Should Lou Dobbs Run for President?
Well, "should" rarely enters into the decision, I realize. But among the theories propounded by Dobbs' resignation from CNN—and prompted by his vague reference to seeking "options" in the public sphere—is that he's considering running for office. Salon's Joe Conason thinks he may be thinking of running for The Big One.
So when I say "should" here, I mean not whether you'd vote for him, but could he make a credible candidate?
Conason's a liberal, so there is probably an element of wishful thinking in his column. A candidate like Dobbs would probably have a better shot at a third-party run than at a big-party nomination, and—though it's hard to predict exactly how these things play out—Dobbs himself would seem to draw more from Republicans than Democrats.
Who knows what politics will be like by 2012, but judging by the resentment in the body politic right now—some of it, like anger over bailouts, cutting across party lines—it looks like it could be a ripe time for an independent candidacy. And a media background is not the worst basis on which to build one. (Not just for indies, either—Mike Huckabee is not on Fox because he wants to host game shows someday.) It's reasonable that a media bigshot might be the person to try to grab free-floating voters in '12. (Reasonable enough that Fox News chief Roger Ailes recently knocked down rumors that he was thinking about it.)
I doubt Dobbs is that guy. His politics (heavy on middle-class resentment and suspicion) may be right for it. But I don't think he has the fan base or, more important, the broader charisma, to make any kind of serious run. If he couldn't even mount a serious challenge of Fox News in his timeslot, can he really expect to worry President Obama and the Republican nominee?
Dobbs does not strike me as a man of small ego, though, so he may estimate his mass appeal rather more highly than I do. For that matter, if you're a reasonably talented media demagogue of any stripe, you've got to be thinking that this is your moment.
But who? Rush Limbaugh, his huge fanbase aside, may be too closely identified as Republican. Glenn Beck's got the heat, but his self-deprecating habit seems to preclude claiming that he could run the country. Is there any media figure out there you think a substantial enough number of people could pull the lever for? And is there any one whom you'd pull the lever for?
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1
Stephen Colbert, he's got a whole nation to vote for him.
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2
Yes, and David Duke should be his running mate. They are too left-wing to be acceptable to the current Republican party so they should either run as DIXIECRATS or BIGOTUBLICANS.
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2.1
Lou Dobbs and David Duke..... the Dream Ticket of the KKK!!!
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3
I agree with Yogi. A Colbert/Stewart ticket would get my vote.
but seriously, I dont think any of the people you listed could be serious contendors.
A big part of the problem is that Rush, Beck, any other radio/tv commentary person is talking all the time, and spout off more gibberish and opinionated BS than any 5 regular politicians could ever hope to.
Soundbites showing racism, sexism, or any number of 'isms' would shoot them in the foot with the masses and any possible big name supporters. -
4
Wolf Blitzer. He's respected, trusted, and easy to like.
Plus anyone who can make balloon boy crack could be great with foreign policy. -
5
Maybe Lou Dobbs should form the Tea Party as a new political party. Then Lou could run with Mr. Tea Party -- Mark Williams -- who called President Obama a Indonesian Muslim Welfare Slug.” It is a perfect fit!!!
If the Tea Party is not about racism, what is their ____ISM? I have read Mark Williams (Tea Party Leader) and other blogs and it seems like racism to me. If you look at the Tea Party posters, you would think it was about communism. The raised clutched fist was only missing a hammer and sickle. If you look at their agenda, you would think it was about fascism because of the corporatist economic ideology . Bu yet they hide behind hide the labels of patriotism and populism. (Ahh! I like the way that Mark Williams mixed a mention of the real Sam Adams and Bud Light in one sentence.) The Tea Party Crowd seems to be so depressed by the fact the POTENTIAL greatest depression was averted by government spending. (Would they have been happier if everybody lost everything??!) In truth, they believe in ANARCHISM, because they believe that the federal government (at least one led by a black man) is oppressive and undesirable and should be abolished. Did I sum it up correctly? Go Lou... Go Lou....!!-
5.1
it always seems like the gop/conservatives have all the criticisms but no solution. actually that exists on both
sides of the aisle...wish they would just all shut up
and come up with some solutions before saying anything. but i like the idea of a mr. tea party...
kind of like mr coffee but not.
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6
Why not. Reagan, Bush (your pick), and now Low Dobbs. The decline of an empire.
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6.1
The decline of the United States started with all democrats!.....including Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton.....and now the most left-wing of all.....wonderboy obama.....He is not fit to wipe the shoes of Ronald Reagan.....Lou Dobbs is a man of conviction....That is more than you can say for any of the aforementioned democrats!!
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7
Stewart/Colbert '16
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8
NO.
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9
Lou Dobbs...? President? Thanks a lot. I'm STILL cleaning up milk from having it squirt out my nose after reading your question.
Still, nothing would surprise me. 360,000,000+ people in this country and we have the fools we do in Washington. It just shows that the American people really couldn't care less about their government, and they'll reap the rewards of such apathy in the decades to come.
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10
I can't imagine why anyone would want to come up with a name for a party of independents other than the "Independent Party". I get asked my politics all the time and reply, "I'm an independent." The inevitable question that follows is, "So, which do you side with, Democrats or Republicans?"
My response invariably is, "Neither."
People don't get it.
We need a third party in this country. Whether any political media pundit is suitable is moot to me. I would have voted for Walter Cronkite because he didn't put 'spin' on his newscasts.
Show me a journalist who does that today and I'll vote for him for President.
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11
Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease, Lou Dobbs is liberal?! Lou Dobbs goes out into the ozone to find ways to create controversy. Seems to me that the perfect ticket would be for the Republicans - Dobbs/Palin.
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12
James Poniewozik:
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Beyond having the personality and persona for a credible candidacy, isn't there the small matter of...fund-raising?
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Lou Dobbs isn't independently wealthy to the tune of Tim Russert, let alone Mike Bloomberg.
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Since there has been no significant coping mechanism developed as of yet by democratic institutions to counteract the messaging of sophisticated advertising campaigns, and because the institution of the press is no longer meaningfully independent of public relations machinery, candidates must have access to hundreds of millions of dollars to be competitive.
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How would Lou Dobbs access such capital as would be necessary run a campaign for President of the United States, James Poniewozik? -
13
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14
HA, the person who suggested Wolf Blitzer must not have seen his stellar performance on Celebrity Jeopardy. He ended up being in deep negative territory and had to be given some $$ so he could bet in the Final round and win something for his charity. It was dismaying to see how stupid he seemed about every topic!
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15
ep110947 writes: "Lou Dobbs and David Duke..... the Dream Ticket of the KKK!!!"
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Hey, that is QUITE funny! Although it might be problematic that Dobbs is married to a legal Mexican immigrant and the only former member of the KKK represents the Democrats. His name is Senator Byrd. I can understand though that quite a few liberals do not understand nuance, like the difference between a legal immigrant and an illegal immigrant.
As for Wolf Blitzer, he sports a mighty fine beard, but he is not very smart. He totally bombed Celebrity Jeopardy. Too funny.
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16
You're so right, westernmike. Lou Dobbs is against illegal immigration, not legal immigration. Maybe all the posters here who have such sympathy for people who break the law by illegally entering this country can post their social security numbers online for these illegals to steal and use. Because that's what happens when you have rampant illegal immigration.
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17
I'd vote for Bill Moyers in a heartbeat. I'd also probably be willing to vote for Rachel Maddow -- her mistakes seems to have their origins in her efforts to dumb down her Rhodes Scholar intellect to the red meat "libruls" who watch her lead in (Olbermann)
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17.1
Well said, Paul Lukasiak.
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- poniewozik Help jog my memory for year's end. Your worst TV shows of 2009 nominees? (BESIDES Jay Leno.) #worsttvof2009 - 3 hours ago
- poniewozik Unless you will have to buy a special TV set to watch OWN, I don't buy the Oprah = Howard Stern comparison. - 5 hours ago
- poniewozik Talking about Giuliani's Senate aspirations, MSNBC anchor confuses him with Rick Lazio. Now THAT hurts. - 7 hours ago
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