Reluctantly, Lou Dobbs Offers a Rare Apology for Nativist Rhetoric
Question: What鈥檚 the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce?
A)聽聽聽 An organization that seeks 鈥渢o foster Hispanic economic development and to create a sustainable prosperity for the benefit of American society.鈥
B)聽聽聽 An organization that 鈥渋s interested in 鈥 Mexico鈥檚 export of drugs and illegal aliens to the United States.鈥
If you chose a), chances are you鈥檙e a perfectly sensible person with a reasonable familiarity with the issues and organizations of the day. After all, the Hispanic Chamber is well known as a relatively conservative, pro-business organization that represents the interests of more than 2.5 million Hispanic-owned businesses.
If you chose b), you鈥檙e almost certainly Lou Dobbs, the insult-spewing Latino-basher who hosts CNN鈥檚 鈥淟ou Dobbs Tonight鈥 five times a week.
Dobbs, of course, is known for regularly about undocumented immigrants 鈥 they fill one third of American prison and jail cells, they鈥檙e part of a secret Mexican plan to 鈥渞econquer鈥 the American Southwest, they are largely responsible for a spate of 7,000 recent leprosy cases鈥 Even when Dobbs isn鈥檛 hosting his own show, his fill-in hosts spew such racist propaganda as the lie about subprime housing loans going to 5 million 鈥渋llegal aliens.鈥
But Dobbs may have outdone himself on March 10, when he launched into a furious tirade against President Barack Obama, who earlier that day gave a major speech on education reform from the Hispanic Chamber鈥檚 Washington, D.C., offices.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 happened to this White House, but the wheels appear to have come completely off here over the last several days,鈥 Dobbs fulminated. 鈥淢aking a decision to talk about a national initiative on education from the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which is effectively an organization that is interested in the export of American capital and production to Mexico and Mexico鈥檚 export of drugs and illegal aliens to the United States. This is crazy stuff.鈥
And how. So much so, in fact, that this Tuesday the man who has in the past utterly refused to retract false allegations, actually offered up a 鈥渃orrection.鈥
It wasn鈥檛 known if that was prompted by his CNN overlords, the angry demands for a retraction from the Hispanic Chamber, or his own guilty conscience 鈥 but we鈥檙e betting it wasn鈥檛 the latter. Even after "60 Minutes," The New York Times, the Columbia Journalism Review and many other serious media outlets pointed out Dobbs鈥 pushing of spurious allegations infamously linking immigrants to a resurgence of leprosy 鈥 effectively mocking his claim to be a 鈥渏ournalist鈥 鈥 the CNN host refused to retract or correct his falsehoods.
The idea that the Hispanic Chamber wanted to aid the smuggling of drugs and undocumented workers into the United States left dropped jaws around the nation. The Washington Independent referred to the talk show host as 鈥淐NN鈥檚 immigrant attack dog Lou Dobbs.鈥 The Houston Chronicle noted soberly that many Americans view Lou Dobbs as 鈥渏ust an anti-immigrant blowhard.鈥 Frank Sharry, executive director of the pro-immigrant America鈥檚 Voice group, said he knew the chamber well as an organization of 鈥渉ardworking business owners鈥 who are 鈥減atriotic Americans.鈥 鈥淎pparently,鈥 Sharry added, 鈥渨hen Lou saw the word 鈥楬ispanic鈥 in the name of the organization hosting the event, he went loco.鈥
This Tuesday, with his teeth metaphorically gritted, Dobbs spat out an apology of sorts 鈥 although only after a furious attack on Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who had suggested that gun control in America could help Mexico disarm its own drug cartels. 鈥淲hat in the world,鈥 Dobbs fumed, was Durbin doing 鈥渟peaking so irresponsibly? 鈥 I find it astonishing.鈥
Then he got to the 鈥渁pology鈥:
鈥淚 want to make a correction to something I said last week. I made a mistake,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 believe any open-borders policy does facilitate not only illegal immigration but also the trafficking of massive amounts of illicit drugs. I, of course, do not believe that the chamber supports or condones either drug or human trafficking. My apologies to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. And I hope that they will forgive me for misspeaking.鈥
And with that it was back to the Lou Dobbs show we鈥檝e all come to appreciate. Next up on the show: Dobbs鈥 take on a blog that has 鈥渕any left-leaning reporters as members鈥 and 鈥渙perates in secrecy.鈥
Don鈥檛 worry, folks. Lou鈥檚 on the case.