Anti–illegal immigration crusader Lou Dobbs knowingly had illegal immigrants tending to his show-jumping horses and the grounds of his multiple estates, according to a yearlong investigation by Isabel Macdonald in The Nation. Dobbs, on his radio show and in an MSNBC face-off with Macdonald, denied that he or his Dobbs Group had directly hired illegal immigrants and called the article a "fairly typical hit piece" by the liberal magazine. Is it, or is Dobbs, as The Nation claims, an "American hypocrite"? (Watch a report by The Nation about the investigation)
Of course Dobbs is a hypocrite: Frankly, says Andrew Leonard in Salon, I'm surprised "it took this long to hoist Dobbs on his own vile, demagoguing, nativist petard." Every "multimillion-dollar estate" in the U.S. probably employs undocumented workers, and every estate with thoroughbred horses is even more likely to do so. Still, given the "sputtering" rage Dobbs poured nightly on those who employ illegal immigrants, this unmasking is something "special."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.