# Is Lou Dobbs actually retarded? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 19, 2008, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lou-dobbs-actually-retarded/438185 "2008-02-19T00:12:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lou-dobbs-actually-retarded/438185/1 "2008-02-19T00:12:02Z")
I only found him to be annoying up until today. But now I must seriously consider whether he is mentally challenged. There is a bit of a stink over whether Obama ripped off some words [he used in a speech](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,331102,00.html) . Obama says he and the original orator often share ideas. Anyway, I am watching Dobbs’ program right now, and he just stated that he wished Obama would reconsider the sentiment in his speech in which he dismissed some famous quotes as ‘just words’: > [@speech](#): > > “‘I have a dream!’ Just words. ‘We hold these truths to be self evident that all me are created equal.’ Just words. ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself.’ Just words. Just speeches,” he said. > > “It’s true that speeches don’t solve all problems, but what is also true is if we cannot inspire the country to believe again, then it doesn’t matter how many policies and plans we have, and that is why I am running for president of the United States of America, and that is why we just won 8 elections straight, because the American people want to believe in change again. Don’t tell me words don’t matter!” Now to most people who are capable of sustained breathing, it is obvious that Obama was NOT dismissing these famous quotes, but rather using them to illustrate a point. A partial transcript of the Obama speech can be [found here](http://embeds.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/02/17/obama-just-words/) . ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lou-dobbs-actually-retarded/438185/2 "2008-02-19T00:36:23Z")
Has anyone ever called McCain on his plagiarizing of Abe Lincoln? The [“last best hope of earth”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxFEIf_ktPQ) doesn’t come from ‘Battlestar Galactica’ or ‘Battlefield Earth’, it’s from a [presidential address:](http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/congress.htm) > [@](#): > > Annual Message to Congress – > Concluding Remarks > Washington, D.C. > December 1, 1862 > … > Fellow-citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration, will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance, or insignificance, can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation. We say we are for the Union. The world will not forget that we say this. We know how to save the Union. The world knows we do know how to save it. We – even we here – hold the power, and bear the responsibility. In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free – honorable alike in what we give, and what we preserve. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lou-dobbs-actually-retarded/438185/3 "2008-02-19T03:06:22Z")
**CynicalGabe** : The answer to your topic is yes. **Squink** : [Barack Obama on April 23, 2007](http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/fpccga) > [@](#): > > So I reject the notion that the American moment has passed. I dismiss the cynics who say that this new century cannot be another when, in the words of President Franklin Roosevelt, we lead the world in battling immediate evils and promoting the ultimate good. > > I still believe that America is the **last, best hope of Earth**. We just have to show the world why this is so. Scary. I wonder how soon he’ll want to show them. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lou-dobbs-actually-retarded/438185/4 "2008-02-19T03:11:35Z")
> [@Obama](#): > > So I make no apologies for being able to talk good. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lou-dobbs-actually-retarded/438185/5 "2008-02-19T03:15:03Z")
Dobbs is a bloviating old tosspot who is gonna wake up one day and find he’s turned into Howard Beal. OTOH, Christine Romans is like a rose blooming in a junkyard. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lou-dobbs-actually-retarded/438185/6 "2008-02-19T03:27:06Z")
I’m surprised Dobbs took enough of a breather from ranting about illegal aliens long enough to mention another issue. He must not be feeling well. As for the speech, kind of hard to give MLA citation verbally, but I think if Obama says he had permission to use it and Patrick says it then it’s none of Dobbs’ beeswax. (Besides which, is it plagiarism when a candidate gives a speech written by a speech writer without attribution?) ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lou-dobbs-actually-retarded/438185/7 "2008-02-19T03:33:30Z")
[QUOTE=CynicalGabe] Now to most people who are capable of sustained breathing, it is obvious that Obama was NOT dismissing these famous quotes, but rather using them to illustrate a point. [/QUOTE] Wait, is Dobbs really that dumb? I tried to get a transcript, but it doesn’t appear that it is available yet. Could his point have been that, “Yes, words are important, very important. And if Obama believes that, he should have attributed them to the original speaker”? I have a very hard time believing that Dobbs, or anyone, could be so clueless as to believe what you conclude. ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lou-dobbs-actually-retarded/438185/8 "2008-02-19T03:36:34Z")
Clear evidence of Lou’s declining mental capacity is made evident by the fact that [he thinks he’s fooling people with that kool-aid dye job.](http://tvcasserole.blogspot.com/2007/09/question-what-is-saddest-thing-about.html) ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lou-dobbs-actually-retarded/438185/9 "2008-02-19T03:38:43Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] As for the speech, kind of hard to give MLA citation verbally, but I think if Obama says he had permission to use it and Patrick says it then it’s none of Dobbs’ beeswax. (Besides which, is it plagiarism when a candidate gives a speech written by a speech writer without attribution?) [/QUOTE] I disagree. There are two aspects to an act of plagiarism. One is that you deprive the original author of the credit. The other is that you bask in a light that you do not fully deserve. Just because the original author might say it is okay, doesn’t mean that the person seeking to benefit from whatever admiration the words may garner him is off the hook. also, I was surprised to see that Obama, who has handled himself extremely well, tried to defend himself by claiming that Clinton used his words, when the phrases she used were not as distinct/ownable as what he used. I was disappointed in that. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lou-dobbs-actually-retarded/438185/10 "2008-02-19T03:40:56Z")
[QUOTE=Annie] Clear evidence of Lou’s declining mental capacity is made evident by the fact that [he thinks he’s fooling people with that kool-aid dye job.](http://tvcasserole.blogspot.com/2007/09/question-what-is-saddest-thing-about.html) [/QUOTE] For some reason that picture made me think of Mickey Rooney as [Bill](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51fX74yQHtL._AA240_.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lou-dobbs-actually-retarded/438185/11 "2008-02-19T04:04:06Z")
[QUOTE=Beware of Doug] Dobbs is a bloviating old tosspot who is gonna wake up one day and find he’s turned into Howard Beal. [/QUOTE] Arthur Jensen: The world is a business, Mr. Beale; it has been since man crawled out of the slime. Our children will live, Mr. Beale, to see that perfect world in which there’s no war or famine, oppression or brutality - one vast and ecumenical holding company, for whom all men will work to serve a common profit, in which all men will hold a share of stock - all necessities provided, all anxieties tranquilized, all boredom amused. And I have chosen you, Mr. Beale, to preach this evangel. Howard Beale: Why me? Arthur Jensen: Because you’re on television, dummy. One of Lumet’s finest films, and progressively more relevant as time passes. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lou-dobbs-actually-retarded/438185/12 "2008-02-19T04:04:52Z")
This notion that Obama was “plagiarising” is bullshit, and everyone knows it. Day by day Hillary Clinton gets slimier, while her supporters continue to insist that all criticism is merely sexist despite the fact that she’s been nasty, negative, lying, and divisive. This is a perfect example. ---
**Author:** ![kevja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@kevja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevja)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lou-dobbs-actually-retarded/438185/13 "2008-02-19T04:08:24Z")
[QUOTE=magellan01] I disagree. There are two aspects to an act of plagiarism. One is that you deprive the original author of the credit. The other is that you bask in a light that you do not fully deserve. Just because the original author might say it is okay, doesn’t mean that the person seeking to benefit from whatever admiration the words may garner him is off the hook. also, I was surprised to see that Obama, who has handled himself extremely well, tried to defend himself by claiming that Clinton used his words, when the phrases she used were not as distinct/ownable as what he used. I was disappointed in that. [/QUOTE] I’m not. In fact I’m glad to see it. I know many dopers thinks he walks on water, but a little adversity during his speaking tour/rock show would be good for him. Let’s see how he handles this. So far, pointing the finger back to Hillary, is not a good start. Oh and for what it’s worth, I’ll be voting for him in November. IF he’s the nominee. ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lou-dobbs-actually-retarded/438185/14 "2008-02-19T04:08:55Z")
Lou’s not retarded, but just resembles one on TV?😃 (retroactive reply to **Sampiro**. Me be dumdum tonite) ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lou-dobbs-actually-retarded/438185/15 "2008-02-19T04:12:22Z")
I have yet to meet an Obama supporter who thinks he’s the messiah or walks on water. It’s just more bullshit from Hillary… attack, attack, attack. Attack him, attack his supporters. After she loses she’ll be practiced enough to work for Fox News. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lou-dobbs-actually-retarded/438185/16 "2008-02-19T04:32:05Z")
I think it’s hilarious that Dobbs so completely missed the _point_ of the lines, never mind the flap about whether they were “stolen.” He actually thought that Obama was literally dismissing those historic quotations as “just words?” Talk about clueless. The “plagiarism” charge is ridiculous, of course. Patrick himself says that he suggested the line to Obama as a strategic response to a particular criticism. Obama wasn’t _stealing_ anything, Patrick said, “here…try this for a comeback,” so Obama used it. It’s a strikingly lowball tactic, even from Hillary, to call it “plagiarism.” All politicians strategize with colleagues and suggest lines for each other. I think it’s a desperation move by the Clintons who are probably hoping people just won’t read past the headlines. Patrick saying “I told him to say it,” doesn’t really help the Clintons much, but now Barack is going to have to attribute the living shit out of everything he says. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lou-dobbs-actually-retarded/438185/17 "2008-02-19T04:36:21Z")
Great thread title. First I literally LOL’ed, then I said to myself “you know…that would really explain a lot.” And yeah, who the heck thinks Obama walks on water? Painting his supporters as uncritical hero-worshippers is just a really lame straw-man argument. Just because people are enthusiastic about the man doesn’t mean that they don’t see his flaws and the potential issues with him in the main race and with him as president. They just feel the pros far outweigh the cons. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lou-dobbs-actually-retarded/438185/18 "2008-02-19T04:41:43Z")
[QUOTE=magellan01] I disagree. There are two aspects to an act of plagiarism. One is that you deprive the original author of the credit. The other is that you bask in a light that you do not fully deserve. Just because the original author might say it is okay, doesn’t mean that the person seeking to benefit from whatever admiration the words may garner him is off the hook. [/QUOTE] I don’t understand how this is different then using a speech writer. Candidates don’t usually credit speech writers for specific parts of their speeches, do they? ---
**Author:** ![kevja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@kevja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevja)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lou-dobbs-actually-retarded/438185/19 "2008-02-19T04:49:33Z")
Obama supports have it easy now. Anything that comes up that they don’t like, they can always say, well Hillary is a desperate bitch , i hate her! I hate her! i hate her! But how are they/we (I’m voting for him too in Nov.) going to respond when John McCain and the Republicans go after him? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lou-dobbs-actually-retarded/438185/20 "2008-02-19T04:54:43Z")
[QUOTE=kevja] Obama supports have it easy now. Anything that comes up that they don’t like, they can always say, well Hillary is a desperate bitch , i hate her! I hate her! i hate her! But how are they/we (I’m voting for him too in Nov.) going to respond when John McCain and the Republicans go after him? [/QUOTE] I don’t hate Hillary…or John McCain either, for that matter. But this isn’t “something coming up,” it came directly from the HRC campaign. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lou-dobbs-actually-retarded/438185.md?page=2)