Former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs, whose strident stance on immigration sparked controversy before his abrupt departure, is reaching out to Latino groups to mend fences for a potential 2012 White House run.
When asked about the “crazy talk” that he might be eyeing President Obama’s job, Dobbs laughed, “What’s so crazy about that?”
He said he is, indeed, considering a run for the nation’s top job.
“It’s one of the discussions that we’re having,” Dobbs said in an interview on WTOP radio in Washington. “For the first time, I’m actually listening to some people about politics.”
On former Sen. Fred Thompson’s radio show, Dobbs was asked directly if he’d consider running for president and replied, “Yes is the answer,” adding that his wife is “going to be making part of that decision.”
Dobbs, 64, whose outspoken views on illegal immigration earned him the ire of many minority groups, said he is trying to bridge the divide.
“I’m reaching out right now to Latino groups, the Chamber of Commerce, the business roundtable, all the groups with whom I have been in an ongoing debate, to try to . . . find solutions,” he said.
But he admitted he might not be cut out for politics.
“I don’t think I’ve got the nature for it,” Dobbs told WTOP.
Still, Dobbs — who dropped out of the Republican Party in 2006 to become an independent — said he was interested in doing something positive.
“We’ve got to do something in this country, and I think that being in the public arena means you’ve got to be part of the solution,” he said.
He dismissed speculation that he left CNN due to the network’s lackluster ratings — and said his departure left him “liberated” and “exhilarated.”
Dobbs has several advantages should he run, political consultants said.
“He’s a terrific populist. He has a legitimate following that could be turned into something,” said Bay Buchanan, a political consultant and the sister of Pat Buchanan, who ran unsuccessfully as a third-party candidate in 2000.
And his huge name recognition would likely make him an effective fund-raiser.
But Dobbs — who is pro-choice — wouldn’t be a viable candidate for the GOP, Buchanan said.
And he’d also have trouble scoring the Democratic nod because of his strong views on curtailing illegal immigration, she said.