# Lou Dobbs is calling -- do you accept the charges? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 24, 2008, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lou-dobbs-is-calling-do-you-accept-the-charges/442483 "2008-03-24T00:18:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lou-dobbs-is-calling-do-you-accept-the-charges/442483/1 "2008-03-24T00:18:03Z")
So imagine you have a major pressworthy story in your back pocket and over time you continually approach a bunch of contacts. You get a lot of interest but lo and behold the most notorious (and vocal) [is Lou Dobbs](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwgH18tPDxc). Even though you might abhor him to his very essence do you go to him? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lou-dobbs-is-calling-do-you-accept-the-charges/442483/2 "2008-03-24T00:46:14Z")
If the subject doesn’t involve immigration, probably yes. If he breaks a story, you’ll be getting a lot of other calls and chances to get the story out. If it DOES involve immigration, I suppose it would depend on the nature of the story and how it would fit into his bizarro view of “unsafe” borders and criminal immigrants. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lou-dobbs-is-calling-do-you-accept-the-charges/442483/3 "2008-03-24T01:09:20Z")
That’s a tough one. The story is about a small minority military subcontractor. I wouldn’t want Lou Dobbs to score points off of what we say. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lou-dobbs-is-calling-do-you-accept-the-charges/442483/4 "2008-03-24T01:20:37Z")
Does this story have an expiration date? Has Lou actually called? And what’s more important – that the story gets out or that the wrong person doesn’t get “credit” for it? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lou-dobbs-is-calling-do-you-accept-the-charges/442483/5 "2008-03-24T01:23:42Z")
Also, Google News search _investigation military contracts_ and try emailing some of the reporters working on those stories, ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lou-dobbs-is-calling-do-you-accept-the-charges/442483/6 "2008-03-24T01:25:55Z")
Dobbs is actually interested in a story that doesn’t involve Mexicans? What’s the deal? Well, it does involve nasty foreigners at least. Has there ever been a “legitimate” journalist who’s more “la la la la la always on one note” than Dobbs? ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lou-dobbs-is-calling-do-you-accept-the-charges/442483/7 "2008-03-24T03:23:12Z")
[QUOTE=Boyo Jim] Also, Google News search _investigation military contracts_ and try emailing some of the reporters working on those stories, [/QUOTE] Somebody remind me to do that when I’m sober. I’d like to complain to a reporter about the DIA agents I spoke to when I ratted out an ex-employer for shipping substandard components to the US military. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lou-dobbs-is-calling-do-you-accept-the-charges/442483/8 "2008-03-24T05:38:09Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] Somebody remind me to do that when I’m sober. I’d like to complain to a reporter about the DIA agents I spoke to when I ratted out an ex-employer for shipping substandard components to the US military. [/QUOTE] Actually, I’m re-thinking my suggestion. I’m thinking now that the administration has pretty much designated most of the press as enemy combatants, at least those writing critically about the Defense Department, and will be snooping their email. Maybe send them regular mail. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lou-dobbs-is-calling-do-you-accept-the-charges/442483/9 "2008-03-24T08:33:13Z")
Is the question here about Lou Dobbs calling more attention to the issue, or about having reservations about Lou Dobbs’ attention-whoring? If Lou Dobbs is calling, there’s bound to be someone else calling who could do a better job, and still get the word out. I might accept the charges, but I’d send him to voice mail. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lou-dobbs-is-calling-do-you-accept-the-charges/442483/10 "2008-03-24T10:05:16Z")
I don’t know Dobbs, as I don’t have real cable tv. But if he’s calling attention to the idea that illegal immigrants are costing us money, and a porous border is a security risk, then I’d have him on any program. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lou-dobbs-is-calling-do-you-accept-the-charges/442483/11 "2008-03-24T10:29:26Z")
[QUOTE=Cardinal] I don’t know Dobbs, as I don’t have real cable tv. But if he’s calling attention to the idea that illegal immigrants are costing us money, and a porous border is a security risk, then I’d have him on any program. [/QUOTE] The problem is he calls attention to them so much that people tune him out because he comes across as something between a “Get off my lawn you lousy hijos!” old crank and a right wing “sky is falling” nutjob. He has a late night news program on CNN that can be on any topic ala Anderson Cooper or Larry King and yet illegal immigrants are literally the focus of at least one long segment on every single show; sometimes they’re the focus of all segments. Even with the lack of competition on really late night TV he’s such a broken record that most people switch to “sell omelettes on eBay” infomercials as soon as he says “In Texas today…”. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lou-dobbs-is-calling-do-you-accept-the-charges/442483/12 "2008-03-24T12:46:48Z")
If that chubby little racist Dobbs wants to talk to me, it’s on his nickel. There are plenty of other journalists would aren’t cheapskates. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lou-dobbs-is-calling-do-you-accept-the-charges/442483/13 "2008-03-24T21:05:36Z")
[QUOTE=guizot] Is the question here about Lou Dobbs calling more attention to the issue, or about having reservations about Lou Dobbs’ attention-whoring? [/quote] Neither. It’s about whether I can sleep with myself if we choose to return his [producer’s] voicemail. > [@](#): > > If Lou Dobbs is calling, there’s bound to be someone else calling who could do a better job, and still get the word out. That’s the hell of it. It doesn’t get any riper or louder at this point and Dobbs potentially gets my partner and me a lot of attention. Which will be good in the long run. It’s that guy in the mirror who keeps lookin’ at me funny. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lou-dobbs-is-calling-do-you-accept-the-charges/442483/14 "2008-03-24T22:44:11Z")
That treacherous old demigog? Are you kidding? Though he does make a good point about illegal immigrants being criminals. He stresses that this is not bigoted. You do have to go along with this certain logic, that if you work in Texas or Arizona or southern California, it is criminal to be Mexican, and to not break the law you should be a American instead. But, laws is laws. If somebody refuses to stop being Mexican, off with his head, eh, Lou? In tonight’s poll, 99.3% of our viewers agreed that “The government we trusted with our protection should not violate their sacred trust by inviting criminals to come here from scary countries and steal our jobs and our daughters”.