Sources close to CNN broadcast journalist/commentator Lou Dobbs said he is seriously considering a run for the U.S. presidency in 2008, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Dobbs, who formerly hosted CNN's MoneyLine business news show and currently hosts CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight has seen both his ratings and his name recognition rise after his work's focus turned away from news reporting and anchoring and toward political and economic commentary.
Dobbs, an independent, displays an ideology and a political world view that many have characterized as a modified hybrid of Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan -- i.e. populism combined with strong views against free trade (or current trade frameworks) and against illegal immigration.
Dobbs is a frequent critic of both the Democratic and Republican parties, which he argues don't represent the interests of the typical person or the middle class. His show's website describes him as "an independent populist and the leading media advocate for working men and women, their families, our middle class and the American way of life."
Political Analysis: Unless there's a tidal wave of discontent in the American electorate not tallied by pollsters, Dobbs, as a third-party candidate or as an Independent, has virtually no chance of being elected president of the United States. Although his name recognition is rising and he has a positive public image, it's highly unlikely Dobbs could assemble the campaign staff and money required to compete effectively against Democratic and Republican parties' nominees.
However, this is not to say that Dobbs could not broaden the discourse, i.e. "force the discussion of less-publicized issues" during a debate. Dobbs could accomplish this, but it must be emphasized that making points in a debate is a much easier task than receiving enough votes to win the electoral college vote for U.S. president.
Would you vote for Lou Dobbs for president?
Posted Nov 16th 2007 2:29PM by Joseph Lazzaro
Filed under: Television, Media World, Politics, Presidential Elections
Tags: 2008 election, Buchanan, business news shows, Cable News Network, CNN, commentary, Democratic Party, Democrats, Dobbs, elections, free trade, immigration, Independents, Lou Dobbs, Lou Dobbs Tonight, middle class, Nader, Pat Buchanan, political commentary, politics, polling, polls, populism, presidential election, Ralph Nader, Republican Party, Republicans, trade, U.S. politics, U.S. presidency, voters, voting, working class
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Reader Comments (Page 3 of 3)
1-11-2008 @ 6:38AM
Charles Jones said...
Lou Dobbs For President
Independents' Day 2008
Lately, not much to be proud of
And it gets worse every year
And if changes aren't made soon
It just might be too late, I fear.
We have those who lied to us
To take us to war and worse
To leave an American legacy
Of an everlasting curse.
We have those who don't mind
Sending our Troops off to fight
And then when those Vets come home
They don't want to do them right.
We lost more Heroes this past year
More than in any year gone past
And as each one passes and more die
We keep hoping, they will be the last.
We are spending, our Freedoms
In those foreign places like Iraq
And once we have let them go
It is so hard to get them back.
We have people in our government
Who don't seem to really care
What happens to us here at home
As much, as all those. over there.
We've left our borders open
To let illegals flood our land
As our kids pay for the others
Who ruin their education's plan.
We let our systems be abused
By all those who don't belong
As they take unfair advantage
Of what made our Country strong.
We have “all-American” companies
Committing treason to the "force"
Who made, and built them up
Just for, the bottom line, of course.
We have many other businesses
Who buy goods from overseas
Which are unsafe, or can poison us
Or give us, some deadly disease.
We have the so-called “news” we get
Controlled by a few select stations
Who tell us only what they want
To control our, “public relations”.
We have the insurance companies
Who don't want to pay the claims
They would rather let a person die
So their high, bottom line remains.
We have the big oil producers
And the huge auto industry
Who don't want alternate fuels
Or to raise the minimum mpg.
We used to have the “middle class”
And most of us lived fairly well
Most the World looked up to us
Before we broke down and fell.
We have the rich getting richer
As the “middle class” will get poor
It seems no matter what they have
All they want is more and more.
We have, “The New World Order”
And we should all be terrified
That the elite want to rule us all
Once, all our freedoms are denied.
We have so many, “true” believers
Who will blindly, follow behind
All, afraid to think for themselves
Just like the blind, leading the blind.
We have Democrats and Republicans
But, they all seem, just the same
All of the bs, lies, and politics
Of, the same ol', same ol', game.
It's time we take our Country back
And make it what it used to be
A place, where our Constitution
Still rules, the Land of the Free.
We have our old two party system
Who think they have all the power
It's about time we prove them wrong
With the Independents' finest hour.
Del "Abe" Jones
1-13-2008 @ 4:46PM
J. Murski said...
After being a Democrat for 18 year I recently enrolled as an INDEPENDENT. The Democratic party, Reid, Pelosi and Obama are WEAK on Illegal Immigration which is estimated to cost U.S. Taxpayers 2 Trillion over the next ten years. This is a heck of a lot more than the 50 or 60 billion illegals contribute to the economy! I am pro-LEGAL immiagration and we already let 800,000+ a year come in legally from Mexico. My next vote for any official will be based on how tough they are on border patrol. Obama and Clinton are happy to leave the borders open, benefiting the huge corporations with cheap labor whom support thier campains. I will not only vote for LOU DOOBS FOR PRESIDENT, I will donate money and go door to door. Lou is a smart common sense guy! Add Wesley Clark former nato commander as his VP and you have a winning ticket in 2008!
1-16-2008 @ 4:26PM
Don Rorschach said...
Lou Dobbs, please run for president. If you do, I'll contribute $10,000.00 to your campaign chest.
Go get those left-wing, anti-Americans who are running on the Dem/Repuken ticket.