New York Times editorial: Dobbs a right-wing ranter
November 13, 2009 8:37 am ET by Eric Boehlert
From today's editorial, "Farewell to Lou":
He calls himself Mr. Independent, but he is far closer in style and method to the right-wing ranters who mold the facts to shape the argument on television and on AM radio, where Mr. Dobbs still has a show. Mr. Dobbs’s CNN program has long been a nesting ground for untruths and conspiracy theories: fretting over a nonexistent, immigrant-borne leprosy epidemic; questioning President Obama’s citizenship; issuing dark warnings about the “North American Union,” a supposed plot to strangle United States sovereignty.
It’s hard to pinpoint how much damage these kinds of ideas have done to the national discussion of illegal immigration, but they have been corrosive. Solutions have withered as many politicians parrot the central myth that people desperate to seek new lives in the United States are an affliction to be feared, not an opportunity to be engaged, future Americans who could enrich the country as immigrants always have and will.
Now Mr. Dobbs has pledged to “engage in constructive problem solving.” Here is a problem to solve constructively: Illegal immigrants are, as Mr. Dobbs likes to say, decent, honest, hard-working people. They are exploited by greedy corporate interests. They are not about to deport themselves, and we aren’t about to deport them all.
It’s a problem to which Mr. Dobbs has never really offered an answer. Perhaps someday he will.
Exactly why I'm very glad he's gone, at least for a while. The man was a terrorist. He used the threat of violence and "unseen" threats to try to shape the opinions of his listeners. He created, in those listeners, a community of hatred and racism. Good riddance.
I note especially David Broder's reference to the (younger) George Bush Administration occupying a dark chapter in American history. Of course, he first said this several months after Bush had departed office.
With adaptations, substitute 'NYTimes publisher/editorial board' for 'Mr. Dobbs's CNN programming' in the posted editorial, and bygawd it looks like the NYTimes's own obituary, J-school Exercise 1 Day 1, and with included epitaph: "in style and method to the right-wing."
NYTimes, Rest In Publication, has been, forever in our hearts and minds, no longer in the interest of democracy or America.
(Dobbs goes without saying.)
I am glad to see the NY Times echo that message by saying
It’s hard to pinpoint how much damage these kinds of ideas have done to the national discussion of illegal immigration, but they have been corrosive. Solutions have withered as many politicians parrot the central myth that people desperate to seek new lives in the United States are an affliction to be feared, not an opportunity to be engaged, future Americans who could enrich the country as immigrants always have and will.
This is the dynamic of the right-wing noise machine, of course... First someone makes it possible to criticize someone who needs criticism, then everyone else jumps in on the bandwagon.
And of course it's what MMfA is doing, too. Thanks, MMfA!
On the topic of immigration, what Lou Dobb's said [and the majority of Americans agreed] is the following: [1] secure our borders and sufficiently stop illegals from crossing and [2] then revisit the U.S. immigration policy and make the necessary accommodations [if any] for those already in the country illegally. Convinced that the first step is done, many Americans would look more sympathetically to the plight of the illegals. My grandparents came to America as immigrants, went through the immigration process, and greatly contributed to the melting pot that is America. Why would the Hispanic organizations think their constituents should not do the same. We either have an immigration policy or we do not. Given the significant popularity of the Populist movement and Fox News, I would think the Times would better spend its ink and time urging the politicians to get serious about this two step approach. Finally, it would be particularly fitting to see a Times article or two addressing the most significant Populist movement since William Jennings Bryant. Also, how about giving Lou Dobbs some kudos for sparking the growth of this movement. If you deny what the polls and media rankings are telling you about this Populist tsunami that is engulfing American politics, you are either ignorant of the times or melded to your own ideology.