Lou Dobbs Leaves CNN

(Thumbnail image: CNN)

“Over the past six months it’s become increasingly clear that strong winds have changed and begun buffeting this country and affecting all of us. And some leaders in media, politics and business have been urging me to go beyond my role here at CNN and to engage in constructive problem solving.” (CNN)

Controversial CNN anchor Lou Dobbs has announced his immediate resignation. He says he's moving forward to address the challenges the U.S. faces in honest terms, on a national level.

Some media sources say Dobbs' departure has been a long time coming, due to previous public out-cry towards the anchor. Other sources criticize his resignation and speculate where he's headed next.

We’re looking at multiple perspectives from Comedy Central, The San Francisco Chronicle, Politco.com, FOX News and others.

First, The Daily Show's John Stewart responds to Dobbs’ public statement as sign of his move to becoming America’s second Sarah Palin.

“Oh ----! Oh no! Lou Dobbs is going Palin. He’s going Rogue. Lou Dobbs is saying the problems that we are facing are too important for me, Lou Dobbs, to stay at my job. I’m going Rogue. We got another Rogue. That’s two Rogues. Two.”

On the flip side, Stewart's Comedy Central colleague, Stephen Colbert, says he respects Dobbs as a TV anchor.

“Word is Lou wants to spend more time misinforming his family. But personally, I’m really going to miss Lou, who is a friend of the show who appeared on the Rapport twice, once with me and once with my Latino colleague Estevan Colberto. We told Lou he was Italian.”

On a more serious note, The San Francisco Chronicle points out that Dobbs’ viewers have decreased by 30 percent in the last year. The paper quotes one analyst who says Dobbs' defamation of Latinos played a role in this drop. 

“Lou Dobbs has done more to defame Latino immigrants to this country than probably any other human being in the United States."

Forbes’ writer Michael Maiello takes this view further, saying Dobbs shouldn’t have blamed illegal immigrants for the economic problems the American middle class faces.

“...he never should have looked south for the cause of our problems, and it's hard to believe he ultimately wants to change anything.”

But in defense of Dobbs, Politico.com quotes a Republican Texas Representative. He says those who impose harsh criticism on Dobbs are insulting the citizens who defend America’s laws.

“Critics who hail Dobbs’ decision as a victory for the pro-amnesty movement will be disappointed to find that their personal attacks won’t change the will of the American people. In fact, their attacks are an insult to the millions of Americans who agree with Lou.”

Similarly, a Plum Line blogger says that the media's harsh criticism of Dobbs just adds fuel to the fire.  

“Whatever Dobbs’ specific motives for quitting, that’s what happened here: The amount of questionable rhetoric slowly piled up, like snow on a roof, until its implications could no longer be ignored. Other sites amplified the noise, exacerbating the network’s discomfort.”

FOX News’ Don Imus interviews strategist Paul Begala who has a broader perspective. He says there has been a lot of heat on Lou Dobbs, and his departure should not be a surprise.

“I think a lot of people saw it coming. There was a sense that CNN really does want to try to continue to be the most trusted name in news and it’s not that Lou is not trusted, but his show had a lot more opinion on it than other shows on CNN.”

So, do you think Dobbs' TV voice honest and essential? Or was he over the top, and was it time for him to go?