Dobbs tries to change his tune on Latinos

It has the Wall Street Journal asking "What's going on?" America's Voice, an organization supporting a workable and humane approach to comprehensive immigration reform, is skeptical.

According to the WSJ, Lou Dobbs, former anchor with CNN, is moving fast to repair his image with Latinos as he looks to a potential future bid for political office.

During an interview with Telemundo, Dobbs mentioned a legalization plan twice for the 12 million illegal immigrants living and working in the United States saying that "we need the ability to legalize illegal immigrants under certain conditions." This is something Dobbs ranted against regularly calling it "shamnasty".

Frank Sharry, Founder and Executive Director of America's Voice tells the WSJ that he is skeptical and that, “For years, Dobbs used his CNN show to cross-brand Latino immigrants as criminals, invaders, and carriers of disease. In 2007, he used his show to rally opposition to comprehensive immigration reform, a bill that would enabled 12 million undocumented immigrants to work towards citizenship, and upon the bill’s demise called it ‘a glorious victory for the American people.'"

Dobbs, who has a reputation for spreading misinformation and fear about Latino immigrants, left CNN earlier this month.

Read the full article from the Wall Street Journal by linking here.

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Lou Dobbs Departure Brings us Closer to Rational Debate on Immigration Reform

For Immediate Release
November 12, 2009

Contact:
Shuya Ohno
(202) 309-5645 cell sohno@immigrationforum.org

Lou Dobbs Departure Brings us Closer to Rational Debate on Immigration Reform

Washington, DC - CNN announced yesterday that Lou Dobbs, CNN's inflammatory anti-immigrant anchor, would be departing the network. The following is a statement by Rich Stolz, Campaign Manager of the Reform Immigration FOR America campaign, a national effort to unite faith, business, labor, progressive, civil rights, and immigrant organizations to pass comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level.

"Lou Dobbs's departure from CNN is welcome news, and a step toward the common sense debate on comprehensive immigration reform that this country desperately needs. For too long, he has been a voice of ill-informed, irresponsible propaganda and scare-mongering against immigrants and their families. Dobbs's brand of inflammatory rhetoric only exacerbates an already difficult problem by playing to people's fears instead of their heads. Reform Immigration FOR America is focused on achieving comprehensive immigration reform that treats immigrants fairly, requires the undocumented to register to be put on a path toward legal status, ends illegal hiring practices, encourages lawful immigration, and secures our border. Dobbs's exit from CNN clears an obstacle from a rational debate on immigration, hopefully leading to common-sense immigration reform."
# # #
ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN: The Reform Immigration FOR America campaign is a coalition of more than 600 faith, labor, business, progressive, and immigration reform groups that have joined together to get comprehensive immigration reform passed. For more information please visit www.reformimmigrationforamerica.org or www.reformamigratoriaproamerica.org

CAUSA, Oregon's Immigrant Rights Coalition, is a member of the Reform Immigration For America coalition and is the largest Latino and Latina civil and human rights and advocacy organization in the Pacific Northwest. We work to defend and advance immigrant rights through coordination with local, state, and national coalitions and allies. For more information, visit www.causaoregon.org

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Lou Dobbs Resigns from CNN

It is now being widely reported that Lou Dobbs is resigning from CNN effective today. During "Lou Dobbs Tonight", Dobbs announced that his Wednesday show would be his last on the network. The announcement comes amidst much controversy surrounding the CNN commentator and his regular negative and untruthful statements directed at immigrants.

In September, a coalition of community organizations united together to call on CNN to fire Lou Dobbs for spreading misinformation and fear about immigrants and Latinos. The BastaDobbs coalition formed to raise awareness about the dangerous nexus between anti-immigrant extremism and the media. Earlier this month, the campaign announced that 100,000 people had joined them in demanding that Dobbs be dismissed from the network.

In a statement responding to the announcement of Dobbs' departure from CNN, the BastaDobbs campaign had this to say:

"Our contention all along was that Lou Dobbs – who has a long record of spreading lies and conspiracy theories about immigrants and Latinos – does not belong on the ‘Most Trusted Name in News,’” said Roberto Lovato, co-founder of Presente.org, a national online advocacy organization coordinating the BastaDobbs.com campaign in conjunction with more than 40 local and regional Latino organizations from across the country. “We are thrilled that Dobbs no longer has this legitimate platform from which to incite fear and hate.” Read full statement

Last month, America's Voice, an organization supporting a workable and humane approach to comprehensive immigration reform, began airing an ad "Drop the Hate, Drop Dobbs" echoing the call for CNN to drop Dobbs from it's network. The ad ran on MSNBC and several other networks during the CNN's "Latino in America" mini series. Despite raising the necessary funds, CNN refused to air the ad.

There is no word yet on what sort of impact these campaigns had on Lou Dobbs' departure from CNN. However, according to the New York Times, Jonathan Klein, president of CNN/U.S. said that “Lou has now decided to carry the banner of advocacy journalism elsewhere.”

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CNN refuses to run ad calling for Lou Dobbs' ouster

Last Thursday America's Voice began airing a new ad on MSNBC continuing the call for CNN to drop Lou Dobbs. According to their website, dispite raising the funds to air the ad on CNN, CNN executives refused to air their PSA titled "Drop the Hate, Drop Dobbs".

America's Voice has been raising money at their website to run the ad. Since the beginning of the campaign, the organization has already raised $16,000 from online donations.



For more information, visit America's Voice at http://www.americasvoiceonline.org/.

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CNN gets called out for hypocrisy and Lou Dobbs

In just a week, CNN will launch its “Latino in America” series, which tells the stories of Latinos from across the country.

Apparently, Lou Dobbs will be absent from the coverage. This has many surprised. Four hours about the Latino experience in America, and not a word about the man who spends every weeknight telling lies about immigrants, and spreading hatred and fear about Latinos.

Presente.org has joined forces with award-winning filmmaker Arturo Perez to call out CNN's hypocrisy with a powerful new video: “CNN: Lou Dobbs or Latinos in America?”



The coalition of individuals and over 40 community organizations are trying to gather as many signatures as they can before “Latino in America” airs on Oct. 21-22. For more information about the campaign, visit http://bastadobbs.com/ .

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Lou Dobbs making a run for Governor?

As our partners at FIRM reported on Friday, apparently anti-immigration CNN commentator Lou Dobbs has been contemplating a run for Governor of New Jersey next year. To help Mr. Dobbs out, a website has been launched on his behalf announcing his platform.

His Platform:

Build a fence around New Jersey

Build like the biggest fence ever built around New Jersey

Deport everyone who looks like they might be an illegal immigrant

Ban the flying of the Irish flag on St. Patrick’s Day

Deport the Statue of Liberty back to France

Replace the New Jersey State Police with Minutemen

Although the platform seems realistic for Mr. Dobbs, if readers take a closer look, they will notice that the website is not real. According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice, “Lou Dobbs is not a real candidate, he’s a caricature of what is wrong with the current immigration debate. He offers no real solutions to our broken immigration system, and simply uses his program to spread proven lies, stir up racial tensions and fear, and provide a platform to known hate groups.”

The new Dobbs Campaign website is hosting a contest as well offering the winner who submits the best campaign slogan a free t-shirt with their slogan on it.

For more information, visit http://www.dobbsforgovernor.com/.

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Anti-immigrant Play of the Week: Lou Dobbs Confuses Himself on E-Verify

This week’s Anti-immigrant Play of the Week goes to conservative pundit Lou Dobbs host of a nightly news show on CNN, for contradicting himself on the voluntary employment verification system, commonly known as Basic Pilot or E-Verify.

According to Truth in Immigration, despite mounting evidence showing the system containing major flaws, and despite contrary assessments from his own show and other news programs on CNN, Dobbs claimed that “E-verify works”. Interestingly enough, Dobbs opposed E-Verify when it was part of the comprehensive immigration compromise, but seems to now endorse it when it is part of a deportation-only bill.




Lou Dobbs was recently featured in a report by Media Matters and articles from the Wall Street Journal and New York Times for his promotion of fear, anger and resentment towards immigrants. It seems to the anti-immigrant crowd facts mean very little, so long as their political agenda is met.

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Dobbs calls Jewish Group a Joke, Olbermann awards Worst Person

This one from a regular blogger over at ILW.COM. Greg Siskind reports that Lou Dobbs, anti-immigrant pundit for CNN, got awarded the "Worst Person in the World" by MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann for calling the Anti-defamation League a "joke". Apparently Dobbs' hateful comment is now being picked up by other news outlets.

Here is what the Jewish Telegraphic Journal had to say:

Janet Murguia, a Latino civil rights activist, cited ADL research into extremist groups whose representatives Dobbs had featured on his show, and then she described the league as a respected voice. "Not by me," Dobbs replied, "It's a joke."

Founded in 1913, the Anti-defamation League fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects civil rights for all. The Anti-Defamation League has been charting the rise in the use of code words that label immigrants and Hispanics Latinos as a threat to the American way of life. Those words include:

References to immigrants as "an army of invaders" or an "invading force"

Associating immigrants with animals and refers to them as "a massive horde" or "swarm"

Accusing immigrants of "bringing crime and disease" to America, including "leprosy, tuberculosis, and malaria" and "gang warfare"

Purveying the conspiracy theory of "reconquista" or "Atzlan" – the taking back of lands in the southwestern United States for Mexico

During the face off with Dobbs, Murguia cited the examples above that the anchor has made part of his daily rants and asked about his support of xenophobic hate groups like the Minutemen Project and FAIR. Dobbs, however, refused to take responsibility or even address her questions, instead lashing out at ADL. You can catch the VOD of Janet Murguia’s appearance here.

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