WOW. Lou Dobbs.

6.2.06

I tuned in to Lou Dobbs tonight, on a tip that he's doing a segment on voting machines.

The segment was decent, focused mainly on the fact that Sequoia, one of the largest manufacturers of voting machines in the US is owned by Venezuelan nationals.

But holy crap. It is clear from watching this show for just a few minutes, this is one guy in the MSM who is really pissed off at the Bush administration, and he's not afraid to talk about it.

After the first segment on massacres in Iraq, he goes into a followup story on "What has the Bush administration done right?"

First, he gave his own answer. He said something like, "hold on, give me a minute, I'll think of something... Hmmm.... Uh...." and that was it.

Then he goes into "viewer mail" on the subject. Evidently had asked people to write in to respond to the question. After reading a few, he commented that with all the thousands of responses they got, he had never seen the word "NOTHING" expressed so often and so completely.

Then he goes into the story about the voting machines. At the end of the report, he is steaming mad. He can't believe that the Treasury department hasn't reviewed the sale of Sequoia to Smartmatic. He calls them incompetent, suggests calling up the Whitehouse directly and saying "what the?" Says the idea of allowing this sale is ridiculous, and that they should demand an immediate response from the Whitehouse on this.

I haven't seen Dobbs in quite a while. As far as I knew, he was just another news guy. Focuses more on the economy more than the rest. I know Randi has been singing about him the last few weeks but I haven't watched him until tonight. WOW. maybe tonight was a-typical, but he almost seemed like he's on the verge of becoming the next Howard Beale. Come to think of it he looked a little like Howard Beale.

Hopefully Crooks and Liars will have some of this. I tivo'd it...

admin at all, and has been railing about a lot of different issues for quite a while.

There'a a lot of people on DU that don't like Lou, but I do. He's a smart guy, and has a lot of good common sense positions.

libertarian? at least he's not another nutcase rightwing liar on the TV. I thought that's all there was, short of Olbermann.

He says the people who employ illigal immigrants whould be punished, and not the immigrants.

He consistantly condems this admin for it's unreasonable secrecy.

He really flipped out over the Dubai port deal.

I find myself agreeing with him far more often than not.

He knows what he's talking about

...not exactly a Libertarian position.

The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those
who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR.

be so against outsourcing of American jobs? I thought Libertarians were very much pro-free-trade.

discuss his politics or economic stance, second.

I disagree with his imigration policy, but I respect what he says and why.

I wholeheartedly agree with his complaint about outsourcing of jobs.

He also seems like a bit of a science geek which probably adds to his disgust about this administration.

he says something worthwhile.

A) Why is the Media Covering this Now?
Answer: they are very concerned about honesty and truth now :rofl:
or
Answer: These Machines have gone from a company who supports the Republican
party...to a company that is not only outside the US, but are also Left(ist)
omg...the horror...the horror...that these machines are owned by someone other
than Republican backers ..oops I mean Americans...is a nightmare they didn't
see coming...
or
Answer: They need some ammo to bring up the whole lack of trusting the vote
when Democrats win Congress this year...watch the media jump all over this debate
now when Dems are in control.


I hate being cynical, never used to be this way...can't stand doubting EVERYTHING..
crap I'd like to have Faith in SOMETHING I see on TV..something!

I feel like I've been robbed of MY faith..so to speak.



edit: check spelling

...the machines kept in the private corporate hands of partisan Neocons. Any departure from this and they're gonna squeal like stuck pigs. That's what this report was about.

gheesh it's beyond frustrating :banghead:

you both hit it on the head. And lou dobbs is still a tool for the RW.

But if that's what it takes to bring the issue to the forefront, that's not altogether a bad thing. We're obviously long overdue for a serious national conversation about proprietary computer vote counting. Who knows--maybe it's finally about to begin.

They say a negative triggers a positive - hopefully a national dialogue
would be the positive.

"A cynic is a passionate person who desn't want to be disappointed again."

Go ahead, be cynical. You're in good company.

gheesh, I sure hope I'm totally wrong about this. Oh my goodness,
do I EVER.

Makes him look (relatively) good.

--IMM

if the truth comes out, that's all we need.

just stop the lies, and we're in business.

He hates the offshoring thing and what it is doing to this country as do I. And when he goes on about Bush spending this country into oblivion in Iraq, well, he is a MASTER! I'd like to see him on the Democratic economics team along with Paul Krugman.

He was the only one who spoke out on the topic as my company slowly but surely shipped not only our factory jobs, but our engineering jobs and technology to China. He's no neocon, that's for sure.

Well, my opinion on him varies, though I tend to think he has been so fixated on the immigration issue that he forgot that other things were actually going on. Tonight he made up for it and I was glad to see his show for the first time in a long while tackle other issues and really let Bush and Co have it. He really did focus on the administration's failures, and Congress' failures as well, on two extremely important topics: The war and and the integrity of our voting system.

I was mostly happy to see someone, somewhere in the media finally stop putting down anyone who questions Bush. I had been totally pissed after catching some of Wolf Blitzer trashing RFK, and the boys at MSNBC (other than Keith O, of course) completely destroying the truth for their own objectives.

So tonight I say, hats off to you Lou! Thanks for doing a job well done! Let's just hope he keeps it up.

Is Dobbs our man? He's getting old... If they pull the plug on him, he could step right into Beale's shoes. wouldn't it be great to have a real irate guy in the MSM. One is all it would take, if he could really make a spectacle of himself.

I do respect that he expects our elected leaders to be honest and have integrity. I love when he gets pissed off at the political games that get played, and he won't hold any punches regardless of who it is he is angry with, even King George. He and Keith O are the only news media personalities that get quality air time who will take on our republican leaders and their followers when they disregard the truth for their own political gain. They are also some of the few who will take on the corporate elite for being greedy bastards who have sold out America.

thanks for the great recap!

his rants about the Middle Class disappearing. Thank goodness someone in the MSM cares about us.

He's on fire. And usually can barely sputter his disgust over Bushco. I think he's great. He may be wrong about a few things, but generally he is working to preserve the middle class and not afraid to speak his mind.

He seemed genuinely outraged that they'd pull the gay marriage trick out again, saying that gay marriage wasn't the threat to families. Rather, it's the way the politicians treat the middle class that's the real threat.

So of course he would want the government out of people's personal business, Besides that, I think more than anything he was just pissed off at the political games being played when there are real issues to be tackled. I was a bit surprised myself, but so happy that he said what he did and that he had all of his panel to agree.

Libertarian-type. The Libertarian Party supports a corporatocracy and does not care about jobs moving overseas. They place their "faith" in the "free market" over all. Lou Dobbs leans towards Democratic-libertarian policies. I don't know how he feels about social programs such as universal healthcare and social security, but he doesn't really talk about those issues on his show anyway. He talks about other equally important to Democrats' issues on his show instead.

to watch the show tonight, but I was walking through a room when that was on. I heard him saying "How in the world could gay marriage be a threat to marriage" or something like that.

I thought "You go Lou!"

I started watching him during the outsourcing America series in 2003 and learned a lot. I watch him often. With the immigration issue going on he's been way too focused there for my taste.

However a lot of America agreed with him enough to tune in a lot and it pleases me to hear him speak out the way he did tonight. Let him get middle America upset about voting machines. get them to see gay marriage as an issue being used by the right that is no really threat at all.

:rofl:

Michael Goodwin, from Lou's panel of political commentators:

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/02/ldt.01.html

:rofl:

cool huh?

that have been stealing elections for the republicans for years and will continue...The professed republicans(Diebold & ES&S machines)who own over 80% of the machines in this country and have been stealing elections for Dobbs and the GOPigs...What a prick...

The only good that might come from it is the maybe all machines will now be scrutinized...but the republicans don't want that, again, they own over 80% of the machines in play...they just want to ban Sequoia machines and have a complete lock...

Why should ANY corporation own any of our voting machines, for our elections, that our tax dollars pay for?

Manipulation is then just begging to happen...and always does in the republicans favor!!!

I don't watch TV News anymore so I missed it.

these are our fucking votes they are stealing...but they don't care how sacred and treasured are votes are(as long as they can change elections in their favor)...They can't win without the stealing, and that's a fact.

Corporations actually owning the people's voting machines...Pitiful!

Privatization.

Lou Dobbs on CNN and Keith Olbermann on MSNBC are "MUST SEE TV" for any angry Liberal like myself. Kudos to Wolf Blitzer in the interim - I know he gets critisized much for being a Conservative, but they bring a lot of relavent topics to the board, biased or not, NOTHING that you'd ever see on FAUX.

libertarian my ass, this guy needs to just go ahead an announce he's running on some Nativist party's ticket for president and get it over with.

Well of course he is! Being the establishment operative he is for Republican America.

Of course Sequoia is the ONE company that could protect American citizens and their votes, although NO private company should own the counting of our votes.

Right now, until American citizens count their own votes, we have sold our greatest power as a citizen to private Republican owned companies, being Diebold and Election Systems and Software. Our votes mean nothing until we take them back which means COUNTING THEM OURSELVES.

Diebold and Election Systems and Software own 80% of ALL voter ballots and tabulate 80% of our votes.

Both of these companies are owned by Republican/Corporate controlled interests and have been responsible for the outcomes for our past three (at least) elections.

Sequoia is the least of these three companies. But Lou wants to focus on those baaaaaaad Venezuelans.

The truth is the truth.

and flew under the radar while everyone was focusing on Diebold and ES&S.

From a November 24 2004 article by Daniel Hopsicker
http://www.madcowprod.com/11242004.html
"One of America's two major election companies, Sequoia Pacific, has a felony 'rap sheet' an arm-long. In the endless news coverage of the recent Presidential Election, this news has somehow failed to surface, perhaps because if it had, people might start pouring into the streets here, too.(reference to Ukrainian protests)"

"Visible in the public record of Sequoia Pacific, a company counting one in three American votes, is clear and convincing evidence that the company has been run, perhaps for decades, as a Continuing Criminal Enterprise specializing in blatant and widespread bribery of public officials, with numerous felony convictions, Mob ties, and a history replete with stories of threats, coercion, and even murder.

"Sequoia Pacific has a more colorfully-criminal corporate history, we learned, than that of any organization this side of the Gambino Family. In fact, the Gambino Family and Sequoia Pacific have had more than a nodding acquaintance...

"Sequoia Pacific's record is riddled with instances of criminal bribery and political corruption...
It began its modern life as Automatic Voting Machine, spun off to shareholders of Defense contractor Rockwell in the 1960s. The company's founder, Lloyd A. Dixon Jr. resigned as president and CEO on Jan. 10, 1973, and later went to prison, after being indicted by a New York federal grand jury for bribing Buffalo election officials.

"The company was fined nearly $50,000 for bribing Texas and Arkansas officials--not a particularly auspicious beginning.

"...the next owner of Sequoia Pacific, financier and corporate raider Louis Wolfson. Wolfson was convicted of bribing the only Supreme Court Justice ever forced to resign in disgrace, "Dishonest Abe" Fortas (who) got caught palming a lifetime yearly "retainer" from the wily Wolfson's family foundation...

"...We first learned of Sequoia Pacific's penchant for greasing the palms of corrupt public officials from the well-publicized news accounts in the year 2000 about Louisiana's Commissioner of Elections Jerry Fowler, convicted of taking as much as ten million dollars over a period of a decade from Sequoia's Southeast Representative, a man named Pasquale "Rocco" Ricci, from Marlton, New Jersey.

"...the closer you look into the election services industry, the more the whole topic appears to have been placed off-limits. Had it not been, we would have already heard a lot more about Sequoia Pacific.

"...Sequoia Pacific, (was) successful at keeping the company's name completely out of local newspaper and television coverage. So although the defendants signed admissions stating that the entire scheme was carried out on behalf of the Sequoia Pacific Corp., the firm garnered zero negative publicity. No 'bad pub' at all.

"...there was collusion, rather than competition, between the two major election services firms, Sequoia Pacific and E S & S. Court documents revealed the two sold voting machines back and forth to each other until they had arrived at the figure they wanted the client, the state of Louisiana, to pay.

"Nor was this an isolated case. The bribery conviction of Arkansas Secretary of State Bill McCuen, for example, revealed that E S &S's predecessor company, Business Records Corp. of Dallas, arranged for contracts which led to Smurfit Packaging Corp. and its subsidiary, Sequoia Pacific Voting Equipment Inc.

"...like the CIA, Sequoia Pacific operates through a number of dummy front companies. For example, two Florida election execs, Glenn Boord and Ralph Escudero, pled guilty to conspiracy to compound a felony (public bribery), who had owned a paper voting-machine company called Uni-lect, which was just a front for Sequoia Pacific. Pasquale "Rocco" Ricci's company, International Voting Machines, was also really Sequoia Pacific. So too was Harold Webb's Garden State Elections. (And also Herb Webb's Elec-tec.)

Webb, a New Jersey elections equipment executive who participated in the bribery and kickback scheme that resulted in the conviction of Fowler, also played a key role in the infamous Martin County, Florida drama over Republican absentee ballots in the 2000 election.

New Jersey election services companies controlled by Webb were key suppliers to Martin County, Florida, which calls into question the version of events surrounding the tampering with absentee ballot applications testified to by Republican Party operatives in court in 2000.

In counties where their name never surfaced, Sequoia supplied both computer and punch card systems, and used tabulating machines from Sequoia Pacific disguised as being from other vendors, and used the same (doctored) machines as Louisiana, supplied by the same 'shadowy' sources.

the US anymore. She had a libertarian on her show, and she found all the things that they agree on: stay out of my bedroom, stay out of my life, keep off my phone, leave my family alone, quit paying out huge subsidies to corporate welfare queen, etc.

Wow, there is no divide Randi says. We all agree.

Wow, I thought. Instead of using the divide like the Politicians/Media does, she is uniting us. She does it every day now. There is no divide, we all agree.

She is the GOP's worst nightmare, a real uniter, not a divider.

I don't know her personally, but I love her...her passion is contagious and overwhelming wonderful!

I've been watching him off and on & he appears to be thoroughly outraged at what is happening.

That is normal operating procedure for Lou and his minions.

Don

oops, I did

that has been running racist propaganda for the last few weeks.

who love to slap that label on anybody who disagrees with you

Kool...Maybe if we spread the rumor that Leftists are going to "fix" the elections with their leftist machines things may actually get done and the machines thrown in the dump where they belong...

He's selfish. But I do enjoy his B*** bashing.

Joe Scarborough is not altogether unlike him these days.

I mat not alsways agree with him. I find him sincere and honest, he cares about this country.I don't care what his politics are, I find I agree with him more than some of our so called liberals.

e-voting story UPWARD! Lou already knows a lot about it because people have been trying to get him to do this for 3 years. Does he hate Bush enough to destroy him? I think he does. Keep you fingers crossed.

I find his show very interesting & informative, not Countdown but full of rage for the bush that is for sure & always concerned about the middle class.

He makes me feel that I am not alone in dealing with this f*ck*d up government of ours. I hope something is done before the next election to insure honesty in our votes. I'm ready to go back to the old paper ballets, where we put an X in a box next to the person's name we are voting for. No hanging chads and no electronic voting that can be rigged. Count them by hand with a paper trail. I can wait awhile longer to get the results, as long as they are true results.:banghead:

but I have a feeling that offshoring of jobs is the big issue that no one acknowledges.

He tore in Delphi last week over that and the huge bonuses the top executives would be getting. He said they should all be ashamed.

afraid to say so. That's almost a revolutionary act these days..

to Venezuelans in the hope that they would rig the machines to favor the Democrats, when:

a) the Democrats need machines rigged in their favor like they need a hole in the head? and

b) in the knowledge that such a ploy could be used to get them off the hook for their multiple frauds in 2000 and 2004? Kind of damage limitation in the knowledge that ALL was lost, otherwise?

Maybe too outlandish.

We have some Republican aldermen here in Chicago who hate them as much as Dobbs does. Whats that tell you?

Don



http://www.suntimes.com/output/elect/cst-nws-vote28.html

Aldermen: No payments to machine company

Four influential alderman demanded Monday that Chicago withhold $16 million in payments from the voting machine company at the center of last week's ballot-counting "debacle" and questioned the company's Venezuelan ownership.

"Just like we shouldn't have ports operating in the United States owned by firms from Dubai, we shouldn't have firms running elections in Chicago that are owned by foreign interests," said Finance Committee Chairman Edward M. Burke (14th).

Election Board Chairman Langdon Neal acknowledged that the parent company of California-based Sequoia Voting Systems is "a privately owned company domiciled in Venezuela," the country where the left-leaning Hugo Chavez is president.

"They bought a company that was well-established for many, many years in the United States. They notified us when that occurred. . . . We investigated it and found no improprieties with it at all," Neal said.

own agenda.

If you like Lou Dobbs, fine. But don't kid yourself that he's working for liberal causes.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1305627&mesg_id=1340952

Why don't you post some specifics in this thread, if Dobbs is lying about something?

http://mediamatters.org/items/200509270008

Dobbs omitted "intelligent design" proponent's Christian ties, beliefs

On the September 26 edition of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight, host Dobbs failed to inform viewers of guest Frank Sherwin's overt support for creationism, a literal belief in the biblical account of how the universe and human life were created. Dobbs also left unchallenged Sherwin's disingenuous statements on the views that he and his group, the Institute of Creation Research, are advocating.

Sherwin appeared alongside Eugenie Scott, the executive director of the National Center for Science Education, to discuss a recent decision by the Dover Area School District in Pennsylvania to teach high school students about "intelligent design" (ID). Intelligent design purports to be a "scientific theory" maintaining that "life is not the result of purely natural processes, but that it was in some way designed by an 'intelligence,' " according to the Intelligent Design and Evolution Awareness Center (IDEA), a group that claims its mission is "to promote intelligent design theory." The debate between Sherwin and Scott echoed the Dover case, where several families have argued that teaching intelligent design in school classrooms violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which calls for the separation of church and state. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), representing these families, has argued that proponents of intelligent design are engaging in a thinly veiled effort to import the biblical account of creation into public school classroom. The school district has defended its actions by denying that it is promoting a religious explanation for life and claiming; rather, the school board claims that it seeks only to show students the genuine controversy and skepticism over evolutionary theory.

On Lou Dobbs Tonight, Sherwin spoke in favor of intelligent design against Scott, who opposed teaching the theory in classrooms. But in introducing Sherwin, Dobbs merely stated that he represented "the Institute of Creation Research" and is a supporter of "teaching the theory {intelligent design} to students," without providing details on the organization's clear goal of advancing creationism as a Christian orthodoxy. As the Institute of Creation Research's (ICR) website proclaims:

We believe God has raised up ICR to spearhead Biblical Christianity's defense against the godless and compromising dogma of evolutionary humanism. Only by showing the scientific bankruptcy of evolution, while exalting Christ and the Bible, will Christians be successful in "the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (II Corinthians 10:4,5).

You, however, choose to ignore this.

.....a major :rant: going and sometimes I think he's getting so :grr: that he might have a heart attack. I hope he does give some air time to the issue of voting machines - people listen to Lou Dobbs.:bounce: If you listen to him from the point of view of him being conservative you can still learn a whole lot.

I'll give him credit, at least he's speaking out against this bunch of republican criminals that are destroying our country!

Ben Franklin was pretty conservative when it came to economics and welfare too, but he extolled and tried to raise up the middling class as the American ideal. If Lou keeps fighting for the rights and lifestyle of the middle class, then I will count him as "one of us" no matter what his philosophy