I’m trying to recover from overeating at this moment.

  35. El Guapo

    So Dobbs pissed off the small group of earth-dwellers who didn’t already hate him.

  36. Scout

    Did anyone see the Onion front-page news flash on Lou Dobbs having been taken into custody by INS? It was hilarious, but I don’t have the technical skills to import it here. If the Onion permits that sort of use, it might be worth posting.

  37. El Guapo

    Thanks for the Lou Dobbs story at The Onion. That was funny.

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