I just watched an interview with Lou Dobbs. I had no real prior knowledge of him, but somehow had a vague opinion/prejudice that he was a far right guy who wasn’t quite a nutjob but not really completely sensible either. But after the interview I find myself thinking he was probably the most reasonable sounding Republican(?) I’ve seen in a very long time.
Knowing hardly nothing about him I’m wondering what would happen if he was the Republican nominee for President in 2012? Is it within the realm of possibilities to happen?
Ps. It was insinuated that he had some controversial views on immigration and that is also my prejudice against him, that he’s radically anti-immigration (as Pat Buchanan), but that issue was never brought up.
He’s the calm voice of nativism and bigotry, so nativists and bigots like him because he gives their cause a seemingly rational tone.
I think David Duke got the same treatment when he took off his white robes and tried to seem more reasonable. But not enough people were fooled by Duke and I don’t think enough will be fooled by Dobbs.
Lou Dobbs was at one point a Republican, but he’s not anymore, and he’s distanced himself from the Republican Party. He’s also anti-free trade, pro-choice and pro-gay rights, all of which would destroy his chances of getting the Republican nomination.
Not to mention that Lou Dobbs has said, on television, that the NAFTA Superhighway is currently being built, that plans for the Amero and the North American Union are currently underway, and that the United States and Mexico are currently at war. (All of this can be found in videos that jrodefeld has linked to as “proof” that these various conspiracies are real.)
Of course it leaves open the question of whether he actually believes these things; it could be just an act designed to get an audience for his show. Back when he did The Moneyline News Hour with Lou Dobbs he actually seemed to be decently intelligent. Nevertheless, now that he has a trail of thousands of hours of televised garbage that he can’t shake, he won’t have much luck in politics.
That sounds like something a GOP candidate could capitalize on.
So… maybe he’s a MAVERICK?
This doesn’t sound insurmountable though.
I just KNEW there was something I liked about him…
If Lou is clearly unrealistic, another question: Assuming you’re NOT a republican, what would be a good Republican candidate assuming he would WIN. Ie: If there “had to” be a Republican president, who would you prefer that could realistically get it?
Well, Lou Dobbs isn’t a Republican, so he’s right out.
Bricker presumably doesn’t fit your “could possibly get it” requirement. Shame, really, because it would be cool to follow up Obama’s second term with our first Hispanic President.
We can’t get into a time machine and retrieve the 1999 John McCain (or his principles).
Dobbs crusades against illegal immigration. This is controversial in Washington because it’s completely corrupt and there is a lot of money in exploiting illegals. It’s hardly controvertial on Main Street. There are plenty of us who would rather see American jobs go to Americans. For myself, I’m fine with legal immigration but there is no shortage of people who don’t consider Mexican-Americans to be Americans at all. I’m not sure where Dobbs fits in there. Public figures don’t come out and say they want to keep brown people out no matter what.
So yeah, even if he were a loyal Republican or Democrat he would have no chance of winning a presidential nomination. You can’t buck the corporate masters and expect to move into the White House.
I would not vote for Mitt Romney, who I see as an empty suit; but he could probably win independents. He has a passably sexy baritone & pretty hair. Further, he can pretend that his “executive experience” as a state governor translates to national/international politics. And that he somehow “knows something about business.”
Also, you’re in Europe, you don’t know. But the paranoia over the NAFTA Superhighway is associated with a surreal myth that the USA will be bisected by a transportation corridor from Mexico to Canada, & see no trade from it. Anyone pushing that is assumed to be detached from reality by definition. Dobbs may mean something different, I don’t know; maybe he’s a protectionist. But it sounds bad dumb.
Powell is too old and his wife wont let him run. I think he was sick of the Washington political scene as Secretary of State. Trust me, his wife was too.
I liked the Romney story of when he and the family were taking a roadtrip with the dog and its carriage box tied to the roof of the car for a 12 hour drive from Massachuttes to Canada. (*note, aren’t these people really rich, why drive 12 hours with kids and an animal?) Romney tells the little Romney’s that they are only going to stop for gasoline and that is it.
The trip quickly scared the shit out of the dog. Literally. The dog shitted everywhere. I am picturing smelly dog shit everywhere on top of some expensive Volvo like car with Romney saying curse words like Fark! and Shat! because he is a Mormon and he can’t say the real swear words.
Doing something stupid like that just makes the man more human.