David Neiwert has a follow-up on the issue of Lou Dobbs trotting out numbers on national TV about Mexican nationals spreading leprosy that he got from a white supremacist group that pulled the numbers out of their asses. It’s fucking disturbed that this man has a national microphone to promote racism like this. And his nastiness is getting nastier.
I wonder what’s going on with Dobbs. I thought he had been somewhat wounded last week. The day after he went after me, which was last Monday, I saw him with this woman from Air America. I only saw a few minutes of it, but it was unbelievable. He was simply screaming at her. It looked like Rivera vs. O’Reilly on immigration. He was simply shouting her down. And this was over an extremely minor point — she was trying to make the point that calling people ‘illegal aliens’ is a pejorative, and comes off that way, which I think is pretty undeniable. And Dobbs was just screaming at her.
Laura told me later, he followed her, first, into the dressing room, and then almost into the ladies’ room, yelling at her! It was unbelievable.
Read the whole thing. I’ll admit, I’m freaked out by the situation; this isn’t low-grade racism by any stretch. I know when we write something that takes any stance on immigration left of the “kill ‘em all” position, we get some nasty ass trolls. Racism makes people Teh Crazy.
58 Responses to “Lou Dobbs really, really hates Mexicans”
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Lou Dobbs and Larry King, between the two of them, have made CNN nearly unwatchable. How utterly pathetic and repulsive that Dobbs, an educated man who should know better, is morphing himself into a Babbittesque bigot to compete with the likes of Bill O’Reilly.
Has the old man slipped a cog? Or does he really buy his own propaganda so deeply he’s stopped remembering it was all just something he probably started to get higher ratings?…
And what about those MexicoFascist Armadillos?…
Oh I don’t know Bitter Scribe. There’s got to be a place on that list for the woman-screechy voice of Wolf “I don’t check facts before repeating GOP lies” Blitzer or Paula “I give credibility to wackos with pillows” Zahn. And those are just the afternoon folks. The only thing that even remotely attracts me to CNN anymore is Jack Cafferty.
Amalink–Could you explain the “pillows” reference? It’s over my head.
Dobbs hates Mexicans so much - he married one, and subjugates her with his giant, throbbing patriarchy.
Auguste notes: It appears that this is the same Alec Leamas that wrote a semi-famous Amazon review of Full Frontal Feminism. Just FYI.
“Ladies, there is no need, nor do you have the ability, to reinvent the wheel and act contrary to your nature in some infantile act of solidarity with every other person who also has a uterus as Valenti recommends.”
Oh I was thinking about the guy that said you could beat the gay out of yourself with a pillow and a tennis racket. How a freako like that could actually get a feature on CNN was beyond my reckoning.
Oh and Cafferty said the exact same thing as Dobbs — that the bill is amnesty.
Oh and for the record, the other five (ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC and NBC) are all following Fox right off the cliff.
Isn’t it all about the ratings?
Really. Who are we fooling? If you are a “newsperson” and you can’t provide a program nor off-the-clock interviews that are provocative and enticing enough to draw viewers and increase ad revenue, what good are you?
I’m mad as Hell, etc, etc, etc…. for what it’s worth.
He might as well be the grand wizard at a Klan rally-except he is on CNN and millions of people are watching him thinking he is a credible source instead of a bigot. I hate CNN.
I wonder what Lou’s Mexican-American wife and Mexican parents in-law think of his ranting and raving?
Dobbs is not a racist. He’s a uniculturalist. Totally different things. He honestly believes that going back even to the founding fathers and colonial times, that this country was not meant to be culturally diverse (which of course is a complete 180 from the truth, but anyhoo….) He thinks there’s some sort of static national identity, and that though it may be somewhat flavored by the entry of foreign nationals to the US, largely, who we are, our language and values, were determined by white Protestant men centuries ago, and that any deviation from that is destructive to what we consider innately American, and is cumbersome upon the economy and low-skilled workers. He has said this on TV - his show, and an episode of Real Time with Bill Maher that aired before the last hiatus. I really don’t believe skin color is his primary concern. I think his worry is that there are too many Latinos coming into this country (illegally) and that it will disrupt how he fits into his environment, because they won’t assimilate into his “static American identity” and will push the culture toward norms he’s very uncomfortable with.
I know people will disagree with me, but I really don’t think this guy is a racist. I think he’s scared shitless about what’s going to happen to an apple pie-eating, blue-collar loving, moderate English-speaking white man… when all the Mexicans get to stay here. Comfort zone issues, big time. On principle though, I can’t disagree with him about some aspects of his anti-illegal immigrant stance. I like knowing who’s coming into this country… if they have communicable diseases, criminal records, or if they enjoy trafficking teenage sweatshop slaves over the border…. Stuff like that.
Earlier this year Lou Dobbs spent almost every show in a two month period claiming that it is the job of border patrol agents to shoot unarmed suspects in the back. Law enforcement officers all over the country objected to his description of their jobs, so he toned it down, finally. Over the past year he has turned an infotainment show into a hatefest. Blech.
I just cannot stand to see what has happened to our media. The simple sad reality is that Lou Dobbs continues to be on the air because we watch him. The ONLY thing that will get him off the air is the sponsors (see Imus). While we may despise him, the he gets dropped only if his ratings go first. Apparently, racism is okay if you drape yourself with the flag.
There goes my eyeball
into the highball
Leprosy, I think I’ve got leprosy…
There goes my fingernail
into the ginger ale
Leprosy, &c.
Of course, we now call it Hansen’s Disease, and is it entirely a coincidence that Hansen’s makes ginger ale? I think so. Most certainly.
Was Lou Dobbs always this kind of nutcase? I remember a few years ago when he reported exclusively on the economy, and he seemed like every other buisness reporter-slash-talking head.
Now he’s this raving wingnut - when did this happen?
deep6, with all respect- it doesn’t matter a damn that he’s not really a racist (if that’s in fact the case) if the effect is exactly the same.
Was Lou Dobbs always this kind of nutcase?
He went from corporate booster to critic of corporate outsourcing to anti-immigrant populism.
It really doesn’t matter what he thinks personally, because he offers a national media outlet for some of the worst nativist filth in the country. And for those who say he distinguishes between legal and illegal immigrants? Nah, he doesn’t: not when he’s ranting about bilingual ballots and English as the official language. Like deep6 says, he’s all about a cultural homogeneity that never existed.
Lou Dobbs married a Mexican-American? What’s next, misogynists marrying women?
Snark aside, as others have said above, if Dobbs isn’t actually an unrepentant racist, it’s a distinction without a difference at this point.
deep6, how on earth is that not racist?
I guess in theory, if he would get his knickers in an equally knotty twist over large numbers of, say, French-speaking, white Quebequois immigrants, then he could indeed be a nativist without being a racist. But really, what are the odds of that being the case?
This is what I gathered, as well. But someone said he advocates shooting Mexicans whom attempt to cross the border? That’s obviously madness. I’d have to see that before I dismiss his word.
He was a great guest on Daily Show some time ago - talking about labor rights, thumbs up - and he had Hitch on last week and they spoke very frankly and fairly about god-belief. He’s an atheist too, right? I think I read that before.
Because he’s just scared of The Other, and of his safe lil’ box being polluted by the real world. He makes no claim that Mexicans or Central Americans or some other ethnic group are inferior to/have less cosmic significance than (European) Americans.
I actually don’t know this to be true, and it wouldn’t surprise if he was a genuine racist. But there is a legitimate difference between the two. Uniculturist is a result of mere fear, while racism is a result of incredible stupidity.
At this rate, ol’ “No mas” Lou’s liable to go totally off the deep end really start tilting at immigration windmills.
I don’t think there are enough French speaking white Quebequois to make a signifigant impact on our population, although if the entire city just picked up and moved here, I for one would actually find that a little alarming, just because that’s wierd.
er, I mean province, not city.
Okay, I stand corrected. If the entire white french speaking population of Quebec were to immegrate to the US, the number of people would be comparable to the number of illegal immigrants from latin america that the US census estimates for around the year 2000.
Guess I probably should have run the numbers before opening my gob…
Seriously, the dude gets a tad bit more unhinged each time I hear him speak. Maybe the man caught wifey with ‘the help’ back behind the pool shed recently? Hmm? Vendetta much, Lou?
Oh, Christ, people. A person who is not a citizen is an alien. If that alien is here against the law, they are illegal.
Immigration will help this country. Illegal immigration will kill it.
Illegal immigration will kill it.
Cite, please.
Illegal immigration will kill it.
Cite, please.
I’m sure he heard it on Lou Dobbs.
That or Stormfront…
Since much of the white, french speaking population moves to Florida every winter, I doubt many would notice. However if the entire population of a nationalistic, uniculture region suddenly ups and leaves a stable economy and social support network then I am guessing that you have more to worry about than illegal immigration.
The influx of southern illegals has been slowing with the decline of the building boom. For all the media brouhaha the only thing that will really stop the process is to eliminate the criminal gangs and create a stable supportive economy in Mexico. People don’t want to uproot and abandon their families, they want to be able to build a life and they will go where the oppurtunities are found. You would think that a fiscal conservative like Lou Dobbs would recognize that fact and stress it but practical, workable solutions don’t get ratings.
>>Since much of the white, french speaking population moves to Florida every winter
Most of the white, French speaking population in Quebec don’t have the class privilege of being able to afford to fly to Florida every winter…
And we’re far from unicultural, in spite of all the reactionary nationalist windbags’ wishes.
I wonder what Lou’s Mexican-American wife and Mexican parents in-law think of his ranting and raving?
The phenomenon back home in West Texas of middle class Hispanics raving about the damn Mexicans comes to mind. I always wondered how they managed to calm the cognitive dissonance. I learned about the “paper bag test” last night, and I think that history can shed some light on how it all works.
“The phenomenon back home in West Texas of middle class Hispanics raving about the damn Mexicans comes to mind.”
There certainly is that aspect. From what I saw on “60 Minutes”, his wife looked “mas o menos blanqua” but his in-laws clearly looked latino/mestiso to me (and they live with him as well).
Every time there is a post about immigrations there always seems to be a few new anti-immigrant posters. I just don’t understand how so many people can’t understand that they are word-for-word repeating what the nativists said about the Irish, Italians, Chinese, Polish, and every other group of immigrants that has come to the U.S.
How is it possible to be this willfully ignorant?
So what deep6 is saying is, “Lou Dobbs isn’t racist, he just thinks White Men are better than everyone”.
…yeah, that’s racism, buddy.
Blacbloc- 1) commenting on perception versus reality- I know my neighbourhood is still mostly populated all winter
2)it really depends on the region of Quebec as to how unicultural it is. Montreal is very diverse and even neighbourhoods that are perceived as predominantly francophone are becoming more diverse. Chicoutimi and the rural regions are less diverse but not necessarily francophone.
Still if 7 million people start moving south suddenly then there is more afoot than the economy.
Dobbs needs to be in jail for hate speech, at this point. People who spread hate, or who are apologists for hate (like the racist deep6 in this thread) should be accountable for it.
>The phenomenon back home in West Texas of middle class Hispanics raving about the damn Mexicans comes to mind. I always wondered how they managed to calm the cognitive dissonance.
Depends on if they’re Mexican themselves. My mother-in-law is an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, and she considers Mexicans to be ignorant thugs (a common opinion, I’m told). She knows that there are plenty in this country who would lump her in with said thugs and throw them all out just because they’re all brown (a cousin was stopped at an airport recently because he “looked Arab”), so she knows who she should side with if it should come to that, but until then…damn Mexicans.
As an interesting aside, the woman is my living example of “but YOU’RE not like that” exclusionary thought. The few times she’s met my brother’s (Mexican) wife, they’ve gotten on just fine, and her best friend is African-American, even though she regularly (when said best friend isn’t around) goes on rants about how African-Americans paint themselves as the most victimized people ever.
No, Stogoe, that’s not what I’m saying, nor is it what he’s saying. It’s not about superiority or inferiority of races. His shtick is xenophobia, a static definition of American “culture” and trying to inform people about how corporate greed coupled with the mass emigration of low-skilled, poorly educated people without visas or legal work protections have undermined the native working poor and union organization, and that first-generation immigrants, particularly illegals, have placed a huge burden on state-funded welfare programs and public services resources in high-immigrant areas like NJ, CA, TX, IL and FL.
IMO, he’s not a sexist. As women make up a majority of the working poor, whatever his misplaced reverence for traditional patriarchal American culture might be, he’s certainly not trying to single out the rights of working American men to the disadvantage of working American women.
I hadn’t heard him make the comment about shooting Mexicans crossing the border. That seems over-the-top, even for him, so I just don’t know where to take that one…. If someone can find a transcript, I’d read it.
CJS: You know, that triggered a moment of revelation for me. Dobbs’ isn’t personally to blame. He’s been possessed by the spirit of one of his wife’s distant ancestors, trying to expiate the eternal regret he feels for not going public with his fears that these Spanish-speaking immigrants will bring disease and destroy the Aztec way of life…
Labyrus - you’re crazy.
A further thought, based on Amanda’s link about “colorism”:
Because American society is so diverse, we put people in very large categories, based on very easy-to-perceive traits. White. Black. Native-American. Hispanic. Etc.
Of course, each group contains a lot of groups within it, some that may not appreciate being lumped together. Ask Pakistanis if they like being in the same group as Indians. Or ask the Korean woman at my last job who was insulted if someone mistook her for Chinese. Or see above in re. my mother-in-law. And of course, there are the sub-groups that were crucially important in The Old Country that no one even notices here, but the immigrants themselves still cling to.
What I’m leading up to, I guess, is that Mexicans are often looked at by other Hispanic groups as the Irish were by the “real American” groups that were already here when we immigrated. Just because we spoke English and had ridiculously pale skin didn’t make us White.
Alec Leamas
Don’t you hate it when a troll swipes his moniker from one of your favorite books? Send this loser out into the cold, and let him stay there….
I think that is the very definition of racism, there.
And I have a foolproof solution to the illegal immigration problem! Make it legal for them to come here and stay here as long as they like, so long as they obey our laws.
If all immigration is legal, there is no more illegal immigration, by definition.
I know people will disagree with me, but I really don’t think this guy is a racist.
I don’t think so, either. I think he’s a flunky for a bunch of corporate fat cats who have decided that “divide and conquer” is the political strategy that will best help them line their own pockets.
deep6 - You’re a closet fascist. And I didn’t say you need to be in jail. You need to be accountable. You’ve gotten called on your bullshit in this thread repeatedly, which, to me, is the starting point of accountability for you. Step two is actually listening.
I’d say actual racist/fascists like Dobbs are in a different catergory than soft “let’s tolerate the intolerant” types like you who enable fascists by giving them a soapbox and pretending that they just “don’t get it” when in fact they very much do and are just evil. Lou Dobbs is really, really racist. How you can be blind to that I don’t really understand.
As for whether Lou Dobbs should be in jail - read some of the bile he spews, then look at Ernst Zundel’s pamphlets. You’ll find little difference.
L - Several people have agreed with me, so I’ll assume you’re selectively reading.
I’ll be accountable for my opinion… when I change it to match yours? Great.
If I understand correctly, I’m a racist, racist-apologist, fascist and fascist-enabler… because I disagree about whether someone else is a racist?
“Let’s tolerate the intolerant types like [me]…” WHERE ARE YOU GETTING THAT????
Okay. You are crazy. Spew your bullshit insults elsewhere.
Depends on if they’re Mexican themselves. My mother-in-law is an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, and she considers Mexicans to be ignorant thugs (a common opinion, I’m told).
Oh, they’re Mexicans themselves. It’s a class issue and colorism—the people who rant about the damn Mexicans while being Mexican often, um, “pass” the paper bag test, whatever version there is for Hispanics.
This is where Lou Dobbs’ “uniculturalism” will get us.
For a “liberal” blog that supposedly values freedom of sppech, this blog seems to host the most closed minded facist group of thought police on the internet.
When did freedom of speech begin to mean “the right of a conservative not to be critisized for anything he/she says”?
And yet, Gayle, as annoying, pointless, and boring as you are, your post remains. Others conservatives who show up here might argue that the Moderators only ban or delete conservative posters of substance, whose arguments actually cause some damage to ours (the assumption being that there *have* to be such posters *somewhere*), while leaving up the idiots who make all conservatives look bad. You might want to think twice before you agree.
no, Seraph, Gayle’s right.
we are facist. I know I am. call me a bigot, but I just can’t stand unspeakable, faceless horrors. It’s not like they’re people or anything.
Lou has clearly lost it. I’ve never seen him that obsessed about an issue. Some time ago, I started noticing that, whenever I turn on CNN, there’s Lou ranting about “illegals.” I used to joke about it at first, but a few months ago it became clear to me just how racially motivated his rants are. The fact that he used concocted statistics about leprosy, of all things - the ultimate symbol of otherness - just really drives the point home. I think it’s time CNN put him out to pasture.
Here is kind of SLAM Lou should be getting on a daily basis: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard/Article/CNN-s-Lou-Dobbs—The-Minister-of–Propaganda-and-Enlightenment-/23562