(Nov. 25) -- Lou Dobbs sounded a little like a political candidate when he
announced his departure from CNN a couple of weeks ago. Now he sounds a whole lot like one.
While the early speculation was about whether the former TV talker would seek the presidency, his spokesman indicated on Tuesday that a
run for U.S. Senate in 2012 is more likely -- as a possible steppingstone to the White House.
Dobbs, best known as a crusader against illegal immigration, has his eye on the seat held by New Jersey Democrat Robert Menendez, the Senate's only Hispanic member.
"He realizes that to run for president he'd have to
run for an intermediate position, such as the Menendez spot," spokesman Bob Dilenschneider told The Wall Street Journal, adding that Dobbs isn't ruling out a run for president but isn't "approaching it seriously at this moment."
In anticipation of a possible run for Menendez's seat, Dobbs is trying to change his image among Latinos. The man whose CNN program became what MyDD's Charles Lemos called "little more than
a forum to bash immigrants of Hispanic descent," appeared on the Spanish-language network Telemundo on Friday and announced his support for
legalizing millions of undocumented workers.
"Whatever you have thought of me in the past, I can tell you right now that
I am one of your greatest friends, and I mean for us to work together," Dobbs said in his live interview with Telemundo's Maria Celeste.
If the post-CNN Dobbs is willing to make nice with Hispanic voters, would he also cozy up to the GOP after years of blasting both parties?
Dobbs, who billed himself as "Mr. Independent" after quitting the GOP in 2006, isn't ruling out running as a Republican, according to Dilenschneider. (Some commentators wonder whether Dobbs could pass the Republican National Committee's proposed ideological "
purity test.") But independent political strategists are "
delighted at the prospect of a third-party campaign" by a famous, media-savvy candidate, Politico reported.
Dennis DeClaudio at Comedy Central's Indecision Forever is hoping Dobbs will skip the Senate and jump straight into the Republican presidential fray. He dreamed of a surreal 2012 GOP primary: "Oh man, can you even imagine?
Dobbs vs. Palin vs. Giuliani vs. Ailes vs. Huckabee vs. Romney? ... Is Chewbacca planning a run?"
On the other hand, New York magazine's Adam K. Raymond said, Dobbs should take the third-party route to the White House, "if only because it would make for some
mind-bending Palin/Obama/Dobbs debates in 2012."
Lou Dobbs to run for office?
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Rebel Jeb
