Lou Dobbs takes over The Daily Show, and the way he slaps "corporate America" around, he sounds suspiciously like a DWT ranter

"I was talking with a former senator, who'd served in Congress about 15 years ago. He said, 'You know, we used to have great influence exerted on us obviously by corporate America, but we never let them write the legislation.' Today corporate America is actually writing the law."

"Right now corporate America, corporations in this country have the lowest tax rate they've had since the end of World War II. At the same time, as I said, wages are stagnant, and corporate profits are the largest share of national income that they've been, and the participation of labor, through wages and earnings, is the smallest. This is the most productive economy in the world."

"Why don't we take on the concept--it's held the country in pretty good stead for 200 years--and return to a national vision of shared burden, shared responsibility and shared sacrifice?"


On his visit to The Daily Show last night, Lou Dobbs was relaxed and confident, responsive and witty--not only getting Jon Stewart's jokes but getting in some of his own.

JON STEWART: The book [standing it on the desk] is War on the Middle Class. I say this to you, Lou, isn't this good that war has been declared on the middle class? When America declares war on things--drugs, terror--usually the subject of that war ends up doing quite well.

LOU DOBBS [grinning]: That has been my experience. I couldn't agree more.

JON: So isn't this good for the middle class?

LOU: Not to this point. Because this government is even screwing up that, that particular experience.

JON: You're saying that this government doesn't have an exit strategy for the war on the middle class?

LOU [laughing]: Correct, correct. That is exactly what I'm saying.

JON: What have they done that's particularly egregious to the middle class?

LOU: A couple of little things. Democrats and Republicans alike, over the course of the past ten years, have shipped out 3 million jobs overseas to cheap-labor markets, eliminated 4 million manufacturing jobs, held wages stagnant for 35 years, rendered our public education system, which is the great equalizer in this great egalitarian society of ours, they've rendered it so inept that it's failed an entire generation of Americans.

JON: Other than those four things . . . [Laughter.] You speak of something that seems intractable.

LOU: It's very difficult to resolve, but it would be made easier to fix if we all recognized one essential fact, and that is that neither party is representing the interests of the greatest number of Americans, working men and women and their families, 250 million middle-class Americans.

JON: Right.

LOU: And that it's time to assert primacy in the political system.

JON: Why won't they? Because I would agree with you that most people in this country's interests are not represented through government, whether it be econonomically, through social things, whatever. Life, though, has to be pretty decent for there not to be a revolt. Look what happened in Hungary. The guy comes out and says, "I lied about economic statistics"--where in this country that'd be called, you know, "Tuesday"--and people take to the streets. Why is there not this outrage in the streets?

LOU: I think there is outrage, and I think you're going to see expression of that outrage on Nov. 7, in point of fact. But outrage is not enough, because we have corporate America, special interests in this country, spending over $2 billion a year to influence elections, to influence elections, to influence legislation. I mean, we've reached the point, Jon . . . I was talking with a former senator, who'd served in Congress about 15 years ago. He said, "You know, we used to have great influence exerted on us obviously by corporate America, but we never let them write the legislation." Today corporate America is actually writing the law.

JON [overlapping him]: Writing the legislation. Isn't that saving Congress money?

LOU [breaking up]: It may be saving . . . [breaks up again] I knew there'd be an astute insight into that that had eluded me, and that certainly fits the bill.

JON: I am now going to host your show.

LOU: Excellent, excellent.

JON: Can we avoid globalization? It seems like trying to draw a ring around our country isn't going to hold to the realities of what the world is now.

LOU: I think that's correct. You almost sound like the Bush administration.

JON: I'm always agreeing with them.

LOU: You and me both.

JON: But is there a way to manage it?

LOU: Of course there is.

JON: You can't ignore it or pretend it doesn't happen.

LOU: Absolutely, nor should anyone [here, can anyone read my handwriting? maybe "naturally even"?] intend to do so. But we can do a few things, like emulate our trading partners, and that is, have managed, balanced reciprocal trade, in which we actually export goods. But of course to do that we'll have to start manufacturing things again. It always fascinates me that both Republicans and Democrats talk about our dependency on foreign oil--we've had 33 years to deal with that issue--but we have a greater dependency in this country on foreign producers, foreign technology, for consumer electronics, for our computers, for our clothing--96 percent of our clothing is produced overseas!

JON: Where?

LOU: Well, you want to go through the list?

JON: Are there places we can invade?

LOU: Successfully?

JON: Oh . . . [Audience response swells from laughter to applause.] Nicely done, sir. Here's to you [brandishing his coffee mug].

LOU: I'll drink to you. [They click coffee mugs.]

JON: Nicely done, sir.

It seems that the turn has been that the government economic policy no longer honors work, it honors investment.

LOU: Right.

JON: That for some reason the paradigm has shifted, that work in itself . . . but haven't the labor unions also blown the gig a little bit by becoming relatively fat and corrupt?

LOU: Eight and a half percent of our private workforce is represented by organized labor, and yet the leadership of organized labor bears great responsibility. But right now corporate America, corporations in this country have the lowest tax rate they've had since the end of World War II. At the same time, as I said, wages are stagnant, and corporate profits are the largest share of national income that they've been, and the participation of labor, through wages and earnings, is the smallest. This is the most productive economy in the world.

JON: And people aren't benefiting. So, quick hit, here's what I say: No payroll tax.

LOU: All right . . .

JON: Seriously, you'll go with that?

LOU: Oh no, well, if you're not . . .

JON: I'm fixing things.

LOU: Okay, you're fixing things.

JON: No payroll tax--gone!

LOU: I think the problem with that is, then we start to impact Social Security, which is going to be difficult to resolve to begin with.

JON: We still have the FICA there, but we get rid of the other regressive . . .on that first $85,000 or whatever it is.

LOU: I have no problem with getting rid of it.

JON [startled]: Th-thank you! And . . . well, that's my only thing.

LOU: Well, why don't we do this? Why don't we take on the concept--it's held the country in pretty good stead for 200 years--and return to a national vision of shared burden, shared responsibility and shared sacrifice? Why don't we put taxes . . .

JON: We'll be back with Karl Marx in just a minute. . . .



AND NOW LOU IS . . . ON THE SEAT OF HEAT!

JON: Lou Dobbs, your book is called War on the Middle Class: How the Government, Big Business, and Special Interest Groups Are Waging War on the American Dream and How to Fight Back. My question is this: What is the maximum number of words you are allowed to have in a book subtitle?

LOU: I believe we have exceeded it, and I plead guilty.

JON: Because I don't want to have to outsource copywriting.

LOU: Thank you for that. I knew we could count on you.

JON: When your next book comes out, will we see a more concise . . . What would your more concise version be? How about "War on the Middle Class: COME ON!"?

LOU [chuckling]: I think that would work. [Shaking hands.] I think that's a wonderful suggestion.

JON: Lou Dobbs, you're off the Seat of Heat.