CNN Scrubs Dobbs’ Racially Charged Comment From Transcript
CNN Scrubs Dobbs’ Racially Charged Comment From Transcript
Referring to Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-IL) recent speech on race while speaking with a group of journalists last week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the U.S. “still has trouble dealing with race because of a national ‘birth defect’ that denied black Americans the opportunities given to whites at the country’s very founding.” Rice added that this “birth defect” makes it “hard for us to talk about it, and hard for us to realize that it has continuing relevance for who we are today.”
When asked to respond to Rice’s remarks on the Situation Room last Friday, CNN host Lou Dobbs became agitated. TPM’s Josh Marshall noted that Dobbs explained “how he’s sick of ‘cotton pickin’ black leaders telling him how he can and can’t talk about race (he catches himself at the last minute — sorta).”
Watch it:
While it appears that Dobbs was about to say “cotton picking” (often used as a racially charged slur) in reference to Rice, he caught himself, only uttering the word “cotton.” Yet, the CNN transcript from Friday’s Situation Room has omitted the word “cotton” from Dobbs’ remarks:
DOBBS: We’ve got to be able to talk about it and I can guarantee you this, not a single one of these [the word “cotton” should appear here] — just ridiculous politicians should be the moderator on the issue of race. We have to have a far better discussion than that.
One could perhaps wonder then if CNN has a habit of doctoring Lou Dobbs’ statements for its official transcripts.
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Instead of just his statement, CNN should scrub Dobbs. Does anyone actually watch his show?
March 31st, 2008 at 11:43 amDo African-Americans even pick cotton anymore? I thought the agribusiness industry imported Guatemalans to do that now…
March 31st, 2008 at 11:45 amHa ha ha ha ha ha ha
March 31st, 2008 at 11:48 amFor quite a while Lou Dobbs has been vilifying Hispanic Americans as “illegals” and “ethnic activists” telling African Americans that they were taking their jobs.
Now he turns around and vilifies Black people and calls their leaders “cotton picking”.
It was bound to happen.
There ya go, first my folks then yours, surprise, surprise!!!!!!
To Native Americans, Dobbs is an illegal immigrant.
To Black Americans, Dobbs is a racist.
To most Americans, Dobbs is just a dumb shit.
March 31st, 2008 at 11:50 amOpen mouth, insert foot and chew vigorously.
March 31st, 2008 at 11:54 amDou Lobs, just another fat old white guy with his not so cleverly disguised sidekick, BlackFace.
March 31st, 2008 at 11:55 amTexMex Says:
March 31st, 2008 at 11:48 am
There ya go, first my folks then yours, surprise, surprise!!!!!!
Perhaps he’s like Merlin, travelling backwards in bigot-time. Next he’ll be blaming the Japanese for America’s woes. Then it’ll be the Irish and the Chinese. After that, the Barbary Pirates. And perhaps the Germans.
March 31st, 2008 at 11:55 amWhen reached for comment, Dobbs reportedly said “I’m not even going to hug that tar baby!”
March 31st, 2008 at 11:59 amjay_severin_has_a_small_pen1s Says:
March 31st, 2008 at 11:59 am
When reached for comment, Dobbs reportedly said “I’m not even going to hug that tar baby!”
Actually he referred to them as “sparkling wiggles.” What ever that means.
March 31st, 2008 at 12:05 pmMy non-racist Mom used to use the “cotton pickin’ hands” phrase up until 20 years ago when I asked her “Who exactly do you think “cotton pickin’ hands” is referring to?…
So Lou Dobbs, you are at least 20 years late in figuring this out…
March 31st, 2008 at 12:06 pmWait a cotton pickin minute here? Lou Dobbs doesn’t discriminate! He hates every minority equally!
March 31st, 2008 at 12:06 pmWhy doesn’t CNN loop Dobs a billion times and define his career (which I think he’d make a decent prez) by the stupid crap he says?
The whole Wright thing and the way the media has been treating it has taken them down a notch for me.
March 31st, 2008 at 12:14 pmI have no doubt that CNN sanitizes its transcripts to protect their own. I imagine most networks do.
However, in this electronic age, CNN can’t squelch the entire record. Not as long as TiVo is out there.
But let’s look at what Dobbs said and possible reasons why he said it. What could he have meant by that remark?
1) “As a white male, I would prefer things return to the way they used to be, with everybody else knowing their place.”
2) “We can have a discussion on race, but only by white people — that’s the only perspective that’s important.”
3) “We wouldn’t even HAVE a race problem if only people of color would just keep their mouths shut.”
4) “Just because some people have had to struggle for generations to make it in a system stacked against them, doesn’t mean they are entitled to tell ME anything about race.”
No matter how you slice, parse, and dissect Dobbs’ remarks, it still seems to come down to a white guy loudly asserting his birthright as a white guy and the entitlements it bestows.
March 31st, 2008 at 12:16 pmI have a friend that I have heard use that phrase on more than one equation with no bad intentions. Although she hardly caries the weight of words as that of Dobbs, but none the less, she may want to use a different phrase in front of her son-in-law and grandkids.
March 31st, 2008 at 12:17 pmHe is as bad as Bush. Can’t talk, Can’t think!!
March 31st, 2008 at 12:21 pmWell, I’d certainly rather have Obama moderate the debate than the likes of Dobbs or Condi. I suppose if they promise to be civil we can let them participate, but if they start in on the ‘cotton-pickin’ crap, they should have their microphones disconnected.
Freedom of speech should not imply freedom to broadcast lies over the public airwaves without consequences. Nor should cable and satellite media be excused, given extensive easements and public financing of satellite technology.
I think the best moderator for this sort of discussion would be Bill Moyers. I’d trust him to be fair and respectful of the dignity of all concerned.
March 31st, 2008 at 12:31 pmThere’s the cotton business, but the other thing to check out is how Dobbs characterized Rice’s comments:
I saw what she said. That the United States has a birth defect on the issue of race. I think it’s really unfortunate that Secretary of State Rice believes as she does.
I take that to mean Lou Dobbs mourns the existence of the 13th Amendment. It’s really unfortunate that a CNN anchor believes as he does, but we saw what he said.
March 31st, 2008 at 12:36 pmHis preaching begun with an opposition to illegal immigration, and has trickled down to racial slurs.
March 31st, 2008 at 12:36 pmI wish as Black people we were still picking cotton–albeit, this time as land owners and active in agribusiness. Then, we could be more productive in the economy and produce jobs for ourselves and make this whole race issue less of a problem for ourselves and others. When you’re self-sufficient and productive, how others feel about you becomes less important.
March 31st, 2008 at 12:44 pmmisshusseinmolly Says:
March 31st, 2008 at 12:16 pm
No matter how you slice, parse, and dissect Dobbs’ remarks, it still seems to come down to a white guy loudly asserting his birthright as a white guy and the entitlements it bestows.
That’s exactly right, and it is an assertion we hear repeatedly these days in an ever-increasing chorus. To me, Dobbs sounds like “We live in the most wonderful diverse country on the planet and I’m sick of hearing about it. Bad enough we’re diverse without hearing from the darkies.”
March 31st, 2008 at 12:47 pmI wonder if he calls little ones pickaninnies? Kinda goes with cotton pickers. What a maroon.
March 31st, 2008 at 12:54 pmWe’ve got him now!
Everyone:
Make sure and call your local MexicanConsulate for tips on the best way to handle this. And, for those in DC, contact the U.S. ChamberOfCommerce’s Cheap Labor for Cotton Growers Division for more tips.
March 31st, 2008 at 1:03 pmThis is nothing new for Lou Dobbs, he’s one of the most racist people on TV. CNN may doctor it’s transcripts to hide Lou racist rant, but they can’t stop his nightly racist slant. He’s like a fly on the wall, just give him a chance and he’s insult us all. This is the last straw but it won’t be his fall, CNN is just trying to fool us yall. Why do they play this game, to continue to employ Lou Dobb is lame. His continued presence at CNN is a shame, and CNN’s silence makes their feelings plain. In CNN we can no longer trust, Lou Dobbs show is a bust.
March 31st, 2008 at 1:04 pmI wish that CNN would just scrub Lou Dobbs completely off their lineup. He has done more to contribute to the hateful feelings of many Americans towards immigrants than any one person.
March 31st, 2008 at 1:08 pmNo matter how you slice, parse, and dissect Dobbs’ remarks, it still seems to come down to a white guy loudly asserting his birthright as a white guy and the entitlements it bestows.
And the funny (or sad) thing about it is that Dobbs is married to a woman who is Mexican and his kids are half Mexican. I wonder how his wife and her family feel about Dobbs and his racism.
March 31st, 2008 at 1:11 pmWell, I never really noticed any racial connotations with the phrase ‘wait a cotton pickin’ minute’, but yeah I guess that fits.
As for referring to black leaders as ‘cotton pickin’, that doesn’t even make sense.
I like Dobbs in that he is one of the few pundits out there that acknowledge that the middle class are getting the shaft, but I think at this point it is evident that he is a subtle racist.
I guess it goes to show that some people aren’t all that black and white. You can have a bad guy with some good intentions or a good guy with some serious character flaws (depending on your perspective).
March 31st, 2008 at 1:15 pmCNN employs Glenn Beck and Lou Dobbs. That’s enough reason to to disregard everything else they say.
March 31st, 2008 at 1:19 pmTPM’s Josh Marshall noted that Dobbs explained “how he’s sick of ‘cotton pickin’ black leaders telling him how he can and can’t talk about race (he catches himself at the last minute — sorta).”
To be fair, Lou didn’t say “black leaders,” although he obviously was going to say ‘cotton pickin.’ Although I strongly disagree with his stance on immigration, he says alot about outsourcing of jobs, the resulting loss of our manufacturing base due to such outsourcing, and the impact that has on our people, the middle class in particular. I agree with his statements on THOSE issues.
March 31st, 2008 at 1:28 pmHafez Muhammad Says:
March 31st, 2008 at 12:44 pm
I wish as Black people we were still picking cotton–albeit, this time as land owners and active in agribusiness. Then, we could be more productive in the economy and produce jobs for ourselves and make this whole race issue less of a problem for ourselves and others.
Agreed, though I think this needs to be part of a larger movement to de-monopolize the agribusiness sector. Not only have African-American farmers declined as a percentage of farmers in the United States in the 20th century, but the number of farmers declined from 6.3 million in 1920 to under 2 million in 1997. More and more, our food is in the hands of very few people and a few extremely powerful corporations.
March 31st, 2008 at 1:33 pmAs George Orwell said in 1984, it’s “down the memory hole.”
March 31st, 2008 at 1:52 pmI am amazed at the prejudices of some of the readers of this “progressive” publication. I googled “cotton pickin’,” and came up with 10’s of thousands of uses in thousands of different contexts. Why are so many self-deputized thought police obsessed with labeling racist motives to public figures who utter one word that you make your self the final arbiter on. And to then label Dobbs as “old, fat, white” you show yourself to be ageist, fatist and racist. If you would listen to the actual context of the man’s monologue you would see that he is advocating for communication. If you think that’s bad, you’ve got problems
March 31st, 2008 at 2:21 pmY’know, as a kid, I remember cartoons saying “cotton pickin’” so and so, and it didn’t refer to a black person. I never made the connection that it was racist until, well, I guess until Lou Dobbs said it (almost). Yeah, Dobbs is using the nation’s anti-immigrant hysteria to boost his ratings (and he is being racist), but I do find myself agreeing with him on a number of issues, like the destruction of the middle class. That’s an issue I think most people agree with.
March 31st, 2008 at 2:37 pmYes, I could understand a mistake if he had said: “Wait one cotton picking minute.” However, his statement was specifically directed at the black leadership. Even an ancient war horse such as myself recognize the racism inherent in the statement.
However, we see much more explicit examples in our main stream media. Just look at what we see coming from James Buchanan on MSNBC where he justifies fear of black men because of their crime rates, denigrates the riots of the 1960’s and suggest that they be grateful for the enslavement of their forefathers since the black people have fared better over time in the United States than in Africa.
But we have seen racism used from Willie Horton to the Ford election in Tennessee as a Republican/conservative tactic. We have advanced far from my youth in the 1950’s. However, we have not advanced that far. Affirmative action in education and the job market, minority set asides were essential to promote economic and social equality. The conservatives from the beginning touted the same arguments against such efforts as we hear today.
Face it, the Republican elite have used racism (and now illegal immigrants) as a useful scapegoat while they implement policies to destroy the working and middle class to increase their share of the economic pie.
March 31st, 2008 at 3:20 pmYou know, I’m absolutely disgusted by Lou Dobbs’ ridiculous rant. He is indignant and incensed because a leading black government figure makes a comment on HER OWN race in historical perspective? Are you serious? Is this for real? I hope CNN realizes that this guy has finally crossed the line. His comments are so random and arbitrary, and make no sense in relation to what he was asked by Wolf Blitzer. He went off on a tangent, and thinks he has the right to muzzle Rice. I used to give Dobbs the benefit of the doubt, but no longer. He is an old white psychopath and nothing more. And his head has gotten too swelled.
March 31st, 2008 at 3:58 pmTime for Dobbs to retire. And please send Beck packing too.
March 31st, 2008 at 4:02 pmmisshusseinmolly Says:
No matter how you slice, parse, and dissect Dobbs’ remarks, it still seems to come down to a white guy loudly asserting his birthright as a white guy and the entitlements it bestows.
Aaaaand your point is? This country was founded by white people, and they do deserve entitlement as such. This country rigntfully belongs to white people, and Mexicans are much like the Boers of South Africa…. AKA, colonists. Your ilk, of course, cheered on Mugabe when he murdered all the white people in Zimbabwe, because “Africa belongs to black people” and white people there were “colonists.” Yet when the shoe is on the other foot you don’t seen to enjoy it very much, and get whiny about it.
March 31st, 2008 at 5:29 pmAnd while we’re at it, let’s talk about the 5,000 pound elephant in the room that none of you want to admit is there: blacks DO try to tell whites how they can and cannot talk about race.
March 31st, 2008 at 5:36 pmI have found many times over the past ten years or so where CNN has purged their transcripts to make their anchors, reporters or guests (from the right)look better. In July 2002, Steve Forbes was answering a question about corruption hurting the stock market. He said that if we went into Iraq and took the oil fields, the market would pick up. Dobbs said it was interesting he looked at it that way. A few days later, those remarks were purged. CNN never responded to numerous queries from me. They have never responded to me in ten years! I still have Forbes’ comment if anyone would like.
March 31st, 2008 at 9:22 pmThere is lots more involved in Dobbs stories = race relations + immigrants in America + health care for all + mental illness + schools + government + gays + religion + culture + society + traditional media + liberal media + history + business!
Lou Dobbs, ALWAYS bites off more than he can chew. Nuts!
April 1st, 2008 at 12:02 amDaTroof Says:
Aaaaand your point is? This country was founded by white people, and they do deserve entitlement as such. This country rigntfully belongs to white people, and Mexicans are much like the Boers of South Africa…. AKA, colonists. Your ilk, of course, cheered on Mugabe when he murdered all the white people in Zimbabwe, because “Africa belongs to black people” and white people there were “colonists.” Yet when the shoe is on the other foot you don’t seen to enjoy it very much, and get whiny about it.
My, my… Where to even start…
The oldest city in the US, Saint Augustine was founded by the Spanish, and while that certainly qualifies as European, so do the Mexicans you’re putting down, since they are also the descendants of the spanish settlers.
And as far as Mexican’s being immigrants to the US, I just have to ask you, Da Troof, why you think other European settlers were NOT colonists. I think the Native Americans, what’s left of them anyway, might see the Northern Europeans as colonizers.
Yes, white people founded this country, and black people too, over the bodies of the red people, and with help from the yellow people. And now, thank goodness, we’re on the cusp of multi-racialism where we can look back on that history and see the roles of all groups for good and ill, and where we have individuals embodying several of those groups, and briding the cultures between them. A few generations more intermarrying and maybe our hypercritical awareness of race and skin color will finally fade away.
Finally, your commens about Mugabe are just plain offensive. You have no idea how people here felt about events in Zimbabwe, and projecting your own hatred onto them just makes you look small and confused.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:17 am