Dobbs For President?
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Elections, General PoliticsLast night I saw a movie called Man of the Year. Maybe you’ve heard about it. Robin Williams plays Tom Dobbs, a Jon Stewart-esque “Newsedian” who throws his hat in the political ring, shakes up the increasingly “stagey” election process and ultimately wins the Oval Office. The film has some genuinely funny moments even though the story has a couple plot holes so big you could drive a Hummer through them. But I digress…
Here’s the thing. What intrigued me about this film is the timing…because it opens during a period in our history where most Americans are VERY unhappy with their elected officials. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or a Republican…the smart money is betting that you don’t like the guy or gal who’s representing you right now.
And even if you going to vote for the opposition party come November, you’re not too jazzed about that reality either. Collectively, we’re coming to understand that the two party system forces politicians to betray those who elected them in the first place in favor of those who really got them elected.
So what to do?
My contribution for now is to start this blog and offer others who are fed up with the system a place to share their voice. Centrist, moderate, independent…I don’t care how you label us, just so long as you acknowledge that the credibility of the two-party system is disintegrating underneath the weight of greed, corruption and the hard-liners who divide our country. Our society is not built on black or white issues, and yet most of the time we’re offered stark choices that have little to do with what will really help the common good. We’re constantly fed “us or them” messages from both sides, and somehow I don’t think that’s going to stop anytime soon unless we speak up.
And then this morning it hit me…an odd bit of coincidence that may very well provide that spark we’ve all been trying to find. You see, there’s a “real” Dobbs who’s making the rounds these days, with much the same message as the fictional Dobbs: Politicians don’t have your interests in mind…they’re bought and paid for…we shouldn’t be forced to go right or left…instead, let’s go forward.
By now you’ve probably guessed that the “real” Dobbs is CNN’s Lou Dobbs, and I’m suggesting that his current platform is what an independent candidacy would have to be built on. In short, Lou Dobbs could run for President with the messaging he has…and he could be a contender.
From an editorial he wrote about the “war” on the middle class:
NEW YORK (CNN) — I don’t know about you, but I can’t take seriously anyone who takes either the Republican Party or Democratic Party seriously — in part because neither party takes you and me seriously; in part because both are bought and paid for by corporate America and special interests. And neither party gives a damn about the middle class.Our country’s middle class is not just collateral damage in what has become all-out class warfare. Political, business and academic elites are waging an outright war on working men and women and their families, and there is no chance the American middle class will survive this assault if the dominant forces unleashed over the past five years continue unchecked.
They’ve accomplished this through large campaign contributions, armies of lobbyists that have swamped Washington, and control of political and economic think tanks and media. Lobbyists, in fact, are the arms dealers in the war on the middle class, brokering money, influence and information between their clients our elected officials.
Yet in my entire career, I’ve literally never heard anyone in Congress argue that lobbyists are bad for America. In 1968 there were only 63 lobbyists in Washington. Today, there are more than 34,000, and lobbyists now outnumber our elected representatives and their staffs by a 2-to-1 margin.
What I also enjoy about what Dobbs is saying is that the media is failing America, with its overwhelming coverage of “gotcha” stories that focus on what Dobbs’ calls “he said/she said” politics and much less on substantive issues that affect our way of life. We need more pointed criticism like this, and we need it sooner rather than later.
So Lou…you interested? You could start talking to the Unity ‘08 folks, take your message to the airwaves for real and try to affect real change. After all, you have the forum. And you could test the “fair time” issue once and for all. Would you want to shake things up? Would you want to stand for the people and be free of the corporate dollars that have come to define the politics of our time?
Of course maybe this is all just fairy tale stuff that’s more fitting for the silver screen then the national stage. But I seem to remember this guy named Perot…
In closing, Lou offers a call to action for all of you disaffected voters out there who still care about your country but can’t seem to make sense of the two-party system…
So what if a majority of us decided once and for all to walk into our town and city halls all over the country and change our party affiliation from Republican or Democrat to independent? What if that sizable number of us who don’t vote at all decided to register as independents? For the first time in decades, working middle-class Americans might just get the attention of our elected officials in Washington.Our middle class has suffered in silence for far too long, and it cannot afford to suffer or be silent much longer. Hardworking Americans have not spoken out about their increasingly marginalized role in this society, and as a consequence they’ve all but lost their voice.
Without that strong, clear and vibrant voice, all the major decisions about America and our future will be made by the elites of government, big business and the dominant special interests. Those elites treasure your silence, as it enables them to claim America’s future for their own.
My question to all of those who read this…will you continue to be silent or will you make your voice heard this November?
UPDATE:
Here’s the interview with Dobbs from my hometown paper, the Kansas City Star, which helped inspire this post.
October 18th, 2006 at 8:32 pm
Mr. Gardener, I commend you for suggesting something so silly that it might actually work…but only in Hollywood. I’d vote for Robin Williams, if only to say how much of a bad joke this whole mess has become. Problem wth so many of the choices, though, is how you could so easily waste your vote on the one that would do the opposition the most benefit. Ms. Clinton comes to mind tor a Dem hopeful. As for Mr. Dobbs, like any good politician he sure likes to hear himself speak. Sometimes his questions go longer than he gives 3 of his guests time to answer. He is persistent, I’ll give him that, and he sure did turn some heads when we finally found out a LOT of people agreed with his ILLEGAL immigration issues, even some important Republicans. Hot Dog, Lou Dobbs for pres. I’m in…and for running mate? Stay tuned.
October 18th, 2006 at 8:41 pm
I’ve always considered Dobbs a bit of a blowhard. I especially haven’t liked his hardline, boarding on xenophobic stance on immigration. And I question exactly who he means by “middle class” and what he personally knows about it considering he’s probably bringing in more than all the Donklephant contributors combined. Not to mention, it’s one thing to complain righteously about lobbyists and such, but it’s a whole other thing to come up with solutions that don’t violate constitutional rights (like, say, the right to petition the government). One man’s “special interest” is another man’s vital interest.
Nevertheless, he definitely voices a middle-America populist message (or, rather, list of complaints) that is outside the usual political divides. If he could get backing, he might be able to pull a Perot–assuming he has a few solutions to the problems he so regularly rages about. But guys like him generally prefer to shout from the sidelines rather than get in the scrum.
October 18th, 2006 at 10:00 pm
This clip explains the state of affairs in modern America and should be played and replayed in every school in America. It helped me understand why the American experiment has been crippled by self-interested elites more interested in their machines and lining their pockets rather than the interest of the people who placed them in office. It’s also funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf_pJmKFY70
October 19th, 2006 at 3:31 am
Well, California voted Schwarzenegger in as governor, and he had pretty much zero experience…so basically all you need to get elected is good charisma, a vicious speechwriter, and puppet masters willing to pay your campaign costs in return for future favors.
Colbert / Stewart ‘08!!
October 19th, 2006 at 6:17 am
I think the better ticket would be Dobbs/Olbermann.
I all seriousness, though, from what he’s been spouting from his soapbox lately, I think Mr Dobbs is a bit of a blowhard, as it was put earlier. And the fact of the matter still is that he’s of CNN and gets half the viewers that say Bill O’Hateful does on FNC.
October 19th, 2006 at 8:29 am
Sleipner, I think you mean Stewart/Colbert ‘08.
October 19th, 2006 at 10:22 am
Lou Dobbs would never get my vote. There are enough folks in office willing to scapegoat illegal immigrants already.
October 19th, 2006 at 12:14 pm
I dont think when you look at the mess we are in with Repubs as Pres, in charge of both branches of Congree and the Supreme Court, that the proper logical conclusion is a pox on both houses, Repub and Dem. The Dems have been totally out of power now for 5 years. So some people are corrupted by money and power, thats some big revelation. Its a human trait as old as the Scriptures. The person whose attitude matches what you describe is Ralph Nader. A vote for Ralph Nader in 2000 gave us GW Bush. Anyone who thinks Al Gore is bought and paid for by corporate America is ill informed. No…what the people need to do is make wiser choices in their leaders from the choices presented instead of grousing that no good choice is presented. I have heard that one all my life (51 years) and it always results in a rotten choice of leadership. In the final analysis, as a people we get the leaders we deserve. Dont tell me after putting GWB, Hastert, Frist, Rummy, Cheney, Delay, etc. etc. in office that they are all rotten, Repubs and Dems. It is not only illogical but likely to result in the same kind of leaders in 2008.
October 23rd, 2006 at 4:49 pm
What we really need is a constitutional amendment to change how voting is done to knock the 2-party only system off its ass.
Republicans and Dems hate each other, sure, but they far prefer the devil they know to the one they don’t, and will resist any attempts to change a system that keeps the two of them from having to deal with any upstart thirds.
November 10th, 2006 at 12:09 am
[...] A few weeks ago, I called for Lou Dobbs to think about running for President. Now, while that may be completely unrealistic, Slate writer Jacob Weisberg decided to write an article about the election and he’s calling the new class of Dems who made it in “Lou Dobbs Democrats.” …in places where Democrats made their most-impressive inroads this year, one heard a distinctly different message of economic nationalism. Nationalism begins from the populist premise that working people aren’t doing so well. But instead of blaming the rich at home, it focuses its energy on the poor abroad. The leading economic nationalist today is probably Lou Dobbs, who on nights other than Election Night natters on against free trade, outsourcing, globalization, and immigration on CNN. […] [...]
June 15th, 2007 at 10:28 pm
The only man in America today that can save our great country is Lou Dobbs! The more anyone finds out about him the more they want him. He can hear the calling he just needs all of us to help him do it. We are up against some of the heaviest hitters in American politics today but so was George Washington and look what he did. No one said it was going to be easy but nothing worth having ever is. This is a fight we ALL must fight if we are to have our great country ever again. Join us and together we are strong and together we WILL win this fight.
Lou Dobbs for President 2008!!
July 6th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
America got a third party Independent when it elected Teddy Roosevelt. It is quite possible once more to elect an Independent this time in 2008, considering the political, ethical and moral decay of both major parties. The best Independent to consider is Lou Dobbs. He may not WANT to run, but our national need is greater than Mr. Dobbs’ reluctance may be. Dobbs has clearly stated his views on a number of vital issues, including immigration, border security, port security, national security, defense, political ethics, employment, outsourcing, free trade, lobbying, education…. I could go on and on, but I urge all of you to look at the opinions Dobbs expresses on his CNN program every day at 6:00 p.m. eastern. His views are very hard to quarrel with. Why don’t we all try for a CLEAN SWEEP in our government, and elect not only a truly INDEPENDENT president, but enough independent legislators as well, to send a message to those who maintain the status quo by sitting on their rumps and doing nothing?