1. Lou Dobbs

The longtime CNN anchor has targeted “illegal aliens” for years now, publicly blaming them for everything from violent crime to failing schools to drug gangs and lethal communicable diseases. As advocates pushed for a comprehensive immigration reform bill this year, they perceived Dobbs and his platform at CNN as a primary obstacle. Dobbs held the power to sway public opinion against legalization (what Dobbs derisively calls “amnesty”) for any of the approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants who live and work in the United States. Then in November, after months of halfheartedly trying to muzzle himself on the issue following a directive from his boss, Dobbs gave up and announced his resignation from CNN. Immigrants’ advocates cheered. Dobbs isn’t likely to disappear, however. Many expect him to run for political office, which may be why in late November he was telling Spanish-language television that legalization of some illegal immigrants wouldn’t be so bad after all, “under certain conditions.”

Click here to replay slideshow.