{"id":25200,"date":"2025-08-21T11:58:43","date_gmt":"2025-08-21T18:58:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?p=25200"},"modified":"2025-09-29T11:58:44","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T18:58:44","slug":"focusing-on-the-family-james-dobson-propel-evangelicals-into-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/focusing-on-the-family-james-dobson-propel-evangelicals-into-politics\/","title":{"rendered":"By \u2018focusing on the family,\u2019 James Dobson helped propel US evangelicals back into politics \u2013 making the Religious Right into the cultural force it is\u00a0today"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/08\/dobbs-obit-top-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/08\/dobbs-obit-top-1920x1080.jpg 1920w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/08\/dobbs-obit-top-1280x720.jpg 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/08\/dobbs-obit-top-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"A photo of James Dobson\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, died on August. 21, 2025 at age 89. (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=arts-and-culture\">Arts and Culture<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>By \u2018focusing on the family,\u2019 James Dobson helped propel US evangelicals back into politics \u2013 making the Religious Right into the cultural force it is\u00a0today<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  For Americans who do not follow evangelical Christian media, James Dobson may not have been a household name. Yet the views he promoted shaped US society for more than 50 years.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Richard Flory<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">August 21, 2025<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" 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cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>For decades, one name was ubiquitous in American evangelical homes: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.focusonthefamily.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Focus on the Family<\/a>. A media empire with millions of listeners and readers, its messages about parenting, marriage and politics seemed to reach every conservative Christian church and school.<\/p>\n<p>And one man\u2019s name was nearly synonymous with Focus on the Family: James Dobson.<\/p>\n<p>Dobson, a primary figure of the Religious Right <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/nation\/2025\/08\/21\/james-dobson-focus-on-the-family-founder-dies\/85756238007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">who died on Aug. 21, 2025<\/a>, was born in 1936, when conservative Protestant Christianity was a far cry from what it is today. As <a href=\"https:\/\/crcc.usc.edu\/people\/richard-flory\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a sociologist of religion<\/a> who has studied American evangelicalism for 30 years, I believe Dobson\u2019s influence and moral authority were instrumental in transforming the Religious Right into the powerful cultural and political force it has been for half a century.<\/p>\n<h2>A household name<\/h2>\n<p>Dobson earned a doctorate in psychology from the University of Southern California, where he taught for several years. In 1970, he published \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/daretodiscipline00jame\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dare to Discipline<\/a>,\u201d a book encouraging parents to use corporal punishment to instill unquestioned respect for authority in their children.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDare to Discipline\u201d arrived at a time when many evangelicals were alarmed about how their children were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1973\/10\/14\/archives\/ministers-lectures-on-family-life-and-youth-draw-thousands-gods.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">being influenced by \u201csecular\u201d American culture<\/a>. The book was updated in 1992 and reissued several times, and Dobson\u2019s introduction <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tyndale.com\/p\/the-new-dare-to-discipline\/9781414391359\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">to a 2018 version<\/a> claimed that the book has sold over 3.5 million copies. \u201cDare to Discipline\u201d became an important source for Christian families seeking advice rooted in a \u201cbiblical\u201d understanding of family, parental authority and child development \u2013 and it made Dobson a household name.<\/p>\n<p>Capitalizing on that success, Dobson founded <a href=\"https:\/\/www.focusonthefamily.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Focus on the Family<\/a> in 1977. The organization\u2019s signature radio program took his message about family and faith virtually anywhere people could go, and grew increasingly political. By 1995, Focus on the Family <a href=\"https:\/\/us.macmillan.com\/books\/9780312378448\/thejesusmachine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">had a budget of more than US$100 million<\/a>, and by 2008, the radio program had aired on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiohalloffame.com\/focus-on-the-family\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">over 3,000 stations<\/a> in 160 countries.<\/p>\n<p>The primary theme throughout Dobson\u2019s radio program and publications was that \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pennpress.org\/9780812224290\/family-values-and-the-rise-of-the-christian-right\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">family values<\/a>\u201d were under attack by a godless society embracing abortion, gay rights and gender equality. His views hearkened back to \u201cDare to Discipline\u201d: Authoritarian patriarchal families with <a href=\"https:\/\/wwnorton.com\/books\/9781631499050\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">distinct gender roles for men and women<\/a> would preserve the family and the future of the country.<\/p>\n<h2>From the family to the Supreme Court<\/h2>\n<p>Dobson left Focus on the Family in 2010 and founded <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drjamesdobson.org\/our-mission\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute<\/a>, originally named Family Talk. He and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drjamesdobson.org\/bio\/gary-bauer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">like-minded hosts<\/a> dispensed folksy advice, along with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drjamesdobson.org\/video\/kirk-cameron-on-dr-james-dobsons-family-talk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">guests well known to their audience<\/a>. But they also addressed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drjamesdobson.org\/public-policy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">explicitly political issues<\/a>, such as opposing policies that support abortion, same-sex marriage and some protections for LGBTQ+ people that they believe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drjamesdobson.org\/public-policy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">conflict with their religious liberty<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, Dobson helped found other powerful evangelical organizations working toward the Religious Right\u2019s ideological and political goals, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.frc.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Family Research Council<\/a> and the legal group <a href=\"https:\/\/adflegal.org\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Alliance Defending Freedom<\/a>, which has supported several high-profile Supreme Court cases.<\/p>\n<p>In 2022 and 2023, the Supreme Court made three rulings that advance long-held goals of the Christian Right. A slim majority <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oyez.org\/cases\/2021\/19-1392\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">overturned Roe v. Wade<\/a>, the decision which established the constitutional right to an abortion in 1973. The ruling in a Colorado case, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oyez.org\/cases\/2022\/21-476\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">303 Creative LLC vs. Elenis<\/a>, determined that business owners could not be compelled to create messages that conflict with their \u201csincerely held beliefs\u201d \u2013 meaning, in this case, that a wedding website designer could refuse same-sex clients because of her religious beliefs. And the court continued to soften limits on <a href=\"https:\/\/adfmedia.org\/case\/carson-v-makin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">using state funding for students at religious schools<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Attorneys from the Alliance Defending Freedom <a href=\"https:\/\/adflegal.org\/case\/dobbs-v-jackson-womens-health-organization\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">worked on the abortion case<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/adflegal.org\/press-release\/us-supreme-court-protects-free-speech-all\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">and 303 Creative<\/a>. The group <a href=\"https:\/\/adfmedia.org\/press-release\/adf-us-supreme-court-govt-cant-discriminate-against-students-religious-schools\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">submitted an amicus brief<\/a> in favor of using state money for religious instruction in the third case, Carson v. Makin.<\/p>\n<h2>Retreat and reemergence<\/h2>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eerdmans.com\/9780802808707\/reforming-fundamentalism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">roots of contemporary \u201cevangelicalism<\/a>\u201d trace back to the <a href=\"https:\/\/global.oup.com\/academic\/product\/fundamentalism-and-american-culture-9780197599488?cc=us&amp;lang=en&amp;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Protestant fundamentalist movement<\/a> that emerged in the early 20th century. Ever since, the movement has opposed ideas that it believes could undermine the core of America as a Christian nation.<\/p>\n<p>In the wake of the Russian Revolution, for example, fundamentalists <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalcommons.biola.edu\/kings-business-all\/57\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">identified \u201cBolshevism\u201d as a threat to Christian America<\/a>. Today, a century later, some Christian conservatives criticize many types of history education and diversity programs as \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianpost.com\/news\/christian-nationalism-smokescreen-real-threat-neo-marxism-scholars-say.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">neo-Marxist\u201d or \u201ccultural Marxism<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Conservative Protestant groups have not always been such major political players, however. Around the turn of the 20th century, evangelical institutions like <a href=\"https:\/\/uncpress.org\/book\/9781469633435\/guaranteed-pure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Moody Bible Institute<\/a> in Chicago and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.routledge.com\/Religion-in-Los-Angeles-Religious-Activism-Innovation-and-Diversity-in\/Flory-Winston\/p\/book\/9780367439347#:%7E:text=Religion%20in%20Los%20Angeles%20includes,%2C%20and%20race%2Fethnic%20studies.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Bible Institute of Los Angeles<\/a>, now called Biola University, focused on individual faith and Bible training. Personal faith was promoted as the engine for social change and resistance to \u201cun-Christian\u201d ideas and practices, not political advocacy.<\/p>\n<p>The famous <a href=\"https:\/\/billofrightsinstitute.org\/essays\/the-scopes-trial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Scopes Trial<\/a>, the 1925 case that pitched Biblical teachings about creation against the theory of evolution, prompted some fundamentalist groups <a href=\"https:\/\/global.oup.com\/academic\/product\/fundamentalism-and-american-culture-9780197599488?cc=us&amp;lang=en&amp;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">to retreat from public affairs and politics<\/a>. Following Scopes, evangelicals established broad networks of their own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/news\/2022\/november\/religion-census-nondenominational-church-growth-nons.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">independent churches<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acsi.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">K-12 schools<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cccu.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">universities<\/a> and media organizations \u2013 including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.evangelicalpress.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">publishers<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianradio.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">electronic media<\/a> \u2013 thus creating a subculture within which to worship and raise their children.<\/p>\n<p>Yet these organizations also laid the groundwork for what would finally emerge in the late 1970s as <a href=\"https:\/\/wwnorton.com\/books\/from-bible-belt-to-sunbelt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Religious Right<\/a> \u2013 with leaders like Dobson, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.liberty.edu\/about\/founder-jerry-falwell-senior\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">televangelist Jerry Falwell<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/07\/26\/books\/tim-lahaye-a-christian-fundamentalist-leader-dies-at-90.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pastor and novelist Tim LaHaye<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018One nation, under God\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Dobson\u2019s influence will continue through his writings and the organizations he founded and influenced. In particular, his legacy can be seen in conservative evangelicals\u2019 emphasis on the \u201ctraditional\u201d or \u201cbiblical\u201d family, defined as a married mother, father and children. He long promoted a gender hierarchy in marriage, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drjamesdobson.org\/blogs\/three-principles-of-authority\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the husband being in \u201cauthority\u201d over wife and children<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/scripturetruth.com\/products\/marriage-under-fire-why-we-must-win-this-war-james-dobson-9781590524312\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">viewed LGBTQ+ rights as a threat<\/a> to the family and to the nation.<\/p>\n<p>This conception of the family has found its way into most evangelical institutions. More broadly, within the conservative movement, the patriarchal family is understood as the authentic expression of God\u2019s law and is often viewed as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucpress.edu\/book\/9780520074644\/pious-passion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the ultimate model for social institutions<\/a> \u2013 including <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmind.org\/features\/what-is-christian-nationalism\/claiming-christian-nationalism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a Christian nation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Numerous fundamentalists and evangelicals have argued that evangelical Christianity should be <a href=\"https:\/\/press.princeton.edu\/ideas\/christian-nationalism-christian-globalism-and-white-americans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the true basis for a \u201cChristian America<\/a>.\u201d What distinguishes Dobson\u2019s approach was how he adapted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drjamesdobson.org\/broadcasts\/america-is-a-christian-nation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Christian nationalism<\/a>, framing it as a crucial issue for parents and families: translating ideas about Godly societies into guidance on \u201cproper\u201d child rearing and child development. His focus on the family as the foundation of Christian civilization <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drjamesdobson.org\/newsletters\/july-2023-newsletter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">mobilized millions of American evangelicals politically<\/a> \u2013 on a scale that previous leaders never approached.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/206180\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" \/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/richard-flory-308449\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Richard Flory<\/a>, Executive Director, Center for Religion and Civic Culture, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/usc-dornsife-college-of-letters-arts-and-sciences-2669\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>This article is republished from <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/by-focusing-on-the-family-james-dobson-helped-propel-us-evangelicals-back-into-politics-making-the-religious-right-into-the-cultural-force-it-is-today-206180\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Related Articles\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/the-us-founders-other-revolutionary-choice-separating-religion-and-government\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >The US founders\u2019 other revolutionary choice: Separating religion and\u00a0government<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/longtime-exxon-ceo-lee-raymonds-legacy-of-climate-denial-and-misinformation-lives-on-a-psychologist-offers-ways-to-counter-it\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Longtime Exxon CEO Lee Raymond\u2019s legacy of climate denial and misinformation lives on \u2013 a psychologist offers ways to counter\u00a0it<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/why-fatherhood-matters-more-than-ever-before\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Why fatherhood matters more than ever\u00a0before<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For Americans who do not follow evangelical Christian media, James Dobson may not have been a household name. Yet the views he promoted shaped US society for more than 50 years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":25204,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[87,83],"class_list":["post-25200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-and-culture","tag-expert-viewpoint","tag-the-conversation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>By \u2018focusing on the family,\u2019 James Dobson helped propel US evangelicals back into politics \u2013 making the Religious Right into the cultural force it is\u00a0today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/focusing-on-the-family-james-dobson-propel-evangelicals-into-politics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"By \u2018focusing on the family,\u2019 James Dobson helped propel US evangelicals back into politics \u2013 making the Religious Right into the cultural force it is\u00a0today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For Americans who do not follow evangelical Christian media, James Dobson may not have been a household name. Yet the views he promoted shaped US society for more than 50 years.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/focusing-on-the-family-james-dobson-propel-evangelicals-into-politics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"USC Dornsife News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uscdornsife\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-21T18:58:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-29T18:58:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/08\/dobbs-obit-top.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1150\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michael Liu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" 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