A Little Dobb Will Do Ya

(***Editor's Note*** - The Right Side of History wishes to apologize in advance for the course language in the following post. The author had an extremely unnerving experience and the text reflects his state of agitation.)

I went to the taping of the Lou Dobbs show yesterday on CNN live at 7PM. His theme this week is an "Independent Convention" where non-partisan people can openly exchange views. For going I received a ten dollar gift certificate for Barnes & Noble and a complimentary writing tablet that has the words "CNN=Politcs" written across the front!

Lucky for me, right before I went to the production I just finished the book Hell's Angels. After reading that (As well as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72) I was impressed with the journalistic style of the author. So, in honor of Hunter S Thompson, here are the verbatim notes that I took long hand during the hour and a half I was trapped in that small studio with the Gargoyle and his minions.

"This is awesome! This is my first taping of a political show. I usually do "The View" or "Oprah." I' m glad I'm going to do something fun!" - Woman behind me age about 35.

The M.C. "warms us up" like we're waiting for a sit-com.

M.C.: "YOU COULD BE ON TV!"

M.C.: "I will applaud - then you follow."

Moved homely couple for two blondes.

Before show last story on CNN is how Palin's glasses are selling "Quadruple!" One customer ordered by writing "Palinize me!"

Literally hooping and hollering.

Dobbs: "Independently minded voters are demanding…" then went through roughly six different polls. "Evidently most voters are looking at the McCain/Palin ticket will be best to tackle the economy."

Dobbs: "No leadership in 20 years on the deficit issue in EITHER party!"
Q: What about Clinton?

Teleprompters working overtime.

Told to, "lean on my left cheek" Evidently I was blocking a shot.

M.C.: "Stand by for applause everyone."

"Both parties" said over and over.
Q: New talking point?

This is so fucking fake.

Video piece - Woman reporter then stands around studio uncomfortably.

Dobbs paints a truly bleak picture but does not point out that one party controlled everything since 2001 and 2002 is the year his economics expert guest said was the dropping off point to disaster.

Dobbs: "Many say what we are talking is boring. But what IS boring…to the critical issues!" (Applause)
Q: Then what is with the poll talk?

M.C.: "No applause on this one please."

Video piece - Reporter: "Mexican drugs and violence pouring in over the border…"

All the guests and the host are old pasty white guys wearing an obscene amount of pancake makeup.

Guest T Boone Pickens book - "The First Billion is the Hardest."

We're behaving like trained seals.

Dobbs: "On off shore drilling Pelosi said, 'I'M TRYING TO SAVE THE PLANET! I'M TRYING TO SAVE THE PLANET!'" To which the guy next to me started to laugh.

Dobbs: "Tens of millions want to drill."

Guest watching the screen behind me creeps me out.

For an "independent perspective" - a huge oilman.

Dobbs: "You're a man who received such a warm applause because you're a man who can get things done"

They jerk each other off.

Dobbs: "You are a complete non-partisan."

Boone: "If I'm going to be the Lone Ranger…"

"PRESIDENT PICKENS!" is shouted behind me trailed with a giggle.

Boone: "If I were 60 I could beat these two guys running here!" (Wild applause)

Drugs/moralist guest sniffing before the interview.

Guest: "If the government forces parents to send their kids to school, the government has an obligation to clean the drugs out of those schools!!!" ("YEEEESSSSSS!" yelled out)

Dobbs: "It's about supply and demand and to think that you can not attack on both fronts is insane."

Guy sitting next to me: "Ask over here!"
M.C.: "Oh, you guys like Palin?"
Guy sitting next to me: (Clapping real loud) "YOU GOT THAT RIGHT!"

This is the verbatim e-mail I sent to Dobbs last night via the CNN internet site:

Interesting how someone who berates everybody for "labeling," forces anyone whom wants to contact him into labeling his e-mail either "positive" or "negative."

This comment is firmly in the negative. I was in the audience for today's (9/9) "Independent Convention." I made the terrible mistake of sticking around for your Q&A session after the show went off the air. After witnessing the awful bullying you did I can honestly say I was shocked. I was particularly offended when, the subject of choice and Sarah Palin came up. One member of your audience voicing a contrary opinion was mercilessly destroyed. You even called the guy "cosmopolitan" as an attempt at insult, to which the man replied, "What are you talking about…I'm from Maryland." That didn't stop you from just tearing into him with your prescripted diatribe.

After the Maryland gentleman was cowered a woman in the audience asked you a simple question "Let's forget about Palin what does the Republican 2008 Party Platform say about abortion?" To which you went into some ridiculous soliloquy about how these "wedge issues" are all just smoke and mirrors and "it don't mean anything."

I needed to speak up at that point because it was clear that although you sang a song and did a dance you didn't answer this woman's very simple question. I said, "But she is talking about the platform. What does the platform say?"

I remember you authoritatively bellowing "It doesn't exist!"

Not believing my ears I asked, "In the PLATFORM?"

"Yes!"

I thought that was just beyond the realm of believability. But I didn't KNOW, and I said as much. Either directly after my question or sometime later you launched into a "doesn't anybody read?" routine that I found incredibly duplicitous. You spend an hour attacking anybody who has a degree and then wax poetic about the lack of reading in society.

I eventually walked out when the woman sitting one seat from me started to imply that "media types" were "communists."

But, Mr. Dobbs, I do read. So, when I arrived home tonight I decided to look up the Republican Platform on the Internet. From the section entitled "Maintaining the Sanctity and Dignity of Human Life," here is a direct quote:

"Faithful to the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence, we assert the inherent dignity and sanctity of all human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution, and we endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children. We oppose using public revenues to promote or perform abortion and will not fund organizations which advocate it. We support the appointment of judges who respect traditional family values and the sanctity and dignity of innocent human life." (page 57)

Doesn't exist?

Don't worry, you have the mike. You have the camera. People believed you. The damage has been done.

Now if this creep were truly “independent” – a claim he made so many times in the short time I was there that I thought a Port-O-San man was going to come and suction out all the excess bullshit – he would have said something like this:

“Yes, if abortion rights are your primary concern then you should not vote for McCain/Palin because that party has consistently championed the outlawing of abortion. Both in their platform and their speeches the Republican Party is pretty clear on how they feel about this issue and there is no doubt that if they are elected they will try as hard as they can to make it a reality. Also both of the Republican candidates have stated publicly that they are firmly Pro-Life…except when it comes to people of color and animals. No matter how they try to soft pedal their horseshit, make no mistake, they mean to make abortion illegal. I’m not being partisan. I am just stating the facts so that you - the “independent minded” voter - can see the clear distinction of your choice.”

No, he didn’t say anything remotely like that. After I didn’t let him off the hook with his dismissive and evasive “it doesn’t really matter” swill, he then flat out lied, intimidating some who did not have a quote at the ready or humiliating others who dared to say that 2+2=4. Being told by several friends how “objective” Dobbs is, I didn’t expect this Republican pandering/apologist type talk. I mean, where was I, The Bill O’Reilly No-Spin Zone?

Another virtuous independent idea Mr. Dobbs put forward in retort to someone making an honest observation was, and I quote, “You really need to stay out of the blogosphere” and trust more conventional sources of information. That line drew wild applause from the audience. His position struck me as ridiculous. Yes, certain blogs are poorly constructed hatchet jobs for whatever party/point of view the blogger holds. That I will agree with. But many are not. Many are thoroughly researched, footnoted and verified and are a vital source of information. Most importantly, these blogs are truly independent meaning they are written and maintained by people on their own time and at their own expense, expressing their thoughts divorced from profit and agenda.

Basically by telling his legions of “free-thinkers” to stay off the net, what this “non-partisan” hack is really saying is that only centralized corporate media can deliver you the news. Only some elitist glorified blowhard tap-dancer can be trusted to tell you the truth. According to Dobbs, the only place to receive legitimate information is from a shifty employee of a subsidiary of some giant conglomerate which is bent on increasing sales. The electorate should have faith in jerks like this even though their ears have heard nothing but lies. This type of reasoning can be described with the same words I used to recap a 2004 argument I had with someone. He was trying to tell me that John Kerry is a coward and George W Bush is a hero.

Pure insanity.

Lou Dobbs is not independent at all. He is an egotistical clown who gets off by putting others down. A true independent who indoctrinates himself with this cynical shit head should ask, “Is this empty suit just another wolf in sheep’s clothing?”

But, the real question for all of us is will the tactics of completely rewriting history, misrepresenting positions and transparent appeals to the base nature of Man work in 2008?

I'm scared.

Larry B