Third Parties Eye Dobbs 2012

Less than two weeks after his controversial departure from CNN, Lou Dobbs affirmed his intentions to run for president in 2012—"Yes is the answer," Dobbs he replied on Fred Thompson's radio show—and third-party heavyweights are right behind him. Currently, Dobbs is without a party, and though his harsh words for Obama and conservative stance on immigration have led some to believe he would run as a Republican, third-party political operatives are already wooing him. Former Sen. Dean Barkley, the Reform Party member who managed Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura's winning third-party campaign, says he's urged Dobbs to run before and thinks him "a perfect candidate for us." Bay Buchanan, who ran Pat Buchanan's 2000 presidential campaign, says the "enormous movement" for third-party candidates is even stronger now than when Pat ran, adding "I think he can win." Bill Hillsman, who worked as a message man for famed third-party gubernatorial candidates Kinky Friedman and Chris Daggett, notes that Dobbs has "an audience" and national recognition. This leaves him uniquely poised to give the two-party system a run for its money, particularly in New Jersey, where Dobbs resides and Daggett ran. Skeptics, however, warn the the Electoral College won't be working in his favor.