Louis "
Lou"
Dobbs (born September 24, 1945) is an American radio and television host, managing
editorEditing is the process of selecting and preparing language, images, sound, video, or film through processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications in various media...
for
CNNCable News Network, almost always referred to by its initialism CNN, is an U.S. cable news network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first network to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television network in the United States...
's
Lou Dobbs TonightLou Dobbs Tonight is an American editorial commentary and discussion program on CNN, anchored by Lou Dobbs, who is also its managing editor. The hour-long show is aired live on evenings every weekday, and repeated later at night on HLN and in the very early morning hours on CNN again. It covers the...
, and editorial columnist.
Background and family life
Born in
Childress County, TexasChildress County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 7,688. It is named for George Campbell Childress, the author of the Texas Declaration of Independence...
, Dobbs was born the son of Frank Dobbs, a co-owner of a
propanePropane is a three-carbon alkane, normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. It is derived from other petroleum products during oil or natural gas processing...
business, and Lydia Mae Hensley, a bookkeeper. When Dobbs was 12, his father's
propanePropane is a three-carbon alkane, normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. It is derived from other petroleum products during oil or natural gas processing...
business failed and the family moved to
Rupert, IdahoRupert is the county seat and largest city of Minidoka County, Idaho, United States. It is part of the Burley, Idaho Micropolitan Statistical Area...
. He attended
Minico High SchoolMinico High School, also known as Minidoka County High School, is a public high school located in Minidoka County, Idaho, United States...
in
Minidoka CountyMinidoka County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. The county seat and largest city is Rupert. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 20,174 ....
, serving as student body president in 1963. He earned a
bachelor's degreeA bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for four years, but can range from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in
economicsEconomics is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
from
Harvard UniversityHarvard University is a private university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and currently comprises ten separate academic units...
, graduating in 1967.
After graduating, Dobbs worked for federal anti-
povertyPoverty is the condition of lacking basic human needs such as nutrition, clean water, health care, clothing, and shelter because of the inability to afford them. This is also referred to as absolute poverty or destitution...
programs in Boston and
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
and as a cash-management specialist for
Union BankUnion Bank, N.A., formerly known as Union Bank of California, N.A., is a full-service commercial bank providing an array of financial services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, and major corporations...
in
Los AngelesLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
. He married his high school sweetheart in 1969 and in 1970 their first son was born. Dobbs moved to
Yuma, ArizonaYuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The population of the city was 77,515 at the 2000 census, with a 2006 Census Bureau estimated population of 87,423....
and got a job as a police and fire reporter for
KBLU-AMKBLU is a commercial radio station in Yuma, Arizona, broadcasting at 560 kHz on the AM dial. It airs a news/talk format which includes syndicated programs such as Dr. Laura, and Coast to Coast AM from Premiere Radio Networks.-Notable alumni:Alumni include:...
. By the mid-1970s he was a television anchor and reporter in
PhoenixPhoenix is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the fifth most populous city in the United States...
, and he later joined
SeattleSeattle is located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Situated in the western part of Washington State on an isthmus between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, about south of the Canada – United States border, it is named after Chief Sealth, of the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes...
's
KING-TVKING-TV, channel 48, is a television station in Seattle, Washington, USA. It is affiliated with the NBC network, and broadcasts on digital UHF channel 48. Its offices and broadcasting center are located just east of Seattle Center. The station's transmitter is located in the Queen Anne neighborhood...
. In 1979, he was contacted by a recruiter for
Ted TurnerRobert Edward "Ted" Turner III is an American media mogul and philanthropist. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the cable television network CNN, the first dedicated 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television...
, who was in the process of forming CNN. He is married to his second wife, Debi Lee Segura, who is a one-time CNN sports anchor. Together, the couple has four children. Dobbs resides on a 300-acre
horseThe horse is a hoofed mammal, a subspecies of one of seven extant species of the family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
farm in
Sussex County, New JerseyThe County of Sussex is the northernmost county in the State of New Jersey. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2000 Federal decennial census, 144,166 persons resided in Sussex County of which nearly 95% were white...
.
CNN
Dobbs joined
CNNCable News Network, almost always referred to by its initialism CNN, is an U.S. cable news network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first network to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television network in the United States...
when it launched in 1980, serving as its chief
economicsEconomics is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
correspondentA correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, from a remote, often distant, location. A foreign correspondent is stationed in a foreign country. The term correspondent refers to the original practice of...
and as host of the business news program
MoneylineLou Dobbs Tonight is an American editorial commentary and discussion program on CNN, anchored by Lou Dobbs, who is also its managing editor. The hour-long show is aired live on evenings every weekday, and repeated later at night on HLN and in the very early morning hours on CNN again. It covers the...
on CNN. Dobbs also served as a corporate executive for CNN, as its executive vice president and as a member of CNN's executive committee. He founded CNN fn (CNN financial news), serving as its president and anchoring the program
Business Unusual, which examined business creativity and leadership.
Departure and founding of Space.com
Dobbs repeatedly clashed with
Rick KaplanRick Kaplan, who served as President of CNN and Senior Vice-President of ABC News , was named President of MSNBC in February 2004. He was a long-time executive producer for World News Tonight with Peter Jennings before leaving for CNN. In June 2006 Kaplan resigned as president of MSNBC. Over his...
, who became president of CNN in 1997. Dobbs said Kaplan, noted friend of then president
Bill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He was the third-youngest president; only Theodore Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy were younger when entering office...
, was "clearly partisan" and "was pushing Clinton stories," while Kaplan said Dobbs was "a very difficult person to work with."
On April 20, 1999, CNN was covering Clinton's speech in
Littleton, ColoradoLittleton is a Home Rule Municipality in Arapahoe County and Jefferson County in the U.S. state of Colorado. Littleton is a suburb of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area. Littleton is the county seat of Arapahoe County and the 17th most populous city in the State of Colorado...
, following the
Columbine High School massacreThe Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, an unincorporated area in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, near Denver and Littleton...
. Dobbs ordered the producer to cut away from the speech and return to broadcast
Moneyline. Dobbs was countermanded by Kaplan, who ordered CNN to return to the speech. Kaplan later said, "Tell me what journalistic reason there was not to cover the president at Columbine soon after the shootings? Everyone else was doing it." Dobbs announced on the air that "CNN President Rick Kaplan wants us to return to Littleton." A few days later, Dobbs announced that he was leaving the network to start
Space.comSpace.com is a space and astronomy news website. Its stories are often syndicated to other media outlets, including CNN, MSNBC, Yahoo!, and USA Today....
, a website devoted to astronautical news. Dobbs was subsequently replaced as host of
Moneyline by
Willow BayWillow Bay is an American television correspondent, former model, and wife of Walt Disney Company CEO Robert Iger. She is currently hosting specials on Lifetime Television.-Career:...
and
Stuart VarneyStuart Varney is a conservative British-American economic journalist, currently working for the Fox News Channel and the Fox Business Network in the United States. Varney joined Fox News in January 2004 as a business contributor on many shows, such as Your World with Neil Cavuto...
.
Return to CNN
Kaplan left CNN in August 2000, and Dobbs returned the following year, at the behest of his friend and CNN founder
Ted TurnerRobert Edward "Ted" Turner III is an American media mogul and philanthropist. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the cable television network CNN, the first dedicated 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television...
, becoming host and managing editor of the new and initially more general news program
Lou Dobbs Reporting, which later became
CNN News Sunday Morning. He also regained the helm of the newly renamed
Lou Dobbs Moneyline (which became
Lou Dobbs Tonight in June 2003).
Dobbs also hosts a nationally syndicated radio show,
The Lou Dobbs Financial Report, and he is a regular columnist in
MoneyMoney is a Time Inc. personal finance magazine. Its first issue was published in October 1972. Its articles cover the gamut of personal finance topics ranging from investing, saving, retirement and taxes to family finance issues like paying for college, credit, career and home improvement. It is...
magazine,
U.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World Report is an American newsmagazine published in Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek, it was for many years a leading news weekly, although it focused more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
and the
New York Daily NewsThe Daily News of New York City is the fifth most-widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 632,595, as of June 13, 2009. The first U.S. daily printed in tabloid form, it was founded in 1919, and as of 2007 is owned and run by Mortimer Zuckerman...
.
Radio
, Dobbs currently hosts
Lou Dobbs Radio on
United Stations Radio NetworksUnited Stations Radio Networks is a radio network providing a wide range of programs and programming services for radio stations across the US and elsewhere...
. The three hour daily show has been working on lining up affiliates in major markets, including its
flagship station (
WORWOR is a class A , AM radio station located in New York, New York, U.S., operating on 710 kHz. The station has a talk format and has been owned by Buckley Broadcasting since 1987, after the station was sold by RKO. The station has conservative, or right of center hosts.Its call letters have no...
) in New York City,
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
(KGIL), Washington D.C. (
WHFSWHFS was the call sign for three different FM stations in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore, Maryland markets on various frequencies for nearly 50 years. The first and longest run was a progressive rock station and was usually, and affectionately, referred to as 'HFS...
), Miami (
WZABWZAB is a business news and talk radio station based in the South Florida area of Miami and Fort Lauderdale. This station is under a joint ownership of Florida City Radio and Salem Communications under a local marketing agreement....
-AM) and
San Francisco BaySan Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
(KDOW), as well as stations such as
WGNY-AMWGNY is a radio station broadcasting a Oldies format. Licensed to Newburgh, New York, USA, the station serves the Newburgh-Middletown area. The station is currently owned by Sunrise Broadcasting Corporation and features programing from ABC Radio ....
in
Newburgh, New YorkNewburgh is a city located in Orange County, New York, 60 miles north of New York City, and south of Albany, on the Hudson River. The population was 28,259 at the 2000 census. Figures released by the U. S. Census Bureau in late June 2009 estimated that the population at that time was 28,101...
. The show is guest-centered and features political discussion and listener calls. It airs from noon to 3 p.m. Pacific Time (3 to 6 p.m. Eastern), directly competing with
The Sean Hannity ShowThe Sean Hannity Show is a talk radio show hosted by Sean Hannity on Citadel Media and Premiere Radio Networks. The program is broadcast live every weekday, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m...
and
Dr. LauraLaura Catherine Schlessinger is an American radio host, author, and socially conservative commentator. Once a professional counselor, Schlessinger offers advice to callers every day on The Dr...
. Dobbs also hosts the financially themed
Lou Dobbs Minute on the same network.
In June 2008, Dobbs reached an agreement with Business TalkRadio Network to carry a rebroadcast of the show from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern, displacing Bruce Williams. Dobbs's show is also carried live on CRN Digital Talk Radio Networks, on CRN4.
Dobbs was among the hosts who tried out for the position vacated by the cancellation of
Imus in the MorningImus in the Morning is an American radio show hosted by Don Imus on Citadel Media , and simulcast for television on Fox Business Network....
on WFAN, a position that was eventually filled by
Boomer and Carton in the MorningBoomer and Carton in the Morning is a morning drive sports radio program on WFAN in New York City. The hosts of the radio program are former NFL quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals, Boomer Esiason and former Jersey Guy Craig Carton.The show debuted on...
. Dobbs mentioned on his radio show, that he is currently seeking a position in the Department of Treasury during the economic crisis. Dobbs stated that he believed he could "do more good than the clowns currently in position."
Political views
Originally
fiscally conservativeFiscal conservatism is a political term used in North America to describe a fiscal policy that advocates a reduction in overall government spending. Fiscal conservatives often consider deficit and national debt reduction as well as balancing the federal budget of paramount importance...
, Dobbs' views changed from conservative to "Independent
populistPopulism is a political discourse that juxtaposes "the people" with "the elites." Populism may comprise an ideology urging social and political system changes and/or a rhetorical style deployed by members of political or social movements...
," becoming a critic of the "excesses of
capitalismCapitalism is an economic and social system in which the means of production are privately controlled; labor, goods and capital are traded in a market; profits are distributed to owners or invested in technologies and industries; and wages are paid to labor...
," which he identifies as
globalizationGlobalization describes an ongoing process by which regional economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through a globe-spanning network of communication and exchange....
,
offshore outsourcingOffshoring describes the relocation by a company of a business process from one country to another -- typically an operational process, such as manufacturing, or supporting processes, such as accounting. Even state governments employ offshoring....
,
runaway film production"Runaway production" is a term used by the film industry to describe motion picture productions and television shows that are "intended for initial release/exhibition or television broadcast in the U.S., but are actually filmed in another country."...
(the outsourcing of Hollywood jobs),
illegal immigrationIllegal immigration is immigration across national borders in a way that violates the immigration laws of the destination country. Illegal immigrants are also known as illegal aliens to differentiate them from legal aliens...
,
free tradeFree trade is one of the most debated topics in economics of the 20th and 21st century . Arguments over free trade can be divided into economic, moral, and socio-political arguments. The academic debate among economists is currently settled in favor of free trade, with a consensus having existed...
deals, corporate/
big businessBig Business is a term used to describe large corporations, in either an individual or collective sense. The term first came into use in a symbolic sense subsequent to the American Civil War, particularly after 1880, in connection with the combination movement that began in American business at...
influence in government and the Bush administration's
tax cutsTaxation in the United States is a complex system which may involve payment to at least four different levels of government and many methods of taxation. United States taxation includes local government, possibly including one or more of municipal, township, district and county governments...
. He describes himself as an advocate of
economic populismProducerism, sometimes referred to as "producer radicalism," is a syncretic ideology of populist economic nationalism that holds that the productive forces of society - the ordinary worker, the small businessman, and the entrepreneur, are being held back by parasitical elements at both the top and...
, warning that
outsourcingOutsourcing is subcontracting a service, such as product design or manufacturing, to a third-party company. The decision whether to outsource or to do inhouse is often based upon achieving a lower production cost, making better use of available resources, focussing energy on the core competencies...
and the U.S.
tradeThe balance of trade is the difference between the monetary value of exports and imports of output in an economy over a certain period. It is the relationship between a nation's imports and exports...
and
budget deficitA budget deficit occurs when an entity spends more money than it takes in. The opposite of a budget deficit is a budget surplus. Debt is essentially an accumulated flow of deficits. In other words, a deficit is a flow, and debt is a stock....
s threaten the
American middle classThe American middle class is an ambiguously defined social class in the United States. While the concept remains largely ambiguous in popular opinion and common language use, contemporary sociologists have put forward several, more or less congruent, theories on the American middle class...
. Dobbs tends to oppose long-run trade deficits and
outsourcingOutsourcing is subcontracting a service, such as product design or manufacturing, to a third-party company. The decision whether to outsource or to do inhouse is often based upon achieving a lower production cost, making better use of available resources, focussing energy on the core competencies...
for the sake of labor
arbitrageIn economics and finance, arbitrage is the practice of taking advantage of a price differential between two or more markets: striking a combination of matching deals that capitalize upon the imbalance, the profit being the difference between the market prices...
to obtain cheap labor.
In the 2000s, Dobbs has used CNN programs and columns to express his personal views on several subjects. He has become particularly noted for two positions: Dobbs is a critic of American immigration policy and expanded
international tradeInternational trade is exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories. In most countries, it represents a significant share of gross domestic product . While international trade has been present throughout much of history , its economic, social, and political...
. He is particularly wary of outsourcing and off-shoring, especially with
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
. On November 15 2006, Dobbs described himself as a populist.
Illegal immigration and border security
Dobbs is strongly opposed to both
illegal immigrationIllegal immigration to the United States refers to the act of foreign nationals violating U.S. immigration policies and national laws by immigrating to the United States without proper consent from the United States government....
as well as various labor outsourcing programs such as the
H-1B visaThe H-1B is a non-immigrant visa in the United States under the Immigration & Nationality Act, section 101. It allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations...
program and
guest workerA foreign worker is a person who works in a country other than the one of which he or she is a citizen. The term migrant worker as discussed in the migrant worker page is used in a particular UN resolution as a synonym for "foreign worker"...
programs. Along with this, he has been a critic of the
MexicanThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
government's poverty programs, and of church leaders in Mexico for not criticizing the Mexican government's policies on border security and illegal immigration.
Lou Dobbs TonightLou Dobbs Tonight is an American editorial commentary and discussion program on CNN, anchored by Lou Dobbs, who is also its managing editor. The hour-long show is aired live on evenings every weekday, and repeated later at night on HLN and in the very early morning hours on CNN again. It covers the...
frequently features related issues under the themes "Exporting America," "Broken Borders," and "War on the Middle Class". The newscast often describes illegal immigration as an "invasion." Dobbs dismissed concerns about his rhetoric as "
political correctnessPolitical correctness is a term denoting language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social offense in gender, racial, cultural, handicap, and age-related usages...
" in the segment billboarded "P.C. Nation".
In his "Broken Borders" segments, Dobbs focused primarily on the southern border with Mexico and the
drugsThe illegal drug trade is a global black market consisting of the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of illegal controlled drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug control laws...
and the people that cross it. Dobbs has lauded the Canadian government for cooperation in securing the border with their American counterparts.
In an interview with
Lesley StahlLesley Rene Stahl is an American television journalist. Since 1991, she has reported for CBS on 60 Minutes.-Personal life:...
, Dobbs spoke about his meeting with the
Congressional Hispanic CaucusThe Congressional Hispanic Caucus comprises 23 Democratic members and one independent member of the United States Congress of Hispanic descent. The Caucus is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics in the United States and Puerto Rico...
, saying they implied that he was anti-
HispanicHispanic is a term that historically denoted a relationship to the ancient Hispania . During the modern era, it took on a more limited meaning, relating to the contemporary nation of Spain....
by asking him, "if [he had] ever eaten a taco before, for God's sake". Representative
Joe BacaJose Baca , an American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1999, representing California's 43rd congressional district ....
, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, later wrote to CBS insisting that the group did not meet with Dobbs to discuss whether he'd eaten Hispanic food, "but to respectfully recommend that he cease the negative portrayal of Hispanics...and treat the issue of immigration in a responsible manner."
In 2007, Dobbs repeatedly and falsely claimed that Hispanics were responsible for bringing 7,000 new cases of
leprosyLeprosy , or Hansen's disease , is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions are the primary external symptom...
to the United States in a three year period. The actual total number of all leprosy cases in the United States in that timeframe was on the order of 1/20th of that amount. The Federal Government's National Hansen’s Disease Program specifically refuted Dobbs' claims, but when asked about his statements Dobbs denied he'd made them and took offense at being questioned on the matter.
Dobbs has criticized local officials for their approach to border security. In October 2007 he labeled ex-
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Governor
Eliot SpitzerEliot Laurence Spitzer is an American lawyer and former politician of the Democratic Party. He served as Governor of New York from January 2007 until his resignation on March 17, 2008 in the wake of the exposure of his involvement in a high-priced prostitution ring...
an "idiot" for advocating the issuance of
driver's licenseA driver's license, driver license, driver licence, or driving licence is an official document which states that a person may operate a motorized vehicle, such as a motorcycle, car, truck or a bus. The laws relating to driver's licensing vary between jurisdictions...
s to
illegal immigrantsIllegal immigration is immigration across national borders in a way that violates the immigration laws of the destination country. Illegal immigrants are also known as illegal aliens to differentiate them from legal aliens...
. Hillary Clinton labeled Dobbs' illegal immigration segments as having "all that hot air."
Other views
Dobbs once described himself as a "lifelong
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
," but has stated that he has switched to being an unaffiliated independent populist, as he no longer openly supports any party. Though he made a donation of $1,000 to the
Bush-CheneyThis article is about the 2000 presidential campaign of George W. Bush, winner of the 2000 presidential election and re-elected in the 2004 election.See George W. Bush for a detailed biography and information about his presidency, and George W...
campaign in January 2001, he often has described the Bush administration and the then Republican-controlled
CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election....
as "disgraceful." He has also argued that both parties are controlled by corporate interests. Dobbs faulted Bush's
2004 presidential electionThe United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
opponent, Democrat
John KerryJohn Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, and is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee....
, for first criticizing outsourcing and then backing off.
Dobbs is
pro-choicePro-choice describes the political and ethical view that a woman should have complete control over her fertility and the choice to continue or terminate a pregnancy. This entails the guarantee of reproductive rights, which includes access to sexual education; access to safe and legal abortion,...
, opposes gun control and, though he is a fiscal conservative, supports some government regulations, as revealed in a
60 Minutes60 Minutes is an American investigative television newsmagazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by long time producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation. It has been among the top-rated TV programs for much of its life,...
interview.
Dobbs' stance on trade has earned plaudits from some
trade unionLabor unions in the United States are legally recognized as representatives of workers in many industries. The most prominent unions are among public sector employees such as teachers and police...
activists on the traditional political left, while his stance on immigration tends to appeal to the
rightConservatism in the United States is a major American political philosophy. In contemporary American politics, it is often associated with the Republican Party...
. In an interview with
Larry KingLawrence Harvey Zeiger , better known by his stage name Larry King, is an American television and radio host.He is recognized in the United States as one of the premier broadcast interviewers. King has conducted some 40,000 interviews with politicians, athletes, entertainers, and other newsmakers...
, Dobbs revealed that he is now "an unaffiliated independent" owing to dissatisfaction with both the
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
and
Democratic partiesThe Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
.
Dobbs has been generally supportive of gay civil rights. In June 2006, as the
U.S. SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the lower house being the House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate and the House are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution . Each U.S state is represented by two senators,...
debated the
Federal Marriage AmendmentThe Federal Marriage Amendment was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution which would have limited marriage in the United States to unions of one man and one woman...
, Dobbs was critical of the action. He asserted that traditional marriage was threatened more by financial crises perpetuated by Bush administration economic policy than by
gay marriageSame-sex marriage is a term used to describe a legally or socially recognized marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Other terms used to describe this type of recognition include gay marriage or gender-neutral marriage.Same-sex marriage is a civil rights,...
.
In July 2006, Dobbs criticized U.S. foreign policy as being disproportionately supportive of
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
, pointing out the U.S.' rapid recognition of Israel in 1948, foreign aid to Israel, and other policy choices in the past and present.
Dobbs is the author of
War on the Middle Class, in which he claims that both Democrats and Republicans are harming the middle class. In it, he comes out strongly against the Bush tax cuts, which he argues favor the wealthy, and argues for raising the U.S.
minimum wageA minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly wage that employers may legally pay to employees or workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labor. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion...
from what was then $5.15 an hour.
Recently, Dobbs has been critical of the rescue package brought about by the Bush Administration and supported by the Democratic-controlled Congress, which he and others call as a "Wall Street Bailout." Dobbs describes this package as a way for U.S. Treasury Secretary
Henry PaulsonHenry Merritt "Hank" Paulson, Jr. served as the 74th United States Treasury Secretary. He previously served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs...
to help corporate interests rather than average Americans.
Controversy
Dobbs' critics, including columnist
James K. GlassmanJames K. Glassman is an American conservative editorialist, journalist and author. Glassman was confirmed by the Senate in 2007 to be Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, an independent federal agency that provides programming about America to non-American overseas audiences via the...
, author of
Dow 36,000Dow 36,000: The New Strategy for Profiting From the Coming Rise in the Stock Market is a book by James K. Glassman and Kevin A. Hassett. It was published in 1999, shortly before the dot-com bubble burst, and predicted that the Dow Jones Industrial Average would rise to 36,000 within a few years...
and member of the neoconservative
American Enterprise InstituteThe American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research is a conservative think tank founded in 1943. Its stated mission is "to defend the principles and improve the institutions of American freedom and democratic capitalism—limited government, private enterprise, individual liberty and...
think tank, have accused him of inciting
xenophobiaXenophobia is a dislike and/or fear of that which is unknown or different from oneself. It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear." The term is typically used to describe a fear or dislike of foreigners or of people significantly different from...
. Others have accused him of
HispanophobiaHispanophobia is a fear, distrust, aversion, or discrimination of Hispanic people, Hispanic culture and the Spanish language...
, a charge he denies and one which he has said offends him deeply, as his wife Debi Segura is a Mexican-American.
Dobbs has also been criticized for his journalistic ethics by "progressive news" journalist
Amy GoodmanAmy Goodman is an American broadcast journalist, syndicated columnist and author.A 1984 graduate of Harvard University, Goodman is best known as the principal host of Democracy Now!, a public radio/television/internet news program...
. She exposed flagrant errors in his reporting and his staff's association with disreputable sources, complaining that "he has a special responsibility to rely on facts and to correct misstatements of fact." He entered the undocumented immigration debate "invoking populist rhetoric and championing the cause of the middle class", a stance opposed by her
Democracy Now!Democracy Now! is a syndicated program of news, analysis, and opinion aired by more than 700 radio and television, satellite and cable TV networks in North America...
co-host
Juan GonzalezJuan González is an American investigative journalist. He has been a columnist for the New York Daily News since 1987. He co-hosts the radio and television program Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman.-Biography:...
.
A CNN report, filed by
Christine RomansChristine Romans is a correspondent and anchor for CNN. She previously worked for Reuters and Knight Ridder Financial News. She is a co-host with Ali Velshi on the weekend business TV show Your $$$$$ and is a business correspondent for American Morning. She is from Iowa and graduated from Iowa...
for Dobbs's April 14, 2005 program, reported on the carrying of diseases across the border by illegal immigrants. Romans' report cited an article in the spring 2005 issue of the non-indexed
Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, written by
Madeleine CosmanMadeleine Pelner Cosman was a scholar, a policy analyst, an advocate, a prolific author, and a faculty member at City College of New York...
, which made the statement that 7,000 cases of
leprosyLeprosy , or Hansen's disease , is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions are the primary external symptom...
had emerged in the United States within the previous three years (2002-2005), an increase attributed mostly to an influx of immigrants into the country. Critics of the program argued that, in fact, the actual number of leprosy cases had reached 7,000 in the registry over 30 years, not the previous three years, with 137 cases reported in 2006. In addressing the leprosy issue, Dobbs in May 2007 compared his critics from the left and right political spectrums to "
commiesCommunism is a socioeconomic structure and political ideology that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless society based on common ownership and control of the means of production and property in general. Karl Marx posited that communism would be the final stage in human...
" and "
fascistsFascism, , comprises a radical and authoritarian nationalist political ideology and a corporatist economic ideology developed in Italy. Fascists believe that nations and/or races are in perpetual conflict whereby only the strong can survive by being healthy, vital, and by asserting themselves in...
." On December 4, 2007, Dobbs rejected Cosman's claims as unsubstantiated, calling her "a wackjob".
On the May 23, 2006 edition of
Lou Dobbs Tonight, Dobbs's program displayed a map of
AztlánAztlán is the legendary ancestral home of the Nahua peoples, one of the main cultural groups in Mesoamerica. "Aztec" is the Nahuatl word for "people from Aztlan."-Legend:...
sourced to the controversial
Council of Conservative CitizensThe Council of Conservative Citizens is an American political organization that supports a large variety of conservative and paleoconservative causes in addition to white nationalism and white separatism. Some members of the CofCC board of directors are former leaders of the segregationist Citizen...
. CNN spokeswoman Christa Robinson apologized for the graphic's use, saying: "A freelance field producer in Los Angeles searched the web for Aztlan maps and grabbed the Council of Conservative Citizens map without knowing the nature of the organization. The graphic was a late inclusion in the script and, regrettably, was missed in the
vettingVetting is a process of examination and evaluation, generally referring to performing a background check on someone before offering him or her employment...
process."
In mid-2009, Dobbs was criticized for giving air time to
Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theoriesConspiracy theories rejecting the legitimacy of President of the United States Barack Obama's citizenship and his eligibility to be President have circulated before and after his victory in the 2008 presidential election. Some of these conspiracy theories allege that Obama was born in Kenya, not...
that claim
Barack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office, as well as the first president born in Hawaii...
was not born in the United States. His willingness to repeatedly raise the "birther" issue even though CNN itself considered it a "discredited rumor", led the Washington Posts TV critic to remark that this "explains their upcoming documentary: 'The World: Flat. We Report -- You Decide.'" The issue had come up in 2008 during the Presidential campaign, and had largely disappeared from the media spotlight until Dobbs picked up the issue again. His statements in support of these investigations were dubbed "racist" and "defamatory" by the
Southern Poverty Law CenterThe Southern Poverty Law Center is an American non-profit legal organization, internationally known for its tolerance education programs, its legal victories against white supremacists and its tracking of organizations it calls hate groups....
The controversy led to
Media MattersMedia Matters can refer to:* Media Matters , media relations and PR firm in Kansas City, Missouri* Media Matters for America, media and information center founded by author David Brock...
airing ads critical of Dobbs and of CNN, and to
Jon StewartJonathan "Jon" Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
mocking Dobbs on the satirical
The Daily ShowThe Daily Show, known in its current incarnation as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn...
. The New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded in 1851 and published in New York City. The largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States, "The Gray Lady"—named for its staid appearance and style—is regarded as a national newspaper of record...
said that Dobbs had "become a publicity nightmare for CNN, embarrassed his boss and hosted a show that seemed to contradict the network's 'no bias' brand."
Shortly afterwards, Dobbs announced that he would broadcast two episodes of Lou Dobbs Tonight from the "Hold Their Feet to the Fire" conference in
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
, organized by the
Federation for American Immigration ReformThe Federation for American Immigration Reform is a non-profit 501 educational organization in the United States that advocates changes in U.S. immigration policy that would result in significant reductions in immigration, both legal and illegal...
(FAIR), an anti-immigration advocacy group. Media Matters also criticized this move, citing FAIR founder
John TantonJohn H. Tanton, M.D., is a retired ophthalmologist from Petoskey, Michigan, an environmental activist, and an influential activist in efforts aimed at reducing immigration levels in the United States...
's history of making racially derogatory remarks and supporting white supremacist organizations. Media Matters president
Eric BurnsEric Alfred Burns is an American critic, writer, poet, columnist and Role Playing Game developer who lives in New Hampshire...
issued an open letter to CNN vice president
Jonathan KleinJonathan Klein may refer to:* Jonathan Klein , president of the American television news network CNN* Jonathan Klein , founder of Getty Images...
, asking that the network take action against Dobbs. "Mr. Dobbs represents an ongoing threat to CNN's credibility as a serious news organization, in no small part because of his polemical coverage of immigration issues and his continued use of his CNN show to lend prominence to groups such as FAIR", wrote Burns. "The attention and legitimacy he gave to the 'birther' movement -- and CNN's condoning of his actions -- did real damage to that credibility. His participation in the upcoming FAIR rally would do further, serious damage. We urge you to finally acknowledge that Mr. Dobbs' actions in this and other contexts are inconsistent with the reputation that CNN strives to maintain."
Awards
Dobbs has won numerous major awards for his television journalism, most notably a
Lifetime Achievement Emmy AwardThe Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards , Grammy Awards and Tony Awards .They are presented in various...
and a Cable Ace Award. He received the
George Foster Peabody AwardThe George Foster Peabody Awards are annual, international awards for excellence in radio and television broadcasting. First awarded in 1941 for programs from the previous year, they are one of the oldest honors in electronic media...
for his coverage of the
1987 stock market crashIn finance, Black Monday refers to Monday, October 19, 1987, when stock markets around the world crashed, shedding a huge value in a very short time. The crash began in Hong Kong, spread west through international time zones to Europe, hitting the United States after other markets had already...
. He also has received the Luminary Award of the Business Journalism Review in 1990, the
Horatio AlgerHoratio Alger, Jr. was a prolific 19th-century American author whose principal output was formulaic juvenile novels that followed the adventures of bootblacks, newsboys, peddlers, buskers, and other impoverished children in their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of respectable middle-class...
Association Award for Distinguished Americans in 1999 and the National Space Club Media Award in 2000.
The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal is an English-language international daily newspaper published by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, in New York City, with Asian and European editions. As of 2007, it has a worldwide daily circulation of more than 2 million, with approximately 931,000...
has named Dobbs "TV's Premier Business News Anchorman". In 2004, Dobbs was awarded the Eugene Katz Award For Excellence in the Coverage of Immigration by the Center for Immigration StudiesThe Center for Immigration Studies is a non-profit research organization that advocates immigration reduction in the United States. Founded in 1985, its executive director is Mark Krikorian. As a 501 organization, it is subject to limits or absolute prohibitions on engaging in political activities...
and in 2005 he received the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution's Statesmanship Award. Dobbs was named "Father of the Year" by the National Father's Day Committee in 1993.
Books
Independents Day: Awakening The American Spirit
(2007). ISBN 978-0-670-01836-9.
Lou Dobbs, Exporting America: Why Corporate Greed Is Shipping American Jobs Overseas
(2004). ISBN 0-446-57744-8.
Lou Dobbs, Space: The Next Business Frontier
(2005). ISBN 0-7434-2389-5
Lou Dobbs, War on the Middle Class: How the Government, Big Business, and Special Interest Groups Are Waging War on the American Dream and How to Fight Back
(2006). ISBN 0-670-03792-3.
Ron Hira and Anil Hira, with foreword by Lou Dobbs, Outsourcing America: What's behind Our National Crisis and how we can reclaim American Jobs. (AMACOM), American Management Association, (May 2005). ISBN 0-8144-0868-0.
External links