War on the Middle Class

Anyone who considers themselves a frequent viewer of the Fox News Channel is familiar with Bill O'Reilly's segments where he interviews famous individuals and addresses viewer criticisms regarding the state of our nation. Prior to the conclusion of each segment, he takes a second to remind viewers that 'the spin stops here' and that 'we are always looking out for you.'

Comments like those tend to leave me with a sense of discomfort; news anchors as a whole, frequently have their words fed to them through a teleprompter akin to a mother feeding her child applesauce in the morning. Ironically, the only news anchors who can successfully ad-lib their own material are found on programs such as The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. The irony here is that the anchors here are comedians; on the whole, comedians are expected to improvise.

All this makes Lou Dobbs, a CNN anchor on his self-titled show Lou Dobbs Tonight, an interesting spectacle. He manages to separate himself from what is frequently reported on rival networks by taking a direct stance towards issues that affect citizens. This straightforward approach is effectively conveyed in his book, titled War on the Middle Class, which effectively documents the challenges faced by America's citizens and what he believes can be done to amend each situation.

War on the Middle Class proves an effective title for Dobbs's work as he wastes little time in the book's introduction outlining what he believes is a failure of governmental policy to acknowledge the needs of America's middle class citizenry, which to him represent the millions of Americans who are often unable to pay for the very services that they attempt to provide. To Dobbs, his analysis throughout the novel represents 'an evolution of understanding of our failed public policies, business practices, and politics over the past five years, and their impact on the middle class,' which to him represents 'the single largest group of people in America.' This analysis is done through concise writing that effectively conveys a commanding tone throughout the book; it is akin to attending a speech given by a speaker who wastes no time in capturing your attention with the very first sentence.

Dobbs's book contains twelve total chapters; after an opening chapter which provides background into the Dobbs's War on the Middle Class concept, he launches into diatribes that expose the flaws of government officials, lobbyists, immigration, education and health care. He then dedicates other chapters to praising the efforts of individuals who do their part, in his opinion, to make a difference in America. On an interesting note, Dobbs includes copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the United States Constitution with Amendments 11-27. These additions are helpful in conveying Dobbs's central purpose of the book: to incite Americans to change their situation and not to become spectators in their government.

Some of Dobb's strongest criticisms come in the book's fourth chapter, titled 'The Politics of Deceit.' It is an apt header, as he discusses the questionable political practices that occur in Washington. The section's opening has a strong dismissive attitude towards the political process, saying that Dobbs is unable to take seriously any individual who takes the democratic and republican parties seriously as neither party cares about the middle class. He supports this point by mentioning how both parties have failed to produce leaders who have the country's best interests at heart, saying that 'out of a country of 300 million people, we were forced to choose between two rich white guys that attended Yale and were members of the Skull and Bones Society.' He continues by severely criticizing our current president's handling of the nation, noting that he has 'failed to articulate a clear vision of America after winning two elections.' However, he does not have any kind words for the rival Democratic Party either, sharing the president's sentiments that they are 'bereft of ideas.'

After assailing both political parties, Dobbs takes the entire institution of Congress to task, observing that they fail to reflect an adequate composition of the America populace (most senators and representatives are lawyers; by comparison, only one in three hundred people in America have a law degree), along with how well they are compensated financially. Dobbs notes that members of Congress receive such perks as frequently allowed to go on trips that are paid for by American taxpayers, receive large pensions, have the ability to expand their office staff by as many individuals as they deem necessary, and have allowances for promotional materials such as newsletters and stationery. All of these 'perks' are given to Congress through the efforts of Americans, an action that Dobbs finds reprehensible, and makes it known throughout this chapter.

Another area where Dobbs's criticisms are the most stringent are in the very area in which he makes his living: the news media.

The section where he launches into a diatribe about news media traditions is titled 'he said, she said,' mainly because Dobbs believes that is the type of journalism that has become acceptable throughout American society.

Interestingly, this chapter also includes Dobbs positively promoting 'his' method of profiling news, through a means he calls 'the American perspective; a perspective that is not shaped by partisan politics, ideological commitment, or religious fervor.' Dobbs continues by mentioning his determination to make sure that his viewers know his opinion on every issue, for good or ill.

Dobbs continues his analysis of the press by noting what many other members of the media have long surmised: the press is no longer a vehicle for reporting truth but a means for pulling in advertisers and satisfying executives' bottom line. This point is reinforced throughout the chapter when Dobbs highlights the influence that corporations have on the media. In his book, he notes that 'nearly every mainstream media outlet is owned by eight companies: Viacom & CBS, Disney, GE, Time Warner, Newscorp, Gannett, Washington Press Corp. and New York Times Corp.' To him, this highlights the consolidation of the media and its tendency to limit individual voices.

The author makes it clear that he thinks this type of journalism is a 'cop-out' that only has found its place though budget constraints. He also expresses his dislike for 'celebrity' journalism and emphasized this by noting that his news broadcast did not jump on the Monica Lewinsky event until knowledge of the affair became a factor in legal proceedings.

Dobbs's editorial decisions on what to cover and how have allowed him, in his opinion, to stand out from other news networks; to him, the American people should hear the news through a means that is unbiased, direct and honest. Fair and balanced news, according to Dobbs, should never be a substitute for truth and fact.

While the media and deceptious politics are the areas where Dobbs is most eager to brandishes his sword, he is no less kind in the book's other chapters. In each of his analyses of these bastions of American life, he points out the disinterest of government officials in addressing it and how it negatively affects the middle class, these chapters can become formulaic as readers can simply check off what to expect when they open each page: problem outline, government criticism, middle class pain, limited gain. Lest one thinks that pervades the book, however, Dobbs takes time out to praise individuals who do their part to make America a better place, such as recognizing Bill Hickey, president of Lapham-Hickey Steel, for refusing to outsource his work overseas, and Truett Abbot, principal of Warner County Middle School in Georgia, for turning it from a school that was in the pits to one of the best. Individuals like these, Dobbs believes, are needed to make the government recognize that the needs of the middle class will not be ignored any longer.

That recognition serves at Dobbs's central premise from the book's first page to its conclusion that America must show a renewed interest in its government before corporations become the only voices that participate. The author uses a historical footnote to conclude the book, saying that 'first and foremost, we are all Americans, and we are all committed to the values outlined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Also, we are foremost neither Republican nor democrat, conservative, nor liberal.'

I would assuredly recommend this book to individuals who are willing to look beyond the clouds put in place by our government to understand what is really going on in our society. Though Dobbs may appear to stand on a soapbox on several occasions, more often than not, his points carry the ring of truth.