Draft Lou Dobbs effort begun

A group dedicated to fighting illegal immigration today launched an Internet effort to cajole one of the most vocal and well-known advocates of that cause -- CNN's Lou Dobbs -- into the presidential race as an independent.

The website (found here) was set up by the Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee (ALIPAC), headed by North Carolina resident William Gheen. He was prominently featured in a recent Wall Street Journal article that summed up speculation about a Dobbs run -- and served to add fuel to such talk.

The 62-year-old Dobbs, who over the years evolved from a fairly traditional financial correspondent for CNN to a full-throated advocate of economic populism, told the Journal he wasn't planning on a White House bid, saying he did not have either "the personality or nature to be a politician."

But then, in the best tradition of politics, he left the door open ...

 

a crack, saying, "I cannot say never."

Gheen and his group hope to knock the door off its hinges and get Dobbs into the presidential mix, citing his opposition to "amnesty" for illegal immigrants (i.e., any plan that does anything other than have those immigrants leave the U.S. for their home country, get in the back of line for returning and wait for however long that takes).

An ALIPAC release says it was officially starting its draft Dobbs effort because of "the possibility of a pro-amnesty candidate such as John McCain, Rudy Giuliani or Mike Huckabee winning the GOP primary, forcing American voters to choose between two pro-amnesty candidates" (i.e., anyone the Democrats nominate).

The website was established, the release says, "to allow people to express their political support for Lou Dobbs, to show Mr. Dobbs what kind of support is out there, and to have some supporters organized, if he decides to run."

Gheen, in the release, says 84% of his group's supporters reported they would support Dobbs this November "if the GOP primary fails to yield a candidate opposed to amnesty."

Today, Gheen elaborated on that number for us. He said it was based on the results of an electronic poll that drew responses from roughly 10% of those on the group's support list. In that survey, slightly more than 70% said they were prepared to support Dobbs immediately and almost 14% said they would do so if their current choice for president fails to get nominated.

The website surfaces a day after efforts intensified to draw New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg into presidential fray as an independent candidate.

Republican Doug Bailey, a onetime campaign consultant to former President Gerald Ford, and Democrat Gerald Rafshoon, a key aide to former President Jimmy Carter, are leading this charge, which they publicized Tuesday in Washington.

-- Don Frederick

Comments

[Gerald]

if we support Hippocrates and idiots like Mr. Lou , where we going to end up. we as a voters must wake up now. it has been enough to see our country been manipulated to their wish of the politician on the power.

[Anthony]

No doubt Immigration is a very important issue that needs to be dealt with but not the only issue of importance. We have other issues to deal with such as the economy, Iraq, Iran,Trade deficits, and affordable health coverage to name a few. While Mr Dobbs is very well versed in Immigration and has an idea of how to deal with it, Immigration is a very complicated issue that is not as simple as shutting down the border. Mr Dobbs needs to start covering other issues and providing us with a game plan of how he would realistically deal with them. Up to today I have not seen in Mr Dobbs the qualifications needed to undertake such a daunting task as being a competent President.

[OneifbyLand-LA]

Lou Dobbs is more effective outside the beltway in
bringing attention to illegal aliens and criminal employers.
Ron Paul brings up some great talking points and
Fred Thompson and Duncan Hunter as well about
attrition as the way forward
in resolving the problem of Mexico trying to create a
Mexican nation within the borders of the USA,but
MITT ROMNEY is more qualified on paper alone than
all the Democrats and other Republicans running
for President combined!
PS. The LAT jumped the Shark long ago!

[HC]

Not only is this guy an advocate (as opposed to a journalist), he is a fanatic.

[fhl]

What a joke .... laugh by turning off CNN!

[Edmund Thorpe]

I would love it if Lou Dobbs runs so that it would come out in the wash how ill-informed he is on immigration. I'm a white conservative Republican. He's a racist. Maybe I should put together a reading list of the books that anyone who pretends to know anything about immigration should read. He's read none of them. One key point that he doesn't get: Much of Central and South America posses the economic conditions that throughout history have produced violent cultures of opposition against the regional power. In this case, the regional power would be the US. This could be very dangerous. Chavez tries to stir up serious opposition against us -he even goes as far as establishing a close relationship with Iran so that he can advance anti-Americanism to increase his power- but his foolishness doesn't take root. Why? Because good hard working people from Latin America come here, discover that Americans are not Satan, and send their hard earned money back home to their loving families. The result: they don't hate us or want to kill us. These remitences preserve peace and help build nice futures and market places in coutries that would otherwise be struggling much worse. Everyone wins. It's very effiecient. Such exchanges provide security for us and much needed foreign aid for them. I love immigrants, even illegal ones. I'd rather struggle with my terrible Spanish and patiently enjoy their terrible English than listen to that bore Dobbs. It makes me proud to help illegals in any way I can. They're some of the best Americans I've ever met.

[Jim]

Mike, of course you're entitled to your opinion. You get to vote it, too. But I'm sorry to say you proved my point. Defending a view there's some shadow government out there? A superhighway as a conspiracy? Come on! Are the interstate highways conspiracies to trash states' rights? This is just nuts! If ever Ron Paul and/or Lou Dobbs got into power, they'd have to close down the border in BOTH directions: by implementing their bizarre, economically ruinous policies, they'd have to prevent with force most American business leaders and entrepreneurs from fleeing the country in desperation! It is GUARANTEED their policies would create such disincentives to invest in or run businesses, that job losses would dwarf anything that results from offshoring or open trade deals. Turn off your game console once in awhile, put down your comic books, do some reading, do some traveling, talk to people who actually know something. Maybe it's not too late in that case to avoid embarrassing yourself. In 15 years, those who sided with Ron Paul, Lou Dobbs and their cohorts will look back on the experience thinking they must have been on LSD or something to be so gullible.

[ecphx01]

LOU IS TOO OLD ....RIGTH NOW PEOPLE AT HIS AGE ONLY WANTS TO MAKE LIFE DIFFICULT TO YOUNG PEOPLE....WITH HIS CRAZYNESS....HE'S A REAL FRAUD...!!

[Citizen]

Lou Dobbs speaks to the concerns of the people - jobs, the economy, illegal immigration, fair trade, outsourcing, education, America's sovereignty, etc. He speaks on behalf of poor and middle class Americans that have lost their voices and who have lost the ears of the corrupt and unscrupulous politicians who pander to special interests and self serving concerns.

If he recognizes and understands the problems of America, who better to lead the way to correct the problems. Run Lou, Run.

Liberals like Mike Huckabee, Rudy Guilliani, and John McCain would all give amnesty and then expect you and me to pay for the costs of the amnesty for the millions of illegal aliens. Our tax dollars in the billions are providing FREE services and FREE benefits to illegal aliens. What to do with the 12 million plus? Enforce the law, attrition through enforcement. Self deport before you are deported.

[Citizen]

Millions of people do not have the right to come to America and take from the American people and then turn to them and say there, you pay for my health care, you pay for my education, you pay for my food stamps, you pay for my housing, you give me your identity. This is wrong and any nation that takes in millions upon millions of illegal aliens who are low skilled and undereducated will end up with a welfare state, unable to afford and care for these intruders. There is a legal way to enter, a way to identify yourself and identify your purpose in coming. Illegal immigration will destroy America and balkanize our nation.

[Rob]

It is time for an angry white man to stand up and take this country back! I support what Lou wants to do! No more "push 1 for English"!

[Joe Kirkup]

Reading these comments I've noticed that most of the discussion centers around how illegal immigration effects jobs and the economy. That certainly is a legitimate concern, but what makes this country the best in the world is not money, but culture. It is our culture and our constitution that seperate us from the socialists of Europe and the dictators of Latin America. The massive, unregulated, unsupervised invasion of illegals to whom assimilation is an insult will destroy the very identity of this great nation.

The press has decided for us that we can choose between a democrat or a liberal, pro illegal republican. If Lou runs he will keep the focus on the Mexican invasion and possibly save us from becoming just one more third world disaster.
Joe Kirkup

[PulSamsara]

Lou Dobbs = Archie Bunker

[April]

Lou Dobb would make a great president. He has proven that he is not afraid to stand up for what he and the majority of Americans believe. and want His stand against illegal immigration has made him a hero to middle class America,which is suffering greatly from the impact of illegal immigration. Those who attack him are most likely illegal aliens or those who profit from illegal immigration.

[Jennifer]

Ron Paul supporters really turn me off. They are so negative, attack everyone and they make Paul out to be a victim that can't play with the big boys of politics, which he can. Grow up and be respectful! You're not the only voice in America.

Why not a Paul Dobbs ticket? Two independents uniting as one great team.

No, Dobbs is not a one issue candidate. Read his books or watch his show! He's for protecting the middle class and if you are online, you are probably middle class.

He understand economics, finance and world affairs, unlike the current boob in the big office. He has brought to light the problems of illegal immigration and open borders.

Dobbs sees everything that is wrong with this country right now. We are self destructing and fools are bashing Dobbs, which represents the hope we have in truing America around for the better.

You want change in DC, then you better not elect a Washington insider like McCain, Hillary or Obama, who already know how to work the system. More business as usual candidates.

[Mike Lane]

While many of us agree with Lou on illegal immigration, what is his stance on abortion? As one who has never voted for a Republican candidate (mostly because they are generally not pro-choice), I would seriously consider Lou instead of Ron Paul (because Ron doesn't support pro-choice at all).

I remember the pre-1960's when women had unwanted babies and were butchered in back rooms to get abortions. We must not ever resurrect that again!

[Doug]

Lou Dobbs is much too smart to run for president. Besides, who'd want to be stuck in Washington DC with all our elected criminals. Democrats and Republicans all work for the same special interest groups, lobbyists and corporations and not those who elect them.

America has been invaded by tens of millions of illegal aliens. Why do you think America is bi-lingual now? Obviously, the illegals won the war without a shot being fired.

Immigrants and illegal aliens are not the same thing. Immigrants obey and respect the law and illegal aliens are criminals. Why do so many people confuse the two?

Illegal aliens labor is nothing more than domestic outsourcing. It's certainly wrong to treat them with sub-standard wages, no benefits and no health care.
How embarrassing for Americans to treat people this way.

[lou]

"Why should are schools be punished by accepting illigal into classrooms? Why should we alllow these illigals loiter around businesss areas wanting to be hired as cheap labors"

Why should "are" schools be punished for letting negros keep our white students down? Why should we allow cheap negro workers to steal our jobs?

Sounds very similar. This whole issue is racially motivated hate. Politicians use issues like this to win/keep power. "The illegals are stealing your jobs", "the illegals are using your tax dollars for welfare", while the economic statistics show that illegal immigrants are a net positive on our economy. This rhetoric helps get the working class fired up, helps politicians get jobs, and helps CNN (the Fox of the left) get ad dollars. 50 years from now we'll look back on this as a sad point in American history, the same way we look back on the Jim Crow era.

We are a nation of immigrants, a nation of entrepreneurial risk-takers. The majority of Americans can trace their roots back to an ancestor who risked it all in the pursuit of happiness.

[The Conservative Caucus]

Lou Dobbs, along with Howard Phillips and others have done more to expose the North American Union, amnesty and other issues than all the "mainstream" media. Watch Lou Dobbs and review the following sites:

www.conservativeusa.org
www.howardphillips.com
http://youtube.com/watch?v=cxzs46Nxohk

[Ed]

I undestand the impact of a global economy on our middle class. In a global economy (to be successful) all the middle classes need to align to provide competitive goods and services. This means that America's middle class need to come down to the levels of third world countries to be able to be competitive (labor costs, efficiencies, etc.). Our imigration problems are just the reflection that America still have strong middle class (others want to be here to improve their standard of living). Any discussion of the problems the alignment of the middle classes will entitle, will require the individuals are clear in what is negotiable or not, like other economies have done (Germany, Japan, China), and provide measures of transition that are absorptive and not
dilutive. If Mr. Dobbs do not want to run for president, because he is not a polititian or still to attach to the corporate sponsorship of his program, he need to support somebody else. At least that will show that he is serious about it, or just playing the game of ratings.

[Joseph]

I have been informed by Lou Dobbs and CNN since the first Iraq war. Since that time I have witnessed the standard of living in America rapidly decline due to the persistent and aggressive influence on economic policy multi-national corporations and foreign interests acquire by prostituting our political system. I have seen no politicians, presidential or otherwise, in either the Republican or Democratic parties that are not merely puppets wantonly responding to the beckon call of lobbyists who barter our nations sovereignty in exchange for an accumulation of wealth and power afforded to all the traitors participating in the wholesale rape of our country. You Mr. Dobbs, are the only network personality with the willingness and fortitude to expose these issues to the American people. The “change” the current presidential candidates promise is simply smoke and mirrors they hope convinces voters to elect them so the greatest nation in the world can endure more of the same. How much more vandalism can our middle class endure before we have nothing left? Please help us Mr. Dobbs, you’re our only hope!

[zeezil]

What a huge breath of fresh air should Lou Dobbs throw his hat in the ring. I would definitely vote for him. Those that ascribe to him a one issue platform definitely know nothing about him and the stances he has taken on the economy, special interests, lobbyist influence peddling, government corruption, truth in government, religion in politics, free trade and favored trade status issues, national security, middle class erosion and American worker protection, our crumbling infrastructure, education, food safety and inspections, the environment, China's dangerous imports and its influence on our national deficit, NAFTA, SPP, NAU, LOST, ridiculous government treaties, crime, drugs, racial issues and the list goes on.

Lou Dobbs has talked about, taken stances on, exposed and researched more issues than any other presidential candidate ever has or ever will.

[Daniel]

You scared critics of Lou obviously don't watch him or you would realize how idiotic and weak your so called facts are.

You critics speak as if you got a solution but I hear none.
You are brain numb just as the rest of the field running for President.

[Anita]

Lou Dobbs already has the most watched show on CNN. I think he would have a lot more support for him to run for President than some think. Lou is a smart man on many issues and would at least make sure his administration is run openly and cleanly. Something that would be refreshing after what we've had to put up with.

[loscielos]

Ron Paul's six point plan is crystal clear, and he's the one with the campaign infrastructure, funding, and quite frankly the guts to actually make it happen without flip-flopping if he is elected. Nobody else seems to have much of a backbone on this issue, their idea of an intelligent debate is bickering over whether or not the servants who work at their mansions are here legally or illegally. They aren't going to change anything talking like this, changing the status quo requires so much more than that.

1) Physically secure our borders and coastlines. We must do whatever it takes to control entry into our country before we undertake complicated immigration reform proposals.

2) Enforce visa rules. Immigration officials must track visa holders and deport anyone who overstays their visa or otherwise violates U.S. law. This is especially important when we recall that a number of 9/11 terrorists had expired visas.

3) No amnesty. Estimates suggest that 10 to 20 million people are in our country illegally. That’s a lot of people to reward for breaking our laws.

4) No welfare for illegal aliens. Americans have welcomed immigrants who seek opportunity, work hard, and play by the rules. But taxpayers should not pay for illegal immigrants who use hospitals, clinics, schools, roads, and social services.

5) End birthright citizenship. As long as illegal immigrants know their children born here will be citizens, the incentive to enter the U.S. illegally will remain strong.

6) Pass true immigration reform. The current system is incoherent and unfair. But current reform proposals would allow up to 60 million more immigrants into our country, according to the Heritage Foundation. This is insanity. Legal immigrants from all countries should face the same rules and waiting periods.