Lou Dobbs of Fox Business News' Lou Dobbs Tonight spoke at the Becker's Spine, Orthopedic and Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference + The Future of Spine. He has written several books, including Independents Day: Awakening the American Spirit in 2007 and Upheaval in 2014. Mr. Dobbs spoke about the current political landscape and where he sees the populist movement headed in the future.
"It is amazing to watch unfold the presidency of [Donald Trump]. He has now been in office just over five months and he has already signed 38 pieces of legislation, moved executive orders that in large measure recall executive orders of Barack Obama and rolling back much of what Donald Trump considers to be anti-business and anti-American legislation and executive orders," Mr. Dobbs said. The administration is still unsuccessful in signing "repeal and replace" legislation for the ACA, but Mr. Dobbs is bullish on new healthcare reforms passing in the future.
Mr. Dobbs discussed healthcare, the decreasing unemployment rate and economy. "We are looking at an economy that has produced capital markets," he said. "If you look at all the markets that were decimated in 2008 … we are looking at markets that since Election Day have risen 15 percent on the Dow Jones Industrial and approached $4 trillion during this presidency. It is a remarkable period of time; a lot of good things are happening and we are hearing all together about too few of them because the airways remain saturated with ideological rhetoric."
He described the political landscape and coverage by mainstream media, and feels there is a disconnect between what happens in the Capitol and the stories journalists choose to cover. Mr. Dobbs has covered politics, economics, society and business as a broadcaster and writer for more than 30 years. Mr. Trump, said Mr. Dobbs, is a unique politician.
"He connects with his base like no one I've ever seen, and I covered for a time Ronald Reagan's campaign … he had a wonderful connection with his base, but the way in which Donald Trump connects with his base, you would not dream you were listening to a billionaire president talking to working democratic Trump supporters, or people who previously had been democratic. We are watching a real shift and it's only accelerating under Donald Trump."
The additional trends Mr. Dobbs touched on include:
1. Trade deficit — the deficit has cut into the national growth rate which is problematic for the future.
2. State of the news industry — top publications such as the Washington Post and New York Times are owned by individuals who have influence over the content. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post outright and the largest investor in the New York Times is Mexican telecommunications mogul Carlos Slim Helu.
3. The middle class — many Trump supporters are independents who want to see a re-emergence of the middle class and upward mobility, Mr. Dobbs said. "The Independent voter is going to be critical in 2020," he said.
"Donald Trump is the great disrupter. He is the one person we have seen who will bring voters back across party lines, the forgotten man and woman, the working man and woman with one aspiration, and that is to succeed and determine that success by making it possible for their children to live better lives then they did," he said.
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