Lou Dobbs Becomes “Semi-Regular” O’Reilly Contributor, Talks Palin on Today

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by Steve Krakauer | 8:54 am, November 17th, 2009

» 8 comments

Now that he’s gone rogue, Lou Dobbs is free from his CNN constraints to go on any network he wants.

His first choice was Bill O’Reilly on Fox News, and this morning he was on the Today show set at NBC with Matt Lauer. He didn’t reveal his future plans, but maybe there’ll be a lot of media appearances.

The big get was with O’Reilly, after he tried to go on over the summer and it never materialized (and was possibly vetoed by CNN). O’Reilly wanted to focus on why the tide turned on Dobbs’ advocacy journalism, and the implication was the change in the White House. “I discern more of a difference between then, which was the Bush administration when I was criticizing, and now, when it was the Obama administration and an entirely different tone was taken,” said Dobbs, but he noted it was “not so much in the case of CNN management.”

O’Reilly seemed like he wanted to give CNN some advice, since “We don’t have anything against CNN. NBC News – we don’t like.” But Dobbs wouldn’t bite on his ideas for how to improve the ratings. “I’m just talent,” said Dobbs. “Their ratings are objectively without question lower than they should be, lower than they’ve been.”

O’Reilly thought Dobbs “would be a legitimate contender for the Senate in New Jersey,” and Dobbs wouldn’t confirm his interest, but did “guarantee you 100% I’m going to remain in the public arena.” At the end of the interview O’Reilly extended what sounded like a contributor role offer. “I’d like you to come back on a semi-regular basis, would you do that?” “It’d be my honor,” said Dobbs. So get ready for that!

Another topic on O’Reilly was about the whole birther debate – which wasn’t addressed in Dobbs’ Today show interview this morning. Matt Lauer asked about the reason he exited CNN, saying, “the way its been reported is CNN got tired of your opinions.”

“Since I take it a little personally, perhaps it was just mine, but they made it very clear they wanted to go middle of the road,” said Dobbs.

He also weighed in on Sarah Palin (since, everyone else is). He said she’s the front-runner for the 2012 GOP nomination, but he wouldn’t personally vote for her.

Dobbs’ appearances over the last 12 hours, and what are likely to be future appearances as the week and months go on, are a win-win for the new TV free agent. When you get an opportunity to reach new audiences on the top rated cable news show and top rated morning show, he and most others are likely to jump at the opportunity. It sounds like he’ll be back semi-regularly on the top cable news show as well. Dobbs keeps is radio show, so he’s not going away entirely. But whether he goes to TV or to politics, these appearances are sure to help raise his profile, and keep the CNN opinion/news divide (and low ratings) as a topic addressed by others in the media world.

> Update: Dobbs talked to TVNewser’s Gail Shister this morning, telling her, “I’m thinking about” the O’Reilly offer. “I have immense respect for Bill O’Reilly. He’s an outstanding broadcaster.”

>>>NEXT PAGE: Watch the interviews from Fox News and NBC.

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Bill O'Reilly, Birthers, CNN, fox news, Lou Dobbs, Lou Dobbs Birthers, Lou Dobbs on O'Reilly, The O'Reilly Factor, Today Show

http://www.facebook.com/people/Chuck-Varrick/1170421091 Chuck Varrick

The liberals use to love Dobbs but only when he towed the liberal zombie line. Once he went off the reservation they started to hate him. Liberal zombies don’t like it when you evolve in your thinking. Dobbs is the example of that notion.
m

Believing Obama was born in Kenya isn’t evolution, it’s devolution.
MikeLI631

The thing with “Liberals” is they ALWAYS, were and are, exercising “advocacy journalism”, but in a COVERT, way, ever since Eve, decided to say, “NO”, and withhold her favors, to Adam.

What “Liberals” were doing was INDOCTRINATING, AND IN EVERY CONCIEVABLE VENUE. It was something, “they do” best. Liberals don’t have the ability to popularize their collective political opinion, because it’s DOOM AND GLOOM basis, is boring, and Fake and Phony. It doesn’t “sell”.

Conservative Principles are what this Country was built on, and is STILL the basis, of our popular culture…whether one likes to recognize that, or NOT.

Currently, emboldened by their “poster” Man Child, Barak Obama, now, Liberals want to “jam” their political philosophy, down the collective “throats” of the public…and again, it just doesn’t “sell”.

Liberalism is a perishable commodity, that if left in the cold light of day, decays, like a rotten egg…and smells, just as bad, the next day.
germ

@m

Do you even watch anything, or do you take the latest Kos talking points and regurgitate? Dobbs said on the “birther” issue that he, personally, did not believe the birther concept, but just make the entire thing go away by producing the certificate. This is no different than the History channel doing multiple “truther” specials on 9/11 (which they did BTW, both the truther concept and debunking the truther belief)

It is the job of a person in the media to ask questions, it just so happens that the “tolerant” left is only tolerant of their own views, and to hell with anyone else.
ImNotBlue

m says:
November 17, 2009 at 9:33 am

Something Dobbs has said he doesn’t believe over, and over, and over again.
Facebook User

In addition to the other comments pointing out how “m” is wrong, both CNN’s president and Howie Kurtz have lied about the basic, cut-and-dried, easy-to-understand facts of the matter:

http://24ahead.com/jon-klein-cnn-political-researchers-were-wrong-hawaii-didnt-

http://24ahead.com/kurtz

In an apparent attempt to re-enact ’1984′, the Beltway establishment thinks their lies are truth (or ignores their lies), and thinks Dobbs’ true statements are false.
MikeLI631

As Glenn Beck is testament of, CNN…or what I call, “Commie News Network”…is not the place for opinion, unless you are Nancy Grace talking about Michael Jackson’s penis.
libra blue

I think it was key when Lou said that things were fine until Obama was elected and then there was a major attitude change at CNN. I hope he takes O’Reilly up on his offer, but based on the evasiveness of some of his responses last night I have to wonder if he was forced to sign an agreement not to talk against CNN for a certain amount of time in order to get that big pay off.

Isn’t that what they did when they threw Aaron Brown under the bus?