Disgusting. What is he supposed to be balancing? Once again, the Post falls victim to its own infantile insistence upon false equivalence. Did you ever notice how a conservative's idea of 'balance' is one conservative and one journalist? Dan Froomkin is not a liberal commentator. Dana Milbank is not a liberal commentator. By bringing on board a writer whose brief career has been dedicated to creating the divide in this country, you engage the machinery of the Post to sustain it. I urge you not to 'bring on a liberal blogger to balance,' but rather simply to terminate this new feature. It serves as no more than a merit badge on the way to full status as the Washington Times. I'll be letting my print subscription expire.

Now that you have a thread you can answer the questions...

1. Who is this supposedly "balancing", or can we anticipate you will be hiring Kos, Stoller, or another Liberal blogger for Balance?

2. No, Froomkin doesn't count. Froomkin, while adversarial, sources his material carefully. Ben is a full bore bloviator with little to no sourcing.

3. On Froomkin. Why is his sourced column give the warning label "OPINION:", while Ben's pure bloviation blog isn't?

4. Also on Froomkin. The minute he was hit with "liberal", Lovey Howell and the WH crew launched a published attack on him. The same for Milbank, because he wore a funny outfit on TV.

Now you go out of your way to hire a right-wing bloviator. Uh...institutional balance, much?

5. As a final question, related to #1...so are you admitting the Post is liberally biased, or do you simply not give a damn about balance? Can't have it both ways, kiddies. Either you now much hire a "Blue America" blogger (see #1 for examples) for balance, or you are tacitly admitting that the Post was biased to start. Which is it gonna be?

Otherwise, you're like Howie Kurtz on CNN, pterending that a panel with Milbank, Vandehei, and a wing-nut like Ingrahm is "balanced".

What's up with the gutless "no comments" on "Red America". I realize almost all of the Conservative blogosphere has no cojones to allow them, but why the exemption by the Post? Was it a condition he required?

In any event, yet another special allowance.

Losing credibility real fast over there. Then again, I read that the Washington Times may go under soon, so maybe you're trying to shift into their market niche.

A right-wing blog is a good idea. When will the liberal blog start?

Now I remember why we used to call the Commies Red. the new RED Blog wants to put out the same kind of propaganda. Dissent is Patriotic, and should never stifled, even if you disagree.

And when will Blue America start? Or are you just mouthpieces for the right after all?

Your new blogger is pure opinion, who lied and said that his right-wing sicko ilk is "the political majority".

51% voted against Chimperor GeeDub in '00. That's no majority.

The real majority of Americans are polled against the Right.

Unless you're fulltime neofascist mouthpieces... start a Blue America blog STAT or end the Red America blog STAT.

Diggit?

I was very disappointed by the first two postings from this site. Instead of discussing positions and policies, it seems to be more focused on labels and making fun of the opposition. The whole site reminds me of someone who has fought partisan wars too long inside the Beltway and forgot what they were fighting for. I would prefer if the columnist took specific stands and defended them rather than saying he is "pro family values" or "pro gun" which are nothing more than marketing terms. Think more George Will or William F. Buckley

I've been reading the post for over 30 years. At first, I thought you were joking by hiring an arch-conservative blogger...but it's not April 1 yet, so it's a bit early for fun and games. I'm left with the realization that you laid- off a significant portion of your news-staff and yet have the money to hire an avowedly conservative blogger?

Not that your "news" reportage has been that spot on at any rate but it is very sad for me to watch a once proud journalistic institution become People Magazine for the one party state. Well, I guess you can't be accused of not knowing which side your bread is buttered on. I hope Rove gives you more access now. Pathetic. I'll not buy the Post until you become a real news organization again.

Is Domenech responsible for the no-online-comments policy for the new Red America blog, or is this policy set by editors?

It is bad enough that WaPo online has selected a long-time (but only 24 year old, or so) hyper-conservative as a blogger, and has not indicated any intention of 'balancing' this with a liberal blogger, but not to allow online comments makes Domenech completely unaccountable to the public.

Ha! Ha! Ha!

"Wolverines!"

You guys are giving The Onion a run for its money. Great satire!

This is a pre- April fool's joke right?

I mean... the Post can't be seriously running this, shredding their last of any small bit of journalistic credibility the might've had?

What's the saying? Repeat a lie enough times, it becomes the truth?

The right has been screaming for so long about the "liberal media" that the media believes the hype... and lean FURTHER right.

the Post, with this latest addition, is just about toast.

I'll find my own RELIABLE news sources.

.

...and an editor at Regnery Press.

A real newspaper or journalism site would have wrote "...and an editor at Renery Press, a conservative publishing company." Do not do so is failing to inform your readers of the defining quality of Renery. Seriously though, do you guys even take this journalism stuff seriously any more?

The Washington Post can do better.

[From http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/007960.php]

Managing perceptions is the death of good journalism, especially manufactured perceptions, and even more those manufactured for the easily cowed.

I'm embarrassed for the Post. Embarrassed by the Post.

Their explanation doesn't cut it. If they want to make a blogger Crossfire with a firebreather on the left and on the right, they should do it. It might even be interesting. But here they've just been played by bullies and played for fools.

Jump! How high?

I can think of more than a few actual journalists at the Post who must feel a bit embarrassed too.

There is only one explanation for this new blog....

obviously, Brady, Howell, Harris and the rest of the shreiking denizens of the increasingly extremist management of the Washington Post have become completely unhinged by their partisan rage.

Now, no doubt this post will soon be deleted, because of the above "attack".....

of course, these words appear in the first edition of "Red America",,,

"the shrieking denizens of their [the
Democrats'] increasingly extreme base"
and "the unhinged elements of their
base, motivated by partisan rage."

Unlike the other commenters, I'm with Brad DeLong, who thinks that the addition of the "the shrieking denizens of" the Right's "increasingly extreme base" like this intellectual lightweight and any other "unhinged elements of their base, motivated by partisan rage" that the Post might add, are going to make the Washington Post the laughingstock of the mainstream publishing world.

This should be great fun, and funny as all get-out.

Striving for balance is a noble venture, but I'm afraid that WP.com has a skewed idea of what constitutes balance. With all branches of government controlled by the GOP and the president's approval rating in the mid-30s, is it really any wonder that the bulk of commentary and reporting on the administration and GOP policies would be negative?

Adding an avowed partisan to keep the number of positive lines printed close to the number of negative lines is like ballasting the starbord side of an even-sailing ship. Don't capsize yourselves washingtonpost.com!

The idea of adding a "conservative blog" for "balance" (to what and to whom?) was, to begin with, misguided. Choosing this under-credentialed, shallow, partisan name-caller as the author makes your decision not merely bad but truly ludicrous.

Count me as another long-time print subscriber who is fed up with the Washington Post. You are but a shadow of your former self.
---

Ooh! Well done!

Back in the 1980s, the Wall Street Journal editorial page's most effective and devastating right-wing columnist was left-wing nut-boy Alexander Cockburn: everyone (well, almost everyone) reading his columns would think, "If that's the left, I belong on the right."

Now comes the Washington Post pulling the same trick: hiring Ben Domenech--a man with no policy or analytic or reportorial qualifications save a couple years as a right-wing speechwriter, an unarmed man in a battle of wits--to be its right-wing weblogger. It's funny:

'Red America: Since the election of 1992, the extreme political left has fought a losing battle. Their views on the economy, marriage, abortion, guns, the death penalty, health care, welfare, taxes, and a dozen other major domestic policy issues have been exposed as unpopular, unmarketable and unquestioned losers at the ballot box.... [T]he mainstream media continues to treat red state Americans as pachyderms in the mist - an alien and off-kilter group of suburbanite churchgoers about which little is known, and whose natural habitat is a discomforting place for even the most hardened reporter from the New York Times.

'During the discussions about the launch of this new blog, the good folks at washingtonpost.com spent far too much time in sessions with markers and whiteboard, trying to settle on a name for the column. The suggestions were all over the map - but one suggestion provided a reminder of the sociopolitical divide in this country. "What about 'Red Dawn'?" said one helpful editor.

'"Well, only if you want to make people think it was a gun blog," I said, to puzzled faces.

'"Red Dawn? You must know it - the greatest pro-gun movie ever? I mean, they actually show the jackbooted communist thugs prying the guns from cold dead hands."

'Any red-blooded American conservative, even those who hold a dim view of Patrick Swayze's acting "talent," knows a Red Dawn reference. For all the talk of left wing cultural political correctness, the right has such things, too (DO shop at Wal-Mart, DON'T buy gas from Citgo). But in the progressive halls of the mainstream media, such things prompt little or no recognition. For the MSM, Dan Rather is just another TV anchor, France is just another country and Red Dawn is just another cheesy throwaway Sunday afternoon movie...'

Hate to break it to you, Ben, but "Red Dawn" is just another cheesy throwaway Sunday afternoon movie--and one that's not nearly as visually interesting as "Dirty Dancing." "Red Dawn" is currently #2883 with a bullet among amazon DVDs, behind such wonders of the cinematic art as "Don Knotts 4 Movie Reluctant Hero Pack (The Ghost And Mr. Chicken / The Reluctant Astronaut / The Shakiest Gun In The West / The Love God?)," "Simple Life 3 - The Interns," and "Arrested Development--Season 2."

This is going to be fun...

I assume The Post will be hiring a Blue State blogger soon. Where can I apply? What are the qualifications?

The poster who noted the paper's undying (and, frankly, cowardly) adherence to a concept of "false equivalence" is dead on. Since when did 'accountability and transparency' require "balancing"?

Have the 'shrieking denizens' of the Right worked the referrees to the point that journalists don't even understand their (purported) job anymore? Actually, that's rather rhetorical at this point, isn't it?

I also fail to see how this is a successful business decision. What is so unique to 'Red America' that readers can't get at RedState.org? Do you honestly think you'll draw a significant, long-term number of eyeballs from the 'don'ttrusttheliberalmedia' crowd? Rather, it seems like you've just further alienated a much larger segment of your audience.

Smart.

James at yourlogohere.blogspot.com offers a few biographical details about Mr. Domenech you seem to have left out:

The question of the day is how Ben Domenech, a 24 year old with little journalistic experience who lists among his credientials being the "youngest political appointee of President George W. Bush", was hired by the Washington Post to be their conservative blogger providing balance to...I dunno, their editorial page which was gung-ho for the war in Iraq.

Here's an interesting tidbit about Ben Domenech. Turns out Ben isn't the only Bush appointee in the family. His dad, Doug Domenech, former Loudon County Republican Committee Chairman, was appointed in January, 2002, as the White House Liaison for the Department of the Interior.

How do I know this? Ben Domenech said so.

Perusing an old blog of Ben's, here's some wisdom from Ben Domenich, the college years:

* Hopefully today's military action will be the first of a long campaign, though I've always preferred drop teams to smart bombs.

* Peace Through Superior Thermonuclear Capability.[10/7/01]

* Never trust a male cheerleader. [12/12/01] (You know, Ben, Bush was a male cheerleader)

* If I was two or three years younger, I would at this very moment be emerging from the warm smells of popcorn and ju-ju bees to the air outside, fresh from the glory of the first showing of The Lord of the Rings. [12/19/01] (but wait, Ben, I thought "Red Dawn" was the greatest movie ever...)

* Post-9/11 TV Host of the Year: Jon Stewart; Ugly Old Bat of the Year: Helen Thomas; Winner of the Year (uncontested): God [1/4/02]

* “It never fails to amaze me how little respect they have for women’s capacity to understand what goes on in our bodies,” [NARAL President Kate] Michelman said. “I faced a crisis pregnancy after having three children, and I didn’t need anyone to show me a sonogram to inform me that my pregnancy would result in giving birth to a person.”

How about the fact that having an abortion would result in the death of a person, Kate? Did you need a sonogram to remember that? [2/2/02]

* Al Gore can suck it. [2/4/02]

* Antonin Scalia openly questioned the Catholic Church's opposition to the death penalty today, proving once again that he is a man of deep spiritual intelligence, a modern St. Augustine of jurisprudence. [2/5/02]

* I don't know about you, but the more Colin Powell insults the French, the more I like him. [2/20/02]

* On Protest: It's totally different to protest against war before troops are sent somewhere and to protest against war after our boys are over there with guns in their hands and blood on the ground. The former, in my mind, is a totally legitimate act of political expression. The latter is horrendous and vile. [3/24/03]

* I believe this war will take longer than the pundits were saying beforehand, but I also don't think we're going to be forced into a long door-by-door campaign in Baghdad. [3/30/03]

* Al Qaeda is getting smoked out in Iraq -- and anyone who thought there was no connection better line up for their serving of crow. [3/28/03]

And here is my absolute favorite find so far:

* Claude Allen is as clearcut as a razor's edge. He's a stand-up, principled Virginian. [5/13/03]

Claude Allen, of course, was recently arrested for a felony theft scheme.

And there's much, much more. But my eyes are beginning to bleed, so I'll leave it to others to find some other golden nuggets of wisdom.

BTW, I notice Mr. Domenech seems very gung-ho on the war in Iraq. Perhaps in a future post, he can fill us in on exactly why he hasn't volunteered to back up all that tough talk with action...

From The Posts rules on posting: "Likewise, you may not post content that is libelous, defamatory, obscene, abusive..."

Everything Domenech has posted so far is obscene and abusive. And stating that "Red America's citizens are the political majority" is an outright lie.

Why doesn't Mr. Domenech allow comments on his blog? Oh, I guess it's because his heroes like Sully, Powerline, etc. don't either.

Ben,

A little advice. Stay away from Charles Krauthammer. He's creepy!!

I am quite eager to hear Mr. Domenech's views on the chickenhawk term. It is such an unfair label. There are countless reasons why young and able-bodied war supporters are choosing to avoid the recruiting office and fight the War of Ideas here at home. I cannot wait to hear his reasons.

Hey you guys! Leave little home-schooled Ben alone! His daddy were a Bush appointee and he were a Bush appointee too. Home-schooled Bush appointees don't have to go in the Army cuz they aren't used to being around anyone but mommy.

Besides, this little home-schooled boy is an accomplished EDITOR, like Bill Keller and Len Downie and Gail Collins! Even Bill Bradlee! And so young!

Now you leave him alone, you hear?!

To those who wonder what Domenech is supposed to be "balanced" against, the answer is obvious. The Post's other weblogger Froomkin is a professional newsman whose blog provides honest and timely factual reporting done with journalistic integrity. Domenech was hired to provide the opposite.

Shut up, you liberals! You can't stand that your dogma is being challenged with facts, logic and unbias! I say let's have 10 more blogs like Bens.

Posted by: Freedom

Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose, or in this case it might be the pen name of one of Ben's two sisters, his brother, his parents, or his wife coming to his rescue from you mean people.

I am available. You appear to be looking for someone from the lefty blogosphere to balance your currently unstable political distribution. If Mr. Domenech at the ripe age of twenty-four is bringing you gravitas and meaningful political ideas I'm sure that a snake goddess at twenty-four thousand years could do the same. To keep your political boat balanced. Right now it's leaning to the right, a lot.

Washington Post Co. (WPO)
At 3:59PM ET: 742.25
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Prev Close: 743.00
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It will be most interesting to read Mr. Domenech's take on the Abramoff scandal, seeing as his dad appears to be the Bush White House designated middle man between Abramoff and the Interior Department.

It's just a matter of time before Ben D is sucking money from Daddy's trust fund.

apropos Red Dawn -- I bet your new "blogger" loved Red Scorpion too - a flick funded by the South African Defence Force and produced by his ideological buddy Jack Abramoff. Birds of a feather like that can produce a political avian flu fatal to the rest of the world...

it'll also be fun to eventually read Ben's tortured explanation why he is playing it safe in DC while his age-cohorts are in the military fighting in Iraq ... sounds like he's another chickenhawk like Jenna and not-Jenna. Those Young Republicans are all for the war as long as somebody else has to do the fighting.

Q. What's the difference between the Washington Post and the Washington Times?

A. One is a rabidly right-wing piece of fishwrap stuffed to the gills with RNC talking points, and the other is owned by Rev. Moon.

(posted in the comments section at firedoglake.com)

From The Posts rules on posting: "Likewise, you may not post content that is libelous, defamatory, obscene, abusive..."

Everything Domenech has posted so far is obscene and abusive. And stating that "Red America's citizens are the political majority" is an outright lie.

Posted by: clonecone | March 21, 2006 10:51 PM

Foolish person, those rules only apply to liberals.

Josh Marshal on Domenech:

"Little did I know this Ben Domenech gambit from the Post was a secret plot to create the grist for more Abramoff blogging.

You see, it turns out the Domenech family came in for a number of Bush administration appointments. Not only Ben, but Ben's dad, Doug, who was White House liaison to the Department of Interior.

Or to put it more colloquially, White House guy to make sure Jack Abramoff got what he wanted with the Indians and the Pacific Island stuff.

Wayne Smith was the point man for Indian casino policy at the Department of Interior. He ended up having kind of a rough ride over at Interior. And, according to Smith, as reported last year in the Denver Post, Domenech told him "we had to pay attention to [Jack] Abramoff, because otherwise the religious right and (Ralph) Reed are going to come up and bite us, and our whole base will go crazy. They will light up our phones, shut down our phone lines."

According to Smith, Domenech was the conduit for Abramoff operative Italia Federici. "Doug would come down and say, 'Italia called and Jack wants this' That's how it all happened internally."

Probably not the last fun quote from these quarters."

"KYOKO ALTMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's another school day at the Domenech house in Purcellville, Virginia, where mom teaches 15-year-old Benjamin, 12-year-old Emily, 10-year-old Alice, and little Florence, who's almost three."

"Sum of All Stuff
Hey everybody. My brother's site (http://www.bendomenech.com) is different then mine. I won't be as political with this site."
http://elsdman.blogspot.com/2002_06_01_elsdman_archive.html#77612184

Is Ellis the crazy brother in the attic no one will talk about?!?

Once again, the Post shows utter contempt for its readers. Get rid of this wingnut immediately.

I have the utmost respect for the unique intellectual and journalistic achievements of Mr. Domenech, but with deep regret, and without appearing to cast any aspersions on his qualifications, I must say that Ann Coulter would have been a better choice. If Ms. Coulter was unavailable, Michelle Malkin would have sufficed.

In order to balance out the wacko liberal writings of the extreme left wing coulmnists George Will and Kurthammer, and even of Fromkin and Dana Milbank, WashingtonPost.com needs a fire breathing conservative who calls for forced conversion of all the Muslims, internment of American Citizens, death of Supreme Court judges and the bombing of the New York Times Building. Only then can the existing extreme liberal bias of the Post will be counterbalanced.

You liberals just don't get it.

The Red State blog reflects the Washington Post's political and social culture. Y'all should THANK them for finally owning up to it.

Ben's blog Red State reflects the way that Deborah Howell and Jim Brady and Jim VandeHei and John Harris really think. They recruited him, they interviewed him, they hired him.

Brady et al are quite thrilled at having one of their own post the UNFILTERED TRUTH without those pesky editors making them "tone down" the truth, like poor George Will and Krauthammer have to do on the editorial page. You can bet they'd write the same way if convention didn't prevent it.

You shreiking liberal denizens, you.

Well, it's about time the Post tried to balance the liberal reporting we right-thinking people have had to put up with for so many years. As a good Christian, I won't read that Rev. Moon's paper, so if I want to find out what's on sale at Giant Food I have to take the Post. And I think it's wonderful the Post gave this young man an opportunity to "blog." It sounds like he's had a tough time finding a keeping a steady job, being kept out of school by his parents and all, so why not let him write for the Post.

Perhaps he can provide us some inside scoop on his Uncle Karl at the White House and Auntie Gale at the Interior Department!

And it's just great to see someone who writes for the Post tell the truth -- finally! -- about how the majority of us have the right opinion about abortion, men marrying other men, Iraq, manimals, and how the President handled that Katrina situation so well!

Thank you, Post editors -- thank you!

I think Mr. Domenich should apologize. Red Dawn was not that bad a movie. Shame on him.

Ben Domenech, Feb 6th, 2003:

"It seems to me that there's clearly a missed story in the aftermath of Powell's detail-packed U.N. Security Council testimony -- just how stupid does this make those "still not enough proof" Senators look?"

http://www.bendomenech.com/2003_02_02_archive.html#88649025

Good to see the Washington Post has finally hired someone who isn't scared to tell their readers what they really believe.

Congratulations on the Redstate blog. Thank goodness someone is finally going to represent the views of the majority on all the issues that really affect us. I'm sure he'll be supporting working people and access to proper medical care.

"(DO shop at Wal-Mart, DON'T buy gas from Citgo)"

Stop crying about having no health care, you librul babies! The important thing is that gays aren't getting married on our watch.

Well, OK, he's a conservative. I'm sure that he'll have the sort of cultured, intellectual tastes that characterize William F. Buckley and William Safire, right?

"Red Dawn? You must know it - the greatest pro-gun movie ever?"

No, well I'm sure he anyone who can admit his love for a plodding homage to Cold War hysteria won't take himself too seriously, right?

"This is a blog for the majority of Americans."

Umm, well, OK. I guess he has enough respect for all those real Americans that he'll open his "blog" to comments, right?

"Posted by Ben Domenech | Permalink | Email a Comment"

Apparently, the majority of Americans are raving half-wits who don't have opinions worth consideration. Living in a bubble of liberal idealism you miss these things. Thanks for setting me straight.

Is this the truth? You want this in your paper?

A 24 year old with little journalistic experience who lists among his credientials being the "youngest political appointee of President George W. Bush", was hired by the Washington Post to be their conservative blogger providing balance to...I dunno, their editorial page which was gung-ho for the war in Iraq.

Ben's dad, Doug Domenech, former Loudon County Republican Committee Chairman, was appointed in January, 2002, as the White House Liaison for the Department of the Interior.

Perusing an old blog of Ben's, here's some wisdom from Ben Domenech, the college years:
Hopefully today's military action will be the first of a long campaign, though I've always preferred drop teams to smart bombs.

Peace Through Superior Thermonuclear Capability.[10/7/01]

Never trust a male cheerleader. [12/12/01] (You know, Ben, Bush was a male cheerleader)

If I was two or three years younger, I would at this very moment be emerging from the warm smells of popcorn and ju-ju bees to the air outside, fresh from the glory of the first showing of The Lord of the Rings. [12/19/01]
(but wait, Ben, I thought "Red Dawn" was the greatest movie ever...)

Post-9/11 TV Host of the Year: Jon Stewart
Ugly Old Bat of the Year: Helen Thomas
Winner of the Year (uncontested): God [1/4/02]

Al Gore can suck it. [2/4/02]

Antonin Scalia openly questioned the Catholic Church's opposition to the death penalty today, proving once again that he is a man of deep spiritual intelligence, a modern St. Augustine of jurisprudence. [2/5/02]

I don't know about you, but the more Colin Powell insults the French, the more I like him. [2/20/02]

On Protest: It's totally different to protest against war before troops are sent somewhere and to protest against war after our boys are over there with guns in their hands and blood on the ground. The former, in my mind, is a totally legitimate act of political expression. The latter is horrendous and vile. [3/24/03]

I believe this war will take longer than the pundits were saying beforehand, but I also don't think we're going to be forced into a long door-by-door campaign in Baghdad. [3/30/03]

Al Qaeda is getting smoked out in Iraq -- and anyone who thought there was no connection better line up for their serving of crow. [3/28/03]

And here is my absolute favorite find so far:
Claude Allen is as clearcut as a razor's edge. He's a stand-up, principled Virginian. [5/13/03]

Oh, and I'd just like to add that I'd rather sit through a Patrick Swayze film festival [even if it includes Roadhouse _and_ Red Dawn] than read another of this guy's columns.

Mrs. Howell,
Just because everyone's all in a tizzy over that new kid on the block, (is he Jim VandeHei's replacement at the pool, by the way), don't even think I've forgotten all about those "copies of lists sent to tribes by Abramoff with his personal directions on which members were to receive what amounts." Nuh uh. Ain't gonna happen, sister! You'd better get away from that Kraft Services table, put those donuts down, and work on your next column where I'm sure you'll have the sense to publish your evidence. If you need some help, call on Ben. I hear he and Jack (Abram)Off are buddies. Do this, or I'll send someone over to get you and your little dog "Jim" too.

Ben Domenech on soldiers dying in the Iraq war (March 10, 2003):

This aversion to any sort of bodybag in the context of war is something my brother Ellis and I have mocked before, at length: we like to call it the "Contra 3 Syndrome." In Contra, one of the most popular arcade games ever (unrelated to the South American resistance), you play a soldier blasting away at baddies (in the 3rd installment, for the SNES, it's alien baddies) with oversized weaponry in a side-scrolling firefight. It's an entertaining game, but extremely short--Contra 3 is only 6 levels long. Besides, you really need all three of your lives to deal with the last boss--so a lot of people who play the game will restart the minute they lose their first life. Ellis and I are more likely to make it to the end with only one life left, but hey, that's the point of the game, not erasing/restarting every time anyone dies. Modern War isn't exactly like Contra, and it's a good deal longer than any 6-level game.

http://www.bendomenech.com/2002_03_10_archive.html#10610578

I'm suprised his favorite movie isn't "Ben." That was about a rat, right?

I've read and reread Mr. Domenech's first blog installments. All I can say is: Huh?

Why in blazes would you select this slippery fellow to counterbalance an already in-the-pocket-of-the administration newspaper? At the least, you might seek out someone amusing. A blogger with something of interest to say. Someone more effective than an attack dog with two functioning brain cells.

I stand ready to learn. Am willing to change my mind. I'm not the only one who would appreciate a genuinely insightful blog from the "red America" contingent.

The one you chose ain't it.

Why am I not at all surprised that this 24 year old is a big supporter of the war of aggression in Iraq, but he doesn't have the stones to sign up for it?

Another coward in the George W. Bush/Dick Cheney tradition.

I cannot fathom how a once proud and revered institution like the Washington Post (and now also Washington Post.Com) can denigrate itself as it has done of late. This organization is in a self-destruct mode; it is killing itself. Is there no leadership with a lick of sense? Are there no adults to be found? We have editors who are, bluntly, cowards. They don't have the guts to speak truth to power. We see fat cat "reporters" like Bob Woodward, who have no journalistic integrity left, occupying positions reeking of conflict of interest, while honest, feet-on-the ground reporters take gas. We have an ombudsman who is so far over her head that she can't even bother to get her facts straight or stand up to pressure without looking ridiculous. Worst of all, we encounter this false sense of "balanced reporting", you know, like the folks at Fox. Tell the truth--to hell with balance. As one writer said recently, sometimes the facts are biased. Get rid of this phony attempt at balance with the neophyte blogger- not journalist- and act like a real news organization. GET SOME GUTS: QUIT RUNNING SCARED AND ACTING LIKE COWARDS!. SPEAK THE TRUTH! Thomas Butch

I'm bursting with excitement! Us Patrick Swayze-loving conservatives have gone unnourished for far too long. If that first post is representative of the standard of Mr Domeneck's political musings, then we're all in for treat.

But let's not forget Jim Brady's role in all this. You sir, should take a bow. Your commitment to elevating the level of political discourse on the WaPo blog is outstanding. But why stop with Mr Domeneck? Go for a full house, Mr Brady. Rush Limbaugh, James Dobson, and Mary Carey should have blogs too.

I leave it in your capable hands, Jim.

(quoted by syolles @ March 22, 2006 01:33 AM)

"Al Gore can suck it. [2/4/02]"

Mr. Brady, you must be so proud. Bill Safire would be green with envy after beholding such prose. You should take out a full page ad in the Times just to gloat.

Well, based on the last hundred comments, Mr. Domanech is well-loved, if nothing else.

Assuming it's all a game now, that the WaPo is going to stick with Mr. Domanech and, well, continue to go off the rails, I'm trying to think of a 24 year old lefty blogger of note and I can only think of Paul Keil at Muckeraker.

Wait, I get it, it's an Army blog, part of the Redstate enlistment program. Nice. So Mr. Domanech is going to blog his training live and then take the column to Iraq?

LOL !

Wow. I'm glad I stopped reading the WaPo. Even though it was ONLINE. FOR FREE !

Howell and Brady's ridiculous antics did it for me.
Now they hired a sidekick.
Hush little wingnut don't say a word, GOP'll buy you a cageliner for bird.

It's pretty obvious this guy isn't even remotely qualified so why did they hire him?

Better Dead than Red State.

questions for Brady....

1) did Ben disclose to the Post that his father was intimately and directly involved in the Abramoff scandal --- i.e. that (according to Josh Marshall see http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/007962.php ) Ben's dad was the middleman between Abramoff's connections at the White House and Italia Federici, who ran Gail Norton's "astroturf" environmental organization (CREA) to which Abramoff funnelled half a million dollars?

2) If so, why did you hire a blogger with such an obvious conflict of interest involving a story that the Post supposedly is at the "forefront" of without disclosing that conflict?

3) If not, are you really corrrupt enough to keep Ben on the payroll under these circumstances?

My goodness. Is this another leap into cronyism? Unbelievable, you would hire this republican hack and try to pass him off as fair and balanced. You just fall lower and lower. Time for me to pack it in and stop reading this paper. My feeling is that you are all obsolete anyway. Going down the tubes and guess who you have to thank for that? By the way your editorial today was idiotic. Obviously you didn't watch the fool as he joked about the war, stumbling and tripping over his tongue. He makes so many of us ashamed to be Americans. That's right GW, leave it for someone else to clean up. You are all cowards, as is the so called Commander and Chief.

Smooth move WP. Whats with you people none will be satisfied untill america is destroyed.

Better get a liberal blog too.

ALMOST ALL MEDIA FORMS ARE RIGHT WING NO MATTER HOW YOU SAY IT OR HOW MANY TIMES YOU SAY IT THE LEFT HAS NO VOICE.

Are you aware that your new blogger, Ben Domenech, posted the following at Red State:

re Mrs. King's funeral:

"The President visits the funeral of a Communist. And phones in a message to the March for Life. I think we can get a little pissed about this."

Link: http://www.redstate.com/comments/2006/2/7/203823/5583/190#190

Ben Domenech is Augustine.

Link: http://blogometer.nationaljournal.com/archives/2006/01/126_the_brady_b.html#1

The Washington Post hires a racist to provide "balance". You should be proud.

Shame on you Washington post. You have brought now thoughtful commentary or analysis, but rather more hatred and irrationality. What justification have you to give legitimacy to a political operative of the current administration, in place of a journalist. the other bloggers are journalists, this man is insane, and hypocrytical. He does not represent the majority of blue-collar working people in the red states. Washington post has sunk to a low. I hope you can recover.

I am disgusted.

And hilarity ensues.

If I wanted to hear the opinion of 24 year old, right wing non-journalists, why in God's name would I read a newspaper blog? Instead, I would go straight to the source, Redstate.com, and read this kind of empty, worthless, pseudo-intellectual nonsense from DOZENS (well, 2 dozen, tops) of 20-something right wing non-journalists. Plus that way the hate and racism of Redstate.com isn't filtered out when young Ben cleans up his act for your site. I'd rather hear straight from the source about the "brown preacher" talking at that "communist's" (Coretta Scott King's) funeral.

Liberals can't handle free speech, and hate religion and love for country, so their operatives come here to pile on poor Ben who is bringing balance back to these liberal bias pages. They can't deal with the facts, the logic. They already control most of the media. Why can't they leave room for other voices on science, politics, social issues and economics that are not based on the typical liberal blathering moonbat lockstep ideological multicultural correctness test? I am a Proud Red State American and I support Ben.

Brady,

I wish I knew how to quit you.

Every time I think I'm done with the Washington Post's right wing bias, y'all reach new heights. First the Howell-Froomkin hoo-hah, then the Abramoff flap. Then the deleting of comments and the running to your right-wing buddies to denounce those uncivil libruls.

And now this! A real-life frothing-at-the-mouth right-wing looney right on your venerable pages, representing the views of the Washington Post's political desk! Representing the views of your "ombudsman" and the managing editor of WaPo-dot-com!

Oh, how can I stay away? Thanks, WaPo!

Oh, and Ben Domenich,

http://goarmy.com/

Your choice of Ben Domenech is mind-boggling. Domenech is not an independent thinker who happens to be conservative--he is a right-wing propagandist. His publishing company, Regnery, specializes in hit pieces such as Barbara Olsen's Hillary smear piece and the Swift Boat veteran's attack on John Kerry. They publish ideologues such as Michelle Malkin, who writes a book defending the internment of Japanese-Americans in WWII (and by analogy, Arab-Americans today). Domenech's web sit, Red State is dedicated solely to furthering the cause of the Republican Party. In his blog, Domenech among other things writes diatribes against evolution (attacking the National Review's John Derbyshire for being in league with evolutionists).

It is hard to imagine a worse choice for an addition to the Washington Post. By choosing Domenech as a representative of conservative thought, you are basically saying that there is no difference between being conservative and being a Republican operative. That is an insult to thoughtful conservatives such as your own editorialist George Will.

your new whiz-bang boy needs to be told how to turn on a spell-checker. the latest column needs it.
btw: http://goarmy.com for chickenhawks like him, Jenna and Cheney...

It is now confirmed that Mr. Domanech has grossly misrepresented Steven Jay Gould's position on evolution. I was a professor at Harvard while he was still alive, and Gould taught in the same auditorium I did just before me; we would chat a little between classes most days. I didn't know Gould well, but I can tell you, Mr. Domanech committed either inexcusable fabrication or unbelievable sloppiness in this case. Neither is acceptable at a journalistic institution such as the Washington Post.

People like me, who take news seriously, who have been reading it carefully for the past twenty-five years, who care about the job journalists are doing, are walking away from the Washington Post. You have many fine reporters, dogged and professional. And you're burdening their credibility when you fire 80 reporters on the same day as hiring flacks such as Mr. Domanech.

The people who are writing in today are your readers, the ones who care. We want the Washington Post to be a professional, serious, credible journalistic enterprise. Listen to what they're saying. Because advertisers don't pay as much when you lose readers.

Hal Straus is perhaps already having an O*H S*H*I*T moment or two after realizing what he's done by hiring the prolific young dufus who posted two inspiring columns on his first day. Do you hear that sound? KA CHING KA CHING! It's the sound of money pouring into the coffers from new subscribers who finally have a voice in the main-stream media. I suppose Deborah Howell can give up her paper route now, and start answering some questions.

Thanks for deleting my comment. Apparently it was taken as a personal assault against Domenech, which is, of course, totally unacceptable.

I hope you guys have your digital red pens ready for editing Domenech's blog as fiercely as you do subscriber feedback, though. I'm pretty sure he's going to call quite a few people things a whole lot worse than "ass-clown". And, of course, we'll have to take our complaints here, since we can't comment on Domenech's blog.

This may get ugly. Fair warning.

I e-mailed a response to 'Red America' that I hope he forwarded to Mr. Brady. To say that what he wrote was utter drivel is to put it mildly. I couldn't agree more with other posters, that if I wanted to read that kind of nonsense, I'd go straight to the source, not here.

If you ask me, Howard Kurtz 'balances' Dan Froomkin. Enough said. Red America is a loser blog. I will keep checking back here for more amusement, honestly the posts are great! Thanks for keeping up my 'liberal' spirits.

Dear Washingtonpost,com:

I'm trying to understand the rationale for giving Ben Domenech a spot. He's not a journalist, he's a Republican party activist. Is this some response to the idea that Daniel Froomkin is a "liberal?" Froomkin, whatever his political beliefs, is a journalist, with years of experience. He's not a political appointee, he's not a party operative. Domenech is a partisan cheerleader, pure and simple, as he cheerfully admits. They aren't really comparable. So it can't be that he "balances" Froomkin. That would be sort of like hiring an arsonist to balance a firefighter. I know the Post would never do such a thing, because of its deep commitment to genuine journalism.

Maybe it's a good idea to have a right wing activist contributing to the Post--although why he's not listed as "opinion" is beyond me. He will certainly say controversial, insulting things--he already has. But when will you start "Blue America?" When will you give a Democratic party activist and blogger a spot? Because it seems to me you simply have to--you can't give one party's activists a regular spot, not classed as opinion, and not give the same to the other party--not if you genuinely believe in balance, which I know you do, being journalists.

Please note the total absence of profanity and incivility in this message. I look forward to your response.

Where's the young voice of reason? Did he oversleep this morning after his first day of hard work? I've been waiting over two and a half hours now for his morning column. I'm having withdrawal symptoms. Someone call him at home and wake him up! Now!

As an American writer now relocated to France, can I have a blog on your site (let's call it "Freedom France") just for balance?

You can have a column here Lupin, but we won't call it what you suggested. "Freedom Freedom" maybe, but we don't use that other "F" word around these parts.

Just my two cents: The Red State blog isn't merely offensive, it's boring. We've heard this nonsense countless times before. It was old six years ago. If you're going to have a conservative commentator, try one that doesn't insult our intelligence.

Post Toasties

the Post is toast its plain to see
don't get me wrong, I'm all pro-familee,
neutral on Debbee, hate profanitee,
not monomaniac, little of this little of that
is all my song, but still it seems to me
the Post is toast.

I'm unfamiliar with the back-storee,
fr'instance on Froomkin how it came to be that they said we
don't want to spike him necessarilee,
he's very blunt and strong, I think they said we need
something mature, more horse [],
For balance, and what's wrong with that?
That's the Post's boast.

Perhaps I'm the minoritee
But still it seems to me, perhaps to most,
Back then they had some courage, now they're paying Ben to beat the gong,
He's 24, his dad was liason you see, that's it,
That's why they print his pompous [],
Proving the Post is toast.

I could go on, but just to be clear, O prince, and gosh, we're never met
I say this with regret, it's good for Ben, but bad for you and me,
For sure the Post is toast, get used to it.

What a joke you folks have become. If I didn't think my kids should be exposed to a daily hardcopy newspaper, I'd cancel our subscription to the Post. This guy Domenech is the worst kind of rightwing hate-filled ideologue.

It is very sad to see the Washington Post get further and further away from any memory of a serious 'NEWS'paper.
And now you are hiring this person to be a regular feature in your paper?
Have you taken the time to check into prior postings from this man?
And, are you prepared to report on HIM, if the connections between his father and Abramoff prove to be inconvenient to this adminstration?

Congratulations to Jim Brady for selecting Ben in his "Pin the Tail on the Wingnut" contest. Are you kidding? If he's so gungho about the war, why isn't he in Iraq. He's the perfect age.

The fairytales about Iraq, the hit pieces on Howard Dean, the "Dems in dissaray" stories, the invented bi-partisan Abramoff donations, unwavering support for the disasterous Bush presidency, and now this. I get sick looking at the paper I've grown up reading morphing into a Fox clone. Come back to the reality-based world. Please! Your country needs you. Your country desperately needs you.

So the Washington Post thinks a 20-year-old home-schooled nutjob is going to going to improve the quality of their online offering.

That's really all you need to know, isn't it?

According to National Journal's Hotline:

"Later that p.m., a RedState post titled "We Need John Shadegg" was posted by "The Directors" -- Krempasky, Ben "Augustine" Domenech, Erick Erickson and Clayton Wagar -- urging in bright red oversized letters: "Call (202) 224-3121 and urge your congressman to support John Shadegg for Majority Leader. This matters."

It would appear then that Ben Domenech is the Red State poster Augustine.

Upon Coretta Scott King's death, here is what Ben Domenech as Augustine wrote:

"The President visits the funeral of a Communist. And phones in a message to the March for Life. I think we can get a little [angry] about this."

Is this the sort of substantive debate that the post promised Domenech would bring?

Or is this what Domenech refers to in his third column as "ridiculous hyperbole, unfounded accusations or unintentionally hilarious name-calling"?

Please, let us know.

One thing I suppose we've learned is that too much home-schooling and religious indoctrination can be a bad thing. Oh well, this experiment will be amusing... for a day or two.

Why is Mr. Domenech's blog not listed in the drop down menu on the Post's home page? Nor is he listed as a columnist. Is the Post hiding his column?

As a result of your downward spiral from the heights of journalistic excellence, the hiring of Ben D. is merely the most recent lead weight increasing the velocity. These days, I only turn to the Post for the cartoons, since they are at least honest about being funny pages.

So the Washington Post thinks a 20-year-old home-schooled nutjob is going to going to improve the quality of their online offering.

Well, he managed to imporve the quality of his families life, especially his fathers.

Regardless of the cost to the nation.

Priorities you see. He's got them "right".

Does the Post have a policy on smoking in the newsroom?

'Cause I just saw Jim Brady and Debroah Howell sharing a post-coital cigarette.

Hmmmm. Is there any length limit on the contents page, here? Cause it looks like this is a pretty good start for a Blue State Blog.

Hello Mr. Brady;

I feel compelled to take a moment out of my workday to say that I object to the new Ben Domenech blog at washingtonpost.com. I don't believe that such a pointedly partisan blog is a reasonable balance for either that of Dan Froomkin (who has a specific beat, the White House) nor of Dana Milbank.

I don't feel like you are representing ME, a loyal Washington Post reader, with this choice. Literally years after I left the DC area, your paper and website are still the place I go for national news, what I consider to be the paper of record for the federal government. But if you want me to continue advocating for your paper wherever I may be, then please either discontinue "Red America" or balance it fairly with a more considered and comprehensive left-leaning view. Regardless, I just want to point out that, sadly enough, thoughtless partisan attacks, of either color, are no longer really news.

What a joke. Fair and balanced, as usual. News flash: there are no more "red states." Bush is in the mid-30s, and under 50 percent approval even in the majority of the states he "won" in 2004. This is old, old, old divisive politics.

Finally, a right wing voice on the Post! Yay, way to go guys!

No journalism background? Great! Idiot and Republican insider? Awesome! Can we get two more of him?

This red state project was a brilliant ploy!

WASHINGTN POST CO B

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I suppose it is par for the course for a newspaper that publishes editorials of the kind that appears today: " Mr. Bush Unvarnished".

The WP was once a good newspaper, selflessly dedicated to informing the public.

Unfortunately, like everything else in Washington these days, where mediocrity, cover-ups, lies, and shameless pandering, reign supreme, the Washington Post has become a sorry shadow of its former self.

What would make the Post hire a vicious little cretin like Ben Domenech, even to blog on its web site? Did anyone at the Post do any research into the racist swill that is regular fare over at RedState? What are you people thinking?

Congratulations to Jim Brady for selecting Ben in his "Pin the Tail on the Wingnut" contest. Are you kidding? If he's so gungho about the war, why isn't he in Iraq. He's the perfect age.

Posted by: purvisames | March 22, 2006 10:00 AM

Perfect Idea! Lets all write letters to Ben about how he can better serve his country by going to Iraq.
Im guessing he will have an excuse, ingrown toenail, failed IQ test....etc...

it sure will help the Post's reputation in the African-American community when word gets out that they just hired a 'blogger' who calls Coretta Scott King a 'Communist'

I don't think Ben needs to explain any further why he is opposed to personally joining the War in Iraq. He's already explained in his column yesterday:

BEN: "...to follow the dictum of an aging hippie couple I know who, despite their pacifist beliefs, still let their boys run around playing army with sticks made into guns. After all, someone has to defend America."

See? Someone has to defend America, and that someone would be someone else's kids.

Why the heck did you choose Mr. Domenick? Who is he supposed to balance? All your other writers are in the journalistic tradition of looking up facts they base their arguments on, not on some undeifened liberal bias. I'm sure there are real journalists with a right-wing out there who do fact-based reporting, and who have experience doing such reporting.

To Ben Domenech:

I have read your first two posts and have a few observations about your conclusions from the “whiny kids” study and about your remarks in "Comments about Comments."

You wrote, “Apparently, this violent testosterone-fueled psychological imperitive - not a coherent and just strategy for defending America in response to the first major attack on our soil since Pearl Harbor - is the real reason for our war in Iraq.”

First, the word is spelled “imperative.” Second, it could be inferred from this conflation of defense and attack that you think our real reason for going to war in Iraq was in response to the attacks of 9/11. This is curious, as the secular Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with the religious fundamentalists thought to be behind the attacks of 9/11.

You wrote, “If these columnists and scientists are to be believed, then President Bush is … just another spineless conservative wussyboy who has to prove he's a big brave man in cowboy boots. This is ridiculous and wrong.”

Why is it ridiculous and wrong? Because you don’t like the thought of it? You give no other reason for rejecting what seems to be a fairly well-thought-out line of reasoning.

You conclude, “It's always better to just let kids be kids and keep the psychologists out of the way - to follow the dictum of an aging hippie couple I know who, despite their pacifist beliefs, still let their boys run around playing army with sticks made into guns. After all, someone has to defend America.”

Your first conclusion implies that kids are inherently healthy and don’t need no stinkin’ psychologists. Does this apply to all kids, even the bullies and the ones who torture small animals and the ones who pick up firearms and turn their schools into shooting galleries? And unless your second conclusion is based on your own personal military experience, then you are nothing more than a hypocrite who believes it’s okay to send other people to war for specious purposes.

Apparently you are unaware of the long-standing plans of Bush’s advisors to invade Iraq, but that’s not surprising, as you apparently reject out of hand anything that conflicts with your preconceived conclusions.

Your statements in your “Comments about Comments” post against playing “to the worst side of our knee-jerk partisan nature” and looking forward to engagement “in a serious, respectful discussion” are belied by your own posts in which you engage in the former and give only lip service to the latter.

Clearly, you are no conservative. A real conservative would be red, all right – red in the face with anger over the way the Bush administration has mismanaged every aspect of their tenure, from record deficits to squandering our military resources to enriching cronies. But then again, since you are clearly in the “crony” category, that last part might just be okay with you.

Instead of "Red America" you probably should've named the new blog "Daily Dish" 'cause that's exactly what I foresee Mr. Domenech receiving, in spades, daily. It's only fair I guess, since that's what he's done all of his short political life. Diss others, that is.

Are you nuts?
Where is the balance from the left?
Clearly you are tilting towards Fox and my trust of your capacity to be objective is adjusted accordingly.

Free speech shall not be stifled......

The issue is, why would you want to associate the paper with a highly opinionated partisan hack.

What is the journalistic value of this columnist?

Will he have the same tenacity for citing sources a la Froomkin?

Will he report the news as the news or as he see's (wishes) it?

Will he face the scorn of Lovey and Jimmy if he is wrong or 'over the line'?

We all know the answer.....I will be cancelling my sub.

In his last entry, it sure seems like Ben Domenech is bashing the readers who took time to read and comment on his blog. Is this the new Post - "Opinion Writers" who bash the opinions of readers who bash their opinions? Sounds like money well spent! I guess the alternative is hearing how Ben thinks the war he promotes but is unwilling to fight in is like a video game.

"We encourage users to analyze, comment on and even challenge washingtonpost.com's articles, blogs, reviews and multimedia features."

I'm beginning to wonder if any of the previous posters even read this little snippet. It seems most are more interested in trashing the author than actually attempting to address any of his statements. Sadly, their myopic focus on the messenger and not the messenge only lends more credibility to that messenge. H

News from a different planet Earth: news is the news now. News is only news when the news is the news.

Schmidt and Starr: check
Woodward and Plame: check
Howell/Harris and Ruffini: check
Domenech and Abramoff: check

Still waiting on
Vandehei and DeLay

Bob:
"I'm beginning to wonder if any of the previous posters even read this little snippet. It seems most are more interested in trashing the author than actually attempting to address any of his statements. Sadly, their myopic focus on the messenger and not the messenge only lends more credibility to that messenge."

Mr. Woodward, Dick Cheney on line 2 for you.

You guys have to be kidding...this is beyond unbelieveable. This kid is an inexperienced hack - he doesn't even have his own political bona-fides, but rides solidly on his father's coattails as a GOP operative. It was pretty shameful when Jonah Goldberg's mommy got him a job with her old buddies at the NR, but the NR has been a clearly partisan rag for years. Old Buckley was up-front about it. The Post aspires, or rather, claims to be an objective news reporting operation.

I was a Post subscriber for just over 25 years - I'm 38 years old - starting as soon as it was available for home delivery in my town. In those days, the crack was pretty common about "Pravda on the Potomac". Sadly, it's become clear that the editorial slant of the Post, with the same irony as the re-appropriation of the symbolic meaning "Red" in our country, has made that formerly anti-liberal moniker into a reality: the paper has clearly become a sponsor of "Red" propaganda in the finest tradition of Pravda.

I dropped my subscription recently over the flap with your "Ombudsman" - right wing apologist Deborah Howell - but had recently reconsidered: I strongly value serious in-depth new reporting, something the newsroom still seems to practice at the Post. I continued to read selected articles online, and I thought I should be supporting institutions I care about.

Now, this? Really, you have got to be kidding! This kid engages in some third rate sophistry at what amounts to an online "Volkischer Beobacter" and you present him as a source of informed commentary? One would be naive to imagine that all the Opinion page scribes are deeply experienced sages - George Will is a propagandist with an excellent vocabulary and complex sentence structure - but at least they're over 30 and have spent some time out in the world, presumeably as some kind of journalist.

Does the Post realize that, unlike the cable TV news outlets, their remaining audience is made up of readers - that is, people who enjoy critical reasoning in the finest objective materialist (read: reality-and-fact-based) traditions. This kind of tripe drives us away.

One can only infer that such appointments - handouts - are the price of journalistic freedom elsewhere in the paper. Is the Post that afraid their presses will be smashed (or circulation depressed) by the rabble these propagandists rouse? It's not like there's a viable concern to be had out of the illiterati - the Washington Times has never come off life support since Rev. Moon revived it, and the aforementioned NR has been touch-and-go from the beginning.

I'd say this is the result of Katherine Graham's passing - but Donald Graham has been running things for a long while now. Perhaps it's the result of Meg Greenfield's passing instead. Who knows, but it's time to clean house editorially - the job of the Press in this country is to be adversarial to our government - not function in it's service as a mouthpiece. The Post did our country a great service under the Nixon administration - and yet, with an administration as bad or worse according to former Nixon staffers, the Post is hiring obvious shills. I cannot imagine what blackmail is employed to achieve these results, but save yourselves before it's too late - sunshine is the antidote.

I'm amused at the reaction to the Post's decision to run "Red America." So, so many people who are so, so sure that the Post is a hardcore right-wing publication that has finally given up any pretense of journalism because it has made room for one (let's count together, one and . . . well then, one!) avowedly conservative blog in its online space.

That'd be like saying the Lincoln Center is a cabal of anti-cultural barbarians bent on destroying the last vestiges of fine art in the west if they were to allow a concert promoter to hang a Marilyn Manson advert in the foyer.

Unfortunately, the world of online political commentary has devolved into a series of narrowly-tailored echo-chambers. This is true on the left as well as the right and it isn't good for our society. But just because the post doesn't shout into the same echo chambers as the commentors on this page, doesn't automatically make it a conservative rag.

It is possible for a person (or a newspaper) to be somewhat more cosmopolitan, have a broader reach as it were, and avoid the ideological blinders of the echo-chamber crowd. However, to them what have their heads in the bucket, the well-rounded outlook is always going to appear extreme.

Dump Ben. Replace him with Debra LaFave. Hurry! Before FAUX news snaps her up.

Ugg, this trash is insulting as a 24 year old. I swear, we're not all this condescending. Hey Domenech, is this a "worthwhile comment"? Get a real job.

Or at least join the service. We need more bodies for your middle eastern meat grinder.

I'm a liberal who's happy to read conservative columnists/bloggers, but is this inexperienced partisan kid really the best conservative voice that the Post.com could find? It seems that his goal is not to communicate with liberals about "Red America" in any meaningful way, but to combine tidbits of news, columns and academic journals into over-the-top characterizations of liberal thinking.

This blog doesn't add anything to public discussion that we can't get from Fox or talk radio. You would think that with all the Post's cout, this site could find a conservative blogger who's had some life experience and who could reach out to an audience beyond Red America.

The more blogs, the better, IMO.

When do guys like Kos or Atrios and Marshall get their Washington Post blogs?

Does it tick you off that Ben pretty much slagged the Post and the rest of the MSM for being too liberal *even after* you gave him a place to write, raise his profile, and make some money?

If this doesn't prove to you that the "liberal media" trope is a scam, I don't know what will.

WASHINGTN POST CO B

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See, I think I know what the WaPo was trying to do here:

Like so many other news outlets, they've allowed themselves to get browbeaten and intimidated by the hordes of whiners on the right wing who blame all their failings and embarrassments on allegedly slanted coverage by the so-called "liberal" media, so the Post figured that if they just hired a right-winger to blog for them -- a nasty, partisan, who-needs-facts-when-I've-already-made-up-my-mind winger at that -- they could endear themselves to the conservative Cool Kids and hopefully inoculate themselves from further accusations of liberal bias.

So what does Domenech do in his very first post? He goes after the naughty liberal MSM. There's some gratitude for ya, WaPo!

Well, y'all made your bed, now it's time to lie in it. But this red-state liberal (yes, not everyone in Red America is a mindless GOP drone like Domenech -- we call ourselves "progressive rednecks" 'round these parts) can't drum up any sympathy for you. I really used to respect you guys, and working at the Post was once my dream job -- but if you'll hire people like Domenech, then suffice to say there's a lot less luster on that dream than there used to be.

aporitic: WTF?

Domenech is *not* the only avowed right-winger in the fold. Will, Novak, Krauthammer, they all count. Print Post = Online Post, don't let them tell you otherwise.

And thanks for the [other]worldy take on idealogical blinders. The Post is looking soooo cosmo now with an inexperienced racist in a lead online feature.

Finally, something more amusing than the Comics Page in the Post.

I think "Red America" is the wrong name for this blog. It should be "Yellow Elephant."

WaPo's claim that the appointment of Ben Domenech was based upon an objective assessmenr of his qualifications as a writer/journalist is reminiscent of the declaration of the senior Bush that his lapdog that was being nominated to SCOTUS was the most brilliant legal scholar. And just as believable.

Hi!

Dude,

Actions speak louder than words!
http://goarmy.com

red state....blue state

what the heck happened to the UNITED STATES

oh right

i forgot

if we remained united the neocons would never have gotten contol of our nation

so they set out to divide the united states into red states and blue states

how sad

for America

for we the people

and for your party which cannot governor unless they keep america dangerously divided

a great republican president warned us about you red staters when he said

a house divided against itself cannot stand

yet you continue tearing down the house

shame on you

Dear Post,
I am happy for you, the news maker becomes the news! Only this time its for signing on a wet-behind-the-ears punk whos opinions smack of an angry late night conversation in his dorm room.
Way to go laughing stock! :D :D :D

"History's Greatest Monster"

By: Augustine

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Jimmy Carter."

Congratulations, Washington Post. Really, job well done.

I'd like to nominate the Rude Pundit to be the liberal blogger.

http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2006/03/rude-pundit-auditions-to-be-liberal.html

WASHINGTN POST CO B

Last Trade: 750.00
Trade Time: 10:52AM ET
Change: Up 7.75 (1.04%)

Attn Jim Brady:

Hiring Ben (Augustine) Domenech, has been a terrible loss for all. First, the Post has sullied its reputation by hirng a racist 24 year old with no background as anything but a Abramoff tied Bush political operative as apparent balance to a non-existent left wing blogger. Second, you have led Ben away from the Army, which is really where this able-bodied, gung ho, pro military man should be.

Why do you hate Katherine Graham so much as to screw her pooch?

Best wishes!

This does seem pretty ridiculous. Why, if the Post can't afford to maintain newsroom staff, is it hiring more people to spout off opinions? There are already plenty of opinions on the Internet.

Supposedly "Washingtonpost.com hires writers for their ability to add something substantive to the national conversation."

What was it about Mr. Domenech's portfolio that made Washingtonpost.com believe he would add "something substantive" to the "national conversation"...?

Was it his 2002 invitation to Al Gore to "suck it?"
Was it his calling Coretta Scott King a "communist" in February of this year?
Was it his 2003 musing that "the commonly taught theory of evolution is a total crock?"

Washingtonpost.com could not find one single writer that could add such "substance" to its site?

Was Harriet Myers busy? Or is it that Ignorance is the new measure at the Post? I will cheer the shutting down of your offices, since you no longer represent the ideals of the founders. Free press indeed; your rag is worth nthing.

It was bad enough that your paper was the Bush administration stenographers during the run up to the Iraq quagmire. Now you have added a right wing hate monger blog. Why don't you just cut to the chase and run Rush Limbaugh's show as a blog?

Attn Jim Brady:

Why no comments allowed on Ben (goarmy.com) Domenech's blog? Cowardice?

In the Whiny Kids installment of Red America, Ben D. says this:
If these columnists and scientists are to be believed, then President Bush is just a real-life version of Dr. Strangelove's General Jack D. Ripper - blustering, impotent and murmuring about conspiracies to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids, just another spineless conservative wussyboy who has to prove he's a big brave man in cowboy boots.
Then:
This is ridiculous and wrong
I dunno. It sounds pretty accurate to me.

I wonder if Ben was whiny when he was a kid? He's certainly whiny now.

Adam Stanhope
Kingston, Massachusetts

So, Christopher Soprano is now blogging for the Post! Bing-a-ding...

for some fine advice for Ben, check out Georgia10s screed at DailyKos http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/3/22/104154/380

The best thing about this Domenech fiasco is Jim Brady will NEVER fire this kid. Domenech is Brady's way of "sticking it" to the mean ol' liberal bloggers who were so mean to him and L'il Debbie a month or so ago. In classic sports editor fashion, he is now going to prove to everyone who's penis is bigger, and if he has to burn every scrap of the Post's journalistic integrity to do it, by God, he will!

There is No. Freaking. Way. Jim Brady will EVER admit he's wrong on this. Pass the popcorn!

As an editor in the UK, I can't believe or fathom why the Washington Post has made this decision. Shame on you.

well, at least Operation Yellow Elephant ( http://operationyellowelephant.blogspot.com/ ) has a new poster boy!

I'm personally curious how Ben got this gig. I don't recall the Post putting up a "help wanted" ad or anything. They just went out and found themselves a white male to hire without even (apparently) giving women or african-Americans a shot at the position.

(It would certainly come as no surprise to find that White Male John Harris got his name from White Male (and GOP operative) Patrick Ruffini, but that's purely speculative).

Oh, and the Post may wish to check the qualifications of its hires in the future. Domenech claims that he was "given the Ruben J. Salazar award by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists" on his bio page ( http://www.bendomenech.com/blog/bio.html )

According to Marissa Silvera, Professional Development Manager of the NAHJ, that organization does not give out a "Ruben J. Salazar award." The NAHJ's overall scholarship/financial aid program is named for Salazar -- so maybe he got some cash from them by claiming Hispanic heritage. (although its difficult to see how he qualified, given that his father is a GOP operative and "financial need" is a criteria, and "Awareness of the Community" is also a criteria -- and its extremely difficult to find anything that suggests that Domenech is "aware of issues that face the Latino community and Latinos in the newsroom". Hell, Domenech betrays no interest in issues that affect the Latin American community---other than to use Latin American traditions to promote his own far-right agenda, like this little bit of racist cant from his blog...

"[I posted this in past years on May 5th - it's a Bendomenech.com tradition honoring Latino heritage. The basic point is this: Cinco de Mayo ought to be properly historically renamed, "Beat Up a Frenchman" day.]....So think about that tonight while you're chowing down on tortilla chips and salsa. And if you get the urge, go beat up a Frenchman. Hey, I'm not even Chicano, but I can understand."

http://www.bendomenech.com/blog/archives/001539.html

**************
gee, I guess the fact that I actually do research, and don't just spew opinions, disqualifies me automatically from the "Blue America" blog.

Can someone teach him to spell "imperative" correctly?

Thank you.

boy, doesn't it show the normal readership of the Post needs a little TOLERANCE and DIVERSITY when their reactions are this nutso to one simple freaking blog? The conservatives whine and moan about the liberal media all the time, and the Eric Altermans of the world sit there and sing to high heaven about how wrong that perception is, and yet leave it to a bunch of radical posers to demolish that argument in the thousand ridiculous comments they've left in response to one simple blog on a massive website. the left = ridiculous.

If I may point out - many of the above comments imply that the poster will stop reading the WaPo because of this... I think that the opposite of this is true, and no doubt so is Brady. Every time this idiot posts a new article on his blog it will be flooded across the online progressive community. The hits for Red America will be though the roof - not from conservative readers, but from liberals. I think the Post is gambling that this avowed partisan hack will draw its left leaning readership much in the same way decent people stop to gawk at a horrific car accident.
It's a win-win for the Post. It will draw more conservatives, and the liberals will be reading it just to tear it up. It's good for the numbers.
On the plus side for us progressives is the fact I have not seen mentioned yet - This is a real opportunity for the rabid right to speak to a wider audience, and I am confident that with exposure to it many moderates and independents will run from it, fast.
Cheers,
Xero

So the WaPo has a blog by a movement conservative.

When do we get a blog by a movement liberal? I'd recommend Digby, who would be a reasonable counterbalance to Ben. Liberal rather than conservative, with just as much fight and feistiness, and much better sourced as a rule. A good, even match.

Once again, the Post embarrasses itself.

Well played, Mr. Brady. Well played indeed.

Yeah, totally. Look at all of the conservatives blogging here - it's loaded with them! I guess the irony is lost on you libs here. Maybe it's your awesome public schooling.
Oh and...
"51% voted against Chimperor GeeDub in '00. That's no majority."
Wasn't that 6 years ago? Do you need a calendar?

This is really funny. I guess I should be thankful that the Post is no longer pretending to be anything other than a mouthpiece for the most played-out, unsupported, and infantile White House and Republican leadership talking points. You hire a kid whose greatest claim to fame is apparently being the home-schooled son of a Republican flunky (and Abramoff enabler, besides) and call it "balance"? You give this guy real estate on your site to promote the most obvious and overdone right-wing nuttiness and pretend that it is some sort of ground-breaking move into the 21st century?

And really, Ben-- I hate to sound like one of those "Yellow Elephant" guys, but if you have such a fondness for war without end and getting after them terrists, there is a better place to prove it than on a blog. Actually, there are at least four places better suited to someone of your gung-ho sensibilities-- the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. The Coast Guard does good work in that department as well.

But blog on, brave soldier.

It's nice of the Post to exercise affirmative action on behalf of the young white children of politically connected Republicans. I'm sure Mr. Domenech will bring a wealth of wisdom gained from his 24 (count 'em!) years living as a privileged young home-schooled conservative.

I remember "Red Dawn." It was good for a laugh. No doubt this guy's new column will also provide many a chuckle; perhaps it ought to go in the comics page, next to the related rantings of B.C.

Red America, eh? Too bad America's repudiating "red" policies right now and leaning purple more than anything. I can only hope that there will be some kind of hint of a liberal bias throughout the rest of the paper to make up for the blatant bias of this supposed "blog" (can it really be called a blog if it doesn't accept comments? What is Domenech afraid of?) Maybe it would be easier just to start a Blue America blog hosted by well-known no-spin doctor Bill O'Reilly, just to extend the level of self-parody.

Could Ms. Howell and/or Mr. Brady explain to me why they chose to hire a Republican operative to represent the "conservative" view? Particularly when the Republican partisan operative, Mr. Domenech, has little if any journalism background and skills? Particularly when the current incarnation of the GOP is anything but conservative.

This isn't a big deal, as I doubt many will read the young Mr. Domenech's partisan scribblings after a few samplings, and the Post readership numbers are tanking anyway. But it does represent a disturbing trend of partisan operatives infilitrating and/or cowing the media into advancing the Republican talking points and he said/she said with no analysis of the facts at question.

Sadly, I've canceled my WaPo sub after 14 years as a reader, in favor of Knight Ridder who seem more willing to play the historical role of journalism in questioning those in power, regardless which party they belong to. Disturbing trend, but it's clear that WaPo.com, the online version, is pretty oblivious WRT the internets. As the hard copy business dwindles, WaPo.com is going to have a very rough go. Maybe one day Brady will have an epiphany, I won't hold my breath.

Hey Ben,

I have 3 kids your age--all of them have served in Iraq.

Where's your patriotism and courage?

He'll be fired by the end of the month.

Wow, the libs really don't like it when we crash their party.

Soldier on, Ben! Nothing like seeing the libs get their panties in a twist! maybe I'll actually start reading this rag again.

I'm not surprised that this many liberals have all this free time from their jobs to be posting such nasty comments about Mr. Domenech. Get back to work, hippies! Your revolution is over! The bums lost!

Wow! The People for the Anarchists Way crowd are really banging their spoons on their highchairs now.

Hey lefty moonbats. Deep breaths. Serenity now. Serenity now.

This is just proof that the left cannot tolerate diversity of thought. Period.
What a bunch of freakin' crybabies.

Now you can balance your pro-war editorial page, which was very useful helping W drag (or mislead) us into this mess, with a pro-war blog.

Gotta love the balance corporations provide.

As a hispanic I find thefollowing disgusting.

The Post may wish to check the qualifications of its hires in the future. Domenech claims that he was "given the Ruben J. Salazar award by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists" on his bio page ( http://www.bendomenech.com/blog/bio.html )

According to Marissa Silvera, Professional Development Manager of the NAHJ, that organization does not give out a "Ruben J. Salazar award." The NAHJ's overall scholarship/financial aid program is named for Salazar -- so maybe he got some cash from them by claiming Hispanic heritage. (although its difficult to see how he qualified, given that his father is a GOP operative and "financial need" is a criteria, and "Awareness of the Community" is also a criteria -- and its extremely difficult to find anything that suggests that Domenech is "aware of issues that face the Latino community and Latinos in the newsroom". Hell, Domenech betrays no interest in issues that affect the Latin American community---other than to use Latin American traditions to promote his own far-right agenda, like this little bit of racist cant from his blog...

"[I posted this in past years on May 5th - it's a Bendomenech.com tradition honoring Latino heritage. The basic point is this: Cinco de Mayo ought to be properly historically renamed, "Beat Up a Frenchman" day.]....So think about that tonight while you're chowing down on tortilla chips and salsa. And if you get the urge, go beat up a Frenchman. Hey, I'm not even Chicano, but I can understand."

http://www.bendomenech.com/blog/...ves/ 001539.html

Your 15 minutes have begun. Use them wisely. November is nigh, and WaPo won't need you to sell their fishwrap in December.

Yeah, right, "crashing the party". Like the Post online's got nothing but liberal bloggers before this. Care to link to them?

If you plan on reading the newspaper, you might want to start slow with The Pokey Puppy first.

By the way kids, if Ben's Red... and he's a Chickenhawk... what was that Warner Brothers character... Henry Chickenhawk?

Guess this guy's Benry Chickenhawk then.

Dear Post Board,
My checkbook and I appreciate your weekly efforts to give me a legitimate reason to cancel my subscription, but this is just too kind of you. I think I'll be taking the money I save each year and donating it to your competitors.

Hey Woo hoo!, don't you think young Mr. Domenech can be a better blogger if he's in Iraq, say, with our overstretched military? After all, he supports the war, and he is only 24. He can enlist, go to Iraq, and give us a true red-blooded conservative solider's view of the war there.

Or, he can fight the war from home, behind his keyboard, kind of like a neutered wolverine.

Since when is the Washington Post in the business of hiring professional political operatives in order to BE professional political operatives? All involved should be ashamed of themselves for this horrible step towards turning journalism into not even thinly vailed propoaganda. Shame on you all for falling for right-wing bullying and responding by paying to provide an outlet for more right-wing bullying. You have demonstrated the level of incoherant and immature behavior that will yeild results from the Washington Post. I don't want to see any whining from your ombud when your decision to abandon journalism is thrown back in your face. The Washington Post is no longer an engine for journalism. Shame on you all for dismissing your legacy so callously.

This kid called Coretta Scott King a communist and said conservatives should be "pissed" the President honored her instead of attending a pro-life march. On, I believe, the day she was buried.

http://yourlogohere.blogspot.com/2006/03/ben-is-that-you-reddan-has-theory-that.html

This woman was a hero of the Civil Rights Movement--she and her husband are unquetionably American heroes. Her husband has a national holiday in his honor.

Seriously, what is beyond the pale anymore? How low does a radical right-wing pundit have to go before responsible journalists say, "Yeah, you're we actually don't have a responsibility to put our credibility behind to your rather insane, offensive, unsupported and totally out-there rantings."

And finally, a correction to the above. It's "Tommy Thompson," not "Tommie Thompson."

It's like you guys have totally abandoned all responsibility to fairness, balance, and accuracy. It's even hitting the copy department. Pathetic, really.

Disgusting. I have had numerous complaints about the post over the past 5-6 years. However, I have remained a subscriber as there is a considerable amount of good journalism in the paper and I enjoy the local info that I can't get elsewhere. However, this hiring of a conservative propagandist may be the last straw. NYTimes here I come. I will give the post two weeks to fire Domenech or hire a liberal blogger to balance him.

I hereby offer my services to the Washington Post (or what's left of it, anyway) to author a new blog called "Blue State." The format of Blue State will differ somewhat from that of "Red State" in that Blues State will rely on the presentation of facts to underpin any analysis and will be representative of the views of adults, the sane, and a majority of Americans.

I think these "liberal" bloggers are not so different from Mr. Red America. They care more about pushing their team foward than they do about intellectual integrity or considered discussion. I don't like the new blog, but threatening to cancel a subscription over it is just childish if you find value in the rest of the web site.

Two reasons I support the hiring of Ben Domenech:

1. It damages the credibility of the Post so severely that more readers will be inclined to seek a more accurate and non-partisan news source; and

2. If Ben represents the pinnacle of conservative intellectualism, evolution will - very soon - dictate that conservatism is dead.

(Yes, Ben, I understand that you don't believe the "theory" of evolution. You know, gravity is just a "theory," too - why don't you go test it?)

At the end of the day, hatred, racism, hyperbole, and fealty to a self-appointed messenger of god are not a viable political philosophy. Modern-day conservatism is the realm of sociopaths - Ben is a great reminder of this - and, thankfully, once diagnosed, it is easily remedied. Small minds are a threat to no one but their hosts.

With the addition of Ben Domenech, I see that inside-the-beltway circle jerk continues unabated.

I wonder though, was Scalia was in attendance at the "meeting"** where the hiring of Domenech was approved?

** "Let me make it clear that the problem I am addressing is not the social evil of the judicial dispositions I have described. I accept, for the sake of argument, for example, that sexual orgies eliminate social tension and ought to be encouraged."

I thought this was the Washington Post, not the Washington Times!

It would be appropriate for a journalistic enterprise such as the Washington Post to maintain your credibility by offering a balance to Red State's conservatism. Where is the 'Blue State/Purple State/Other-Side-of-the-Fence State' blog? Where are your journalistic ethics????????????????????

Are you kidding me? Why would the Post give this guy his own blog? It doesn't give you credibility, it makes you look like you are pandering to the far right in order to lessen the perception that the 'MSM' is liberal.

How pathetic is that for a supposed journalistic entity of high regard? You do know this person has made racist and disgusting posts throughout the internet, don't you?

It's a sad day in American journalism when the Washington Post decides that ratings and perception are more important than journalistic ethics.

Did Rupert Murdoch buy the Post while I was taking a nap?

Dave Dial

Come on Mr. Brady...a Regnery Press employee? This is the publishing house that gave us A Politically Incorrect Guide to American History, written by someone active in the League of the South, a group that makes no apologies for, uh, slavery. That's not exactly what I would call "conservative"--more like paleoreactionary. I await Anne Coulter's blog...

Ben lists in his online bio that he was "given the Ruben J. Salazar award by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists."

Well, guess what. There is no such award given by the NAHJ.... I called them up and asked. According to Marissa Silvera, the NAJH's overall scholarship program is named after Salazar, a Latino journalist who was killed by cops while covering an anti-war protest in East LA in 1970. But there is no "Salazar award".

Well, judging from the comments, and assuming the ratio of commenters to readers is constistent (left readers and right readers.) The .Com enterprise of WPost seems to have a high percentage of left readers.

Interesting question: to grow sales, do they address the concerns of just the left, or do they try and add some right readers?

Oh, this is so great - I honestly didn't realize that this was a 24 year old kid with little experience beyond his own blog. I thought I was supposed to take the first two posts seriously.

Don't you all get it? This is a wonderful, wonderful thing that the editors have done. Launch this callow, politically unsophisticated young chap into the new role of "right-wing blogger" for the Post and sit back and watch him get chewed up - then you can say - "See, the right wing pundits (or most of them)are incapable of sophisticated thought."

Seriously, I think the right wing blog is a great idea - cut the blather about balance, et al. Let's get some different ideas out there and kick them around in an intelligent and reasoned manner. This kid, though, has got to go! Wrong guy on all counts.

this is the day I stop reading the washington post.

I have read with interest far and wide the reaction to Domench's hiring. In particular, I found the answer to questions posed by the American Prospect blog, Tapped, to be very instructive. The answers are self contradictory, so one of them has to be a falsehood, a very public one. Your credibility is being shredded by your own cupidity, and since credibility is what you have to sell, no wonder your profits are dropping. Having taken time to read his output from the past, I'm just wondering how this exemplar of the irrational partisan screed is going elevate the tone of discourse in your paper. There is a blog that is the perfect namesake for this kind of behavior. It's called "Presstitutes". They're on vacation now, but they'll be back.

Thank you for giving me a great reason to cancel my subscription.

"A right-wing blog is a good idea. When will the liberal blog start?"

oh the liberal one has been up and running for some time its address is

www.washingtonpost.com

;-)

I still love WaPo, but geez, guys, what a bone-headed move. I mean, it's not like WaPo lacks liars or wingnuts -- I offer Chuck "Wheels" Krauthammer and George "Tattoo" Will as but two of your better known hacks -- I mean "conservatives," dontchaknow.

I don't understand...are the Commies coming to get us again?

What is a Red State?

And where is the Blue state blog or the Purple state blog?

Why would the Post engage in this type of political one-sidedness? To say Froomkin is the balance is a huge smack in the face to a trained journalist.

I think I've grown tired of trying to pick out the propaganda on your website and will no longer be visiting. Really sad since the Washington Post has been my hometown paper for over 30 years. Post online has been a staple in my daily online reads but over the past few years, the quality of work and commitment to journalistic integrity has been forgotten by those left in charge.

It is a sad day for journalism.

This is just more big corporate media pretending to balance a non-existent liberal bias by intentionally putting out more conservative propaganda to further the pro-war, pro-Bush, pro-GOP, anti-populist right-wing politics that your "non-opinion" sections already are furthering.

If you wanted to put in a new blog to balance the rest of your coverage, you should have a liberal blog- one particularly concerned with the actual down-to-earth facts about this war and this administration's other policies. Who do you think you are fooling?

RT above recommends Digby as a fair counterbalance to the young Republican operative Mr. Domenech.

As an acutal "Red Stater" (I live in Alaska, duh), I assert this would not be a fair match at all. The 24yr old partisan activist would be roundly trounced by anyone who uses actual "facts" rather than mental constructs they wish were true.

I come from a much more conservative viewpoint than this "digby" but I admire the writer for well argued, cogent writing that often challenges my viewpoints. Mr. Domench, otoh, appears to be simply another mouthpiece of the GOP, who's idea if reasoned discouse is name calling and assertions not backed up by any evidence/facts. I wonder if he is on the payroll ala Armstrong Williams and his ilk.

Is access so important to the Post that you would destroy the paper in the process? What good is access when you have no readers and the paper gets shuttered?

Dave Dial asked "Are you kidding me? Why would the Post give this guy his own blog?"

well, it doesn't look like the Post actuallly listed this as an available job, let alone do any minority outreach. So I'd have to say that a White Male (GOP operative Patrick Ruffini) complaint to a White Male (Post Political editor John Harris) was communicated to a White Male (WPNI editor in chief Jim Brady) who hired himself a White Male in response to the complaint..

This hire is so stunningly stupid, and offensive on so many levels, one has to wonder if there is something beneath the surface.

Maybe Richard Mellon Scaife or the Koch brothers or some other billionaire wingnut has agreed to buy a ton of advertisements in exchange for the hiring of a confederate. Or maybe it's less complicated -- maybe someone is dropping some cash in an envelope Jim Brady or whomever is in charge.

Why else would the Post do something that diminishes its own credibility, insults the credentials of its staff, and goes so far afield from its mission as a newspaper?

Because there is not one logical, rational reason to hire this kid -- little puke, really -- who has no credentials, no expertise, no life experience beyond video games, nothing that would give anybody any reason to listen to him.

I love the W.Post. It's a great paper. And I'm all for hiring a "conservative blogger" as one of many voices. But, what is he counter-balancing? Shouldn't there be a "liberal blogger?" I don't get it at all....

The National Council of la Raza does give out a Ruben J. Salazar award and it certainly did not go to young Ben.

What are the WaPo's criteria for hiring "writers"? What exactly are Ben's credentials? They seem to be fairly thin, other then spewing hate-speech, smears and propaganda with the glee of a 3-year-old.

If the WaPo's hiring criteria is THAT lax - I've got a cat who needs a job! I think he would really please your anti-mouse readers.

Editors of the Washington Post:

I am a 27 year old liberal blogger who recently made the move to mainstream Internet journalism with a job at HardOCP.com (who I am not claiming to speak for with this comment.)

In short, I'm a working blogger-turned-journalist - with an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Texas, I might add, and 3 years of experience in journalism.

So my resume is slightly better than your new hire's resume, while still being a "young blogger."

I would, therefore, be sending your human resources department my C.V., but then I thought: I really don't want to work for your company. You don't do a good job of reporting the news, I have to go to overseas news organizations for that. Your opinion page makes or repeats false statements in order to make it's points.

And, quite frankly, your latest hire--

Quite frankly, I thought that the Washington Post was shaming itself by hiring Domenech. But Domenech is kinda okay with being the guy that he is (and quite an unsavory character to boot.) Maybe Domenech -- and the rest of your staff, should be shamed for stooping to work at the Washington Post.

Redstate's racism will no doubt follow Ben to the WaPo, cleaned up a bit or avoided all together. Jim Crow Republicanism will no doubt be submerged inside of notions about mainstream America, God-country-apple pie values, and the whiteness ethic.

Will Mr. Domenech be publishing any fact-based pieces, with original thoughts about what is workable public policy? Or will he continue to publish unsupported, conclusory statements that only one of the two political parties in this country magically has the right answer for every societal issue?

finally, finally red state america will have some representation in the msm. i know he's not your guy but dan rather could some this up in one word. COURAGE.

Ben, you seem to have driven the moonbats completely over the edge.

Keep up the good work! Nothing starts my day quite like reading endless petulance.

Eric in Hollywood

Gee, Benny, did Daddy get you this job, too? I've read some of your incoherant ramblings...you're just not a very good writer! I guess WaPo had some makers called in by the WH. Jeez....tell me what the heck a 24-year old, sheltered, racist could possibly add to the debate? Balance, my ass....

What is the idea behing this new blog? Why don't we, the WaPo readers, get an explanation from Mr. Brady? Does he shy away from publicly declaring that he succumbed to the pressure from Editor Harris and some GOP heavyweights who want to shift the Post's balance to the right?

There really should be some kind of explanation from WaPO.com about the backgrounds of this decission. Hiring the cofounder of a fringegroup blog, who posted some despicable extremist views under the cloak of a pseudonym, will significantly impact the esteem and the credibility of the Post.

Nice balancing act Post. Thanks for making my decision to drop you web site from my list easy. If I need red state propaganda in the form of objective news, I'll go to your sister site at the Washington Times - at least with the moonies, you know what you're getting.

you are a hypocrite and a sellout. congratulations on going mainstream.

It's entirely indicative of the intellectual depth of conservative philosophical substance, that it can evidently be easily mastered and expounded upon by somebody who was 17 when the President was appointed to office.

Where's the balance? How about a liberal blogger? Frankly, I read the first entry and he makes it sound like these elections weren't close. It just drives me nuts

Is a job at the Washington Post like MTV's "Real World", where you have to be under 25?

Why does the Post have to make such foolish decisions? Why in the world wouldn't the post have a balance? Would it have been that hard? Imagine the fury on the right if the Post debuted a Blue State blogger and didn't have any balance. Why does the Post continually insult the intelligence of anyone who isn't a raging conservative? Good thing I don't have to pay for the paper.

Judging by the comments about "Redamerica", I think its pretty safe to assume the WP has a liberal readership. So why the need for a liberal blogger, since most of the coverage here is liberal anyway?

Or is it that fish don't feel the water?

why this kid? couldn't you get jeff gannon?

If the post has so many lib readers, then we're the majority. And Benry Chickenhawk says that the majority gets to have their voice on top.

So go away now, little one.

oh, and regarding that scholarship....

one of the qualifications for getting a NAHJ scholarship is that the recipient be "aware of issues that face the Latino community and Latinos in the newsroom".

Here is one example of Ben "goarmy.com" Domenech's "awareness", from his blog...

"[I posted this in past years on May 5th - it's a Bendomenech.com tradition honoring Latino heritage. The basic point is this: Cinco de Mayo ought to be properly historically renamed, "Beat Up a Frenchman" day.]....So think about that tonight while you're chowing down on tortilla chips and salsa. And if you get the urge, go beat up a Frenchman. Hey, I'm not even Chicano, but I can understand."

nice hire there, Brady. I guess David Duke wasn't available?

Does Red America stand for Commie America;}

What is the idea behing this new blog? Why don't we, the WaPo readers, get an explanation from Mr. Brady? Does he shy away from publicly declaring that he succumbed to the pressure from Editor Harris and some GOP heavyweights who want to shift the Post's balance to the right?

There really should be some kind of explanation from WaPO.com about the backgrounds of this decission. Hiring the cofounder of a fringegroup blog, who posted some despicable extremist views under the cloak of a pseudonym, will significantly impact the esteem and the credibility of the Post.

P.S. What is going on with that comment filter? Do you find any profanity in my words? Why are my comments not published?

"Get back to work, hippies!"

Dude, you're defending a blogger. Blogging is the opposite of work.

test

What is the idea behing this new blog? Why don't we, the WaPo readers, get an explanation from Mr. Brady? Does he shy away from publicly declaring that he succumbed to the pressure from Editor Harris and some GOP heavyweights who want to shift the Post's balance to the right?

As noted by Bfuentes, above (March 22, 2006 11:46 AM), Ben Domenech allegedly wrote this in a web posting some time in the past:

"[I posted this in past years on May 5th - it's a Bendomenech.com tradition honoring Latino heritage. The basic point is this: Cinco de Mayo ought to be properly historically renamed, "Beat Up a Frenchman" day.]....So think about that tonight while you're chowing down on tortilla chips and salsa. And if you get the urge, go beat up a Frenchman. Hey, I'm not even Chicano, but I can understand."

http://www.bendomenech.com/blog/...ves/ 001539.html

With this kind of background, I HAVE to believe that the Washington Post management is either stupid or deliberately crafty enough to hire this guy in order to not only shut up the right wingers (who complain about so-called "liberal bias" at the Post), but also to discredit the right wingers in the eyes of mainstream Americans.

test

There really should be some kind of explanation from WaPO.com about the backgrounds of this decission.

It will be really fun to watch this project become part of the direct line fax boviating of the RNC talking points and then eventually self distruct.
Thanks for the upcoming entertainment.

test

Hiring the cofounder of a fringegroup blog, who posted some despicable extremist views under the cloak of a pseudonym,

What is the idea behing this new blog? Why don't we, the WaPo readers, get an explanation from Mr. Brady? Does he shy away from publicly declaring that he succumbed to the pressure from Editor Harris and some GOP heavyweights who want to shift the Post's balance to the right?

There really should be some kind of clarification from WaPO.com about the backgrounds of this decission. Hiring the cofounder of a fringegroup blog, who posted some really extremist views under the cloak of a pseudonym, will significantly impact the esteem and the credibility of the Post.

Ben Domenech has no journalistic training or experience, has no real-world expertise from which to draw upon, and bases his opinions on emotion, not fact. So, why would a supposedly world-class paper like The Washington Post hire him? The only answer can be that he is this paper's version of a freak show: something so absurd or outlandish that passers-by will stop to gawk.

In other words, rather than attempt to boost their circulation with intelligent journalism, the once-great Washington Post is stooping to gimmicks. It stinks of desperation, and is no way to save a newspaper.

someone asked... "Will Mr. Domenech be publishing any fact-based pieces, with original thoughts about what is workable public policy? "

are you kidding? I just did more actual research on Ben Domenech than Domenech himself did the entire time he wrote for Red State. Which means that, despite the fact that I'm a White Male, Brady won't consider me for his "Blue America" blog....

I seriously don't get it. If any of us wrote the things published by Domenech on washingtonpost.com, we'd be accused of hate speech and our comments deleted. How can Brady and Howell possibly condone the things this guy writes?

Attn Jim Brady and Deborah Howell:

Is Ben the Augustine poster? Were Augustine's posts racist? What is the Post's policy regarding racists comments made by their columnists? How did Ben's name come to the Washington Post? What other bloggers were looked at and turned away?

Will Ms. Howell look into this?

Fellow moonbats! We libryls, I mean "progressyves", need to protest this atrocity committed by the capitalist running dogs of the WaPo at once! Quick, begins constructing the giant paper-mache puppet heads!

And get the ugly chicks out into the streets! Direct action! Aaieeee!!!!

Could this be the Post's underhanded way of discrediting blogs? Will they drop this a few months from now with a statement that "like other blogs, this just turned into one man's forum to spout disinformation"?

Will Ben realize that if the MSM gives him a check, he is now MSM?

you know, you are so full of contradictions. first you say you hire this guy to get a "variety of political perspectives" and then when asked if you will be hiring a liberal perspective to balance it out you say you dont hire people based on their political perspective?
WTF?
we all know you are in the belly of the GOP but really, why do you even try to hide it?
the person you just hired is a crediblity free unqualified hack who spews error riddled information and has called Coretta Scott King a commie. good work.
how is this credible debate again?

Good lord. Et tu, Washington Post? By the way, I'm 24 with no real experience in anything either. (My dad is a teacher, though, so no plush political appointments for me.) May I have my own Washington Post blog too? Forgive me for thinking you had to be qualified to represent one of the largest medial outlets in the country. I wouldn't let this wingnut write for my high-school paper. Bad form, y'all...

Please explain to your readers why the Washington Post saw it fit to hire a blogger who called Coretta Scott King a "communist."

This reflects horribly on your newspaper and I am sure your African-American readers in particular are greatly offended.

So Ben is the Chosen One to bring Balance to the Post ... the last time I heard that, it was about Anakin and the Force. We all know how well THAT turned out.

Actually, since the Post is rapidly becoming a farce, we should look to the parody: "This is why Evil will triumph: because Good is dumb."

To the Post editors who thought providing a 24-yr-old with no experience doing anything but putting words in someone's mouth or spouting off his own: he may say things now like,
"We can all agree that [ad hominem attacks] lower the quality of debate on the Internet, play to the worst side of our knee-jerk partisan nature and have no place in the modern public square. I look forward to engaging you in a serious, respectful discussion on the issues that matter most to the future of our nation" ... but he doesn't really mean them. His record ("Augustine") kinda proves that.

Just because you've added blogs, don't make you Kewl. Adding a silly conservative one-- ditto that. You can't stop the bleeding WAPO because you have lost credibility. Fix that and you might rescue yourself from the crash and burn.

Catherine Graham must be spinnin'

What a joke this paper has become.

Could the lefties please stop foaming at the mouth and recognize that, 2) there is a First Amendment that applies to all points of view, b) the Post, like most large dailies, already features a great deal of commentary in the form of columns and even blogs from liberals, and, c) those who would seek to muzzle the voices of those who take a different point of view diminish themselves far more than they elevate the debate. Tragically, some of the posts here are so hate-filled and frenzied they confirm the belief of a lot of Americans that many on the far left are simply bereft of reason.

are supposed to have hearts. It's not till middle age that you're supposed to go Right, that is, uness you learned something along the way. Ergo, you're a genetic freak. Sonny.

And I have to state that this comment filter is ridiculous!
I used the word 'despi*able'. The filter won't allow that. Now, if something is 'despi*able', are we supposed to play it down by saying 'objectionable'??? Where are we here, at a discussion board or at church participating in sunday school?

(BWAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!)
I can't understand why folks think that American journalism lacks credibility???

The Post is disgusting. I am a Washingtonian with no hometown paper any more. The Post used to be the gold standard, but I find myself unable to trust its reporting. It's sadder than words can express. One word suffices: boycott. Boycott the bastards, in honor of the great paper that they have destroyed.

Wow, how ironic - you are simultaneously destroying the shreds of credibility you had left as one of the few decent news sources in our nation, AND killing off independent media, as well!

Congrats. I guess I'll be reading the rest of your articles (if I bother) with the understanding that you've all but admitted an internal bias.

Heh. When does the Washington Times editorial staff move in? After all, it can't be that far away, given this move.

Yesterday's chat with the political journalist Tom Edsall on the new blog:
"Tom Edsall: Another good question. Washingtonpost.com is technically separate from the Post newspaper. The dot com is widely viewed as the area of future growth, while the paper is struggling to keep making a profit in the face of declining circulation and growing competition for advertisers. The results are very different personnel policies. The consequences for the quality of the journalism are not yet determined, although budget constraints are already limiting the scope of our work."

Several times he addresses the question of the new blogger being hired at the same time actual journalists are being laid off. I think this is NOT a popular move among the Post professional staff. But then, "professsional" doesn't seem to matter much to the Post managers anymore, I guess.

So... Ms. Howell, are we going to hear about dissent among the Post's journalists on this hiring? After all, you devoted a whole column to dissing Dan Froomkin (who is a REAL journalist with impeccable credentials, unlike young Ben Blogger) because supposedly some political reporters complained (although none of the Post reporters admitted to it). Sounds like the Post political reporters REALLY aren't happy with Ben Blogger's hiring! How about a new column, huh? Tell us why Dan Froomkin's well-sourced column is a problem, while Ben Blogger's unsourced column is fine?

I assume that the Post will be fact checking this new blog? Given the writer's history of playing fast and loose with facts, in hat oh so special Ann Coulter fashion, the Post better do it's homework.

Also, what is he supposed to be balancing? Krauthammer? Novak? Katherine Graham must be spinning in her grave!!!

Looks like they've finished another 100 posts whining about how unfair it all is so it should be time for one congratulating the Washington Post for adding the blog.

Way to go folks!

And now back to the crazed moonbattery.

testing:
lukasiak
hamsher
(just checking the filters)

If I wanted fiction, I rather have Dean Koontz.
This propaganda is already available elsewhere, and your paper is literally diminished by cross-posting it here.
It is very sad to see the Washington Post accomodate it's enemies -- Domenech is LAUGHING at you as he pours poison down your throat.

Don't Click on Wingnuts

Cancelling your subscription to the WaPo is one thing, but circulation numbers can be fudged and they've been falling for just about every newspaper anyway.

A couple of better and more immediate ways to send a message directly to the Washington Post Company's bottom line:

- Don't link to anything at WaPo.com (except for Froomkin and solid reality-based articles)

- Never click on any of the banner ads on WaPo.com and encourage everyone you know to do the same.

- If you must cite a WaPo article because, as a reality-based blogger, you believe in backing up your statements with evidence you can 1) make a non hyperlinked reference to the article or 2) put a warning after the link [DCOW - Don't Click On Wingnuts] like we do over at Correntewire.com

As someone who works in marketing, I know that links and clickthroughs are tracked, analyzed and reported as a way to justify the price of advertising on any web site. Advertisers can also independently track clickthroughs on their ads.

Blogs drive traffic to Corporate Media websites, even if the blogs are critical of what they link to. Even negative attention boosts WaPo.com's numbers.

From a Washingtonian article 12/9/05 by Henry Jaffe:

"Washington Post chairman Don Graham said publicly for the first time this week that the future of news is on the Internet, not in print newspapers like the Washington Post.

“The Web site simply has to come through, ours and that of other newspapers, for us to be successful,” Graham told investment analysts Wednesday in New York."

###

You can also let the Washington Post Company know that the management of it's online division has made an incredibly, oh what's a "civilized" word, "not smart" move by hiring Domenech.

The Washington Post Company
1150 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20071
202.334.6000
TWPCoReply@washpost.com

A move that is putting the financial future of the company at great risk and one that can only be explained by WaPo.com Management's ideological alignment with the Right Wing.

At least this is the perception they have created by their actions. Jim Brady circled the wagons and fought back vehemently against Lefty criticism of a factually-challenged Deborah Howell column, but for some reason has gracefully accepted and accomodated Right Wingers' claims that the Washington Post is part of the intrinsically Liberal Main Stream Media.

Editor & Publisher's website posted this yesterday:

Starting with a bang, Domenech declared today, "This is a blog for the majority of Americans." Some may argue that this is an outdated notion, given the president's current approval rating and the latest polls showing that a clear majority of Americans favor Democrats in this November's congressional elections.

###

Given the current demographics, WaPo.com's decision to hire Domenech will, without a doubt, negatively affect the perception of the Washington Post and the company's bottom line.

Thank you Okie. You nailed it. And this is why they never win elections either.

You have now sunk to the lowest of lows. One has to wonder with WHAT it is you all are thinking. You should be completely ashamed.

I'm truly looking forward to reading your blog everyday as I do w/ Michelle and Sandmonkey. Most of the comments posted have been from the looney lefties, their running scared. Does my heart good to see a young fresh face in the blog world today. Helps to restore my faith that America's new generations have gotten on board with the real world and not promoting "old hippie people" and their unhinged views.

As rarely as I can bring myself to read the Post, either in print, online, or in the “blog” section, all the hoopla over this Domeneche character got me curious. Girding my loins for the ubiquitous defenses of anything Bush, I clicked the link that took me into the bowels of the Post blog “Red America” (snappy, by the way, what with Red Sate already taken….oh, yeah, never mind), and almost instantly regretted it. I think Ben is absolutely right to hold off on the comments section, given that he won’t have exclusive authority to ban on a whim. He’ll actually have to read the comments that point out just how…”off base” he manages to be most of the time. For example, Ben obviously didn’t remember that President Bush was a male cheerleader at Yale when Ben typed the immortal phrase “Never trust a male cheerleader.”

This was proved true by the first three posts: one on Red Dawn, of all things, one on how whiny punks grow up to be Republicans, as if we were waiting on a study to point that out, and one on the comments the post has received to date. While the first post is of zero value, the second and third deserve a response. In the second, Mr. Domeneche mentions something about public school teachers without a hint of irony, given his home schooling adventure. CNN has a marvelous tape of 15 year old Ben struggling to string together a coherent thought, so what would he know about public school education? The third post has my absolute favorite comment of the entire blog. “Comments will be coming after the initial launch is finished, when I've gotten used to the rhythm of posting and you, gracious readers, have gotten used to it, too.” While Mr Domeneche has a great deal of gall to post this following a barely disguised plea for commenters to go easy on him (referencing the “personal attacks” cited by editors when the blog was drenched in comments about the variably accurate ombudsman), I have to wonder what “rhythm” he is speaking of. I think he’ll find that the readers here are up to the intellectual rigors of anything he might post, and, quite often, more so than he.

Mr. Wetmore,

I propose that you may have missed the fundamental irony of your post, in a rather forest for the trees kind of way. Awfully difficult to hold up Alterman and the liberal media when you're replying to commenters who are opposed to a conservative blogger posting unopposed. You see the irony there? A conservative operative with zero journalistic training, credibility or integrity, and who admits that he intends to post provocative opinion, gets hired by the Post who have shown themselves to be far more interested in access to the Bush Administration than they are about getting out the facts or being critical of them. It's the perfect storm of irony when you toss in the fact that with all the talk of balance that has given the right control of the media (that would be Coulter who made the connection), there is no liberal blogger to balance Mr. Demeche.

I must admit, I appreciate the fact that WaPo is dropping their pretence of being balanced media. Hiring an explicitly Republican blogger to spin ever-more-blatant propaganda, with even less journalistic credibility and even more Abramoff connections? Sheer brilliance on proving loyalty to your neo-con support base, while simultaneously undermining your own establishment.

Sarcastic, I know. But with choices like these? C'mon WaPo, get used to it.

The Post has added this Red blogger to provide balance to supposedly blue writer Froomkin. I don't think that Froomkin is liberal, he is just telling the truth, which the right views as anti-Bush. I imagine that he will continue skewering a Democratic President should one be elected in 2008 (as he should), while Domenech will continue spewing his right wing poison.

If you were looking for balance, perhaps you should balance a writer who tells the truth with someone who tells lies. Or perhaps that is what you did by hiring Domenech.

This kid is the best the Post could do? The son of an Abramoff ally in the interior, whose history of contributions to the public include slander of Coretta King?

It's hard not to shudder a bit.

Well, I'm disgusted. 'Red America' is written by a racist, Ann-Coulter-Wannabe propagandist, who does not display the virtues of the Right Wing, but instead simply trumpets his favorite false conservatives.

What has the Post gotten from this? Someone who throws around 'Mainstream Media' like a swear, while working for that same Mainstream Media.

Is this what the Post beleives conservatives are? Or is it worse than that; is it that the Post is this brand of vile scum wearing 'Conservative' as a label yet abandoning the GOP's principles?

Any consideration I ever had of subscribing to your paper just ended. Please let "Sonny Boy" know that his Rethugs are NOT representing a majority of Americans- the Senates'(55)Rethugs represent 131 million vs. (44) Democrats represent 161 million. Isn't redistricting a cornerstone of Democracy? Perhaps they should try in Iraq

So.... who's going to be the Colmes to your Hannity?

Wow, talk about a loss of credibility here. So the Washington Post creates a conservative blog and ONLY a conservative blog, no liberal blog. In the mind of most media types these days, that is balanced. Man, can you guys sink any lower. Journalistic standards? No at the Washington Times, uh, I mean, Post.

And Domenech has the balls to attack the "mainstream media". Hey, moron, you ARE the mainstream media. You write for the damn Washington Post!

"Could the lefties please stop foaming at the mouth and recognize that, 2) there is a First Amendment that applies to all points of view, b) the Post, like most large dailies, already features a great deal of commentary in the form of columns and even blogs from liberals, and, c) those who would seek to muzzle the voices of those who take a different point of view diminish themselves far more than they elevate the debate. Tragically, some of the posts here are so hate-filled and frenzied they confirm the belief of a lot of Americans that many on the far left are simply bereft of reason."
----

Lots of people who aren't "lefties" are bothered by this move simply because it promotes partisan punditry (of which there's already plenty to be had) over journalism. Many readers want fewer political opinion blogs and more of what the Post is actually good at -- reporting.

Don't assume everyone is upset for the same reason -- we don't all subscribe to groupthink.

Subscription cancelled...

Has anyone from the Post been over the RedState and taken in their blantantly racist comments? Has the Post gone stark raving mad and decided that hiring someone who would just as soon bury all of their reporting staff is a good idea? A guy who made his living denying the facts?

I suppose that all good things . . .

sounds to me like this is another know nothing kid who talks the talk but won't walk the walk just like his heroes in the WH. If you are such a tough guy son? why aren't you serving your country in combat if it is so noble?

Please Wash Po, you have to be kidding me, a 24 year old with no real life experiences and we are suppose to act as if his opinion means something? please what a joke.

Guess What - I am probably one of your actual paying customers - And I think I will cancell my subscription.

I thought Washington Post was somewhat trustworthy. NOt anymore - Political hackery (colbert's new word!)

Can you not see the tide is turning away from right wingnut spewing and to more sensible discussion. Guess not - See ya in the unemployment line along with my newspaper delivery boy.

Will Mr. Brady be clarifying any of the above issues? Was the hiring of Ben Domenech motivated by a desire to placate right-wing critics? Will a libral blog be added to Washington Post to placate libral critics? Does the Post feel that conservative voices in general were lacking at the paper? I think the Post owes it to its readers to explain the hiring on a non-journalist blogger.

What a joke this is. Yeah, just one more attempt to fabricate the whole conspiracy theory that there is liberal bias in the media. Very sad to see one of what once was America's greatest papers go down the toilet like this.

not enough, or too little too late

personally, i think it's going to be difficult to balance the pushback from the obviously partisan lefty liberal wapo with only one young rightwinger. you need a whole slew of them. can't you just feel the need?

if you had a team of them perhaps you could attempt to respond to some of the commentary from your audience, which, from the sound of the posts, if representative of the population, seems to be swinging more to the left. get in there quick and rescue the disadvantaged right.

i have a question. why can't conservatives conserve?

if the right is wrong and the left is right (ei the pre war assessments) do 2 rights make a wrong?

you really need to hire a team to support this young blogger, the brainpower on the left is highjacking our youth.

Deer Washunton Posd:

Plees hyre me bkause i kin rite as gud as Ben dominick.

And I ken think as beter than Ben, two!

I didn't write the following statement, I used the cut and paste function from another author, a trick I hope your editors will catch on to....

"The next miracle to tackle: proving yourself to be anything other than a propagandist and a Ann Coulter-wannabe. Good luck, Ben"

By the way...I couldn't have said it better

No Thanks. I'm not the most political person in the world, but I won;t be subscribing to the WaPo after this.

Here is what I had to say about Coretta Scott King's funeral:

Why is it that we have to accept the Pantheon of the Left and see their funerals televised -- from Wellstone to Mrs. King?

Why is it that those who participate in these funerals feel compelled to turn a solemn, religious event into a Def Comedy Jam spectacle of anti-Republican, anti-conservative boilerplate "known facts" and demands for handouts?

To borrow another contributor's phrase -- the media and the left treat the Jesse Jacksons of this country and the Jesse Jacksons of the Middle East with respect, compassion, and understanding. Those of us who work hard for a living to provide for our families, humbly go to church, and try to do unto others as we would have them do unto us see our values, our lifestyles, our beliefs, and our Lord ridiculed and bashed on television, the cover of Rolling Stone, and in the mainstream media.

I also think I have a clearer understanding of why the culture of so many black Americans in this country is below what it should be and is capable of being.

The prominent black spiritual leaders, like Joseph Lowery, are more interested in subsidization from The Man than salvation from the Lord.

So, Jim Brady has seen fit to hire a man who would call the late Coretta Scott King a communist. Link here.

I'm glad I'm not a subscriber to the Washington Post, in that it saves me the effort of cancelling my subscription.

someone wrote: "(just checking the filters)"

I think my post didn't go through for one of two reasons....

1) my post was based on a lot of research, and (unlike Ben) I provide links to back up statements of fact whenever possible. Some commenting software flag comments with lots of links

or

2) I mentioned Operati*n Yell*w Eleph*nt . No doubt Ben "goarmy.com" Domenech is rather sensitive about the saffron colored puddle that forms at his feet whenever anyone asks why, as a big supporter of Operation Iraqi Freedom, he hasn't volunteered himself....

paul

The lefties claim that he is qualitatively different from Fromkin as the latter writes about the truth.

Well, I was convinced that Ben is definitely the right person for the job as soon as I read a paragraph from a speech that he wrote in which he implicitly compared gay marrigage to the marriage between a man and a box turtle.

Washington Post must be congratulated for bringing this great mind on board.

All the lefties should applaud as well. At least this lefty does.

A Bush appointee? Why not Karl Rove?

His Dad is a Bush insider, he's a Bush insider, it appears this is a White House appointee to the Post.

The WP missed it's chance at redemption when it failed to fire Woodward.

Why does the Washington Post hate Liberal Blogs and fairness?

I guess DC has two right wing papers now:

The Washington Times

The Washington Post

Interesting year for The Washington Post.

I have now rebookmarked the site. I used to go to the home page, poke around, and read a bunch and give clicks to Post advertisers.

Now I'm stopping that in protest. I'm going to bookmark the few folks I read reguarily and that's it.

You lost my general support over this, Post. Sorry. Hiring someone who has made racist, inflammatory statements in an effort to achieve "balance" is wrong. You are sponsoring hate speech. Have you read anything this guy has said in the past? If so, things are even worse than I imagine.

After having read this thread, FDL, TPM, Kos & a host of other comments elsewhere regarding this "Red America" enterprise, I have nothing further to add except...

...FEH!

Just one comment, perhaps?

[...] "Now, if you don't hire an editor to correct every other sentence in your posts, then I'll have to expose your lies on a daily basis, and hon, I don't have enough hours in my day to go down that route."

-- georgia10 @ Kos

You won't be alone, georgia10.

Welcome to the bigs, Mr. Domenech. Where just bringin' your "A" game to this side of the aisle's bleacher creatures ain't gonna cut it.

You should REALLY get that editor.

Privacy rights. We hear so much from the liberal left about protecting your (my) privacy rights. But stop and think about it. Since the 60's, liberal politicians and judges have created a bill of rights for criminals and those contemplating criminal activity and they call it privacy rights. They tell me my privacy rights are being threatened by conservatives. But none of those 'rights' apply to me because I am not a criminal nor am I contemplating any criminal activity. Won't someone (Ben) explore this and give us the facts? Why do liberals always try to protect the lawbreakers at the expense of those of us who are not?

WE SHALL OVERCOME...yep, you heard it right! Your hiring of a hysterical, right-wing nutcase (besides the fact that he is totally unqualified because of age and experience, but hey, that obviously didn't factor in his job description) is heralding the demise of your 'paper'!. Yipeee! It all has come about because you, as well as others at WaPo, have sold your souls to the devil...literally. After reading Ben's sophmoric babblings, I still find it hard to believe that you ( or anyone with a brain, for that matter) believe him to be a voice worthy of our attention. OOOOH BOY, what a joke! Calling Caretta Scott King a Communist? NO ONE IS GOING TO RESPECT THIS IDIOT! Your paper will find itself in deep financial trouble because you don't pay any attention to the polls...Americans have had more than enough of lies, corruption,distortions, their civil liberties trampled on, DEATH, just to name a few. We're going to take back our country, and you and your 'paper' will be left in the dust.

Mr. Domenech's writings have established him as a racist and one who does not base his opinions or rantings on facts. How did he get a job at the Post?

Shame.

Good to know that White House neopotism even works at the Post. The son of the official in charge of ensuring Abramoff's was money channeled correctly. You have outdone yourself!

thanks for giving me a good excuse to cancel my subscription to the Post - 20 year subscriber. Maybe you can peel someone away from the Washington Times to make up for me.

Amateur hour continues at the post. Hiring this guy Ben is a clear admission that these guys don't have any clue what they are doing. Sure his dad is a bush appointee, sure he knows how a web browser works, but geez man does this really qualify him as anthing other than a stegnographer?

Did you guys at the Post feel a keen lack of having a Jonah Goldberg on staff? The Post has now become just another place for rich parents to dump their legacies while they wait for them to grow up. Thought you all would have learned how dangerously inneffective this kind of rich-boob warehousing is having watched the Green Zone in Iraq these last three years?

I bet Robert Redford rues the day he ever made the movie that yout guys have rested your reputation on for the last 30 years.

The hiring of Domenech brought me to this website to post my opinion of his hiring.

yecccchhhhh

Thank You Washington Post. Now, I will not only cancel my own subscription, but will also get all my 26 co-workers (most of whom are African-American/Hispanic/Asian) to cancel their subscriptions too as a protest against The Post hiring a known racist to be a columnist for The Post.

Good luck with your balance.

The truth should never be balanced with lies.

Combine this genius move with your inane editorial of Bush's press conference and you are having one "heck'uva" day WaPo.

it is good to see Ben (http://goarmy.com) is reading these comments and trying to dodge from his racist remarks about Mrs. King. The alleged clarification he just posted will certainly play well with African-American readers such as Clarence Thomas and Claude Allen...

Ben "Augustine" Domenech on Coretta Scott King's funeral, posted on Feb. 7th, 2006:

---

The President visits the funeral of a Communist

And phones in a message to the March for Life.
I think we can get a little pissed about this.

---

link here:

http://www.redstate.com/comments/2006/2/7/203823/5583/190#190

I recently cancelled my subscription to the Washington Post because of its lack of balance. I sincerly hope that "Red America" may work to restore some of that balance.

This is really sad. Didn't the Washington Post research this guy before hiring him? This guy is so full of hate it is really sad. Plus, he does not seem to realize that the movie "Red Dawn" teaches one how a country acts when it is occupied. The kids in Red Dawn blowing things up to fight the Russian occupiers are, I suppose, heros to him. When Iraqi's who are occupied by the US do it, I guess they are terrorists right Ben? Don't you see the irony in that?

The Washington Post inches one step closer to being a joke newspaper.

Steven Joseph

I understand there is a meme in media outlets today that say essentially that the conservative Republicans are the most loyal consumers. This is why TV news has moved rightward into political propaganda, and other news sources have taken a relativist approach to reporting (all opinions are equally valuable, and all people have an equally valuable interpretation of facts). Where as shows like O'Reilly's have succeeded, newspapers like the Washington Times have been financially struggling for over a decade. The reason for this is that TV is TV, talk radio is talk radio and newspapers are newspapers. People at the Washington Post have obviously forgotten that two the media formats are dominated by entertainment and the newspaper is dominated by...news!

I am not sure this is truly an attempt to balance any news at the Post, I think this is a more transparent attempt to up readership by becoming controversial and at the same time attempting to suck in a loyal conservative base for increasing subscriptions. The bad news for the post is that they missed the gravely train on the conservative revolution in media, the pendulum has swung back to center, and the conservative blogosphere is all but mute and dead. The worse news for the Post is that they have shot their credibility in the foot with their new blog "Red America."

The opening salvo of Red America is offensive, not only to Democrats but to the majority of Americans who are moderates and independents. The claims the majority of America is "red," which in either interpretation (demographic displacement or political ideology) is specious. That statement alone reveals that the blog is not news, or journalism, or even opinion; its a false outright lie, intended to use the cover of the Washington Post's credibility for propaganda. The extreme right will continue hounding media until it is lock step with their agenda and talking points, and even with Domenech's new blog, the Washington Post cannot reasonably expect the howling of the extremists to end, but as I said before, I doubt that was the major motivation. Shame on the Washington Post! I feel like its just took a huge step towards mimicking the Drudge Report, and Jeff Gannon style journalism, opposed to finding its roots in truth and recommitting to fact based journalism and opinion. The Washington Post has egg on its face!

Ben:

Re: Your 3/22 12:23 p.m. post, are you DENYING that you are the Augustine who called Coretta Scott King a "communist"?

Jack

If you are going to have a Red America Blog, then start a Blue America Blog. Also, turn on some comments at Red America. Only chickens start a blog with out comments.

Why is everyone so pissed? I mean, every newspaper needs a humor column.

What? It's not?

Sorry. Never mind.

I would assume you're joking...right? No? How sad for you.

Posted by: Domemech | March 22, 2006 12:23 PM

Ben, don't be so modest. Here's what else you had to say about Mrs. King's funeral:

The President visits the funeral of a Communist By: Augustine

And phones in a message to the March for Life.

I think we can get a little pissed about this.

===

Don't hide your light under a bushel, son.

Great work, kiddo.

Me and my loofah salute you. Any job openings at the Post? The liberal hypocrite owners of FOX News are cramping my style. I want YOUR kind of Gig. Do you get many calls from chicks? My loofah is ready for some hot internet action.

LOL!!!!

This just gets funnier by the minute! Seriously, I refresh the page every 30 seconds, and I'm treated to even MORE derangement.

Ben you must be doing something right! You've invaded the moonbats' turf, and boy, aren't they pissed?

Keep it up, and I might actually subscribe to the WaPo.

Eric in Hollywood

Since balancing the content on the website is such a big concern, how about hiring Eric Alterman or Joe Conason to provide some counterbalance to Howard Kurtz"s right leaning post.com contributions?

This is the longest I've ever spent on the WaPo's website. Their paper version is conservative already, and apparently misguidedly hellbent on picking up the Washington Times' neanderthal readers in my the same way that CCN is chasing after Fox News' lowbrow fans.

For real news, I read the New York Times, both paper and website. For cultural happenings, there is always the free City Paper. The WaPo is now good for only two things: the comics pages, and . . . okay, make that one thing.

If the missus agrees, we will cancel our subscription to this increasingly useless newspaper. I'll miss Mutts, but then again, it is free online.

http://www.nclr.org/section/conference_nominations/
Via google, I found that the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) does give a Ruben Salazar award, but Ben isn't mentioned as winning it:

Ruben Salazar Award for Communications
... annually recognizes an individual who has dedicated his or her life to promoting the accurate and positive portrayal of Hispanic historical, political, economic, and cultural contributions to American society.... The recipient of this award must be a communications professional who has dedicated his or her professional life to portraying issues, concerns, and/or news relevant to contemporary Hispanic America.
This year's recipient will be Soledad O'Brien....
1990 Dr. Hector P. Garcia
1991 Everett Alvarez, Jr.
1992 Donald E. Mroscak
1993 Honorable Ed Pastor
1994 Polly Baca
1995 Guadalupe Reyes
1996 Bernie Valdez
1997 Tomas Atencio
1998 Dr. Juan Romagoza
1999 Judge Albert Peña
2000 Sr. Alicia Cuarón
2001 Lorraine Lee
2002 Guarione Diaz
2003 Armando de Leon
2004 Honorable Ed Pastor
--

The Washington Post is turning into a bad joke. This gentleman Domenech is an insult to our intelligence. Can he at least get some experience first. And who is his opposition on this site? I don't see any.

By hiring Mr. Domenech to write a blog for their paper, the editors of the Washington Post are really only being true to the direction their publication has taken in the past several years. They are an inch left of the Washington Times. And while newspaper editors the country over moan about declining readership, they can look to decisions like this to explain the erosion of confidence in the information being provided by their publications.

Thanks for giving me another reason not to read your publication. I was getting worried there for a second, but you came through with that "balance" just in time.

I'm sorry, was Washington somewhow lacking Republican voiceboxes? Is the media just too liberal for you? I can't believe the WP bowed down to such right wing propoganda.
Keep it up and you'll lose a lifetime reader.

now tron, plllease try to avid hate filled posts about how the left posts are hate filled. i know the right just looves this teminology but as anyone can see, if you ever want real hate filled slander you will need to read the queen of hate, ann coulter, or go hang on LGF.

who thinks the left is far left?? raise your hand?
there is no significant far left , we are the left. you want far you have to look at the extremes on the right, the fundies, etc. the dobsens. the cell worshipers to find exteme numbers. why just yesterday i heard the legislature in georgia supports passing out the bible as a textbook. talk about far out!

a request, could we get some original thought out of the right? they all use the same terms, it gets so old.

I hope the Post keeps on allowing comments. RedState takes away comment privs if you dare disagree with their position, no matter how civil you try to be.

So when do you offer Digby a job for real balance?

Is this blog going to take comments from readers?

Is Ben going to participate in Live Discussions?

Hee haw, the moonbats are going nuts! By hiring an arguably racist, callow little conservative with a sheltered upbringing, the Washington Post has finally tuned into today's GOP mindset, and it's about time! But why stop there? Hire David Duke! He's our kind of guy: stupid and bigoted! Then we'll really see the moonbats go nuts.

A new Domenech blog at WaPo? How many fact checkers is WaPo hiring to try and keep up with such a geyser of toxic misinformation?

Or is it the case that, besides getting a free pass on reporting credentials, he also gets a free pass on having any factual basis for his propaganda?

Hopefully the job includes a travel budget -- as things get peachier and peachier in Iraq, it would be fun to get some on-the-scene blogging from Ben from, say, Baghdad or Karbala...

More Domenech goodness--this time about his new "colleague" Dan Froomkin:

========
Dan Froomkin: Cut, Paste, Ignore
By: Augustine · Section: Miscellania

If one spends any amount of time reading the columns of washingtonpost.com's Dan Froomkin - whose status as leader of the hack is without compare - it's easy to realize that, on any given day, the cut and paste function has to be a tiring chore. Every day, it's use the same template, find a new reason to hate. "Bush is a liar because X." "The President is a fool because X." "The White House wants to kill your child's pet because X." Etc. He has his crowd, and he plays to it.

But with all that cut and pasting, sometimes little things can get in the way if you're only reading the lefty sites... things like facts.

Today, Froomkin opines (yes, Dan, it's "Opinion," despite your many claims to the contrary) on a video that is being hyped as a smoking gun in the Katrina hullabaloo (of course, since President Bush is Superman, as soon as he found out a storm was coming he could've flown through the air, turned the earth backward, made levees five times as high, and stopped the storm dead...he chose not too because he doesn't care about poor minorities. And don't you forget it).

There's only one problem: the video in question is a dishonestly edited version, and one that the Times conceded this morning just flat-out ignores highly relevant portions:

The AP video does not include footage of Chertoff asking Brown whether he needs any other help or of Chertoff asking whether Brown wants him to approach the Department of Defense. Transcripts show that to both questions, Brown indicated that no additional assistance was needed.

Read the transcript if you want the real story, and more of it at PowerLine and Captain's Quarters. But Dan Froomkin isn't interested in the real story - just his cut and paste storyline. Tomorrow, more ways we can blame President Bush for the crabgrass in your lawn.

Mar 2nd, 2006: 16:05:36

========
Oh now I can see the kind of "balance" this blog will provide. :eye roll:

Glad to see that the Post and its subsidiaries are much more interested in "balancing" viewpoints than accurately "reporting" facts.

It finally dispels any misconception that The Washington Post Company is a news organization.

I also find it curious that your new blog doesn't automatically post comments from readers, but instead resorts to the author's/editor's choice to pick and choose comments and excerpts to post in order to further their agenda.

Since the Post Company apparently only believes in the bottom line, listen up: I am canceling my 7-day/week home subscription, canceling my weekday office subscription and never posting another job listing through your affiliated websites ever again. Why should I pay for a worthless rag when what I want is a real newspaper?

Great--The New York Times went down with Judith Miller and now the Washington Post will go down with Ben Domenech's RedAmerica Blog. America's media is toast, just when we need accurate reporting that challenges the disaster of the Bush Administration.

Thanks for nothing.

Well, I was gonna suggest that the WaPo hire Kos, Atrios, Josh Marshall, or some other qualified lefty blogger, but why bother when they can just hire me? After all, "qualifications" don't seem to be much of a factor, only the ability to stir up the wingnuts with poorly-written red meat.

As noted above, journalists are not balance to a far right wing blogger. Therefore I hereby nominate Hunter (famed dailykos poster) and superlative writer for the position of left wing Washington Post blogger. (I'm a subscriber and if I have to put up with the rantings of a facsimile of Coulter/Limbaugh, I want to see some REAL &*&* balance.)

What I think is funniest is his poor analysis of "Red Dawn".

""Red Dawn? You must know it - the greatest pro-gun movie ever? I mean, they actually show the jackbooted communist thugs prying the guns from cold dead hands.""

This is such the anti-gun moment. It shows that even with his right to bear arms, he is still dead. The "need" to own a gun to protect himself and his country against did nothing to protect him or his country. The guy was killed. One redneck with a gun did absolutely nothing.

This is hideous. If this is isn't the most desperate move to please Daddyparty...

I have been a NYT reader since I was in diapers and I stopped ready thr print and online versions of that rag once they canonized J. Miller. And thought WaPo would be better, and it was. Sayonara. I didn't think WaPo could do any more damage to its credibility beyond Woodward, but I have underestimated how craven and desperate these hacks have become.

Satan, preserve us.

I really hope you will be utilizing a fact checker for the blog. When you bring such an individual into the fold of the mainstream media and put your banner up over their head, you are responsible for what they say. If they mislead, you are responsible. If they misquote or mischaracterize, you are responsible. If they plagiarize, you are responsible. Please don't forget that.

One more thing about this post from Domemech @ 12:23 PM--

He didn't write this. Blanton did.

http://www.redstate.com/story/2006/2/7/203823/5583

With Regard To Today's Funeral Political Rally
By: Blanton · Section: Culture

Why is it that we have to accept the Pantheon of the Left and see their funerals televised -- from Wellstone to Mrs. King?

Why is it that those who participate in these funerals feel compelled to turn a solemn, religious event into a Def Comedy Jam spectacle of anti-Republican, anti-conservative boilerplate "known facts" and demands for handouts?

This is just further indication that the left is out of touch.

To borrow another contributor's phrase -- the media and the left treat the Jesse Jacksons of this country and the Jesse Jacksons of the Middle East with respect, compassion, and understanding. Those of us who work hard for a living to provide for our families, humbly go to church, and try to do unto others as we would have them do unto us see our values, our lifestyles, our beliefs, and our Lord ridiculed and bashed on television, the cover of Rolling Stone, and in the mainstream media.

I also think I have a clearer understanding of why the culture of so many black Americans in this country is below what it should be and is capable of being. The prominent black spiritual leaders, like Joseph Lowery, are more interested in subsidization from The ManTM than salvation from the Lord.

Feb 7th, 2006: 20:38:23

How soon will the WaPo be deleting the comments above that it doesn't agree with, and run a column whimpering and crying that we "used bad language". Those people in the comments used bad language! Now Ben, our blogger/writer, has used plenty of bad language, defamed Coretta Scott King, and made other remarks "not fit for a family newspaper", but that's uh, ok. Right.

Since when does 33% equal a majority? And I'm referring to the lap dog support of the current Prez, whose performance a huge majority disapprove of. A majority of Americans oppose the war in Iraq. A majority of American's would today vote for a Democratic Congress. So why does "Red America" proclaim to speak for the majority? Is it the majority of elites who actually control power in this country that you're talking about? Oh, and what about those family connections to Abramoff? Red - the color of tyrants.

" I also think I have a clearer understanding of why the culture of so many black Americans in this country is below what it should be and is capable of being.

The prominent black spiritual leaders, like Joseph Lowery, are more interested in subsidization from The Man than salvation from the Lord."
Posted by: Domemech | March 22, 2006 12:23 PM

Mr. Brady, let's see, your Chairman publicly states the future of your paper is on-line - and you hire 'Moses' Domemech as your readership tilts 'blue'

how's that working for ya ?

Y'know, you pathetic corporate suckups would be hysterically funny if you weren't doing so much damage to this country. While America becomes a third world nation (oh not you guys, you get to be in the 'elite' classes) y'all peddle yet more radical right wing spin, mi-direction, obfuscation and out-right lies. And from some 24 year old heretofore known for calling Coretta Scott King a "Commie". Does your shiny new wingnut blogger like to dress up in ladies' clothes like good ol' J Edgar did? They seem to share the same predilection to use that old-timey catch-all smear, It's not a stretch to presume they might share some other. . . um. . . proclivities.

In short, I am not surprised. As the nation crumbles under mountains of radical right wing engineered debt there's only on thing to do- flood the channels of information with even more of the same criminal, nutball dishonesty.

Why do you hate America?

Hey Lefties.

Go back to your Box Turtle girlfriends and pary to the Communist Corretta Scott King.

You are not welcome here.

Paul Lukasiak wrote:

Ben lists in his online bio that he was "given the Ruben J. Salazar award by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists."

Well, guess what. There is no such award given by the NAHJ.... I called them up and asked. According to Marissa Silvera, the NAJH's overall scholarship program is named after Salazar, a Latino journalist who was killed by cops while covering an anti-war protest in East LA in 1970. But there is no "Salazar award".

I emailed Domenech about this. Within minutes he politely wrote back, saying "The NAHJ changed the name of the award in the years since I received it, it's now one of their leadership scholarships. You're welcome to call and confirm with them that I received it."

Those who, like me, may have tried to Google for more information about this award may have been thwarted by failing to include the accent mark over the e in "Rubén."

I take Domenech at his word when he claims to have won this award. I still think it was a bad idea to hire him to write a Republican blog, though.

What a total waste of WaPo money and server space. If you wanted something balanced, why would you give a forum for a hate-baiting whackjob?

Seriously, since when did you guys lose your spines and need to kowtow to the myth that the media is this vast liberal conspiracy? Last time I checked, I was a liberal and disagreed with most of your coverage.

What sycophantic twits. Get some real opinion writers and ditch this idealogical mental midget. Personally, I'm not going to even read his ramblings anymore. MSM conspiracy. Yeah, get your tin foil hat, make sure you bring enough for the asskissing WaPo board.

I knew it was only a matter of time before some right-wing whiner started whipping out the "1st Amendment!!!11!!!!1!!11!" canard.

I'll talk real slow so you can understand, Okie -- the First Amendment only applies to GOVERNMENT REGULATION of speech. The Washington Post is a PRIVATE COMPANY, which means they are not under any obligation to publish any one person's screeds, Domenech's or anyone else's. They are no more legally bound to publish Domenech than they are to publish in purple ink.

Which means that they gave him a blog 'cause they WANTED to . . . which might be the most depressing thing of all.

From Woodward & Bernstein to Whiny Conserva-Kid in just 31 short years . . . come on, WaPo, you can't tell me you're not a LITTLE ashamed of this.

It's not incovceivable that, had they made a really concerted effort, the WaPo could have found a conservative who's actually thoughtful and who might add to useful debate. Not inconceivable. But to have made this choice is to have decided, evidently, that those who read blogs, like those who listen to Bill OReilly want only diatribe; non fact-based, at that. Which is to misunderstand woefully what blogs are about. Mostly.

RedState.org poster Augustine, who has been outed as Ben Domenech, had this to say about his fellow washingtonpost.com employee, Dan Froomkin:

" If one spends any amount of time reading the columns of washingtonpost.com's Dan Froomkin - whose status as leader of the hack is without compare - it's easy to realize that, on any given day, the cut and paste function has to be a tiring chore. Every day, it's use the same template, find a new reason to hate. "Bush is a liar because X." "The President is a fool because X." "The White House wants to kill your child's pet because X." Etc. He has his crowd, and he plays to it.

"But with all that cut and pasting, sometimes little things can get in the way if you're only reading the lefty sites... things like facts."

Was management at the Washington Post aware of Domenech's postings at RedState.org? If so, why was this not flagged as a conflict of interest?

I'm also curious as to what my colleagues down the road in Quantico will think when they find out that this pampered 24 year-old William & Mary graduate not only advocates bloody, prolonged ground campaigns but makes money off of the good name of the United States Marine Corps (while corrupting the heritage of the Marine marksman)?

http://www.cafepress.com/Bendomenech

Nice to see that the well reasoned response to criticism about political balance on the blog is to hire a bushbot...Yeah!! That's the ticket!!!

The March 22, 2006 12:23 PM posting from "Domemech" is obviously forged -- the content actually comes from a (racist) Red State post by one "Blanton," not Domenech-with-an-n. But that aside, I agree with everyone else here that this new hire is pretty senseless.

He will never make it, I don't care what his "work" history is; Ben's reasoning and writing skills are not up to par. His false assumptions or, lies will be exposed daily. And his undergrad vitriol will only disgust. Oh, wait a minute... he is the perfect example of a Repuglican. Congratulations to the Post, you nailed it! You really had me going there for a second.
Of course, you could do better and expose more Red Staters for the racist, reactionary rednecks that they are. I peruse that site sometimes for amusement. Its fun, like an inverted reality. Give more Red State kids a blog and I promise I will go out and actually buy your paper... yeah right.

Do you know who called Ben to Congratulate?
Yup, Prez did & said...
Thanks for taking 1 for the team, "Benny".
Now the "lefty blogs" are talking about u and not talking about me. I hope soon "liberal media" will follow their lead and get off my case.

To clarify, in my comment of 12:46 PM, Paul Lukasiak wrote everything from "Ben lists . . . to " . . . no Salazar award." The rest is mine. I tried to offset Paul's words with italics, but apparently no HTML tags are supported here.

So WaPo, how much $$$ did you get from the Bush Administration's PR budget to start this thing?

WaPo Please do not hire anymore racists and bigots.

Someone at the Post must be joking.

So much for the Washington Post. Bye.

I have been reading the Post a long long time. I will not cancel my subscription over this travesty, but I do expect to hear an explantion from the editors. I welcome having conservative opinion in the newspaper I read daily, it informs me to hear the rationale of those with whom I disagree. But this guy is just spewing out propaganda from an extreme perspective, it does not rise to the level of opinion in the tradition of the Post. Is an explanation forthcoming?

Washington Post, fair and balanced.

Wow! I haven't read all the comments, but a quick scan sure does give the idea, doesn't it?

Either:
a) Conservative-hating liberals are pouncing in an inordinate proportion on a juicy (scary?) target, or
b) Washington Post's readership tends to be conservative-hating liberals.

Hmm, I'm guessing the latter. Not too many conservatives take the WaPo very seriously these days. I sure don't. I only read it to see what the left is whining about.

So don't let the venom get you dowm, Mr. Domenech. I'm sure you know full well that is just the customary manner of these people when they can't win by force of reason. Word of this promising blog will spread like wildfire among sensible people that have abandoned the sinking, left-listing Washington Post years ago. Your readership will be BIG. Thank you!

Thanks also, Washington Post, for allowing this to happen. It makes me think better of your paper, although it will take more than this to really change my fundamental objections.

I'll be back...
(linked from American Thinker)

Small-c in Canuckistan

I've been reading the Post for 17 years- what is this garbage about needing a right wing blogger for "balance"? What "balance"? It's bad enough you've started shilling for Bush to get us into a war in Iran, please don't insult us with more propaganda from a 24 year-old whose opinions are clearly at odds with most Americans (read the polls much?).

And a once-great paper continues its rush toward irrelevance and sycophancy. Pathetic.

Oh wow. With the Presidency, Congress, and SC under their control, it seems this bloviator can STILL find a way to blame all America's problems on those boogeymen he disagrees with.

Any chance he'll bash the press while using the nation's second largest newspaper as a megaphone?

I'm sure the Post people are really happy with all the interest they've generated. Domenech's blog is the journalistic equivalent of the Madonna in Feces. But all this complaining isn't really going to do much good -- unless you can actually spit on the Posties or accost them in the street. The reality-based DC community has to cancel subscriptions, en masse, and engage in really meaningful letter-writing boycotts of their advertisers. In general, this is the only tactic that will bring any balance to the media. They don't care what you think. They don't care what they print, host or air, as long as the money rolls in on time.

There's only one good thing about this: nothing scares more easily, when really challenged, than a billion dollars. With so much to lose....

Just a simple question here: Does the Post really need 'balance' with the Washington Times, WSJ, Fox News, and all of the rest of the far-right media parroting the White House's talking points on a daily basis? Seriously- Ben's little screed really isn't the missing link between the media as it exists today and a 'balanced' media.

Someone must have some serious dirt on one of your editors - that's the only way you can reasonably explain hiring this boy. Astounding garbage.

Worst. Blog. Ever. I guess the Post wants to join that club.
-Michael

it seems we have taken on the cloak of our former enemy the soviet union. if one looks throughout history, this is usually the case.

Buzzt. Wrong answer. My subscription's cancelled ASAP. You can stuff your Red State blog up your ass.

The only google reference I find connecting Ben Domenech to the National Association of Hispanic Journalists is on his own blog. (Oddly, there IS a hispanic journalist named Domenech-- SARAH Domenech.)

The NAHJ Website does list many journalism award recipients, but I didn't see Ben listed. As far as the "award", they do sponsor a scholarship named for Ruben Salazar, but:
'These scholarships are designed to encourage and assist Latino students pursue careers in journalism."

Hmmm.... Post, here might be your out! You might want to check and see if Ben kind of, you know, invented an award and awarded it to himself? And then you could quietly get rid of his blog without having to say it was because of reader complaints, because everyone knows readers don't count.

@Domemech | March 22, 2006 12:23 PM

are you for real? is this a hoax or an imposter?
i am serious. is this an example of your thought process ?

um. really? seriously?
looks like you've scraped all the way through the bottom of the barrel to find this guy.
good looking out.

Lies. Nothing but a bunch of propagandist lies in Ben's column. Shame on you, Washington Post, for printing such.

Will Mr. Domenech be recusing himself from commenting on issues relating to the Abramoff case? My understanding is that his father is involved at least as a witness in the case, if not a potential subject of the investigation. Normal journalistic rules would prevent a journalist from commenting on a matter in which he or she had a personal interest.

I like to read all the different stuff at the Washington Post. I look forward to reading the new blog by the young man. I like Mr. Froomkin a lot. He seems smart.

I like to watch the Ministry video of "New World Order" over and over. I like the part where the giant Nixon head is dancing in the flames.

I like to watch Slim Pickens riding the bomb down in "Dr. Strangelove". He's funny..

I wonder if this new young man has seen this movie. I know I'm old, but my head got hurt back during Vietnam.

Oh well...good luck to everybody. Don't forget to duck and cover...

Oh my. The way to achieve balance is to report the facts without bias, not to report two ways, with competing bias. So, now are you going to "balance" the new racist blogger with a non-racist? And balance his neo-conservative views with a conservative? And a liberal?

Posted by: Michael Josephson | March 22, 2006 12:56 PM

my thought exactly, rove has someone @wapo byt the balls.

Are you kidding me?!? Seriously, are you kidding me?

Very poor. Very, very poor.

Congratulations, Post. By allowing yourself to be cowed into hiring this hack-- this mindless parrot of a neo-fascist [whose credentials include being the "youngest political appointee of President George W. Bush"-- and whose father is the official administration lackey and shoe-shine boy for Jack Abramoff -- you have officially, once and forever, destroyed your credibility.

I understand now why you were having so much trouble earlier being honest about the republican Abramoff scandal. You're clearly an official organ and mouthpiece of the republican party yourself.

More Ben Domenech please!
May my new favorite funnyman (well, second only to Krauthammer) continue to share his turtle-headed goodness for days to come.

The majority of Americans are not represented by this blog. As Georgia10 pointed out:

[T]he majority of voters have been against overturning Roe, against cuts in funding for alternative energy, against privatizing Social Security, and against lax gun laws.

The worst thing about this is that, against my better judgement, I just renewed my Post subscription.

No more. You're not getting any more of my money if you keep bashing away at the Post's reputation for ... what's that word again? ... integrity.

This is a joke, right?

An idea, change the name to "Purple State," and hire/allow a young Dem to post on the blog who can balance out Mr. Dominech.

I don't see how there can be any credible claim to balance when you publish a blog called "Red State."

Okay, what are we supposed to be balancing here? "Red State America" already has its voice. Every major media pundit, right now, continues to sing the praises of President Bush at a time when his approval numbers include little more than his base. All three branches of government are in Republican hands, as are a majority of the states.

The only thing we Blue Staters have going for us is Helen Thomas, the Nation, A two-bit radio station full of talk show hosts and comedians, and Whole Foods. If you fellas in elephant suits can't sway public opinion with all that going for you, this poorly written "blog" isn't going to help.

Ah...another publication falls to the "fair and balanced" pressure exerted by the paranoid extremists on the right. But journalism be damned; the pundits have taught us all that people are not interested in reportage, they want biased opinion to inform their small world view. Add WaPo to the list of profiteers and panderers who have figured out that Right Wing Conservative media bias is an excellent business model, as the Limbaughs and Hannitys of the world have shown( from their limousines and mansions). Yes folks, add WaPo to that distinct group of charlatans who count on the ignorant and the misinformed to prove that there IS a sucker born every day. After all, it is they that put the CON in CONservative...

Where's the liberal blog that will balance this? And you HAVE to hire someone who writes for a racists blog (RedState.org)? WaPo has become absolutely pathetic, a tool of the administration...that's why I don't bother to read it anymore.

The Washington Post is now hiring racists?

How sad it must be for the rest of the staff.

WILD NAKED TEEN RED AMERICA 4 U! YOU'VE GOT TO SEE THIS! BEN DOMENECH GIVES ANN COULTER ABLOW JOB! SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN BEN BRADLEE SHOWS UP! WATCH THEM LAFF AS SATANIC MOOSLIMS DIE BY THE TRUCKLOAD! THAT'S RITE! REAL SNUFF IN THE NAME OF JESUS! ONLY THE BEST PR0N! FELATION INFLATION NATION! GO TO: WWW.WASHINGTONPOST.COM!

washingtonpost.com has been my home page, so I saw the Red State blog first thing when I logged on yesterday.

I checked it out when I saw it, thinking "what is this?", and I have to say it's pretty insulting. I mean, I know there have been 400 comments and they all say the same thing, but seriously - this is the best you could do? This clown is what represents serious thought on the right such that you'd give him what has to be pretty coveted space on your website? You couldn't find someone with something more intelligent to say?

Ben, throwing red state love your way! Keep up the great work!

I keep hearing Sun Myung Moon has been quietly buying up WP stock. Looks like he has that 51% he wanted.

Ah, a well balanced media.

Why should WP readers be subjected to this kind of stuff? Let's just drag the nation into the gutter with more Rush and Coulter trained wannabees who claim it is the left who does/starts it. This kind of crap has been a staple of all those who trained Mr. Ben's mind. Now we must see it foisted on the nation via the WP. Just great. Just great.

http://edcone.typepad.com/wordup/2006/03/unintended_iron.html

From WaPo blogger Ben Domenech's third post, a shot at commenters who partake of "ridiculous hyperbole...or unintentionally hilarious name-calling."

From his first post: "Democrats...the shrieking denizens of their increasingly extreme base...the unhinged elements of their base, motivated by partisan rage."

Ridiculous hyperbole, unintentionally hilarious name-calling -- they guy certainly knows whereof he speaks.

This is almost sad. I always knew my parents were getting stupider by the day, but judging from the vast numbers of indignant moonbats on display here, I'm now convinced the overwhelming majority of Boomers are just as clueless.

Do me a favor, folks. At least TRY to accept the reality that your infantile rantings are about as bereft of meaning as my dog's farts.

The streets of the blogosphere run blue with petulance.

How the mighty have fallen!
Is the Post really helpless to avoid descent into the purgatory of mindless political blogging and smear-mongering? Why do you allow yourself to be whiplashed by the right? Katharine Graham would be appalled.

with this trash the Post has provided the motivation to break old habits

no more daily buy for me

will pick up a NY TImes this sunday and decide about that, too

I would suppose that Ben was invited to balance out the (dwindling) fact-based element at washingtonpost.com ... the modern conservative cannot stand to read reality and must have filtered pap spoon-fed in order to maintain his blithe, listless, happy-consumer state. I suppose it is preferable to have him run around in the streets with guns. Unfortunately, though, the modern conservative likes to send other people's children to foreign lands to do that.

Good job on totally abandoning any pretext at journalistic integrity. And really, who needs truth when you can have more right-wing lies? Racing the NYT to the bottom of the journalistic barrel isn't going to pay off for you, but it will pay off for the LA Times. Oh, and this little boy you hired to be your Winger-in-Residence is a first-degree moron. Poor wittle victim of libewal bias...

"The streets of the blogosphere run blue with petulance"

PETULANCE??? Have you READ this kid's blog? The guy is petulance incarnate.

What a pathetic choice.

I read the Post to get away from all the conservative crap. Now this. Man.

I can only speculate that their first choice, William Joyce, was still dead?

Shouldn't the respect for truth, facts and inquiry be all the balance a news site needs? Why provide a highly paid forum to someone with no record of this respect?

I can't wait for your announcement regarding the Blue America blog!

May I please join the chorus of those who ask "When will the Washington Post start a 'Blue America' blog?" It seems an elementary step, failing which the Post will lose significant credibility as a source of news and analysis.

A secondary request: Gravatars ( http://www.gravatar.com ) to minimize author-spoofing and multiple-posting. [It's secure; the WaPo would never be able to read, store or display the email addresses that are used.] I'd even go so far as to recommend requiring a gravatar for posting, though I can see the counter-argument.

Red Dawn lol

BD calls it the greatest pro-gun movie ever. I got a laugh out of that, then it rang a bell. A military serviceman I know, a Republican, called the remake of Dawn of the Dead the greatest argument ever for gun ownership in the home.

Because, you know, the zombies and commies may be here any day.

I particularly like the kudos the site has from Florida Cracker. A racists world view has been given legitimicy by the Washington Post. We have always paid attention to what they believed, we have just been smart enough to reject it. If this is the majority than I want to be the minority.

Meet Ben Domenich.
The question of the day is how Ben Domenech, a 24 year old with little journalistic experience who lists among his credientials being the "youngest political appointee of President George W. Bush", was hired by the Washington Post to be their conservative blogger providing balance to...I dunno, their editorial page which was gung-ho for the war in Iraq.

Here's an interesting tidbit about Ben Domenech. Turns out Ben isn't the only Bush appointee in the family. His dad, Doug Domenech, former Loudon County Republican Committee Chairman, was appointed in January, 2002, as the White House Liaison for the Department of the Interior.

How do I know this? Ben Domenech said so.

Perusing an old blog of Ben's, here's some wisdom from Ben Domenech, the college years:

Hopefully today's military action will be the first of a long campaign, though I've always preferred drop teams to smart bombs.

Peace Through Superior Thermonuclear Capability.[10/7/01]

Never trust a male cheerleader. [12/12/01] (You know, Ben, Bush was a male cheerleader)

If I was two or three years younger, I would at this very moment be emerging from the warm smells of popcorn and ju-ju bees to the air outside, fresh from the glory of the first showing of The Lord of the Rings. [12/19/01]
(but wait, Ben, I thought "Red Dawn" was the greatest movie ever...)

Post-9/11 TV Host of the Year: Jon Stewart
Ugly Old Bat of the Year: Helen Thomas
Winner of the Year (uncontested): God [1/4/02]

“It never fails to amaze me how little respect they have for women’s capacity to understand what goes on in our bodies,” [NARAL President Kate] Michelman said. “I faced a crisis pregnancy after having three children, and I didn’t need anyone to show me a sonogram to inform me that my pregnancy would result in giving birth to a person.”

How about the fact that having an abortion would result in the death of a person, Kate? Did you need a sonogram to remember that? [2/2/02]

Al Gore can suck it. [2/4/02]

Antonin Scalia openly questioned the Catholic Church's opposition to the death penalty today, proving once again that he is a man of deep spiritual intelligence, a modern St. Augustine of jurisprudence. [2/5/02]

I don't know about you, but the more Colin Powell insults the French, the more I like him. [2/20/02]

On Protest: It's totally different to protest against war before troops are sent somewhere and to protest against war after our boys are over there with guns in their hands and blood on the ground. The former, in my mind, is a totally legitimate act of political expression. The latter is horrendous and vile. [3/24/03]

I believe this war will take longer than the pundits were saying beforehand, but I also don't think we're going to be forced into a long door-by-door campaign in Baghdad. [3/30/03]

Al Qaeda is getting smoked out in Iraq -- and anyone who thought there was no connection better line up for their serving of crow. [3/28/03]

And here is my absolute favorite find so far:

Claude Allen is as clearcut as a razor's edge. He's a stand-up, principled Virginian. [5/13/03]

Claude Allen, of course, was recently arrested for a felony theft scheme.

Ben "Augustine" Domenech on now-colleague Dan Froomkin, 3/2/06

---

Yes, he's an embarassment

Just Google around and read about the flaps between him and Post Online editor Jim Brady.

---

link:

http://www.redstate.com/comments/2006/3/2/16536/28064/7#7

this is like when Tucker Carlson "balanced out" PBS.

SORRY STATE OF AFFAIRS WHEN YOU HIRE A BUSHCO EMPLOYEE TO BLOG ON YOUR SITE . PLEASE PLEASE THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING ,YOU ARE ABOUT TO LOSE WHAT LITTLE RELIVACE YOU LEFT

When are these neocons ever going to look reality in the face? Dilusional dilusional and sad.

I'm also saddened by the actions of the Post.

The Post needs to either hire a ballancing left-wing blogger, or prove to the public that the Post is by nature a "left-wing" publication needing ballance by someone on the extreme right wing.

I think that most media, like the Post is neither left wing or right wing in general (except for Faux News). What happens seems to be that the journalists who usually try to ballance the news happen to identify themselves as more liberal than conservative. But the editors and management who decide what gets published usually identify themselves as more conservative than liberal. That seems to cause the media to bias more towards their own profit and ratings than towards any political idealogy. Of course, there are individual exceptions, such as Judith Miller, Fox News in general, etc.

This is bloody hilarious! ben, looks like you stumbled into the moonbats cave and now they're all a-twitter!

Ladies and gentlemen...you're "reality-based" community! LOL

Only inside the beltway would Dana Milbank, the reporter who said he'd rather write for the Food Section than cover Al Gore, be considered liberal. Milbank might be a prick, but he's in the small minority of high profile journalists who imagines his job to be that of a critic.

...which also calls into question the Post's perception of the political spectrum. If you want to ideologically balance Red Dawn Dom, you need to look at the left of the public debate, at people like Alexander Cockburn, Peter Camejo or Noam Chomsky. Hell, cultivate your own Edward Said - there are only like 30,000,000 active bloggers to choose from.

But the current personality obsessed WaPo perception misses the obvious: even the so-called liberal blogosphere has rejected the traditional American Left, to the point that Greens, representing perhaps 5% of the country, can't get respect in any major blog. Not one. Because there is no real Left does not mean that balance comes from the homeschool-osphere.

If you look at decades of public polling on education, the environment, Social Security, etc., you see that we are a staunchly centrist country, or in the view of the right, a country dedicated to liberal policies. It's no different now, regarding Iraq.

Now, the WaPo may comfortable with its strange view of the political spectrum, but who is it lying to? Red Dawn Dom is in on the working-the-refs joke. It seems to me the only people who are being fooled are the editors at the Post.

PNAC, we're not. But great job with the "balance."

Written like a true early-20s naive fool. Red Dawn references? Honestly, man...I know several 40something voters who lean conservative *big time* and they have no idea what movie that is (I just asked them myself.) Shame on the Washington Post for offering up this tripe via the cherished washingtonpost.com URL. Whoever made this decision needs to be fired; if you want a column just like this thats guaranteed to be enjoyed by its target demographic, I can type out Hannity and Limbaugh's comments each day, you know.

Subscription:cancelled

Come November 8, 2006 Benny will be changing the name of this blog to "Red Sunset". That is, if he lasts that long.

You all are being unfair to this young fellow. After all, he only longs for the days when the trains used to run on time.

Red Dawn, huh? Even at the time of its release, it was arguably the most unintentionally funny movie ever made (I can still remember listening to a few teenagers making fun of it while riding on a NYC subway train 21 years ago). Given that only 4 years after the film's release the same omnipotent Soviet bloc that conquers the weak, decadent US in the film collapsed under its own weight, it became even funnier, and now (inarguably I think) stands as the least prescient motion picture ever made (kind of the anti-Network).

Though I must say that transforming drive-in movie theatres into Commie Reeducation/concentration camps would be a great satiric idea, had only the film's creator John Milius been possessed of a sense of irony.

Congratulations WaPo, you've just made a mistake on the magnitude of Boy George's comment about how long US troops will be in Iraq.

Where's Blue State? Some balance...pheh.

May I please join the chorus of those who ask "When will the Washington Post start a 'Blue America' blog?"

Not necessary: the whole of The Washington Post is a 'Blue America' blog.

I love it. You put a single conservative voice on a widely acknowledged left leaning newspaper, and the "party of tolerance" goes ballistic.

I guess "progressives" only tolerate people who agree with them.

Thank you, lefties. Sometimes it is easy for people to forget why there is an elected conservative majority in this country and in our government. These infantile outburts, coupled with your intellectual shortcomings and inability to see beyond your own immediate needs serves as a vivid reminder as to why you and yours are unfit to run this great country.

Keep crying, children. Keep thrashing around on the floor and throwing your tantrums. Keep showing your true hate-filled colors. All it does is solidify the conservative base even more.

Providing balance for the Froomkin column (if that's what you intend to do) would mean hiring a journalist who is capable of reading newspaper articles about today's Democratic Party leaders and of calling attention to and documenting any foolish statements or ethical lapses or displays of hubris he or she runs across. With a complementary thorn-in-their-side column, at least the vehicle for providing balance would be tied to breaking news. On the other hand: Red America appears to be flawed in a number of ways -- but one of its most glaring deficiencies is that it seems to be divorced from current events. We get stale ruminations on how deeply the author is misunderstood by others and some ossified red-state/blue-state cultural analysis. Is this really a new blog or are we getting archives?

You've got to be kidding me. This young man who writes a blog full of racist comments and wild innacuracies is given a mouthpiece at the Washington Post? What's the matter, 99% of the media (I'm including the Post) wasn't good enough for the Bush Administration? They need 100%? WP indeed. Let's just change it to Washington Pravda.

Subscription cancelled? Hell, I'm going to avoid even clicking links that take me to WaPo from now on.

I've already ditched the NY Times, might as well get rid of this place too. I don't need to listen to shills.

Post editors, this is the height of foolishness!

The meme of 'two conflicting viewpoints, both equally valid' is diametrically opposed to the concept of reporting the news without bias. Instead, it creates a situation where the reader/viewer doesn't know what the truth is at all.

Contrary to what the 'crossfire' model of analysis might have you believe, you have a responsibility to make judgements about the events that happen; not present illogical viewpoints as if they were equally valid.

Shame!

wait, wait...if all you lefties are in here complaining, who running the organic food co-ops and bong shops?

How sad that washingtonpost.com has lowered itself even further into the muck and mire of hack driven bloviating.

Has any one emailed this guy and asked him if in fact he is the Augustine that posted the racist comment about Mrs. King?

If he is indeed Augustine, it will be irrsponsible for WashingtonPost.com not to discontinue this blog.

Mr. Brady, are you listening?

These comments are hilarious. Listen, if you don't like the blog, don't agree with it, than DON"T READ IT!!! Don't you all understand that you represent everything the majority of America despise about liberals - the obnoxious, elitest attitude. Not necessarily your views, but how fast you put down other's views as being so subservient to yours. Get a life people, and the faster you realize that there are other/different viewpoints that coexist with yours the sooner you would be happier, and less "angry".

How very sad your paper is these days...

Mrs. King is dead. Probably doesn't matter too much now anyway.

if Ben (http://goarmy.com) liked Red Dawn, he should love Red Scorpion from the same era. Red Scorpion was financed by the apartheid South African government and produced by family buddy: Jack Abramoff. It also has lots of sweaty male bodies -- too bad Ben seems to admire them safely from a distance -- Iraq's a little too hot for BennyBoi !

A newspaper should be transparent, I bothers me that the WaPo has been silent (other than empty PR talk) on why exactly it hired a partisan republican blogger.

Who made to decision to start Red America? Why was it started? Will the post consider hiring a liberal progressive blogger? If not, why?

These are all very important questions that need to be addressed.

Dear Washington Post,
It is not too late. There are people there right now being pressured from the inside forces to submit to the dark-side. Resist! You do know that one day this corporate raid will end and the citizens will not look lightly on the propagandists and paid pundits. Resist the urge. Say no to fascism. There are many honest, I'm sure, journalists among you. Come forward. Explain the pressures being applied. Are they newley appointed management? Is it just a phone call from a powerfull voice? Either way, resist the dark-side, open up to truthfullness and openness. Peace be with you and our children.

Washington Post, you're doing a heckuva job.

this is tripe.

this is yet another coddled daddy's boy chicken-hawk republican in the best of the g. bush tradition taking the lexus for a spin and running people over with it.

this is an offensive thing to find on the washpost. much like leslie steiner, this guy exists purely to enrage people.

why do you treat your readers like crap? why do you insult them? call them loonies? is that how you run your business?

this is also embarrassing for anyone from a real red-state, which this boy does not know anything about.

get rid of this crap. youhave 400 comments here saying as much. does reader feedback count for nothing?

Who made to decision to start Red America? Why was it started? Will the post consider hiring a liberal progressive blogger? If not, why?

Will the Post be responding to these questions?

All that I wonder is: Where is "Blue America"?

Cool. Francis Fukuyama wrote the End of History.

Now we have the end of journalism, journalism ethics, reporting on actual events using actual facts.

It's been a long slide, but I believe the Washington Post has now hit bottom.

It took Woodward 33 years to go from intrepid investigative reporter to Banana Republican shill. Good to see the Post is skipping the whole 'build the credentials' route and going straight to shill.

Katherine Graham must be smiling in heaven.

Wow, judging by how angry posters here are, I guess its true that conservatives are happier than liberals.

Don't get unhinged...bad for your health because you know, all that stuff you "dropped" back in the day will come back to haunt you.

Just sit back, pop in some Jefferson Airplane and remember when you were "sticking it to the man"

Well, at least this frees up a space on my Favorites menu.

WTF?

Kathy Graham must be rolling in her grave. I live across the street from her childhood home. Blogs like this are an offense to the tradition of elegance and excellence that she established.

Why don't you just sell the remaining husk of your publication to Rupert Murdoch and be done with it?

What an embarrassment.

I predict these comments won't be read. Someone will put up curse words, and they'll paint us all as abusive. The Post needs to figure out where the smart journalist adults are (you know, the ones with integrity about the truth), and put them in charge, quick. This Red-State column is ugly garbage.

Hey, why didn't you guys at the WaPo just snap up Jeff Gannon aka James Dale Guckert? He's available. For a price. [snerk] He even has experience [snerk] writing a rightwing bloviating blog, a blog without those pesky comments too.

By the way, WaPo, if you'd like to peek out from behind Cheney for a moment, you'll see something real: America just isn't so red anymore. It's is getting to be a very purple country. The Bush junta's popularity is in freefall. Don't be riding those coattails, they're headed for the sewer.

You look like a healthy young specimen. Go serve Dear Leader over in Iraq. It's hard work, y'know!

I haven't read this poor excuse for a paper in years. This move is hardly surprising, given the general trend it's been on. Seems like a lame attempt to attract readership via controversy. To which I say, "Yawn."

Great move WaPo! The Washington Post's transormation from a respected newspaper into a pathetic rag is almost complete. Giving home to a proven racist ranks up there with the contortions of the editorial board as they try to cloud their own culpability in the Iraq War and Deborah Howell's complete farce of a Ombudsman column week after week. Poor Katherine Graham...RIP.

oh no, these comments will be read by red state bloggers everywhere and then posted everywhere as an example of your unhinged nature.

Why are you so nice to us?

BTW, just exactly how does a 24 year old white guy with zero experience get a job like this?

I can't wait for Bennie's first hypocritical anti-affirmative action diatribe about handouts, etc.

Who the heck is "Tommie Thompson"? You mean Secretary of Health & Human Services Tommy Thompson? (http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/thompson-bio.html)

Is this the journalistic rigor we can expect from you guys by bringing in this fool?

This dim bulb can be outsmarted by a box turtle.

Dear Ben,

You are the greatest thing since the internets, because you have confirmed a long-held theory of mine--that the movie "Red Dawn" has led to an entire generation of Second Amendment supporters who took that movie waaaaaayyyyy too seriously.

Incidentally, Red Dawn led to my high school's teams being named the Wolverines. I saw Red Dawn when I was around 10, and MAN did some of my classmates love that movie. A few years later, a new high school opened in my school district, and as the first class to attend the high school, we were allowed to pick the school's name. Thanks largely to Red Dawn, we ended up being named the "Wolverines".

Anyway, keep up the good work. Perhaps next you can confirm my belief that "RED AMERICA" still believes in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Boogieman, other things that it was cool to believe in when you were a kid, but that you really should have grown out of by the time you're given a job as a Washington Post blogger.

If my daddy was friends with Jack Abramoff and the White House, would you hire me to spew propaganda, too?

Perhaps the Washington Post should change it's name to Pravda.

Well, I see that the Post's idea of "balance" is by hiring a throwback to the 90's. Really...I thought that political discourse consisting entirely of infantile name-calling and dubious distortions had gone out of vogue with the demise of Rush Limbaugh's TV show. Really, why not hire Howard Stern to write on women's issues? The "journalistic" standards would be the same.

More WATB talk from the Republican Coward set.
Keep on drinking the Kool Aid freaks..

Cultists.

Thank GOD we finally have a voice of reason amongst all the abortion-loving, family-hating, earth-hugging crazies. I am delighted to see that another perspective is included in WAPO. It's about time. The comments from liberals, who can't STAND when someone disagrees or has another perspective, are already bloviating. If you truly believe in the right to free speech under the First Amendment (which you obviously don't), or the possibility of opening your mind (no again), this wouldn't be a problem, now would it?

Does this mean that the Post condones Mr. Domenech's comments comparing Coretta Scott King's funeral to a "Def Jam spectacle"? Does the WaPo agree with its new blogger that blacks are interested only in "handouts" and that the "culture of so many black Americans in this country is below what it should be and is capable of being"?

If the editors at the Washington Post believe that they need a racist perspective to "balance" their news content, I think the selection of Domenech is appropriate.

Have you no shame?

Wow, I never really liked this paper, but this really makes me sick nonetheless. People who write crap like this will, in the end, do nothing but ruin America.

Ahh...the Post falls for the old "it's all liberal bias if it doesn't contain a blog of temper-tantrums" ploy. . .and the rules, of course, are that ONLY conservatives have the right to launch diatribes on subjects they know nothing about.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE YELLING ABOUT

hurray for free speach. unless we disagree with it of course. hypocrites.

So, Ben, daddy owns a lot of stock, no? Maybe you can be POTUS one day.

As an angry, red neck, bugged out, crazy ass moderate spewing hate filled invective at every opportunity and spitting bile in the face of all mainstream media in an effort to get reasonably competenet people to run the media and the government, I have to continue in that vein by saying:

How tragically disappointing it is to see an American institution get turned into an instrument of intentional divisiveness.

There - I just had to dump that bucket of hate, laced with ad hominem attacks, to keep my mentally unbalanced outlook for another day.

I have to laugh at the conservative 'commentary' we've seen here.

Let's see, liberals are 'angry' and 'hate-filled' and 'working at the organic food co-op' and listening to Jefferson Airplane?

I'm sure we can expect Ben to repeat a lot of this verbatim. It's what passes for rightwing thought.

Re: the nonexistent "Salazar Award"...

Domenech is now claiming that the "Salazar Award" has been renamed, and is now a "leadership scholarship". per vern morrison at 12:46 PM

"I emailed Domenech about this. Within minutes he politely wrote back, saying "The NAHJ changed the name of the award in the years since I received it, it's now one of their leadership scholarships. You're welcome to call and confirm with them that I received it." "

Here is a list of the scholarships currently available from NAHJ. Note that none of them are described as "leadership scholarships"...

NAHJ Currently Offers the Following Scholarships

TV & Radio Broadcast

NAHJ General Scholarship ($1,000-$2,000)
NAHJ Newsroom Bound Scholarship Program ($4,000)
María Elena Salinas Scholarship Program ($5,000)
Geraldo Rivera Scholarship ($1,000-$5,000)
CNN 25 Scholars ($3,000-$5,000)
Print/Online

NAHJ General Scholarship ($1,000-$2,000)
Newhouse Scholarship Program ($10,000)
NAHJ Newsroom Bound Scholarship Program ($4,000)
The Washington Post Scholarship Program ($2,500)
CNN 25 Scholars ($3,000-$5,000)

As I noted originally, Ben may have gotten a scholarship from this group (of course, its also likely that he wasn't terribly honest on his application when it came to concern about Hispanic issues.) But Ben had played fast and loose with the facts before ( see http://www.spinsanity.org/post.html?2002_06_16_archive.html for a sample of Ben making stuff up ) and until he can show us some proof that he received an AWARD named after a Latino journalist who was killed by a cop while covering an anti-war demonstration in East LA, well, lets just say that skepticism is warranted.

My, what astute business sense you all have here at the WPO. Look at the traffic generated already! Why bring in someone who might foster the kind of debate that informs readers and furthers progress, when you can bring in a hack to stir up controversy and cause the kind of scene reminiscent of a child that has thrown it self down in the isle of the local supermarket.

www.fredbieling.blogspot.com

Please! Please! I would love the right wing sites to my comments everywhere.

My Box Turtle girlfriend/fiancee would love it even more.

Please! Won't you?

Hey Ben...

Tell us again what a great and noble Virginian Claude Allen is...

Republicans=Cowards

The Washington Post just bent over and kissed

Nice hire! I am excited to see the Washington Post further fall into the position of being a mouthpiece for the Bush Administration. Please let me know when you are changing the name of the paper to "PRAVDA" so I can change my links.

PS - I love the statements claiming that opposition to this homeschooled son-of-a-crony and Abramoff laop dog reflects "elitism." Is that all you fascists have?

The Washington Post just bent over and kissed its diminished credibility goodbye.

You should do your blog from Iraq. You chichenhawk twit!

“Yet even in a climate where Republicans … advocate views shared by a majority of voters”

Overconfidence suits you well. Remember King George’s narrow margin of victory in the last election, made possible only by voter-obstruction project in Ohio and Florida?

And which is the real Red America – the one that wants small government, or the one that wants government in everyone’s bedroom, policing “family values”? The one that wants free markets, or the one that wants corporate subsidies and business-friendly regulations limiting consumer and citizen rights? The one that wants to build a fence on the border, or the one that wants the low-wage transient work force? The one that want to make investments in infrastructure and education to fuel economic growth, or the one that wants to underfund our future on the theory that taxation is theft, and privatize all the benefits of public investments?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Bob Woodward started the slide.

But Ben Domenech has completed it.

It's not the speech that we disagree with that we don't like.

It's the hate speech that we abhor, like slandering Corretta Scott King on the day of her funeral.

RE: I have to laugh at the conservative 'commentary' we've seen here.

Let's see, liberals are 'angry' and 'hate-filled' and 'working at the organic food co-op' and listening to Jefferson Airplane?

I'm sure we can expect Ben to repeat a lot of this verbatim. It's what passes for rightwing thought.

====

Right, because all the belly acheing we've seen in here is so "stimulating".

If you don't like him, don't read him. Simple as that

Whwn, of when, will you media people get a clue? When Fox started driving down CNN's sumbers, CNN responded by hiring right wingers, ;umping up the noise, and cutting back on substance, in-depth reporting and, well, everything that made CNN what it was. Of course, the firebreathing conservatives stayed with Fox, and all the idiots in Atlanta managed to do was alienate their most loyal viewers and tarnish the brand beyond redemption. The LA Times, on their own "let's eat the seed corn" kick, fires Bob Scheer and hires Jonah Freaking Goldberg. And now the WaPo, a liberal rag only in the minds of people who just woke up from a 20-year coma, decides it needs to bring in the kids with their own post-pubescent right-winger blogger.

It didn't work for CNN. It didn't work for the LA Times. And it's not going to work for you.

You see, the thing about right-wing blog readers is, well, THEY HATE YOU! If they read a DC paper, it would be your cross-town rival The Moon Tribune. Another great twofer you have there: appealing to the uninterested while alienating your base readership.

You know what you are? You're AM Top 40 radio in the late 1970s. The kinds have abandoned you for a new technology (FM stereo then, the web now), and you're in full panic mode.

Sorry, guys, it's over. Time to sign on to that Beautiful Music format and play records by Lawrence Welk and Doris Day.

Game over.

why would a paper so right-leaning already as the Washington Post feel the need to hire a right-wing nutjob for "balance"? First of all, this guy is an ignorant racist. Secondly, a partisan hack with no real experience or credibility in the world of journalism. Third, where in any of the Washington Post is a liberal political worldview accorded such a forum? The very idea is such a joke! Froomkin? Hehehe. I know, I know, god FORBID anyone hold the president accountable for his own actions and for failing to fulfill his own promises, but that is pretty apolitical behavior. Do we call Dems who criticized Clinton in the 90's conservatives? No...

One more nail in meritocracy's coffin.

Balance Froomkin? You mean balance Froomkin's IQ? Froomkin has a track record as an serious, independent journalist, vouched for by several reputed institutions. It's not his fault that the current WH press corps are a joke, and that he's willing to say that the Emperor has no clothes.

The Washington Post is now fully in the hands of rabid right-wingers, at least on the national politics beat and on its blogs.

From Susan 'Karl Rove's private stenographer' Schmidt, to Jim 'I have a shrine to Bush in my home offive' VandeHei, to that old Nixon/Ford hand Ron Nessen. And let's not get started on Deborah Howell... The Washington Post is now a proud member of the right-wing propaganda machine.

I weep for Katherine Graham.

Memo
To: Human
From: Tweety

Please do not line my birdcage with the Washington Post. I have standards, you know.

A hearty welcome to Red America and congratulations to Ben Domenech for securing a position with one of America's most venerated institutions. The fact that Mr. Domenech has secured a marginal position as an opinion weblogger should not detract from the fact that he has meteorically risen to heights that few people of his limited years, experience, and questionable knowledge may claim.

As a socialist I am perhaps the political polar opposite of Mr. Domenech but share with him, as he expresses in his latest post, a dismay and disappointment in the lack of political discourse in our country. I can only hope that Mr. Domenech is sincere in his encouraging comments to throw off the yoke of his former affiliations, statements, and positions and is willing to truly open up this forum to political discourse and debate. While remaining healthfully skeptical that this monumental task is actually possible for someone so young, seemingly cocksure, and inexperienced to successfully undertake I hold my final judgment in reserve and ask my fellow progressives to do the same.

In concluding my welcome note to Mr. Domenech I call upon him, as he has called upon us, to take pause - leave the stereotypes, talking points, ad hominem attacks for another day, another forum, and perhaps, just perhaps, we can find that small forgotten corner of America where a political discussion entails an actual exchange of ideas. One of my favorite quotes of late does not herald liberty or patriotism, laude dissent or disobedience, it simply addresses the basest of civilities - "Conversation would be vastly improved by the use of four simple words: I do not know." Andre Maurois

Has anybody made the point yet that the WP isn't supposed to be balanced? Our media are supposed to be liberal.

'Liberal' means 'pertaining to freedom.' And America's media are supposed to give us the information we need so that we can make good decisions about running our country and maintaining our freedom. That means being suspicious of those in power. I.e., LIBERAL.

Conservatives tend to support the existence of class boundaries. They support the authoritarian view that those with power (the rich, the white, the male) should remain in power. That directly contradicts the purpose of good journalism.

Adding a conservative blogger is not 'balance' - it's the exact opposite, in fact. The WP should be 'balancing' the administration.

(I haven't read all the comments here yet, but the first fifty or so didn't.)

"This is a blog for the majority of Americans"

As if the majority of Americans are priveleged white boys who live in Washington.

"Red America's citizens are the political majority."

Which is why Bush lost the popular vote?

"DO shop at Wal-Mart, DON'T buy gas from Citgo"

Ah, philosophy...

WaPo won't tolerate "personal attacks" from commenters. Columnists OK, commenters, no.

Or isn't calling Coretta Scott King a communist a personal attack?

Cancel subscriptions, read it online if you must.

Rudgrl:

Ben isn't interested in political discussion.

And if you asked him to leave stereotypes, talking points, and ad hominem out of what he has to say, he'd have nothing to say.

I like the new Red America column; a corking good read! I've bookmarked it, and I'll definitely be back.

To join the chorus of those who have already posted: the Washington Post seems to be suggesting, with the hiring of an ideological hack to provide "balance" to its other columnists, that its regular columnists are also ideologically driven political hacks. Does the Post actually believe, as many on the right do, that anyone who criticizes this administration is nothing more than an unprofessional attack dog? Or is this move intended to capture more of the Rush Limbaugh crowd? In either case, I am canceling my print subscription. I have seen the Post drifting toward the CNN/MSNBC-style "journalism" for some time, and I refuse to continue to support this.

To the Post editors:
You are the worse kind of Bush apologists - you know better and you dont have the balls to admit it. What is the reason you fools let this ignorent hack from a "red-state" (read: underdeveloped backwoods bastion of racism and abject ignorence) post his BS on the website of what some might consider (myself not among them) a reputable newspaper? Is it that you are unapologetic reactionaries? In the end, you know your old money makes you more like the brain dead chimp in the whitehouse than thinking Americans. Good luck with the "red state" crowd - Im sure the inclusion of drivel like this on your site will garner you many new sunscriptions from the former C.S.A.

Where Ben gets it right:

"Apparently, this violent testosterone-fueled psychological imperitive - not a coherent and just strategy for defending America in response to the first major attack on our soil since Pearl Harbor - is the real reason for our war in Iraq. Oh, and Condi Rice? Don't worry, women can have manly envy, too. Clearly, Maggie Thatcher did."

And:

"If these columnists and scientists are to be believed, then President Bush is just a real-life version of Dr. Strangelove's General Jack D. Ripper - blustering, impotent and murmuring about conspiracies to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids, just another spineless conservative wussyboy who has to prove he's a big brave man in cowboy boots."

Correct on both counts. Congrats to the WP for hiring such an astute young man.

Can I be the first to state the obvious?

To balance out Red Dawn Dom, just grab one of Arianna's major bloggers like Cindy Sheehan, Jane Hamsher, or Glen Greenwald.

They might not be as insulting as young Dom, and perhaps not as off-center, but they would surely make the WaPo editorial board squirm more.

For a second there I thought they gave Ann Coulter a haircut and a p*nis.

Seriously though. What snobbish, contemptous hate fills the minds of the wingnuts. It amazes me. And good decent conservative people take people like Ann(Ben) seriously? They're racists, fascists and possibly psychotic for all their lying.

WaPo, it's your money, spend it where you think is best but if this is to represent balance, I think you should be giving Hugo Chavez a blog and a check to even out the rhetoric.

What type of bush-lite qualifications does this guy have? and doesnt he already have a prominent racist blog?

wondering?

Exceptionally poor judgment on behalf of the Washington Post's editors. Who will you give an opinion gig to next? David Duke or Pat Robertson?

I don't understand how the addition of a partisan hack to the staff is going to do anything for WaPo's declining credibility.

I see the Post is trying to steer it's readers to this vile column by appealing to their higher instincts. On the home page, there's a link: "Red America: What's Wrong With Infanticide?"

Some of these reply posts are downright hilarious. Any honest person with a brain realizes that the Post desperately needed to balance its incredibly left leaning coverage. The amount of accurate information that is buried or omitted by the Post will finally see the light of day. Thank goodness. Hail to the end of your ignorance. Welcome to the ever growing masses of informed Americans!

Elsewere at Red State, "Augustine" can be seen comparing the American judiciary unfavourably to the KKK:

"The worst black-robed men and women are worse then the KKK, and not just because they have the authority of the state behind them. They don't even use the vile pretense of skin color - they dismiss the value of all unborn lives, not just the lives of ethnic minorities."

Is that you, Ben?

I think it's great Ben got this job. It lets everyone know right where the Washington Post stands on a host of issues.

Transparent they are, unfortunately for them.

I'm embarassed for the Post. How far you've fallen, how marginalized you've become. You've cast your lot with the Republicans, foregoing any semblance of journalistic integrity, and history will judge you harshly. But who cares as long as the checks keep rolling in, eh? Well, I predict a sharp decline in advertising revenues once people realize who you are. Enjoy your insignificance.

red state blog? isn't that what the post is anyway?

Mrs. Graham would find the Post's choice of Mr.Domenech tacky. I agree.
I understand that times have changed, but your paper does have a bit of a heritage to live up to. You are not doing so.

Yes, Bennie Boy's latest "Sackcloth and Ashes" piece takes a view that very few in the US would have a problem with, and uses it to take a little cut at the Dems. And a little Europhobia, too boot. Classic Regnery.

He uses a piece about infanticide to float the notion that Dem doctors would have pushed Strom Thurmond out the door sooner if we allowed such behavior here. Hmm, I seem to recall something about a push poll in the SC GOP primary in 2000 often associate with the current Deputy Chief of Staff over at the WH....

Anybody ask Ben yet about his father's connections to Jack Abramoff (lemme guess: "Never heard of him"), Italia Federici, and Gail Norton??

Accelerate it my dear.

Posted by: Lona

I don't understand how the addition of a partisan hack to the staff is going to do anything for WaPo's declining credibility.

What a piece of trash.

Ben will put the liberals in their place. Look at their whining above. These people are afraid of war.

I hope he will call a spade a spade. Blacks ("afircan americans" to you PC folks, even though they have not been in africa for 300 years) have overrun our cities, and the liberal newspapers cow-towed to them to avoid more riots.

Now the gays followed the blacks into the cities and it is the same thing. The newspapers condone the gay agenda (metrosexuals, anal sex, etc.) to avoid falling real-estate prices which would happen if gays left. Most editors live in town and own real estate there.

So lets here it for more for RED STATE support of Christian values. God does NOT condone killing babies, sodomy, or racism against whites ("affirmative action" for you pc folks).

Boy, these liberals and their _balance_. Anybody on our side knows that these so-called "conservatives" are just wimp libs in disguise. Why didn't the Post give us some REAL wingers? I demand you hire a blooger from the Aryan Nations, or the White Knights, or the Anti-Abortion Action League, or critics of the Italo-Brit-Zionist Conspiracy to show people how red staters REALLY feel!

Oh Great Gaia help us! The WaPo has hired a mean, greedy, racist to offer an opinion! Don't we all know that all Republithugs are just environment-devastating, seal-clubbing, pension stealing zionists who kidnap minorities to drink their blood? Oh great Gaia help us!

Coretta Scott King opened the floodgates to blacks to overrun the cities. That is frankly what you got from Martin Luther King. Then all the white people had to leave or get killed.

Kudos to Ben for questioning America's celebration of this woman and her agenda.

P.S. MLK was a womanizer and a plagerizer of speechs.

I would argue that this Red State is backed by a racist, homophobic, and hate-filled minority, but Michael has already done that quite eloquently in supporting Red State.
This is the level of intellect you can now expect.

Well, I suppose the good news is that the Post can count on new subscriptions from good people like "winey liberals". Then again, I am tempted to believe that a post as sad, profane and misguided as winey's almost has to be done by a liberal trying to make the "red staters" look bad. Because no one is that far off their rocker, right? (Or am I being too "elite"?)

Who would have thought all those years ago during the height of the Watergate scandal that almost 35 years later the Washington Post would have given up all of its journalistic credibility. Who's going to be the watchdog for americans now that the Washington Post has gone in the tank for the Republicans? The entire MSM has become Fox News. We're all wearing the blue dress now.

What a coincidence to encounter "look at all the whiney liberals" post right after I posted this over at Jay Rosen's Pressthink blog:

[Off topic, I know, but you might find this interesting. Here's a head's up.

A lot of liberals, like Jane Hamsher, to name one, have blogged the hiring of Ben Domenich, and his history of comments deriding the poor and people of color, seems like the Post has some internal marketing surveys that indicate a much bigger audience for a blogger that denigrates African American culture and Coretta Scott King right after her funeral than for hiring someone with an association of the large, historic black community of DC.

If I were African American and lived in DC, I'd be tempted to organize a late night effort to spray paint every Post newspaper rack with RACISTS in bright red letters (get the pun? Domenich's blog is entitled RED STATE, and the racks would be painted RED . . . )

Indeed, being African American has nothing to do with it, I'd be tempted anyway. Where are the anarchists when you really need them? Domenich is one of the banes of American social life, that person who elevates himself by promoting bigotry towards people of color and the Post hires him. A great, great move.

Looking forward to his first efforts to malign African Americans, Asian Americans or Latinos on the Post site as soon as some prominent figure from one of these communities dies. Pandering to white racists is an apparently untapped market for a paper like the Post.

But, I digress, although you might consider addressing how such a decision by the Post is going to enable it to reach a broad, diverse audience by hiring someone who considers African Americans culturally deficient. Next time you see Brady, you might ask him. You might also ask him how this will help the Post in seeking to recruit journalists of color, a problem faced by most major newspapers in America.

Anyway, I know you focus on the technological transformation of the industry, and do it well, so this is what I really wanted to bring to your attention (from Domenich's blog):

[Comments About Comments

A few notes are in order after the impressive reaction to the premiere of this blog.

First off, a note of thanks to the liberal side of washingtonpost.com's readership, which has weighed in on Red America in this comment thread. I'm happy that no one's engaged in any ridiculous hyperbole, unfounded accusations or unintentionally hilarious name-calling. We can all agree that such things lower the quality of debate on the Internet, play to the worst side of our knee-jerk partisan nature and have no place in the modern public square. I look forward to engaging you in a serious, respectful discussion on the issues that matter most to the future of our nation.

To that last point, we'll be rolling out comments here shortly. Because this is an opinion blog, and not a work of unbiased journalism, it is sure to spark responses from a few fringe members of this Internet political community, who might be motivated to deluge comment systems with offtopic concerns (or perhaps go after other members of the Washington Post family, who have nothing to do with this blog - silly, I know, but I'm told it happens). Comments will be coming after the initial launch is finished, when I've gotten used to the rhythm of posting and you, gracious readers, have gotten used to it, too.

In the meantime, I'll be posting worthwhile reader reactions from the comment thread mentioned above and from email. It's great to be part of the washingtonpost.com Opinions section, and I hope this column proves to be an interesting and worthwhile read for all of you.]

I will not even dignify this bigot's request for "serious, respect discussion", except to say, that he's already demonstrated that it is a whites only endeavor.

For your purposes, however, it appears that Brady isn't quite that the proponent of openness for the Post blog, because people have to wait until they have proven that they can be nice before comments will be opened. In other words, Post management is well aware of the firestorm that this selection will ignite, and has preemptively shut down Domenich's blog.

One wonders, when will the blog open for comments, May 2007? I always thought that a blog without comments was kind of like a car without tires, but, maybe, an amateur like me doesn't understand new trends in the industry.

Whatever the Post website is, the Guardian it ain't.

Posted by: Richard Estes at March 22, 2006 02:02 PM | Permalink]

Why is the left so upset over this "Red State" blogging place?

They're terrified the Truth may actually have a voice in the lame Stream Media.

95% of the press is liberal....and yet, they are scared to death of one little mainstram blog being given voice in the Washington Post online?

Pathetic.

The best part is comparing the comments of the moonbats and wingnuts right here on this page:
We see moonbats with facts to back up their criticism and wingnuts with none. We see moonbats with reason, who know how to write, and wingnuts with nothing but snide, defensive little comments. The moonbats debate and the wingnuts can only say "shut-up", "get back to work" (don't think, be more like us).
I'm no psychologist but it appears fairly obvious that the wingnuts are acting a bit like a cornered rats these days. They are just at that painful point of realizing that their dreams of a white theocratic monarchy, or an "apple pie fascism", or some other apocalyptic fantasy of fear assuaged are not shared by some "silent majority". Real conservatives are abandoning the wingnuts right and left, realizing they were sold a bill of goods by average Texas con-men with too much money. While good liberals are refining the moonbats everyday. The former and later are even finding points of agreement (god forbid); thereby leaving the wingnuts with their president... all 30% percent of them. I mean it must be hard to admit your man has botched absolutely every aspect of government. Real conservatives admit it and want nothing to do with you, and that must hurt. Don't feel too bad kids, the moonbats have done it to the liberals before and may again some day.
Let the games begin!

The poorly spelled post above from Mr. "look at the winey (sic -- does he think we all drink too much) liberals" is exactly what the Post can expect for inviting the RedState wingnut racist. Congrats Post -- my wife and I have decided to let our print subscription go.

"He who invites trouble into his own house shall inherit the wind." Proverbs 11:29 (yes, some liberals are religious)

Congratulations on jumping the shark. Journalism students in need of a paper topic thank you very much.

WaPo - see ya. I have nothing but contempt for your choice to provide "balance". The attempt at balance itself is questionable, but your choice shows stupidity beyond belief.

You have lost my respect.

You filthy bastard. How many times do you want to shoot Dr.King anyway?!

Ben/Augustine's new WaPo blog is unintentionally hilarious. Steven Colbert couldn't produce a parody for his show any funnier than the silliness found in Red America. It's a gem complete with Red Dawn references and self-righteous angst.
Truly, home schooling is a wonderful thing.
However, if there's anything 'red' around here, it should be the collective faces of the reporters and editors at Washington Post.
Just a thought: Maybe WaPo can change its name to the "Wolverine Post". Because you can never be fair and balanced enough

Hi,

I was wondering if the someone at the Washington Post is going to provide any more insight into the creation of this blog. Specifically, answering these questions would be a good start:

Who made to decision to start Red America? Why was it started?

Will the post consider hiring a liberal progressive blogger? If not, why?

I thought one of the lessons regarding the last time comments were pulled from the Post is that your silence was a large part of the problem.

If you don't plan on answering these questions, fine, just let us know that you won't be answering them. If you do plan on answering them, please let us know when and where.

Thanks

You freaks keep finding new depths to sink to. You have now entered the 6th grade children's level of newspaper reporting, having consciously chosen to skip right by the 12th through 7th grades.

I am so glad that the Washington Post has proven to the world just how slavishly they suckle at the teat of Ken Mehlman and the RNC fax-blasted talking points (though I don't remember the RNC calling Coretta Scott King a "commie" before, but maybe that was BEFORE Kenny apologized for the Southern Strategy and promised to come out of the clos- I mean, be nice to blacks)...crap, I just said "teat," is Deborah Howell going to cry and demand that this post be removed for insulting her delicate sensibilities? Because you've just hired someone who called a dead woman a "commie" while she was still lying in state (and while Supreme Ruler Bush was pretending to give a crap), so there goes the argument that the Post is concerned about the "quality of dialogue" in these parts...anyway, top notch hiring, if this baby-faced ignoramus is supposed to be the best we can find to "balance" Froomkin (of Harvard School of Journalism residency) and his horrible practice of highlighting the stupid stuff these people actually say on the record (reality is SO liberal), then conservatism might be dying a faster, more public death than I ever imagined.

Ben Domenech has zero journalistic credibility. Was Ann Coulter not available?

WaPO: Explain this one to me:

His personal profile at RedState.com says:

Political Correctness is Killing African-Americans
by Brandon

http://www.redstate.com/user/Augustine

This is the Pottery Barn Rule WaPo. You bought this mother F*cker, you now own him ass.

"Ben Domenech is a co-founder of RedState, the web's leading Republican community blog. He began his career as a political journalist covering Capitol Hill, writing for numerous publications and working as a contributing editor to National Review Online. After 9/11, he abandoned the journalism field for a taxpayer-funded life and was sworn in as the youngest political appointee of President George W. Bush. Following a year as a speechwriter for HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson and two as the chief speechwriter for Texas Senator John Cornyn, Ben is now a book editor for Regnery Publishing, where he has edited multiple bestsellers and books by Michelle Malkin, Ramesh Ponnuru, and Hugh Hewitt."

Please remind me of why the Post has chosen a Republican speechwriter to write its blog to "balance" a Republican administration and Republican courts and legislators. Or is it to "balance" journalists with opinions who source their work (Froomkin) -- as this blogger is not required to do (nor does he do so).

When will we see the Blue State Blog?

You could invite Markos Moulitsas Zúniga (dailykos.com -- which is one of the web's prominent progressive blogs) or Michael Moore or Congressman Kucinich -- all of whom have a 'progressive' perspective. But they would source their blogs and provide back up information for what they write about -- so perhaps they would not qualify to stand alongside the young, insubstantial, ill-informed, right-winger whom you've selected as a blogger, Ben Domenech.

"If the miracles worked in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, they would have reformed in sackcloth and ashes long ago" (Matthew 11:21).

9/11 was God's Will. Katrina was God's Will. New York and Louisiana were two of the most sinful places on earth for usury, gambling, sodomy... (The Jews were warned in New York and got out in time b/c they are God's special children).

So let us PRAY for those who cannot see the light our Lord Jesus Christ has offered them, for the wrath of God is not to be taken lightly.

I was shocked at the gross errors related to what a "majority of Americans" supposedly believe. Ben is simply wrong on all of those things. I hope he does better than this in the future.

The Washington Post has ceased to be of any value to me as a news organization.

I read the Post almost daily online for national news and commentary, even though I live in Ohio. Coming from a "Red State," I don't quite understand the special need for a separate weblog apparantly targeted to what editors assume are the opinions of people like me. If the Post is going to exlicitly publish something like a "Red State" or conservative blog, they should equally publish a "Blue State" or progressive blog, too, to avoid bias and ensure readers get all sides of issues.

Frankly, commentary by Mr. Domenech is a waste of headcount/ salary, bandwidth, and space. Not to mention redundant - as the Right-wing media machine already commands the public megaphone.

Attention, Conservatives:

'message' not 'messenge'
'whiner' not 'winer'
'plagiarist' not 'plagerizer'

The perils of home-schooling

" I don't necessarily subscribe to all Creationist theories, but I do take Genesis literally. And I believe the commonly taught theory of evolution is a total crock."

Ben "www.goarmy.com" Domenech 3-7-2003

now, here is my question. Benny-boy was home schooled. So how does he have the slightest clue what constitutes the "commonly taught theory of evolution?"

Here is a clue for Mr. Brady --- don't hire someone who considers the book of Genesis "factual" to comment on political and social issues. If you want to hire a religion blogger, that's one thing. But you hired someone whose "education" consisted of home schooling by a religious nutcase, and it shows.

Nice balance. Factual reporting, including those "liberally biased facts", offset by right wing wind, based on no facts.

Or are you intentionally sabotaging the right wing, by printing this callow oaf as its representative?

Oh, and where are the comments at Red Nation? Or is cowardice in the face of contradiction a trait of not only the president, but his apologists, too.

So, I am assuming you will soon be statrting a "liberal blog", or is the Post only giving the GOP a mouthpice at your online paper?

The fastest way to kill a bad product is with good marketing.

Keep talking home-schooler, that sucking sound you hear is the "movement" imploding.

Your 15 minutes are about done.

Why isn't this kid in the Army? Does he have other priorities?

Seriously, Ben, why aren't you in uniform fighting in this war you think is vital to our nation's security?

It's a serious question that deserves a serious answer. Unless you are a fraud.

Couldn't the post have found a rational conservative with some journalism, or even life, experience rather than a 24-year-old kid whose commentary reflects an even more sophomoric maturity level? For that matter, why would an institution like the Washington Post even want to be associated with someone with such a low regard for reason -- diversity or not? I guess values like "credibility" and "integrity" are passe these days.

Will the post be hiring a "blue state" blogger? I'm disturbed by the lack of balance. VERY disturbed. Dan Froomkin does not qualify--not even close--as a "blue state blogger."

Dear WashingtonPost.com

Did you seriously hire a guy who was ANGRY that Bush went to Coretta Scott King's funeral? Ben Domenech called her a 'communist' you know. This kid is homeschooled, which should piss off just about every homeschooler in the country. Also, he's 24! Did you pick this guy via dartboard?

Interesting that Domenich worked for Hugh Hewitt.

Maybe Brady and Hewitt had a brief conversation before they went on the air for that lovefest during the Howell/Abramoff debacle, where Brady just nodded his head and agreed with every statement Hewitt made about bloggers who were critical of the Post's refusal to correct its erroneous coverage of the Abramoff case.

By the way, forgot to mention that Domenich hates gays as much as he hates African Americans. So, there's another group that the Post is apparently writing off.

Here's a suggestion for a new ad campaign featuring Domenich: "The Post: THE SOURCE for racist, homophobic opinion in the DC metro area."

You crackers think the WaPo is a right-wing mouthpiece? Good Lord. What's next? NPR is really a front for the VRWC?

Too much fun.

Congratulations Washington Post on completing your descent into an all time low. A newspaper that hires folks that call a revered public figure like Coretta Scott King a commie- How proud you must be to have such an articulate, intolerant racist working for you! You went lower then any of your readers could have ever imagined.

Good Lord, yet another "there-are-no-truths-just-better-spin" right-wing gas bag? I've been reading that the newspaper industry is becoming increasingly more desperate to attract readers, but this boob? Fortunately, I assume he'll be as easy to ignore as the rest.

So, where's "Blue America" at? I mean, WaPo is trying to be equal, right? Or are you just trying to be Fair and Balanced?

Ben got this job through family connections (his father is a Bush appointee). But how did Al Gore get to be Veep (his dad was a senator)?

Bush's dad was president, but so was John Adams. The Roosevelts where cousins. And all three Kennedy brothers got into office through nepotism. Does demean any of them?

Finally, Hillary Clinton is a senator, and that had nothing to do with Bill's help, right?

And your precious Katherine Graham inheritied the paper from her father after her husband killed himself.

So. If nepotism is good enough for all your favorite liberals, it's good enough for Ben. To say anything less is hypocritical.

Carl Bernstein has held on to his integrity but Woodward should be writing a weekly pro-Republican White House column for People magazine.

WashPo seems to be letting the conservative sphere tell it what to print. So, why bother with this "balanced" charade?

Readers: there are better newspapers out there. This one doesn't want you to use your brains...

This is just another right wing outlet. Add the W. Post to the MSM as this Freeper calls it...fish wrap.

Wow. Look at the liberal wack-jobs foaming at the mouth. How much you wanna bet all these comments are just three guys from St. E's?

when did the washington post become the washington times?

consider my subscription cancelled

Ben Domenech is the Rush Limbaugh of bloggers: GOP great, Dems bad.

The Washington Post might as well hire Scott McLellan to regurgitate Bush's propaganda and get paid by the federal government to print it.

Come November he'll be discovering that his fantasy about speaking on behalf of a silent Republican majority will be "small enough to drown in the bathtub."

Not that he'll admit any faults...just like his hero, the liar President.

Wait, wait, I thought you libs were supposed to be open-minded, tolerant, and understanding? Surely if you can understand the "root causes" of why osama hates us you can share a little blog space with a republican now, can't you?

This is bloody hilarious! ben, looks like you stumbled into the moonbats cave and now they're all a-twitter!

Ladies and gentlemen...you're "reality-based" community! LOL
--------------------

Funny. The grammatically challenged supporting the factually challenged.

This isn't a blog, its a phlog, a fake blog. I'm not Blue or Red, Right or Left, Republican or Democrat, I'm uh just an American. I think the entire US Government and their Corporate State Controlled Media should be brought to swift justice! Fluff up your feather pillows and keep the tar on the back burner. Let them burn, let them squirm, start the fire and fire the liars!

http://www.whatreallyhappened.com

Badly, badly done, folks. As a regular online reader of the Post and a subscriber to Newsweek for the past thirteen years, beginning in journalism school (imagine that! Journalism school!), I have been increasingly dismayed by the Post Company's alarming submission to the presidential administration currently in office, as well as to the extreme right wing that gives broad voice to the administration. I want to make clear that I have voted for candidates from both major parties in presidential, congressional, statewide, and local elections. But the hardening of the discourse by the current Republican party and its most ardent supporters -- and, more importantly, the contempt for which the current party in power repeatedly shows the American people, the constitution, and the rule of law -- has driven me to hope desperately for some sort of opposition. That is supposed to be the job of the media. It is a job that Dan Froomkin does well, not on behalf of liberals, but on behalf of Americans.

The Bush-hypnotized conservatives who protest Dan Froomkin cannot process the fact that the truth is not biased. Apparently, neither can you. You are trying to "balance" a longstanding, credentialed journalist with a semi-precocious child, a professional with a whiner, a truth-teller with a liar. The jaw drops at your ham-handedness. This entire situation shows incredibly poor news and business judgment. Needless to say, I will no longer read the Post, and I have cancelled my Newsweek subscription.

Well, they obviously can't win elections, so foaming at the mouth is all they got left.

Bush's dad was president, but so was John Adams.
------

So, Barbara Bush also slept with John Adams?

How naughty of her. Also, considering Adams has been dead over 200 years, that's kind of kinky.

I find it bordering on the surreal that a majority of conservative commentators and "bloggers" continue to expound the claim that their opinions and views are not reflected in the main-stream media.

The high-pitched screams of the "moon-bats" (we all have rather adorable monikers for those whom we cannot understand, don't we? wing-nuts, moon-bats; it's like a Lewis Carrol poem or something written by Gogol) contain the thread that the MSM is leaning too far to the right and is providing a means for the administration to spout propoganda.

Then I thought, why would someone who supports conservative ideals (namely small government, fiscal responsibility, etc.) swear almost zealotrous allegiance to the Bush cult of personality (Bush being someone who is not purely conservative in the least)?

Then it hit me: this is about controversy and eyeballs. Mr. Domenech's blog is going to either make people cancel their WP subscriptions out of disgust or cause people to read the paper under the pretext, "I wonder what the 'conservative' blogger is going to write now; oooh, this'll make the moon-bats holler even louder".

It's sad when the only source of entertainment you have is watching people on your "side" or the other "side", which are those who have or pretend to have completely opposing ideals, go at each other like roosters in a Thai cock-fighting tournament. Sad, sad, sad.

Gin Jihadi wrote:

Surely if you can understand the "root causes" of why osama hates us you can share a little blog space with a republican now, can't you?

----

I think you need to understand the root causes of why liberals hate the GOP. But that would require critical thinking, honesty and courage.

What were you thinking?!?

The cynic in me says:

Wow, what a clever way to increase site traffic!

Bring in an unqualified, blatantly partisan kid to start a 'Red America' blog without starting a 'Blue America' blog, tapping into and inflaming the outrage still simmering over Howell's incompetence and the Post's defensive and disingenuous response to justified criticism.

However, the part of me that grew up delivering and reading the Washington Post is dismayed that a once great newspaper has fallen so far.

Posties, apparently you're behind -- satirizing the right-wing bloviation machine is now what's in. Your Foxification is so 1990s!

There is one huge reason why Bennie should not be blogging for the Post.

His daddy is involved in the abramoff scandal, and Bennie (in the guise of Augustine) has tried to hide the White House's involvement in that scandal.

Back on March 10, "Augustine" announced Gail Norton's resignation over at Red State. The first commenter in that thread asked the question "does this have anything to do with Abramoff and the Indian-casino dealings? " Bennie's answer was...

"Nope I'm pretty sure the only Interior folks involved with that are former people (Griles). "

(see http://www.redstate.com/story/2006/3/10/123024/389 --and theres even a bit more there)

now, I'm not quite sure what the about bit of incoherence means, but since we know (via Josh Marshall) that Bennie's daddy was the White House connection between Interior and Italia Federici, its pretty obvious that Bennie is trying to cover for his daddy here.

Because of the extreme levels of corruption of the Bush regime, no one whose father works in the White House should be blogging for the Post --- especially someone like Bennie, who plays fast and loose with the facts.

Wow, what a bad business decision.
You cannot be serious. I'm embarassed to call myself a journalist.

Nice to see the Washington Post is at least consistent: toady editorial policies and nepotistic hiring decisions that put you squarely on Karl's beloved Goebbels Memorial List of Reliable Finks. Enjoy it while it lasts.

just another white rich male getting richer by talking about how "red america" is getting ignored.

think bill o-reilly. think all the white males who have banked $$$ss off of what is real suffering/ real problems in the places commonly referred to as "red america"

PS to the writer of the blog: "red america" was a term the MSM gave a group of states. to be against teh MSM and continue to blissfully use their language is silly.

but then, so are you.

You liberals really are losing it. It's quite sad and pathetic, really. Please, get a life.

Hey WAPO and Ben. Little clarification for you: A Blog allows comments; real comments, not emailed and moderated. What you have here is a Column. You know? Like Ann Landers.

Congratulations, Ben, on your new Column.

LOL

""the Washington Times has never come off life support since Rev. Moon revived it,""

Actually Moon started the WT from scratch and has funded it with a couple billion he made running cons on the Japanese.

find some of that here:
http://www.freedomofmind.com/resourcecenter/groups/m/moonies/moonies_in_Japan.htm

Moon is the conservative movement's savior. And you were told the left was being bought by Soros. hahaha Soros' piddly millions spent on the left makes him a cheapskate compared to Moon's billions propping up and guiding the conservative movement rise to control America. He even says it was his job as messiah to raise up the religious right and he did it. He is their messiah.

Yes, a man many call a "madman" paid to bring the new right to power in America. The WP once upon a time did some good reporting on that but no more, now they are on his side dragging the nation to hell.

Notice the replies by the right in this thread, how conditioned they are? How they are the same words they are told to use by Rush, Coulter and all?

Ever wonder why the right is so cult like?

You starting to get the picture?

Who picked him? Ms. Howell? This is a joke. Subscription to be cancelled post haste.

Congratulations. I suppose that hiring a blogger makes you feel that the attacks on your once-great newspaper will cease to exist.

First of all, there should've been two hires. As has been pointed out numerous times in this thread, Froomkin is NOT balance. I have read him from the beginning, and while he throws in comments between links and cuts from news stories, he brings up salient points. His counterpoint, I suppose, would be Howard Kurtz, who does the same thing for Media Notes, but without the Opinion tag stuck in front of him.

Do you see what you are doing here? You are subscribing to the very meme that is making you more irrelevant every single day. Because Froomkin leans left in his commenting, and the right-wing noise machine launches into gear, along with your ombudsman (who is a poor substitute for the talented and fair Michael Getler), calling him a liberal who needs to be tagged with a big "Opinion" label.

Meanwhile, Kurtz, who leans right in his commenting, gets no tag. Your new blogger gets no tag. You are singling out the "liberal" while not tagging the "conservatives." Why is that, Mr. Brady? Doesn't that demonstrate a bias against Froomkin's opinions?

Furthermore, if you were going to hire a RedState blogger, a similar contract should have been given to a DailyKos frontpager, or to Atrios, or any one of the liberal bloggers. To have a "Red America" blogger, but not a "Blue America" blogger demonstrates that you believe in the crap that the GOP has been spouting for thirty years: that the media is somehow liberally biased. By playing their game, you are diminishing your credibility, your relevance, and your history as one of the great reporting newspapers. Even Woodward has joined in the game now.

I have loved the Washington Post for years, and have revered it. Now I find myself reading less and less, and for that, you only have yourselves to blame.

Cancelling a subscription because the Post decided to hire a blogger? A bit extreme, no? Why not just skip his column?

Why does anyone still read this proganda rag? Now it's "liberal" to tell the truth and give facts about a war and administration build on lies, crimes and deceit. How stupid does the Post think the public really is?

The Wash Post has become the White House Post. Bush's mouth piece. I feel sorry for my family in DC--WaPo will rot your mind with all of it sugar coating of Bush's criminal acts and lying us into an illegal war. I will beg my family to cancel their subscriptions.

Thank God for the Internet! I can read the objective truth about America and world events from unbiased and credible English-speaking on-line newspapers in the UK, Canada and South Africa. I hope this paper finally goes offline for good. That would be best for the US intellect.

I think this is a breath of fresh air. The Post needs more data free analysis by racist blowhards, to balance the facts which occasionally appear in your news pages. After all, reality has a liberal bias, so you can't let it go unchallenged.

All I can say is: "You've got to be kidding!!" This is an early April Fool's joke isn't it? If so, you've picked the right fool.

oh, and on the irony front....

Domenech isn't blogging for the Post, but for WPNI --- basically, the Post newspaper and its editors (theoretically) had nothing to do with the decision to hire Bennie the Yellow Pachyderm. So all of these people who are cancelling their subscriptions to the Post are (theoretically) hurting the wrong target.

I say "theoretically", because lets face it, maybe Jim Brady made the decision, but the decision itself was forced by Debbie Howell and John Harris and Len Downie and their desperate desire to placate the Bush regime at all costs -- and Harris and Howell and Downie ARE "The Post".

Of course Brady still gets his share of the blame for being spineless....

last week, a poster on the Daily Politics stated that right-leaners probably dont read that daily chat because they are afraid of having their views challenged and are closed minded people.

the majority of the comments posted here against the new blog shows that this is the same mentality on the right. Are you willing to only read or listen to what only appeals to your leaning?

as a confirmed conservative (who does disagree withe some actions of the current administration and is vocal about it), I also read the liberal opinions on both the Washington Post, the NY Times, and listen to NPR. This is so I know and understand the liberal viewpoint.

As Sun Tzu said: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained, you will also suffer a defeat.

so, instead of dismissing the new blog, why dont you just trying reading what he posts for the Washington Post, using an open mind, and then judge accordingly. At a minimum, you will learn more about the other half of the country you view as enemies.

Ben,
Your blog is a wonderful addition to the Washington Post and they are lucky to have you on board.
(And, Way to take the battle right to the home front!)
We'll all be reading, linking and posting.
Best!!

Just a comment back to the conservatives complaining about the Post's customers complaining about the RedState Debacle: This dude is a racist, plain and simple. If that's what being conservative is about, then once again I'm proud to be a liberal.

The Post and the MSM are more conservative than Liberal. You won't believe that, but it's true. If they were liberal they'd have questioned the war from the outset, not after our 3rd Year of Failure. But they didn't. Then you have talk radio dominated by conservatives, Fox, MSNBC and CNN all fighting to be the most conservative (with the Post joining in a decade late). Further proof -- Look at the Post today. We have Will and Krauthammer (were they not conservative enough) and plenty of reporting critical of the marginalized Dems (how much reporting can a paper do on teh minority party). You all develop mind-shattering cognitive dissonance whenever the FACTS show that the Administration screwed up. Again.

I'm sure you don't think they've screwed up, so let's review (30 second version):
We were warned/weren't warned about Osama, WMDs in Iraq, Iraq working with Al Quaeda, Mission Accomplished, Social Security Reform, Terri Schiavo, Intelligent Design, Dubai Ports Deal, Harriet Myers, India's Getting Nukes!, Osama (still out there), Afghanistan (remember the war we forgot to finish?), Katrina, Brownie, Libby, Cheney Shot a Guy, and Immigration . . .
go ahead, let's hear the successes.

Explain this to me. Do I have it right? Is the Washington Post organization saying that the new "Red America" blog is supposed to be some kind of balance to Dan Froomkin?

Dan Froomkin--who is a real journalist? Dan Froomkin--who may be slightly progressive but who holds it in check and criticizes both sides of the political spectrum?

Ben Domenech balances Froomkin?

Are we talking about the same Ben Domenech? The same Ben Domenech who was a Bush political appointee? The same Ben Domenech who wrote (below)about the Coretta Scott King Funeral and the black culture:

"Why is it that we have to accept the Pantheon of the Left and see THEIR [emphasis mine] funerals televised -- from Wellstone to Mrs. King?"

"I also think I have a clearer understanding of why the culture of so many black Americans in this country is below what it should be and is capable of being."

(Coretta King was a national heroine married to a national hero, was she not? The fight for civil rights was a national struggle, was it not? Who but a far right hard-liner and a borderline racist would say things like this?)

Is the Washington Post saying Froomkin writes columns THIS BIASED, therefore he has to be balanced?

In my opinion, Domenech is a 24-year-old right winger who thinks he knows it all and who won't realize he doesn't for another decade. Or more.

For example, in his first column, Domenech claimed that his blog represents the "majority of Americans." Good lord. Is the Washington Post going to allow inaccuracies like this?

According to the polls, most of us don't hold the same views as Domenech. Most of us weren't for privatizing Social Security. Most of us weren't for starving the beast and weakening FEMA. Even according to our representation in government, most of us don't hold the same views as Domenech.

Take our representatives in the Senate, for instance: 55 Republican Senators represent 131 million people and 44 Democratic Senators represent 161 million. By what stretch of the imagination does Domenech speak for most Americans?

I beg with you--plead with you--Washington Post, don't do this to your loyal readers. Don't make us dispise you for your hypocrisy.

At the very least, get Domenech an editor who will check his facts and also help him rewrite expressions of his more offensive far right views.

So this is what the Washington Post is reduced to? Hiring someone with little-to-no journalistic experience to mouth off and call liberals names? No thanks.

If your purpose was to reinforce the red state stereotype -- that well-known combination of ignorance and arrogance -- then you hired the perfect man for the job. His first priority is to lambast the "left" (whoever that is) and claim he's right and they're wrong, his team is running the world and nyah nyah nyah. Good job there. Then he goes into an oversimplified and misleading rant about "infanticide" (apparently just one of many characteristics he attributes to the "left").

And no comments allowed, no suprise there. Anyone who has ever tried to post disagreement on his redstate.org blog knows how he feels about dissent.

Then his helpful friends are more than happy to jump on board and tell the "left" how pathetic they are.

Is it just me or is it always the least populated states that claim to be the mainstream?

While I have written Ms. Howell about this, it should be discussed here.

RedState.org, in collusion with AOL, last year participated in journalistic fraud. When Senator Cornyn of Texas made his remarks sympathethic with those who were outraged at "activist judges," AOL ran a headline that said something to the effect of, "Senator Cornyn: See What He Actually Said." The link, however, took the reader to a page on RedState.org that gave only a sentence or two from Cornyn's actual speech and a number of excerpts from other speeches where he advocated respect of the judicary and the rule of law, along with commentary by RedState editors and regular readers. There was no link to any transcript of Cornyn's speech and no presentation of his entire remarks.

Clearly, this fraudulent representation of an extended defense of Senator Cornyn as reported and transcribed news took the collusion of AOL's content editors and of at least some editors of RedState.org.

I cancelled my AOL account over this fraud and similar right-wing antics. Let me reiterate -- this was fraud.

No one at the Post seems willing to say how "balance" is achieved by hiring someone who has NO journalistic ethics, or at the very least has had no problem with those who don't have any, to counter someone (Froomkin) who has clearly made a serious effort to abide by them.

When El Cid swore fealty to Alphonso of Spain, as a condition he forced Alphonso to publiclly swear he had had no role in the murder of his brother Sancho. It is doubtful that the Post will engage in the same act of coerced integrity with respect to an act of fraud.

I can back my claim. Unless AOL has deleted or modified my customer service complaints, they are on record under my name.

RE: Unbelievable. 24 years old. No experience in journalism.

And this is supposed to be one of the best papers in the country. What a joke.

====

Emily Messner is about 25 years old and has a blog here. Handles it quite well, considering she came to it straight from an intern job.

WaPo is making a shot for a younger demographic and is casting its net out to catch all the readers it can get, pure and simple

Poor Katharine Graham -- spinning, spinning, spinning ....

Ben got this job through family connections (his father is a Bush appointee). But how did Al Gore get to be Veep (his dad was a senator)?

Bush's dad was president, but so was John Adams. The Roosevelts where cousins. And all three Kennedy brothers got into office through nepotism. Does demean any of them?

Finally, Hillary Clinton is a senator, and that had nothing to do with Bill's help, right?
--------------------

What is it with Reich-wingers and basic literacy? Is an IQ approaching one's shoe size and a compulsion to advertize it a requirement to be considered a "conservative" these days? Maybe it's a result of trying to squeeze the square peg of modern republicanism into the round hole of reality that leaves these people sounding like Dan Quayle teaching spelling to minors. Chicken. Egg. Who knows.

Anyway, here, let me spell it out r_e_a_l s_l_o_w_l_y so even a freeper can keep up.

Gore, Hillary, the Kennedys, the Rosevelts, John Adams, et al weren't given a "job through family connections," they were e_l_e_c_t_e_d to public office.

To the best of my understanding ben didn't get his new job through any public election.

If you still have problems understanding this most basic of concepts try moving your lips when you slowly read through it again.

And remember kids, don't drop out of school. You can see what happens to your reasoning abilities.

Red America is Red Amerika. Get my drift? Support of the neocon agenda simply ruined this country and put it into the fascist state is is now. If you're red, your opinions are dead. You don't count and you will be humiliated in due time. You'll be exposed for the fascist elitists you are. I feel sorry for you.

why don't you answer the question of whether or not you used to post under the name Augustine? I can see why you wouldn't want to own up to those posts -- it's mostly racist drivel, but think of this as a chance to have some balls. You're too much of a coward to fight the war you support, isn't this the least you can do -- fess up to your own writing? Be a man.

He's 24, hummm? And he's not serving time in Iraq with our armed forces? Yet he tends to cheerlead the war, quite often. I think that's called a "Chickenhawk", is it not?
It's time you people stand up for what you believe in or sit down and be quiet.

Amerika was supposed to be spelled with thre K's dude. Come on, get your stereotypes right.

So your Dad is "associated" with Abramoff eh. Nothing like Young Doughy Republicans earning things the "old fashioned way" - family connections.

kudos to another american newspaper of record prostituting themselves to maintain access and stay in the good graces of the fascists in power... apparently you don't want to offend your hometown neocon masters but this is beyond the pale.
to believe that the paper that exposed corruption in the Nixon white house has become lapdogs for the RNC.
your paper was one of the big boys banging the war drum a few years ago and still, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, your editorial board continues to spit in the face of your readership and the citizens of america by not retracting your position and saying a mea culpa.
nooooo - you can't do that! that would upset the folks you want / need to maintain access to for the dictation you take and pedal as "journalism"... if i want to read RNC or other Rovian-propaganda, I'll go to the republican website. if i want to read conservative bloviates, i'll search the blogosphere. but you hire (and apparently pay) this republican crony (yes, the fact that he comes from a old line conservative family, tight with the powers-that-be, i'm sure entered into the hiring equation... "he'll maintain our access to our neocon masters"
(er, well, i thought that's why you kept bob woodward on the payroll... its certainly not for his journalistic ethics"
the fascinating thing about these decisions: editorial boards continue to ask "where are our readers / viewers going"... well, if you all want to look and sound and talk like Pravda - aka, Fox News - then, be prepared because there's only so many wankers out there who enjoy receiving propaganda. the rest of us want news.
hence, we continue to look to the Guardian, the BBC, and the Times where the writers and editors are not beholden to their political handlers.
to the washington post: my how far you've fallen. good riddance! and do roll up your pants legs - when you're joining others in the dung heap, you have to keep your trousers clean...

Conservative Christians have nothing to say about anything... because this would be, well, un-conservative Christian.
Stop calling names and say something valuable. This comment board is for serious remarks only.
So, conservatives, please stop spamming here. You know you have nothing to say that your leader has not already said for you... nor are you allowed to say more.
So please go away and stop pretending that you have some kind of majority rights. Everyone knows that there are at least, oh, say, around, gee, I guess 30% wacko rednecks on every board. You don't need to comment to let us know this, as if your little monster in the WH is not enough to prove it.
And a late Happy Holidays to you!

I would like to congratulate you, recommend Ann Coulter for the position of omsbudsman, and help you bid a fond farewell to the reality-based community.

Sig heil!

I'll be cancelling my Post Subscription this weekend. You all have just gone down hill too much too fast. Katherine Graham must be rolling in her grave.

Eric Alterman was correct. "Working the refs" really works. They seem to have complained their way into getting a red blogger for "balance."

Man, the POST can't seem to do anything right these days. Perhaps that explains your paper's obdurate empathy for a bumbling administration.

The Washington Post used to be a model of journalistic integrity. Today it aspires to something more -- Truthiness!

I find it nice that we're allowed to "challenge washingtonpost.com's articles, blogs, reviews an multimedia features." But what really needs challenging is the integrity of the paper's management. Coddling up to the Washington Times isn't indicative of a willingness for earnest debate and it won't help sales either.

On the plus side, atleast we now have proof of WAPO's right-wing slant, because it's in the open for everyone to see!

I'm so looking forward to the Howell/Brady mumbled response/defensive sneer.

Ben's feature is a great addition. It adds a style and perspective that weren't presented here before. The idea that it was added to "balance" something else is just wrong.

And to the the poster that suggested we righties lable people "moonbats" because we don't understand them I'd like to say that I understand perfectly how the tinfoil prevents the government from stealing your thoughts. It isn't a lack of understanding that earns one the description "moonbat". In fact, it's the opposite.

Taking a look at the comments here, everything from Ben's "Family Ties" to Amramoff to WaPo corp's stock tumbles to all the lies, racism and fascism over at RedState makes me think:

Whatever WaPo does, do the opposite.

And to "read first" who posted above: Forget IT!!! Are you paying attention here? A 24-year-old political flack who spewed racism against Coretta Scott King now has a place to spew more vile wingnut screeds! That's the problem! Fair and balanced is more than just a spin, and if WaPo wants to bend over to the right, I have a problem with that! You would to, if you were truly conservative!

Why would the Post hire not just and extreme right winger, but a creationist, who created a racist blog, and who characterized Coretta Scott King as a "communist"?

By the Domenech standards, balance to him would have to be a Maoist.

It's simply an outrgage.

I forgot to add:

In all fairness, Ben Domenech's had a good reason for settling for a position at Regnery. Der Stürmer was starting to lay people off.

Good. Lord.

Was Karl Rove just too busy to do a blog for you guys? Want somebody to do a blog that represents most of America? Try Opera. When was the last time most of you idiots at the WaPo saw a black person, were unemployed, or sent someone off to war?

And one more thing. Even though I've never read the Post before, I'll be cancelling my subscription as well!

For the Bush administration to protect us would be like plugging the butt of the goose that lays golden eggs... ain't gonna happen.

Maybe y'all can hire George Deutsch as an editor now too. I hear he is looking for a job. I can't believe this is the same Washington Post that broke the Watergate story. Absolutely shameful.

Give the post credit for a shrewd political calculation. After a few weeks of this kid's ranting, Americans will be embarrased to call themselves conservatives.

It's only his second day and he's already calling his opponents baby killers.

"I'm so looking forward to the Howell/Brady mumbled response/defensive sneer.

Posted by: Howell&Brady4ever | March 22, 2006 03:15 PM"

Masterful. I just loved that.

For the record, I still favor gravatars -- but I think that this blog will not survive long enough to implement anything! :-)

Let’s do the math here: Ben Domenech was apparently 15 years old in 1997. That means he was, let’s see, carry the one, two years old when Red Dawn (1984) came out?

So obviously, Ben didn’t see it in the theaters. But’s it’s evidently enough of a cultural icon for him to think that every “red-blooded American conservative” should know the movie. He clearly has watched it more than once himself. Red Dawn is apparently a pivotal cultural moment for him.

What I want to know is this: What kind of bizarre, twisted home-schooling was this child raised on? Did his parents push this movie on him as a lesson about the dangers of Communism? Does he really take that crap seriously?

I also remember when Red Dawn came out. I was twelve years old. It was a big deal, because it was the first movie released with a PG-13 rating. That rating was created in response to the PG ratings given to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Gremlins. But when I heard the premise - Russian soldiers invade a small Colorado town - I started laughing. Even at age 12, I knew this premise wasn’t remotely plausible.

The more I think about it, the weirder Domenech’s statement gets. I mean, it’s the equivalent of me (born in 1972) saying that all hostage negotiators are steeped in the ethos found in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. Or that all liberals are aware of the ironic take on race relations found in Blazing Saddles. Or that all Americans who are tough on crime are familiar with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Wait, all of those movies are more highly rated than Red Dawn (5.6 stars on IMDb).

It’s more like me saying that liberals get their bleeding hearts from watching Benji. Wasn’t it great how that cute little dog saved those two kidnapped children? Isn’t that a great metaphor for how we should care for each other? Awwwww.

What on earth is the Washington Post thinking, hiring this maroon?

I presume it won't be long until Jeff Gannon is hired for a regular column on the Op-Ed page. You call this journalism?

Good job. Hiring a non-experienced, racist, ignorant rich white kid with obvious links to the Bush White House is quite an achievement, dont you think?
You must be very proud.

Interesting to see all the lefty outrage. They show a deep understanding of the Islamist Fascist's need to allow no other religions to defile their countries. Lefties see WaPo is their turf and will kill any apostates they can catch.

Lefties suffer from TMS. (Tertiary Moral Syphillis)

Huh, I just removed my tin-foil wrapped colander I usually wear on my head and wouldn't you know it? Karl Rove's evil telepathy told me to go and subscribe to the Post since it was now, because of one fairly unkown 24 year old blogger, a tool of the dark power.

Luckily I was able to block him with a healthy application of patchouli oil to the scalp. Damn, a close one there.

Anyone for some hacky-sac?

Why use Domenech? The Post could save money by simply printing White House press releases. You could then reduce the price of a newspaper that is clearly declining in quality anyway.

Wait a minute, wasn't that tin foil hat guy (the real one, not the movie), a devoted Christian Conservative who thought the government was trying to brain-wash him into paying taxes or some such rot?

I see... out of hundreds of comments, there's maybe three [all of them drooling and illiterate] that support the new blog. Their screen names are telling -- like 'Dead Hippies Don't Talk' and 'Sniper'.

Man, if this is the kind of readership the Post wants to attract, they are even worse off than I thought.

Did you guys actually read this guy's blog before you made this deal? WTF?

I also saw Red Dawn in the theaters as a kid. I was 13 so it was a big deal to be able to see the new PG-13 rating. It was camp even then. Cuban paratroopers taking over your school, shooting your teacher, so you could camp and hunt with your friends and play soldier? It was a paradoy of a pre-teen Reaganaut fantasy. Apparently, it still is.

And for the record, the movie did not actually have any scene showing Russains taking away guns.

A couple of quick questions,
Will the Washington Post be changing it's name to "The Republican Post"?

And, are the people in Upper manangment 100 percent aware of whats going on and if so are they absolute Idiots?

I see all the wingnuts can do is to attack the Lefties who has something subtantial to say i.e Ben is a 24 year old inexperienced ex-Bush staffer who calls Coretta Scott King a commie. Why not defend Ben if he is so capable? What a talentless hack. Way to go WaPo.

So was Mommy Domenech was exhibiting proper conservative family values letting her innocent 2-year-old son Ben watch violent, PG-13 rated "Red Dawn" when it came out? No wonder he grew up so intellectually and socially corrupted.

I've got a great idea: why doesn't the Post get a feed from NewsMax or even Humaneventsonline! Heck, cut out the middleman and just put an RNC communications staffer in the Post's offices!

Ben needs to revisit his netflix favorites and watch Red Dawn again. Not only does it not show commies taking away guns, there is a pivotal line requiring his special attention: "All that hate is going to burn you up, kid."

Wow, the Washington Post ain't what it used to be. When will the Blue America blog be starting? Since there is nothing blue in your paper anymore, I have to assume either that you will be balancing little Bennie in short order, or that you have become the Washington Times without the funding. You disgust me. I'm so glad I haven't been a print subscriber in years.

Why do Republicans think liberals are hippy types? What cave do they live in anyway? (Oh, I forgot all those cave dwellings down South.) Anyway, the two avowed liberals I know are marines and would knock em seven ways to Sunday. Which is good, because then they could learn more about the schizophrenic Jew they worship (no offense to Jews).
Don't they realize that the neo-cons they so fiercely defend were born out of the secular democrats of the sixties? Haven't they heard that even Evangelicals are getting of that boat? Get over it, become Democrat already, we won't abuse you the way your own party does, even when we disagree with you.

So much for Voltaire's "I disagree with what you say but I will defend with my life your right to say it", eh?

Anyone see a double standard here? Let him blog. If he's successful, good on him. If he's not, the Post will let him go. Its a business people, not a party newspaper.

And if you don't like what he writes, skip it. its not like you don't have the rest of the paper to feed your BDS.

Stop pretending you have to balance a liberal media. The media should be informative, not taking a political stand. Remove this hack and get on with real journalism. Report on things the US needs to hear about, not the right-wing spin.

Interesting to see all the lefty outrage. Blah, blah, blah. They show a deep understanding of the Islamist Fascist's need to allow no other religions to defile their countries. Blah, blah, blah. Moonbats. Moonbats. Lefties see WaPo is their turf and will kill any apostates they can catch. Blah.

Lefties suffer from TMS. (Tertiary Moral Syphillis)

Also, I have a tiny, tiny brain.

Has the Post lost all sense of journalistic balance? The idea of a column called "Red America" without another column full of insane partisan ranting to counterweight it seems absurd. Indeed, the idea of either sort of unconsidering, blatherful trash strikes me as ridiculous in a newspaper of this stature. I encourage you to take stock of your decision.

It's been funny enough watching them squirm and complain when they put up with the label "Liberal Media" for corporate run papers like the Post and NY Times who wouldn't give voice to a real radical liberal anti-corporate voice if their quarterly statements depended on it.

Now they get to see a 24-year old red-meat Conservative who would be wielding a gun in uniform on the streets of Baghdad if he believed half of what he said get a cushy self-promotional gig compliments of the Post.

Eat it, libs. Approval ratings are transitory ... cash on the barrel is what matters, and you just don't have enough to get taken seriously.

Domemech please don't give us this 'Holier than" Thou attitude when you are supporting War, Torture and Kidnapping.

Whatever you may believe yourself to be, you definitely are not a Christian.

test

"The President visits the funeral of a Communist By: Augustine
And phones in a message to the March for Life.

I think we can get a little pissed about this."

Considering Ben is a healthy 24 years old and strongly believes in this war, shouldn't he be the one doing more defending and less disagreeing?

why is the Post lending its name to and sponsoring this person to spout claptrap? When will the post afford the same space,"balance" and visibility to those speaking for a progressive (and I don't mean "liberal") viewpoint?

As an ex-marine from 1960--1966 and a patriotic American (read free thinking, free speaking, free-wheeling), I am horrified by The Washington's Post caving in to the right wing ideologues that seem more akin to facists than to republicans (read republic and democratic government.)

Hold the fire to their feet. They deserve it.

It has, finally, come to this. Thank you WaPo for finally having the courage, nay, the passion, to come out of the editorial closet and proclaim for all to see, "we're conservative-enabling yellow journalists, and we're proud of it."

Now, can you get your looney friends on the "internets" to drop the "liberal media" schtick? It just makes them look even more foolish now.

Privacy rights. We hear so much from the liberal left about protecting your (my) privacy rights. But stop and think about it. Since the 60's, liberal politicians and judges have created a bill of rights for criminals and those contemplating criminal activity and they call it privacy rights. They tell me my privacy rights are being threatened by conservatives. But none of those 'rights' apply to me because I am not a criminal nor am I contemplating any criminal activity. Won't someone (Ben) explore this and give us the facts? Why do liberals always try to protect the lawbreakers at the expense of those of us who are not?

Posted by: T J Novak | March 22, 2006 12:26 PM

You raise an interetsing point, sort of. But you did so without asking of yourself a rather telling question: would it be acceptable for the military/police/FBI to kick in your door at any hour of the day or night and search it if you "hadn't done anything wrong, or planned to do anything wrong..."?

Does privacy hinge on whether you did it, or plan to do it, or is it just a right that the Founders added because they KNEW what it was to EXPECT your door to be kicked down on a whim? Take a moment and consider this, really consider it: if you are willing, in your innocence, to dispense with the rights this country was founded to provide and protect, then you should be willing to dispense with them all. No need for the fifth, as you'll never need to testify. No need to express your opinion as you already agree with the "majority", no need to own a weapon because the police already protect us.

Now, if there are rights you need to retain, then you have to retain them ALL. Tell you what, read the 4th Amendment again, take a good look around your home, and tell me you can't imagine that there aren't things in your home that you'd rather the government not see. Nothing criminal, just stuff that isn't any of their business.

If you can't, then I'd appreciate a link to the website where you post the minutes of your calls, your medical and credit history, Social Security numbers, whatever. Don't worry, I won't let anyone do anything nefarious with the information.

Where is the BlueAmerica blog, for a truly balanced look at what's going on in America?

Domenech reminds me of a contestant on "America's Next Top Model". The poor girl was only 18, but stood in front of the cameras, loudly proclaiming how she was as right wing conservative as they come, and proud of it.

Some would shrug this off, because she's 18, obviously from a sheltered backwater upbringing, and completely inexperienced. She wanted to get a shot in the modeling industry, where there is a predominance of gay men working behind the scenes, and yet she was quick to point out that she hated gays.

Now at 18, I would say most hateful rhetoric and judgementalism is a combination of shallow, ignorant, and inexperienced. But when you're 24 and guilty of the same behavior, and a so-called prestigious nationally read newspaper gives you a column outside of celebrity gossip and the "teen beat", that shows some critical failures in judgement from those at the top.

We already know that of late the "Washington Post" has shown a severe inability to grow and change with the times, and an extreme allegiance to proping up the Bush administration at any cost possible, but this is just pathetic.

Honestly, you bring in someone who is old enough and mature enough to have even left the country and become worldly, someone who has the ability to see more than mommy and daddy's perspective about politics, and someone who has actually had to interact with more than their gated community growing up and their fraternity brothers at their ivy league school, and maybe people will stop calling the "Washington Post" on it's truthiness and right wing bias.

But I'm not going to hold my breath. When Bush is finally kicked out of office, the amount of flailing this paper is going to do will be laughable if not tragic.

You've made your bed and now you lay it in, as the saying goes. I guess if you ever need to replace the pretend "balance" of Domenech's predictable truthiness, there's an even younger fool out there who didn't make it to the finals of "America's Next Top Model", who is also looking to get famous.

Here we see another example of the media's attempt to provide "balance." To please the drooling right-wing class, they hire a right-wing hack to balance real and informative journalism. Could you at least hire a progressive hack to provide some real balance?

When did the Washington Post evolve into a mouthpiece for the Republican Party? Will the Post include a high-profile progressive opinion writer? Does the Post intend to exercise any editorial oversight over this opinion writer to ensure accuracy and integrity? Why do I suspect the answer to all these questions is "no"?

Sigh. I guess this completes the evolution of the Washington Post into the Washington Times.

Great. This comment filter doesn't allow profanities like "despi*able", but when I post Domenech's (a.k.a. Augustine) statement that he felt "pissed" that Bush honored Ms. King, that is perfectly ok? Hmm.

Just wondering what the afro-american majority of Washington D.C. thinks about the opinions of this new WaPo blogger.

What are you thinking? I've lived in the "Red State" south all my life and Ben Domenech does not represent the majority opinions. I'm wondering who got paid off to put this silver spooned, "I've got better things to do than join the military but war is good", kid's blog up. I mean he's my son's age. You know how much my son knows about life? Give me a break.

I'm at a loss to understand what the Post is attempting to balance in seeking out the unique "insights" of someone like Ben Domenech who trades in little more than venom and vitriol. What prevailing tone is being countered with the inclusion of a man who calls Coretta Scott King a Communist or whose idea of political discourse is telling Al Gore to "suck it?" For an institution allegedly concerned with "civil, genuine discussion," that is exactly the Post appears to be working against with this decision.

Rather than eliciting civil discussion, Mr. Domenech proudly appeals to the lowest common denominator, marginalizing those with whom he disagrees as "shrieking," "unhinged," and full of rage. That's not discourse, that's dismissal, and the Washington Post should be ashamed for not knowing the difference.

Once again the default position of the left is to try to silence anyone who dares to express an opposing point of view.

With the choice of Domenech the Post is "hurting America", as Jon Stewart so aptly skewered the Crossfire mentality.

Diversity of well-reasoned opinion is vital to the national discourse. This particular blogger has in the past displayed little aptitude for or respect for reasoned discourse. This is not much of a step up from hiring a Coulter, Malkin, or Limbaugh.

It's a real lost opportunity to bring in someone from the right like Torie Clarke, who exemplifies professionalism, experience, judgement, and maturity. I had hoped, against recent experience, that the Post might choose to raise the level of debate rather than stoop further itself.

WAPO Springt den Haifisch

"Jumps the Shark"

Or to use another analogy.... it is not entirely unlike the glory days of the Khmer Rouge. THEY, too enlisted children with no sense of the mystery and complexity of the world, before they ahd learned the meaning of love... to enforce their perverted view of the world.

This young boy needs to grow some whiskers before being let loose on an unsuspecting audience with his cockamammy regurgitated fascist mantras. He needs to live a bit, suffer, acquire a little worldly wisdom and fall in love.

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO AMERIKA? I was only there a few short years ago. I don't recognise it.

How utterly sad a commentary of life in America in the new century. We all thought the WaPo was actually a news orginization, even though we could count on your recent slide towards propoganda, we thought you would at least continue trying to "look" like a news outlet. What makes you think this child can provide a unique perspective on todays issues when he has barely been weened from the bottle. His life experiances are less than even an average "C" student from an average middle school being "home schooled" and all. Maybe his teacher (mommy?) thought racism was a nice lessen to learn. To bad they thought teaching it meant acting on it as well.
But what is really scary is the WaPo is willing to let racism have a home while creating a perpetual divide in the American culture. All under the guise of Opinion. I must have been asleep while they taught journalism in school, because I dreamed presenting opinion was a balanced act.
Good luck. Nothing says GOP like a racist, and nothing says racist like the WaPo!!

oh, the humanity.

is this how the Post is going to work after firing actual field reporters who see things first hand? Why not just sell out to Faux News?

I was very disappointed to learn the Washington Post is caving into right-wing pressure. How does right-wing quackery balance real watchdog jounalism? Partisan political columns do not substitute for hard-hitting, honest journalism. At the very least you should give progressives and equal voice.
This is the time for the press to stand up and not be intimidated by a bullying administration.

Congratulations to the Post. It's about time a son of privilege was given a cushy job for which he has no qualifications. It certainly can't happen all that often, can it? So kudos to the Post for having so much compassion for a child of entitlement.

Btw, is WaPO conducting any vetting process when hiring a blogger? And did WaPO learn anything from that "Kerik" desaster of the Bush administration?

I would like to commend the Washington Post for trying to bring a conservative voice to their Blog opinion pages. However, the person whom you have hired,Ben Domenech, is a 24 year old political hack. He doesn't bring experience, or well-reasoned opinions to the table. I mean seriously, the Washington Post is one of the most respected papers in the world, and this the best you could do?? Try finding someone who has actually lived a little in the world rather than someone barely out of high school. Also, he needs a good fact checker and editor on his pieces, they are riddled with inaccuracies.

To Whom it may concern:

This is unbelievable. Why has your publication given space to a propagandist? The job of the media is to hold power accountable, not to promote the blind cheerleading of people who are drunk with power and arrogance. Hold power accountable - remember back in Journalism 101 when the first rule of journalism was taught, and get this self aggrandizing propagandist "Ben Domenech" out of your organization. This is not a time for promoting spin and excusing people in power for offenses no one else would be allowed to get away with!

We the undersigned commend the Washington Post for the brave stand they are taking to balance out the overwhelmingly liberal and anti-American media that has a strangle hold on ideas and keeps all conservative voices muted.

Rev. Pat Robertson, Rev. Jerry Falwell, Pat Buchanan, Stephen Hayes, Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Neil Cavuto, John Gibson, J.C. Watts, Monica Crowley, David Horowitz, Cal Thomas, Roger Ailes, Jonah Goldberg, Bob Novak, Kate O'Bierne, Lucyanne Goldberg, Matt Drudge, Rupert Murdoch, Richard Mellon-Scaife, Rev. Sun Myung Moon, Mary Matalin, William F. Buckley, Newt Gingrich, George Will and the rest of the muted majority.

Post, this is tactless. But, it's not the first time a racist, war-mongering, right-wing, idiotic bigot with no credentials has been handed a mouthpiece. Let's all stand up and call for censure!

I'm not at all surprised by the new column "red america". Nowadays, almost every media outlet is dominated by right wing, partisan opinions. I've come to terms with this take over but what I can't accept is being played for a fool. Please quit forcing on us the ludacris notion that watchdog journalism "leans to the left" and/or needs to be balanced with right wing columnist.

And the Blue State blog will be appearing when?

You gotta be kiddin me! The Washington Post has lent space to a right wing political hack?!?!

Do you really think that adding Red America is going to balance things? Are you stupid?

Of course now all progressives will have to take your message with a grain of salt. With fascists behind the scenes it will be that much more difficult to know what is real.

If I lived in Washington DC, I would cease any and all subscriptions to your rag. As it is, you will just have to note my displeasure with your recent misadventure.

While I am all for reporting on both sides, this blog pretty much destroys my opinion of the Washington Post and them bowing to the right. I do not expect a blog called Blue America, but rather the unbiased reporting that made Washington Post enjoyable to read for their readers.

I would hope that this decision will be short lived. I will continue to read WashPost articles, but avoid the new blog completely.

Just when I thought the Post couldn't lose any more credibility you go and hire a right-wing nut.

How many more news media will the Radical Right co-opt before they're satisfied that they have enough outlets to spread their lies and propaganda? How despicable that a one time worthy newspaper like the Post has been bullied like this by a semi-literate like Domenech.

"Once again the default position of the left is to try to silence anyone who dares to express an opposing point of view."

I feel silenced, too, Bill. Every time I post something, I have a hard time finding my comment published because of all the incoming messages here. Terrific.

The WaPo has just shown that they think "blogs", those things on the "internets", are only partisan spewage. Or that is what they want those who don't know better to believe.
They just think that Domenech is a good example of a right wing blogger...... Oh, wait a minute, they are right.

"Once again the default position of the left is to try to silence anyone who dares to express an opposing point of view."

Tell that to the Dixie Chicks.

Why don't you just publish Ann Coulter. At least she is hilarious!

Ouch. I did not think the Washington Post would weaken its credibility like this.

As much as the Post can state that a blog doesn't reflect its views, to the general readership, it DOES. By creating a space for an editorial viewpoint (in this case a volatile right wing one), yet not creating a space for an opposite viewpoint, gives the impression that the Post leans toward the right. It's a good idea to post views; just make sure you encompass the breadth of the spectrum.

Either stick with neutral, fact-armed journalism or display multiple personal viewpoints, but please don't cater to one side's demand for "balanced" journalism by offering only one conservative loudspeaker.

Today reporting of the facts tend to favor those considered liberal.

To believe that this requires balance with an online column intended to twist the truth, as "Red American" is now doing seems somehow inappropriate.

Isn't Rush and the others on the radio enough?

If you want partisan voices that intensionally twist the truth, on both sides, say so and give progressives a voice. Please note I said progressives, not democrats.

Please try report the facts and tell the truth, as best you can.

The political agenda of the Washington Post is so obvious that it is more funny than it is sad.

The Washington Post has often been a beacon during troubling times.
With all due respect,
it would appear, with the advent of Red America, that is no longer the case.
I deplore the Post's action.
It is an open effort to support public ignorance and hide the truth.
Does the Post know no shame!
Please reverse this deplorable move ... Remove the Red America column - immediately.

Sincerely,
Larry

Marengo, IN 47140

The Post can go to hell!

It's wrong to "balance" real watchdog journalism with right wing hackery. If you want partisan political columns, then give progressives a voice as well

I am appalled at the selection of a clearly partisan hack in Domenech to run your "Red America" blog! I used to think you provided insightful journalism, but with the way you were cheerleading the leadup for Bush's war of choice with Iraq and now with the addition of someone clearly neoconservative and nearly as shrill as Coulter, I have lost what little respect I had for your paper. If you were really concerned about providing fair and balanced news, you would bring in someone like Markos from the "dailykos" blog to counter the addition of Domenech. It is sad to see a once great newspaper become little more than a mouthpiece for the current administration.

"This is hilarious! Its just a bloody blog people! who gives an f*?"

I don't think this Benny boy is hilarious but despi*able, but, right, I would give him an "F". And imho he should be suspended asap.

Greg B,
That IS the muted majority right there, those you mentioned. Or, you are kidding and I missed it... good one, mate!

How sad. So much for journalism, the bedrock of democracy- now we just have jingoism.

Is this the Washington Post or the Washington Times? Hmmm...

Is America going Communist? Is that the reference to "Red" in Mr. Domenech's blog?

Because, as you know, there are no "red states" and "blue states," politically speaking. We are all degrees of purple. Unless, of course, real RED is creeping in. But I thought that was all handled by Joe McCarthy years ago...

I was extremely troubled to learn that the Washington Post has provided a column to a self-described right-wing conservative as a way to "balance" out the news that is appearing in the rest of the paper. News stories are the product of journalists who are doing the job of describing and analyzing the events of the day. If the events of the day reflect badly on the Bush Administration, the news will convey this poor performance. The idea that real news ought to be "counterbalanced" with the unself-critical pronouncements of a political partisan misunderstands the function that news and journalism itself perform in a free and democratic society.

The Washington Post is one of the nation's leading papers. This latest editorial change sorely challenges its legitimacy as an institution of high journalistic integrity.

Sharon Dolovich
Los Angeles, CA

voor een krant die een dergelijke prachtige verslaggever zoals Dana Milbank inhuurt, is het een medelijden dat zij een dergelijke racistische oorlog-mongering lafaard zoals BennyBoi in een regelmatige positie zouden zetten. Domenech toont de lelijke kant van Amerika. Een welk medelijden hoe laag de Post is gedaald!

You are wrong to "balance" real watchdag journalism with right wing hackery. If you want partisan plitical columns, then you must also give one to the left wing. I am personally appalled that you, considered on of the United States' finest papers, are even printing all this garbage. Makes me wonder if you are being paid to do so like the foriegn press in places like Iraq is being paid by our governement. SCARY!!!

I believe that giving a voice to conservative opinion (with the introduction of Red America) without a countervailing voice (Blue America, or a progressive vision) is unfair and unbalanced. Journalism, no matter the ideology of its practitioners, consists of a recitation of verifiable facts; no matter what conservatives claim, there is no need to "balance" quality journalism such as that practiced by The Washington Post with opinion of any kind, let alone the far-right ideology espoused by Red America.
Please reconsider, and either remove Red America from your website, or add a balancing voice from the Left.

Actually, i think the WaPo has pulled a pretty clever business decision. They hire a relatively inexperienced right-wing blogger who doesn't really represent actual conservative values, work their lefty base up in a tither, the base threaten cancellation but won't, they return day after day to bash this guy and while they're here, read some articles, maybe buy some things, etc.

I am saddened to see that the Washington Post has succumbed to the biggest lie perpetrated by the Right Wing today: that critical journalism and holding powerful people accountable is somehow biased toward the left. For years the Washington Post allowed its own sense of journalistic ethics and professionalism to be the guide to its actions; now, by hiring a screed writer like Ben Domenech, you have caved into the cynical view that there can be no objective reporting in journalism and that the only "fair" thing to do is give propagandists equal access. Not only does this reduce the credibility of the reporting in your paper, but it also provides another nail in the coffin of the free press in America. Leave the professional wrestling view of journalism to the 24 hour cable news networks and get back to the job of investigative reporting based on the facts. Our very existence as a civilization depends upon it.

Once again the Washington Post shows us why their circulation numbers are in the toilet - they just don't get it. Bush's poll numbers are in the toilet, Republicans are being indicted every day, fewer and fewer people are listening to the shuck and jive of Scotty McClellan and the Washington Posts response is to hire a racist, ditto head to provide "balance". Man, talk about OD-ing on Republican talking points. The Media is hardly a liberal breeding ground (check out Media Matters if you think otherwise) and yet we need more Neo-con spinmeisters (I guess Coulter, Limbaugh, Hannity, Matthews, Scarsborough, Couric, and company aren't enough). We don't need "balance" in the news. We need truth.

So ... the "Washington Post," that great bastion of the Fourth Estate, has caved into right wing pressure and is starting up a new online column called "Red America" to be written by some right-wing ideologue, supposedly to "balance" those Post journalists who have been holding President Bush accountable for being one of the worst presidents in the memory of most living Americans? Say it ain't so!

Is this true? If so, will "Red America" be balanced by a new "Blue America" blog written by some left-wing ideologue?

What's wrong with just continuing to do what the Post has always done -- provide good, honest reporting and maintain an editorial position of speaking truth to power?

You are our last defense against the Dark Side. Please -- don't cave in on us now!

Thanks.

John R. Conway
Niles, Michigan

A sad day for journalism and the Washington Post.

Congratulations on caving to the right-wing fanatics! I was absolutely terrified that American journalism might actually begin to regain a fair, impartial stance in reporting news and holding the government accountable. Whew! What a relief to know that the venerable Washington Post will never yield to such crazy ideas.

Keep up the good work. I will keep tabs on your progress as I read your competitors.

Ericka Dunham

Seattle, Washington

I am disgusted that the Washington Post has lowered itself with the introduction of Ben Domenech's Red America column. I expect this right-wing demagoguery from the New York Post, but not a serious newspaper of record.

You've really made a mistake in putting Mr. Domenech in as a columnist. If we want to get the rabid right wing view, we can watch Fox "fair and balanced" propaganda. The Washington Post had started to represent the Fourth Estate again. Please don't muck it all up by reverting to being a propaganda arm of the Bush Gang and printing more of their trash. There is more than enough of that floating around now. We need some truth, some objective reporting about what is going on now. We don't need more of Orwell's "Ministry of Truth" in operation.

It seems to me that a respectable newspaper such as the Washington Post should be hiring journalists with actual qualifications to write insightful, fact-based articles. Instead you have chosen a partisan hack with no deep knowledge of anything in particular over the many qualified opinion leaders out there. His first "article" is a rant against the very people who hired him, completely devoid of any substantive material.

This trash is not worthy of the Post.

One other thing...

Domenech is 24 years old. Perfect age to enlist in the military. So, big guy, when are you going to sign-up? You support the cause, so why not go over and help out?

WaPo walked off the liberal plantation and massa ain't too happy about that.

I've been a reader of the POST for 20 years. Ben Domenech is the last thing the POST needs. Cancel his column immediately!

Ben, You're my hero!

Wow! The old hypothesis has been proven true: If you stick a bunch of chimpanzees in a room full of typewriters and leave them there long enough, they will peck out an installation of Red America.

Those folks who think that this is a way to get liberals to read the Post are really dillusional. Domenech will be bashed everywhere, no need to give the Post a dime, or even a thought.

Welcome to Orwellian America everybody.

I'm thinking that if the Post really wants to be 'balanced' they will reprint some of the columns from the Völkischer Beobachter.

Right wing balanced out by really right wing.

By giving Ben Domenech a column called "Red America" you have sided with Red America. You are not simply providing fair and equal time to the Right Wing, you have acknowledged and embraced the very worst of their extremist and hateful language. When you, through the words of Mr. Domenech, refer to anyone who dares disagree with the administration's point of view as "jackbooted communist thugs," you are referring to me and almost everyone I know, and I take that as an abhorrent insult. In your eyes, "jackbooted communist thugs" broke from the tyranny of the King, fought at Lexington, dumped tea into Boston harbor, and signed our Declaration of Independence. You have done a great disservice to not only the Washington Post, but to the American people as well.

Oh, please...
The Post is balanced enough without adding "Red America," which is a radical right-wing column. If you're going to do that, you should find someone equally radical from the Left.

I trust the Post, as one of the best newspapers in the country, to address this imbalance.
Thank you.

Nepotism rulez!

This has to qualify as the most spectacular jouralism home goal in recent history.

is this a dream... I've clocked up about 10 hours surfing...

somebody wake me up.

Hilarious new blogger,

When will Blue America get one at the Washington Post? As someone from Texas I wonder if Domenech was responsible for the tone-death speeches and statements by our junior Senator.

People in Texas, home of the Alamo, really were jolted awake with the statement "liberties don't matter if you're dead."

I suspect Ben will be equally inspiring on the once great WP.

As a one-time subscriber, when I lived in the East, and as a fairly regular reader, I must ask:

Is there some reason that the Washington Post has decided to undercut its own credibility by providing column support for Ben Domenech, a representative of the loony fringe of the Right Wing? He has limited experience, none of it journalistic, as I understand matters; he is a parody of a thinker (calling Coretta Scott King, on the event of her funeral, a "communist"). What possible reason is there for the Post to do this -- except to further the career and influence of the Radical Right Wing of American politics -- a segment that will only push for more and more restrictions on honest reporting.

With recent developments involving Post personnel, I would have expected a little rational decision-making from the Post.

I am very disappointed. Though, I must confess, not surprised.

Actually, I'll kinda enjoy reading the goose-step diatribes. I think it's cute. And yeah, too bad Joe McCarthy can't be president "again", he-he.

sallyemoto asks: "Coretta King was a national heroine married to a national hero, was she not?"

To me "heroine" implies someone who is helpless and unable to affect the world around her. CSK was none of those things. I'd call her a hero.

She was a courageous, smart, and kind person. The contrast between her and this pathetic little man who tried to smear her by calling her a "communist" could not be more stark.

How sad. The newspaper of Watergate and of Katherine Graham has now become just a noise machine for the extreme right wing republican party. It was bad enough that Bob Woodward was just a shill for George Bush, but now you have hired Ben Domenech to write "Red America". No effort to balance, and no apologies. He hates all things Democratic (and probably democracy itself), and will have space in your exalted newspaper to spew his venom .

I wonder if journalism in America will ever be the same? A grand old newspaper is now no better than FOX news. At least it had ethics in the early 1970's.

Sad, really.

I’ve never understood why some news organizations feel the need to balance factual reporting that is unfavorable to the right with editorial content that is more favorable.

This smacks of attempts by small-town school districts (now struck down by the courts) to give equal time to fundamentalist religious beliefs in biology classes that teach the accepted scientific theory of evolution.

Ben Domenech is a rabid, red-baiting ideologue. Are you “balancing” his hateful bile with someone equally far out on the left? And if not, why not?

We live in a day and age where the average American who wants to hear the real news, or read the real news, has to either go online to seek out foreign or alternative news sources, or watch the BBC, or find an international news stand where they can purchase a foreign paper. No longer can Americans count on stalwarts like the New York Times and the Washington Post to provide real news, investigative journalism or muckraking. It is sad that they, too, have become nothing more than a photocopier for the White House speeches, statements and press releases. The fact that you have chosen to further the demise of the American Free Press by giving Ben Domenech his own column, "Red America", at all, and especially by not providing a "Blue America" column as well is just another nail in the coffin of the free press. It's sad that a paper with as righteous and storied a history as the Washington Post, the paper of free press, muckraking heroes Woodward and Bernstein have resorted to this. Without a free press, this American Democracy is not long for the world. The Washington Post has a responsibility not only to its self and its history, not only to the American people but to America, to Democracy itself, to do it's job - to be an independent source of NEWS (not solely opinion, not a mouthpiece for the Bush Administration, and certainly not as a forum for a bigot like Ben Domenech) - to do the investigative journalism, muckraking and watchdoging that a functioning democracy requires to retain it's integrity as such. Please boot Ben Domenech and Red America which is nothing more than a forum for his idiotic, frothing, bigoted, inflammatory rhetoric. I will not buy another Washington Post, nor read your paper online until he is removed from its pages.

I'm not really sure when it happened, but sometime within the last 10 or 15 years, investigative journalism became synonymous with left-wing partisan diatribe. This alarms me as a woman, a cancer survivor, a Ph.D. student in neuroscience, a teacher, and an educated member of your reading public. I rely on publications such as the Washington Post to accurately relay information to me on subjects ranging from health care and court rulings on abortion rights to science education and student welfare.

Please consider either removing Ben Domenech's new opinion column, "Red America," from your online paper, or add an equally profane and ridiculous progressive voice for your readers. The rest of the paper should be FACTUAL and non-partisan. So, at least balance out your opinion articles.

Thank you

Oops, I said think think. Didn't have to think twice about THIS column.

I would never have come to this blog ordinarily, but here was so many comments on americablog, I couldn't reist. It is much ado about nothing. This site is as most redstate things, dumb and boring.

In related news, Bob Woodward apologized to Nixon for leaking state secrets regarding his presidency. Bob was reported to have said, "I was wrong and suffering from NDS (Nixon Derangement Syndrome for you MSM types)."

I find the pathetic rants of Ben Domenech in his "Red America" column offensive and ungrounded. This is not reporting, nor is it even entertainment. A wise editorial decision would be to strike the column altogether. Stick with REAL news and accuracy - you could be the only newspaper in the U.S. to do so!

You know why many of these posts have not been removed? The IPs are being sent to NSA as we speak. Don't you Republicans think you will be screened out either.

Hello
Allowing a right-wing hack like Ben Domenech his own column is nothing short of caving in to the immense pressures of a red-dominated administration. If there’s ever a time to present a balanced viewpoint, it’s to present all sides of the issues rather than provide a forum for a right-wing apologist to further propaganda for this administration.

Remember George Orwell? The Ministry of Truth? Don’t allow the Washington Post to become a mouthpiece for such a blatant arch conservative. Your journalistic integrity is at stake, and we’ll be watching closely.

Best Regards
Scott Pearson

Could you really find no one, no one, any more qualified to represent, lets be charitable here, Conservative Republican views, than a 24 year old kid?

Did you think that no one would notice his political connections?

Maybe the plan is to let the 'conservative' blogger make an ass of himself, thus giving you the opportunity to distance yourself from him? Are you that dependent on 'perception' that you *need* that kind of cover, which isn't cover at all, before making a stand?

How much are you paying this creep?

Interesting that the "liberal media" approach to balance is bringing in the most irresponsible and extreme right-wingers they can sign. Is this intentional with the hope that they will embarass themselves utterly? I mean this is the guy who decried the Presidents attendance at Coretta Scott King's funeral in an article titled "The President visits the funeral of a Communist" so it shouldn't take long.

Oh, reading his new blog, I'd say that it has already happened.

Interesting also, that when I search your site for "Ben Domenech", I get results with the following heading:
"Your Search for Ben Domenech returned 666 results" -- if that doesn't change soon, it could alienate some of your fundamentalist subscribers!

Facts are liberal (that is why they aligned against Bush) therefore they need to be balanced by Republican talking points and opinion. Domenech may be wrong about everything but since the Post is all about 'truthiness' now it really doesn't matter.

I am a pro-life, evangelical Christian who is very disappointed in the Post's decision to hire someone who is 24 years old and with close ties to the present administration for the (strange) purpose of balance. I lived in a country with a state-controlled media for some years and was delighted to be able to read the Post on-line and be proud of our freedom of the press. You are making a mockery of that. I am an intelligent person who will pay only to read columns by experienced, balanced people.

So, the once credible Washington Post has decided to become News Journalism’s version of the Fox News Network!
I, for one , will no longer bother reading your paper – either on-line or in the newsprint. You surely understand that if you are going to have a right-wing hack produce a column for you, in all fairness, you should also have a left-wing hack write a column for you, too. There that would be fair and balanced…not truthful, but fair and balanced.
As long as the media continues to go after the sensational, the American newspaper reader will be getting short shrift. Alas, there are very few truthful sources available to those of us who still have a brain and wish to use it. Your paper was just beginning to get back some of its bygone respect. Now look what you have gone and done. What a shame to have the likes of Ben Domenech express the conservative point of view. He has used the same old, tired incendiary comments and tactics that everyone of his ilk call their own. Just trash, nothing newsworthy, nothing enlightening – what a shame and what a missed opportunity.

Maria T. Mash
Reno, Nevada

I used to read the Post right after I read the NYTimes for accurate and unbiased journalism. Now that you've caved in to the neocons by that atrocious column, I doubt that I will be much concerned about your reporting in other matters. The more time goes on the more neocons resemble the early Nazi movement, although most of them are so illiterate I doubt if they would grasp the undertones of the allusion.
What a pity that the Post has at last fallen victim of right-wing hysteria. You disgrace the thus far outstanding traditions of your founders. I wonder what your new columnist thinks of Watergate. No doubt, Nixon was really a hero who suffered martyrdom at the hands of the Washington Post.

Shame on you Washington Post. You who were the sole reason Watergate got exposed. In a time when good journalism is truly at an all time low – why aid and abet the twisted neo conservative rhetoric of the right wing.

We are counting on you to expose whomever is guilty of fraud, bribery or breaking the law. If not you then who will keep our Democracy strong. I implore you. Dig deep and tell the stories of deception and secrecy that abound in this administration.

Thank you for your time.

As a 62 year old college educated self employed male married to the same lovely lady for 42 years, I am sickened and saddened by your obvious pandering to the most extreme right wing elemenmts of this nation. You must surely have a reason, but it has little to do with "balance" and very likely much to do with appeasing those who knowingly or unknowingly adhere to the principles of fascism.

Dude,
Your blog does not represent the "majority of Americans." It represents those Americans like you who choose to live in the imaginary America of poodle skirts and men in suits and hats. You're 23 years old! I know you think you know everything, l did too when I was 23, but you don't. Wait until you've lived a while in the real world, if you dare. That's right, it takes courage to face the truth of America and what it has become in these last 6 years. It takes courage, and, dude, you ain't got it. How do I know? RED DAWN! What is up with your "Red Dawn" fascination? It's a movie for arm chair patriots. Look beyond the cliche patriotism and watch a movie about the real thing, like, "Best Years of Their Lives." I'll warn, you the movie is old and in black and white, but it shows how war strains a country to the breaking point. It shows that America after World War II didn't break, it survived and grew stronger. And how? By facing the ugliness of war and what it means to be an American. Americans who fought proudly, who were actually greeted with flowers and smiles when they entered cities. Americans who stayed here and took over jobs vacated by those fighting and kept industries strong. Americans who rationed their use of sugar and coffee and others things they used so that those who fought could have more. They sacrificed. Or watch, "Deer Hunter." That'll show you the cost of Vietnam both on the soldiers and on our Country.
Dude, If you're going to learn about patriotism and war, you should be watching movies that deal with REAL patriotism and REAL wars, not imaginary courage in an imaginary war.
Sincerely,
Jo Tolkin

Is anyone else having trouble posting ?

Are you kidding? A column by a self-professed Liberal hater in your newspaper without any balance? Will Michael Moore be publishing "Blue America" in the Washington Post?

Or have you caved to the lie that the Main Stream Media is sufficient Liberal balance?

Thank you,
Eddie Caplan
Fairfield, IA

Pathetic.

Come on, it's easy:
Investigative journalism became synomymous with left wing politics as soon as those "investigations" revealed the curruption of the powerful. Why do you think it is a Republican meme?
biased, bigoted, ranting is news and factual accounting (logos) is opinion.
The powerful now have control of the media outlets so it to be expected that the reversal of truth is the norm.

I can't help but think of the movie, "Red." What a sad state of affairs this country has fell into! As my favorite bumper sticker says, "If you are not COMPLETELY APPALLED, you have not been paying attention!!" My newest fave is, "2008: END of an ERROR!!"

Cancel your Post subscription? My wife and I did! Call this number (202) 334-6100 and dial 0! Tell'em Ben sent you.

Hello. I live in Havre, Montana, and get the WashingtonPost.comNews every day. I grew up in Springfield, VA, and read the Post every day. I am proud to know that I was raised in an informed way through reading the Post.

As a resident of a "purple" state, I am dismayed that the Post would give unequal time to one side of a partisan issue. If the Post feels it's necessary to give time to the right, then please also give time to the center and left. The Post has always been my ideal newspaper...one that gave investigative reporting and balanced journalism a home. Please return the Post to its true identity.

Pam Hillery, Havre City Councilperson

I would gladly accept the premise of Ben Domenech offering a daily mix of commentary, analysis and cultural criticism – if only I could find it.

The first three installments of Red America have offered none of the above, only the weak sophistry of consevative victimization. How original.

Would the editors of WaPo.com please inform me, as a subscriber and shareholder, of the reasoning governing the selection of Mr. Domenech as a salaried WaPo employee offering “a daily mix of commentary, analysis and cultural criticism”? Surely you are not attempting to bring the word “Balance” into the equation unless it involves therapy and medication for Mr. Domenech.

Or was this just as good as it was going to get for you? I could have spared you the troubles of search and expense – there are plenty of rabid juveniles foaming at the pen in any number of frat houses across the capitol.

That's funny... I was brought up to believe that the colors of America were Red, White *and* Blue... and that to pretend one didn't need the other was to miss the whole point of it.

Too bad the Post has fallen to the pressures of 'Divide and Conquer' tactics of "Red" America.

I prefer the full spectrum.

What pisses me off about this, besides the obvious and misplaced additional wieght on "right wing" views, is that this guy probably is drawing some type of paycheck for his blog, while the good hardworking folk at DC Wire are expected to blog for free.

And beyond all the other hideous things from this punks past he's an operative of the Regnery cabal, they of the Zero Credibility rating, wherein violent racists ( see,Jerome R. Corsi ) and pathological liars ( see Criminal Disgraced President Nixon's professional Kerry assassin John E. O'Neill, that good man ) and Robert 'expose the CIA agent for retribution' Novak's son toil away in fact free obscurity. (Ben, will you yell and storm off when there is nothing left to make up?)
Another Home Run for accurate Media in America. I wonder if the Post will write a 30 page supplemental Mea Culpa when the entire Republican Establishment in power is under indictment and everything they ever claimed is proved State-Power falshood.
I hear Ken Mehlman actually does know Abramoff quite well...
Do Ben and the Post not get it? The Bush Era is over, the support is fleeing, and the architects of the experiment are saying the whole thing was a terrible Blunder (see Francis Fukuyama on Neocon failings, he'd know. See William F Buckley on the Lost, Botched War of Choice)
Not really a great time to hire on yet another blathering juvenile Coulterite to make stuff up, tiny flimsy, easily disproved fibs and deceptions intended to patch another breach in the collapsing hull of the Far Right Cleptocracy.
If it weren't so baffling it would just be funny.

I can't believe it! Why would the Post promote such trash? Why would your paper, with its strong liberal heritage, give the Bush Administration a bully pulpit for one of its speechwriters?

Your readership deserves better.

"Red America" is written by Ben Domenech. His bio calls him "the youngest political appointee of President George W. Bush"—as speechwriter for a Bush cabinet secretary. He is co-founder of RedState, a right-wing Intenet site, and an editor at Regnery Press, which publishes right-wing books. His only journalistic credential is dabbling in right-wing movement publications.

Within 24 hours of getting his new gig, Domenech made himself into a parody of everything people associate with crazy right-wing extremists. Michael Moore bashing—check. Howard Dean loathing—check. O'Reilly-like delusion of representing the "majority of Americans"—check. To prove he represents the very fringe, Domenech made sure to reference "jackbooted communist thugs." Domenech didn't just say it, but in a full-frontal illusion of grandeur he quoted himself saying it!

What's truly tragic is the Washington Post chose to "balance" legitimate journalists who hold politicians accountable with an extreme right-wing propagandist. Today, media wachdog group Media Matters reports Domenach recently wrote online about Coretta Scott King's funeral and titled his comment, "The President visits the funeral of a Communist."

We don't need more hateful, red-baiting garbage in this country.

Please print the truth and dump this man's column ASAP!

The Washington Post is no longer the paper I grew up with in the 1970's, when you stood up to abuse of power. Now you pander to it and call it "balance". You sadden me with your weakness and lack of ethics.

I suppose the Post feels that a hard-hitting accountability blog (Froomkin) needs to be balanced by a conservatives-can-do-no-wrong sycophant blog, but I really think the Post should be more concerned with truth than faux balance.

The Truth does not need to be "balanced" with lies. If you want to increase the partisan rhetoric on your site, you should also start a flame-throwing left wing blog to balance "Red America." But if you're looking for accuracy and truth in reporting, you really should be focusing on the right-wing bias that is so often represented in your mainstream stories (e.g. your Abramoff coverage). Or is "Red America" just an attempt to pander to the Right?

Oh, was that hateful? I'm so sorry.

"Better dead than Red"
Shargash

I'm looking forward to hearing the Post explain why it would hire a man who publicly insulted a Civil Rights icon on the day of her funeral.

How was Ben Domenech chosen? He has absolutely no journalistic background, and he is not even one of the top conservative bloggers. He is a bit of a wingnut from reading his column, is that what you were looking for?

I am just wondering how extensive was the search. Was Mr. Domenech your first choice? Are you really paying him for those first two columns?

Will there be a Liberal Blogger on the WashingtonPost.com?

Just wondering

Hi -

I can't believe you people are publishing this trash! Stop it! We want the Washington Post not the Washington times!

Gee it seems Ben Domenech doesn't have a lot of friends here. I am shocked! I would have assumed that all those people turning to the Washington Post for fair, balanced, nuanced news and commentary, would welcome with open arms an inexperienced, brazenly partisan, closed minded, ideologue. What is wrong with those unhinged crazy bloggers that can't appreciate this?!? I, for one, am happy that the Washington Post has shown its true colors as a cheerleader of the political elite. I delight as WashingtonPost.com tries to reshape itself into a less popular version of The Corner. Way to go guys (and gals)!

Why not have Mr. Domenech author his bloganda while embedded in the field with a unit in Iraq? Say for at least a 1 year tour.

This would be a great opportunity for Mr. Domenech to get on the job training on being a real reporter. Then maybe apprentice him in Afganistan until he has matured.

At the very least he would be earning his keep and getting an eduction about the real world rather than simply parroting unsubstantiated pseudo facts and living off the largess of the "liberal" Washington Post while laughing his way to the bank.

Right now Mr. Domenech cannot even claim an original thought or position. Everything he "authors" is spoon fed to him from the radical right wing propaganda mills disguised as think tanks.

Hiring a guy who called Corretta scott King a communist...Brilliant!! this has to be almost as clever as USA today hiring Ann Coulter.

People here are missing the point slightly.

This isn't really red state versus blue state.

It's white (as in robe) versus the rest of us.

That's the pedigree of people like Domenech. That's the audience he is trying to reach when he maligns Corretta Scott King and black culture at the time of her funeral.

It's code, and it's not very subtle.

Surely, posters haven't forgotten how Trent Lott is aligned with the White Citizens Council, which has its roots in the KKK?

Can't wait to see his next non-white target of abuse.

Is the Washington Post to become another mouthpiece for the "Fair & Balanced" Fox News opinion hucksters?

"Red America" is not news, nor is it even necessary; I can find partisan diatribes like these on Craigslist.com (and even those are more entertaining). No, this is yet more evidence of the media's "Strategy for Placation" posing as discourse.

You need brass ones.

This is hilarious. You hire a wingnut like this, and the first thing he does is turn around and slap the "MSM". Serves you right.

You are all wrong. Since nobody else is going to defend this kid, I guess I should.
His ilk do not, in fact, have mainstream outlets for their voice. They are locked away in castles and huts for fear of maurading bans of "tax collectors" and hatchet wielding horsemen. The plaque is rampant where they live and the Arabs are approaching. The only solace they have is the church and even there corruption rules.
Let the poor child's voice sing out loud and clear in the light of day. He is an old man in his world and may not get a chance again.

April Fools Day is a week and a half away.

Hire Kos!

Did WaPo ever consider hiring Michael Moore to counterbalance Krauthammer? Why not?

What a sad shadow of its former self the Post has become. As the "Milquetoast Post" sinks further into irrelevancy, perhaps the editors will look back at the halcyon days of Watergate, when the Post actually did fearless investigative journalism. To give a naive right-wing political hack free reign to propagandize under the Post masthead in the guise of "balance" is not journalism; it is the destruction of journalism.

I don't mind conservative opinions, but I do mind factually incorrect information that is being posted on the Redstate blog. Balancing with a conservative voice does not mean allowing someone to lie, as is the case in this blog. Fire him now and get rid of this embarassment for the Post. Thanks.

You've lost yet another reader.

Now that you have red state blogger When will you have a blue state blogger? You will rue the day you hired Domenech he is one of the nuttiest right wing bloggers out there.

Ben Domenech is 'balanced' journalism?!?!?!? It saddens me that the Washington Post, one of the FEW media who doesn't bow to the right wing and the Bush Administration and actually reports the truth, has had to break down and add a hack like Ben Domenech, whose media credentials are equivalent to Jeff Gannon's.

I find it regrettable and discouraging that The Washington Post has chosen to "balance" the work of actual journalists, reporting facts, and calling authorities to account for their actions with the ravings of a radical right-wing propagandist. Will you now "balance" your weather reporting with detailed instructions for performing rain dances?

I know that Fox News works daily, and uses pre-defined "talking points" to try to blur the line between fact and opinion, journalism and propaganda. I also realize that Fox has had some success among the gullible members of the public in actually conflating propaganda with "news." I had not expected this to have a similar effect on an institution of the sophistication and stature of the Post.

If you have lost your way, become confused in our "Foxified" world, perhaps you can be guided by the words of one of journalism's elders. Bill Moyers, who practices actual journalism, gave a succinct definition of real news. He said, recently, that whatever those in power would prefer to keep hidden, and want you never to find out, is the real news. Everything else is just publicity.

Please restore the Washington Post to the practice of actual journalism. We have so few outlets left for that.

Alternatively, if the powers in charge of the Post decide it is more lucrative to follow the path of Fox, then you surely must allow someone from the opposition to the prevailing right-wing, crypto-fascist hacks to have an equally prominent column. And all opinion columns need to be clearly identified as such. The public requires this service.

I argue elsewhere (at Brad DeLong’s Semi-daily Journal) that Domenech’s appointment as WaPo blogger is part of a desperate commercial strategy on the part of WaPo to recover from its ongoing losses in some other areas of operation by going for the lowest common denominator in its online operations.

On the print side, a similar strategy was to try to offset declining sales the regular daily edition by joining the rush to free tabloid dailies with their own “Express”, which has failed to stand up to the vigorous competition in the DC metro area.

The interesting thing is that Domenech expresses, in his self-justification of his own position as representing a majoritarian one (“twice as many Americans believe in creationism as in evolution;” conservatives are the majority of the public; etc.), exactly the logic of the WaPo’s commercial strategy in going after this market segment in the blogosphere.

In this respect, they are evidently prepared to sacrifice whatever reputation they may have acquired in the past as a respected and reliable source of news and informed discourse for the benefit of the bottom line – a strategy of product dilution that is bound to backfire.

I am sorry that in the interest of making your paper more uh, balanced, you chose this young man to blog for the conservative party. I don't think he is truly representative of conservatives, or at least not of any that I know.

This is an early April's Fool joke, right? It's a joke, right?

My, my, how the mighty WaPo has fallen.

Let the games begin.

I’ve frequently been dumbfounded, flabbergasted, bewildered, confounded, confused and angered by this current Bush cabel/administration. They seem to have no historical perspective nor awareness of who we truly are as a people and nation. They are disconnected from the ideals, intentions and dreams of our founding fathers, raison d'etre of our country and seem intent on remaking the country to conform with their radical beliefs.  

I travel internationally (48 countries so far) 6 – 8 months each year and have witnessed first hand the steady erosion of respect, friendliness and support out there since bush and “the dick” took office. In many countries (including former and current allies) we are despised by a majority now. I’ve recently lost two business contracts in Europe simply, and only, because I’m an American. One of my staff is Canadian and when we meet people and they ask where we are from I let him answer first, and then just shut up...

One day, in the height of frustration with the accumulation of power abuses, self-serving decisions and arrogance, I wondered if maybe it was I who misunderstood who we are, so I reread the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. I forgot that 2/3 of the Declaration of Independence is a list of grievances against King George III, many of which apply today to the current imperial “king George” wannabe. Take a look below from the Declaration of Independence (Current administration's transgressions in bold)--


...Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...

Grievances against King George, from the Declaration of Independence:


He has refuted his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good [WIRETAPPING/SPYING ON USA CITIZENS. CIRCUMVENTING TRIAL BY JURY. GUANTANAMO. SCORNING UN AND GENEVA TREATY OBLIGATIONS. TORTURE SCANDLES...].

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands [WALL ALONG THE MEXICO BORDER/].

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers. [SUPREME COURT NOMINATIONS]

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices [SUPREME COURT NOMINATIONS]...

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power [MISLED/LIED COUNTRY INTO IRAQ WAR. PRISONERS IN CUBA AND SECRET PRISONS.].

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended   Legislation:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world [STEEL TARRIFS]:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury [GUANTANAMO. SECRET PRISONS]:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences [GUANTANAMO]:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies [IRAQ, GUANTANAMO, AND...].

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments [UN OBLIGATIONS AND COOPERATION]:

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation [IRAQ, GUANTANAMO, ABU GRAB, CIA SECRET PRISONS... ]

I know I've missed many of the current transgressions. You can add them.

We have a way to “Declare our Independence”. It’s called impeachment.
Terry Tillman

--
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it."
-Yogi Berra.

Back in the day there was a sayng that used to refer to the Communists: "Better dead than RED!" Still seems pretty apropos!

Are you serious? This is surely the nursery schooler being invited to drive the school bus.

Kathryn Graham must be absolutely spinning in her grave..............

It's a sad day for the state of journalism in America when a paper like the Washington Post caves to the right wing and hires a columnist like Ben Domenech to write "Red America."

This isn't watchdog journalism, it's lapdog journalism. Shocking for a paper that has published some of the finest investigative journalism in the country. Domenech is a mouthpiece for the administration and its trashing of the left, a true right wing hack. If I wanted to read this kind of trash I would subscribe to the Washington Times.

I went to college in DC as a political science and journalism student at American University and got a crucial part of my political education reading The Washington Post. I'm shocked at how much the paper has changed as evidenced by this recent hire.

Journalism is not about red state/ blue state partisanship. It's about finding out the facts of a situation and writing about them as objectively as possible. Giving a column to someone like Bob Domenech is a very bad idea if what you are interested in is real journalism. His use of inflammatory language and his questionable hold on facts, give voice to extremism in a place it does not belong, namely, an even-handed newspaper, as the Washington Post has had a reputation for being. What the right wing has called a liberal bias in the media is often just reporting the news-- if there is a story about a scandal in Congress, or if experts say the war in Iraq is not being won, reporting on that is the job of the news media. Giving a platform to name-calling and politicial ranting in a paper such as yours is a way of legitimizing that kind of yellow journalism, something I would hate to see our country's newspapers revert to. It is unhealthy, dishonest, and counter-productive to the democratic endeavor of creating an informed citizenry.

Sincerely,

Caroline Allen

This young man has been given an opportunity many would bleed for -- he's on the opinion page at washingtonpost.com. His words will be seen by anyone that wants to be part of the country's national political conversation.

After reading his first fews posts, all I can say is that I don't mind that the Post got a conservative blogger so much as they got this particular conservative blogger. They really could have done much, much better. "Red Dawn"? Please..

It's the Domino Theory in action, as another news outlet goes down, caving to the incessant whining, threatening and bullying of American extremism. It's embarrassing that WaPo has handed an unwashed hack opportunist with the journalistic credentials of a gnat yet *another* bully pulpit from which to spew neocon lies and invective to no meaningful purpose. WaPo, leave the "fair and balanced" make-believe to Fox News and go after what's really happening in this country. Shame on you for aiming so low.

"Just as the time of reckoning approaches and the Washington Post will, like it or no, have to take responsibility for all the flagrant, credulous warmongering it did in a fit of BushCo. access rapture, you guys hire the most thick-witted, mouth breathing home schooled freak you could lay your hands on." Jane Hamsher, Firedoglake

God I wish I written that.

I am deeply distressed by the Post's descent into Orwellian reality by having found it necessary or desirable (shudder) to give exposure to a lunatic fringe voice (Red America), disguised as "balance." I think they know it is not. The press has abrogated it's responsibility to the public and as a result our nation is more dangerously threatened from within than it has ever been from without.Editor, uphold your tradition. Reapply the principles of a free press. Let reason and history remain your guides, and leave the frothy blabber of the emotionally unwell and intellectually unfit to the more sun colored publications. Be part of the solution to our tragic condition, not part of its underpinnings.

I think the affirmative action angle is also noteworthy in the hiring of this gentleman.

A 24 year old white male with connections to the GOP but no real qualifications exception some sophomoric crap on NRO is given the space in the top national newspaper.

And then the Repubs complain about reverse descrimination.

I hope that at least this gentleman never writes about how good the blacks and minorities have it and therefore do not deserve any special treatment.

I opened up Ben D's blog yesterday for the first time hoping to read something - anything- meaningful. Instead I got what amounted to the partisan tantrums of a snot-flinging child. Way to go, WaPo.

I'm posting this to register my dismay with the Washington Post for "balancing" the editorial perspective with the addition of the right wing idealogue Ben Domenech. If you think his perspective is anywhere near the center right, you need to start reading his copy. This foaming at the mouth, Democrat bashing idiot is about as representative of my Republican friends as your newpaper is representative of a Physics textbook. Anyone that refers to Coretta King as a "Communist" is way out of the mainstream and is hardly a "balanced" commentator. Try and reclaim some of your more centrist and progressive readers by at least hosting a column that will offset his diatribes - something like Molly Ivins comes to mind. Otherwise, risk being lumped with the many other mouthpieces of a corrupt administration.

as long time reader of the post who considers themself an independent . . . even i agree - this is a joke. chalk up another canceled subscription until you launch blue state

Wow this is hilarious! All the conservative posts have major spelling errors in them. And here everyone thought that whole "dumb conservative" thing was just a stereotype..

"Cow-tow" "plagerize" I'm falling all over myself laughing at their elementary school English failings. "Their" for "They're" "You're" when it should've been "your"

No wonder Ben's already made mistakes on his WaPo blog. Look at the morons he calls his peers!

Is this an online comic we're talking about? Couldn't you have gotten something intellectually meaty, like Ziggy, or something?

Please. "Balancing" the variety of opinions in your paper is one thing. Hiring -- and in so doing, *endorsing* -- propagandist hacks is another. Conservative or otherwise.

What happened to the Washington Post that spoke truth to power? And valued professionalism, credentials and ethics over this sort of cheap slander?

And I'm with "Ben," below. No equally hysterical "liberal" counterpoint blog, please. How about simply intelligent people who can make an argument without demonizing half of America along the way?

So, we're going for the Fox News approach to "news" now, are we?

No more of this "reporting" and "facts" crap, eh?

I applaud you brave editors who are on the vanguard of the movement that will destroy the line between opinion bloggers and newspapers.

This is a setup. Get some young red-meat right wing kid who enjoys throwing cherry bombs at democrats and lefties, present him as the face of modern conservatism, solidify your base and discredit the conservative movement.

WaPo is trying to help you, you dolts.

Do Ben and the Post not get it? The Bush Era is over, the support is fleeing, and the architects of the experiment are saying the whole thing was a terrible Blunder :see Francis Fukuyama on Neocon failings, he'd know. See William F Buckley on the Lost, Botched War of Choice...
Not really a great time to hire on yet another blathering juvenile Coulterite to make stuff up, tiny flimsy, easily disproved fibs and deceptions intended to patch another breach in the collapsing hull of the Far Right Cleptocracy.
Jane Speak, we agree.

I was dismayed to read "Red America," by Ben Domenech. I regularly read the Wall Street Journal and watch snippets of partisan news shows, so I am no stranger to conservative editorials. But for Washington Post to explain this new column's purpose is to balance out its coverage by legitimate journalists is ridiculous. Where's Al Franken's column? Where is the far left represented? Or is truthful reporting of the news inherently liberal? And make no mistake, Domenech has already demonstrated that he is not within the mainstream - "jackbooted communist thugs"? Bashing Michael Moore Howard Dean? What have they done to be in the news lately? Nothing. Editorials should be commentary on current events or state of affairs, not a platform for extremist rhretoric and talk-radio-style attacks.

Balance out your coverage of "Red America" by giving your readers liberal coverage, or toss Ben Domenech's loser column to the trash heap, where it belongs.

It looked like you were going to be a real newspaper there for a while. Allowing Right Wing hacks (Red America) such an influence in a popular news source is low, even for the Post. Caving to these slanderous mud-slingers is unacceptable. Do you like to lose readers? It seems the already corrupt one party system is yet again using its cronies (you) to get America to think the way the right wing wants.
If this published opinion (because lets face it, we aren't dealing in facts here) is the way that you think your so-called "news" is best presented, then why not truly 'balance' the field by allowing progressives a column. Call it whatever you like, this is a new low and an embarassment to true journalistic integrity.

So when will WaPo balance out this lightweight with a Blue American? Froomkin is a WH commentator, he doesn't count.

Please, please enlighten us older folks on your comments about Intelligent Design, or about Coretta Scott King being a commie, or how our judges are like the KKK.

I will so look to reading your cut-and-paste Republican talking points.

BennyBoi never realized that in the real world actions have consequences and adults take responsibilty for their actions. The Marine Sniper Coffee Mug he had been peddling via CafePress has been scrubbed but via the miracle of the Internets caching, the ads are still available for perusers...

Your propagating the right-wing propaganda of the Bush mass-murderers by giving Ben Domenech a prominent soapbox is a disservice to your readers,a disservice to America, and an embarrassment to journalism.

I have been a daily reader of the WaPo for years. Good bye.

randy

Now that his cred as a movie reviewer has been established, can Benji talk about daddy's bagman work for Jack Abramoff?

Let's see.

Republican operative connected with Abramoff;

Writes racist articles;

Poor writing skills;

Balances whom? Those who prepare well-written, independent, fact-based articles?

For shame.

Calling Coretta Scott King a commie? Yea, this guy is a real winner.

http://www.redstate.com/comments/2006/2/7/203823/5583/190#190

"Red America?" How divisive and one-sided can you get?

Either launch a pair of blogs -- "Red America" and "Blue America" -- so you can get political spin from each side of the blogosphere, or (preferably) stay away from using your media brand to allow one side to spout off.

In fact, why not launch a blog called "Real America" where the solid majority of Americans who are dissatisfied with President Bush's job performance have a voice. After all, the White House certainly has its own spin machine that gets reported by all the mainstream media journalists, including the Washington Post, who go to presidential press conferences and then report back the points the president is trying to make.

You guys still don't get it. Even when you report disagreements with the president's talking points, you're still allowing the administration to frame the debate by starting with their talking points as the reference point.

Wow! Comments have totally vilified this young man because:

1. He is 24 years old.

2. He is has a point of view different that yours.

3. He is a Republican

4. He was home-schooled.

If you don't agree with him, that's fine.

Calling him a liar because you don't agree with him is wrong.

Hey Howell & Davis? Do you feel it yet huh? Can you feel it now?

Not with a bang, but a wimp.

Once upon a time, the Washington Post was one of the most respectable papers in the U.S., because it took its job as government watchdog seriously. But then with the neocon coup, it became just another cheerleading right-wing rag, and I stopped reading it regularly. However, I continued to hope that the Post would recover its former respectability. Until now. Your addition of Ben Domenech's Red America column dispels all remaining doubt that you've sold out to fascist propaganda. Oh well, at least you're being honest about it now.

The Post's decision to fund Republican partisan Ben Domenech's "Red America" blog is hardly an example of "balance." Rather, it only serves to slant The Post further to the right. Moreover, it is an especially shocking move after Bob Woodward's attempts to bail out the Bush Administration through his campaign of public slander of Patrick Fitzgerald and his investigation into the Plame leak.

Where exactly does the Post draw the line between journalism and activism? Is the Post prepared to fund a similar blog for an avowed left winger to restore some semblance of balance?

You are just preaching to the quire. The majority of Americans realize everything the Bush administration does and says is a lie, so now, you just become a propaganda machine instead of honest journalists and you are just a tool of the right wing administration, you have lost your credibility---Too bad

Congratulations MSM darling Washington Post for hiring a lovely MSM basher with interesting racist tendencies and no journalistic experience to his name, let alone little life experience to boot. It really is interesting how Republican bloggers have slowly but surely blended in nicely with that darn "liberal" media so seemlessly. Really does make one wonder just how "liberal" the "MSM" truly is.

Actually, only a twit would truly wonder. Whatever credibility the WaPost had left, that was truly flushed down the toilet, unless you actually have the sack to hire a liberal blogger for balance.

But who would ever think of such a concept such as balance here?

All the right thinking blogs should have this headline in their home page at least for a week:

WASHINGTONPOST.COM HIRES A RACIST BLOGGER.

Short and to the point and sure to get attention.

The Washington Post should concentrate on giving a voice to regular working Americans, instead of handing yet another megaphone to the neoconservative elites who already control our federal government.

It is a serious affront to a free press to "balance" real watchdog journalism with right wing hackery. If The Post wants partisan political columns, it should also give progressives a voice.

I believe Domenech's ancestry is Puerto Rican. Those of you criticizing the "privileged white guy" or making accusations of "white supremacy" might want to stop.

This is an absolutely atrocious decision and further weakens any faith I might have had left in corporate media. Each and every one of you on the editorial board should be ashamed of yourselves. How dare you call yourselves journalists and support this sort of drivel. I visit the Post every day and sometimes even buy it. I will not visit this site again until I see that this "Red State" blog is gone or there is an equivalent "Blue State" blog written by a qualified blogger.

Thanks for the memories!

I don't mind that you have a conservative blogger. But it is not fair that you don't have a liberal blogger writing a "Blue State America" side by side.

Newspapers must be non-partisan if they want credibility. Opinion columns are great, and Dan Froomkin's is wonderful. But Froomkin writes a column, not a blog, and you have no liberal blogger to balance Mr. Domenech.

Surely there is a liberal blogger eager to write for the Post and balance Mr. Domenech. How about it?

Jeralyn Merritt, http://talkleft.com

this poster was reading my mind....

"This is a setup. Get some young red-meat right wing kid who enjoys throwing cherry bombs at democrats and lefties, present him as the face of modern conservatism, solidify your base and discredit the conservative movement.

WaPo is trying to help you, you dolts.
"

It's actually rather amusing.

Can the Wash Post now do a special on "Coretta King: The Dirty Commie" ?

With Ben on board they'll have plenty of material for this never before told story.

Maybe Woodward can help also.

Thanks

I assume, given your paper’s commitment to be fair and balance (or is that Fox’s commitment), that a Blue America Blog will be up and running soon in your esteemed journal.

Peter Cohen

Is that the cheepest hack you could afford?No, wait, he is paying YOU? Very smart. Quite in keeping with your image, now.

The Post would have done a better public service to turn the column inches over to a 2nd grader. Ben Domenech is not capable of giving a fair or balanced perspective on anything.

His is the kind of column that gives American journalism a bad name. I have read him for the last time, and the Post will soon follow in the "last time" category if they keep going with stuff like his.

Please get rid of him.

I am shocked and disappointed that The Washington Post has finally joined the ranks of the FOX (UNbalanced) News cronies. Hiring Ben Domenech in the name of balanced reporting? This is nothing short of laughable. This man is nothing but a shill for the current administration. He writes propoganda that is stark raving lunacy and The Post is giving him a podium from which to espouse his rants. Please rethink this decision or offer someone from the left an equal position. The Washington Post is losing credibility really fast with this appointment.

For the Washington Post to cave in to a right-wing hack such as this is reprehensible. This is not journalism, this is just attack-dog tactics.

To try to "balance" real watchdog journalism with right wing bluster is hypocritical and just plain wrong. If you wish to provide partisan political columns, you should also give progressives a chance to express their views.

Have the courage to publish good journalism, and real investigative pieces, and do not rely on vitriolic opinions to pass as news.

So, WaPo has decided to balance Froomkin with a suck up under the pretext of "balance"?

You see, this is why you can take the last ten years of American journalism and flush them down the toilet.
.

Some of the worst decisions you can make in your life are bad hiring decisions, and this is when the hiring decision is a private one.

The President is struggling with a credibility problem. I guess you wanted to spread the wealth. Now your readership has reason to question your judgement.

Are you crazy?

I dont care if BennyBoi's racial background is part Quechua or Aymara: he has obviously been raised to be very, very white in a sheltered environment. The Coretta King red-baiting in 2006 is beyond the pale...

My goodness.

The "Red America" column is appalling, inappropriate, and distressing. It really sends the Post over to the "dark" side by tilting what had been investigative journalism and relatively balanced commentary towards distortion of fact and unreasoned bias.

I used to be a fan of the Washington Post; my father was a Washington correspondent and I grew up with this paper. I am ashamed of what is passing for journalism and "balanced" news these days. The addition of this column only serves to drag the paper further away from its responsibility to report and comment on the actual facts of news.

I firmly believe in fair and balanced reporting. However the methods used by the Karl Roved Right already have their outlets. I suggest that if you feel that more inane, extremist commentary is needed why not fund a position at the "New Republic" or "Fox News" for Mr. Domenech.

If this kid is so much in favor of Bush's war inn Iraq, why doesn't he sign up with the armed forces and go fight in it? Or is that beneath him?

You caved in big time this time. I suggest you put Domenech with the "Funnies" section or next to Doonsbury. No pretense there. I'm disappointed again and so this time will discontinue my hefty subscription fee to WaPo.

DML

HILARIOUS. RED USE TO MEAN SOMETHING ELSE. N0W WE HAVE RED PSEUDO-CHRISTIANS, RED NEOCONS, RED CAPITALISM. RED AMERIKA, , THE LAND WHERE FASCISM HAS FOUND AT LAST ITS TRUE HOME. AND THE WASHINGTON POST, IN THE NAME OF A FAIRNESS THE REDS (WHAT A DELIGHT TO BE ABLE TO CALL THEM THAT) HAVE NEVER SHOWN ANYONE, GIVES THESE NOT QUITE YET HUMANS A SPACE TO EXHIBIT THEIR EXCREMENT. NO ONE WILL DESTROY THIS COUNTRY BUT THOSE WHO INHABIT IT. THE BUSHIES AND THE REPUBLICANS, THE RED MENACE!

The Washington Post has sunk to a new low. I hope your Red State blog is only the first "red", soon to be followed by red ink for income to your paper. You tarnish the word "journalism".

I won't be reading it.

So you've put yourself in the same position as NASA, hiring a 24-year-old twerp whose only experience is spewing rightwing opinions and trying to enforce rightwing PC. Perhaps this will last slightly longer than that appointment. You couldn't have done much worse if the White House was vetting these people for you. What's the matter, David Duke wasn't interested?

Let's see--he represents the 35% (or less) who still believe Bush is doing a good job. So, for balance, do you plan to hire two people on the other side who think the current administration is incompetent and disengaged?

How sad.

Great ! Another Bush cheerleader. That's what we really need. If people just understood what Ben has been trying to tell us we'd be winning the war on terror.

We don't need political discussion. We need cheerleading.

Come on boys, kick up your legs. Real high. Show us your pink panties. Rah, rah, rah. Sis boom bah.

Domenech is one of the worst examples of right wing whacko journalism that I have had the misfortune of reading. I am suprised and disappointed by the Post's pandering to the radical right. I urge you to continue to stand up and do the right thing in reporting the abuses and arrogance of the Bush administration and it's allies in Congress. Please don't become "balanced" by allowing this garbage to be spewed on the American people Fox News style.

Two words: Volkischer Beobachter

Wow, I guess you have your own version of Jeff Gannon now.

I am shocked and dismayed that you would fall for a false sense of "political correctness" or - worse - "balance", and give space to Ben Domenech in your paper on a regular basis. The journalism practiced in your paper so far has been one of the more enlightened in the United States of America - I have enjoyed it regularly and appreciatively. But now you have apparently given in to radical right-wing pressure and added a regular column of completely non-factual, misleading, and outrageous commentary to supposedly "balance" excellent in-depth, investigative journalism.

I can only assume that you must have lost sight of what real journalism and the role of excellent journalism in American democracy is for you to do such a thing.

On the day you will return to first-class investigative journalism without such punditry for political "balance", I will return to reading your paper. Until then you have lost me.

Dear Editor:

I remember when the Washington Post stood for true investigative journalism and holding government responsible for mismanagement and abuse of power. What a sad turn your paper has come to with the advent of a openly biased column. If and when the present administration and the radical Republicans succeed in turning this nation into a theocracy with little resemblence to democracy, the Washington Post will be in the vanguard of those to whom blame must be assigned.

Shame on you for misusing the power of the press in this manner.

So, will he be taking Laura Ingraham's cue and heading off to blog to us about the good news in Iraq?

I'm not quite sure why you have so much disdain for actual journalists and journalism - but good luck to you in your efforts.

re Ben Domenech:

Words cannot express how deeply disappointed and distressed I am that you hired this man under the pretense that he is a journalist. I have always had a profound admiration and respect for good journalism. I came of age during the Watergate era and could not have been prouder that our capital had such a bold and unbiased publication. I have taught my children the importance of a free and unbiased press based on the Post's work in that era.

I am ashamed of you people.

Katharine Graham would turn over in her grave.

Julia
San Diego

This is so amusing.

I guess the Washington Post needed an inside scoop on how Jack Abramoff works. Or perhaps that Washington DC's overwhelmingly liberal populace would really enjoy reading childish conservative rants. At least I know that I don't have to support a newspaper or a website that tries to dumb down the media. I suppose someone did the math and figured that the 35% who love Bush would flock to the Post after adding a 3rd-rate blogger and that would counteract the 65% who leave after figuring out that this hack represents the New Journalism of the Washington Post.

I can understand a major news outlet like the Post looking for good, unknown op-ed talent. But did you have to hire someone who seems like he can't form a logical argument if his life depended on it? Was Ann Coulter or Rush Limbaugh otherwise engaged? The problem isn't that Domenech is conservative. It's that, if his first posting is any indication, he's not very talented as a writer and even less talented as an advocate for a point of view.

Here's a thought: get rid of Domenech, hire a conservative who can offer solid arguments and support them, and challenge those who might disagree with them. And hire an equally challenging liberal. Now *that* would be balance.

Distressed! Distressed and distraught I tell you! Why, why, I've lost the will, the WILL man, to live because of your decision! How could you let me down, oh once sacred bastion of truth and content-free goodiness? Why? Whatever shall we do. You've hired, ulp, one of THEM. My petulance shall know no bounds! i demand you listen, no, you obey my adolescent caterwaulings and fire this man immediately! His mere presence in this publication offends my finely-honed sense of self righteousness!!

Once again the Post proves that it is a mouthpiece for the sick far right.
Peace.

If the Post truly pursues the truth, then ‘balancing’ your coverage with a column like Red America is totally unnecessary.

Why? Because truth doesn’t need balancing.

Congratulations on taking one more step DOWN the ladder of journalistic integrity.

If you had the courage of your convictions, you would have no trouble providing a real dialog on the issues that included opposing points of view. So much of what passes for "news journalism" in your paper is really just right-wing reactionary propaganda.

I already find the Washington Post to be so slanted toward the right that I can't believe you found the need to add an obvious right wing demagogue in the mix. I find it hard to read the Washington Post as it is and generally get my news from the New York Times because it is less slanted. I think you should remove this obviously slanted columnist from your pages as I think you'll keep turning away more and more readers. Or at least you should add a real Progressive leaning columnist to the mix.

To the Washington Post: Don't cave in to the red right. It's wrong to "balance" real watchdog journalism with right wing hackery. If you want partisan political columns, you should also give progressives a voice. If "Red America", written by Ben Domenech, is to be run in your paper you must have a like column for "Blue America". Better yet, don't run "Red American".

Wow. Is this the Washington Post or the National Enquirer? Bush's poll numbers are down in the 30's now - people are finally mad about things they need to get mad about. And what does the Post do? Hires a full-time mouthpiece for the Bush Administration to stomp down the opposition under a hob-nailed boot. What happened to real journalism? Integrity? To finding out the truth? Does anyone care about that anymore? If the Post turns into a national joke where else do we go?

The Washington Post is slanted to the right? uh huh. And Helen Thomas is really Bill O'Reilly in drag.

Geez, where do you people come from?

Great move WP! I hope this is a first step in providing a more balanced viewpoint of both opinion and news.

Give me a break! I expected more from the people who broke the Watergate Scandal than a bunch of Republican trash talk. Where did we come from HM? WE COME FROM AMERICA!!!

Oh the horror! The inevitable descent into fascism has begun! They have lists! They have camps for the heroic truth tellers of the AmeriKKKan left. Oh, for want of a blog, a opinion page was lost. For want of an opinion page, a paper was lost. For want of a paper, the struggle..the STRUGGLE man!...was lost. Its over dude. Its over. Its just like Vietnam, except without the jungles, protests, viet cong, marines, etc..well you get the point.

Red America? HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa!

Oh, this isn't a joke?

WE COME FROM AMERICA!!!

not sure i understand what you're getting at, but calling the WaPo some bastion of right-wing extremism because they hire some silly blogger is, well, silly.

SHAME! Shame is the only sentiment that adequately describes the Washington Post hiring of Ben Domenech. In the long unfortunate tradition of racial polarization and institutional arrogance Domenech brings his bashing of this nations most enduring institutions to the pages of the Washington Post. Its not only that he lambasted Coretta Scott King, defaming her as a communist, he is an expert in the most shrill and ugly of indefensible attacks on values that dare challenge, not his own, but values instilled as political jingoism with a sole purpose to pander to the most extreme sentiments of our society. I guess Anne Coulter wasn’t available. However, it is unfortunate to see the Washington Post fall to this level of garbage journalism.

This column does not deserve the validation of a spot on WashingtonPost.com. Hysterical, extremist, snide, blatant propaganda doesn't provide balance to anything.

This may be one of the stupidest things I've ever seen a major newspaper do. This guy has no bona fides as a writer, and what little history he does have is often troublingly extreme.
Asinine to the core.

What are you trying to prove?

It's appalling that the Washington Post has hired a conservative right-wing commentator like Ben Domenechseen to write an online column. As should be obvious to everyone, the "liberal media" is a myth created by conservatives to mask the fact that the media is now controlled by the right, resulting in the replacement of balanced independent journalism with partisan politics. While the WaPo has sometimes bucked this trend, fair balanced reporting is in little evidence these days.

If the WaPo must have someone like Domenechseen write a column - and I can't imagine why they must, except to pander to a readership that is being adequately served through thousands of other media outlets - then they should also hire a reputable progressive columnist to present the views of non-right-wing thinkers and activists.

The last thing this country needs is to have one more paper parroting the White House party line. The WaPo was a courageous and honorable newspaper in the days when Bob Woodward was a courageous and honorable reporter. WaPo readers don't need to hear from another White House apologist.

Where's the balance in giving Domenechseen space on the WaPo website? Unless the paper gives equal space to progressive writers, they need to get rid of an ideologue like Domenechseen.

Wel, I read the "Red State" column, and it is fact-free bloviation. Obviously, the question now is, where is the balance? Bring on "Blue State" and I'll be coming to WP every day.

Well, it's out of the closet for you, Washington Post. No one in America is going to mistake your new bloggie as anything but the rightie extremist he is. Congratulations! You're free of your hypocrisy. Go, Bush!

Just think about what'll happen we we take over NPR. You'll probably choke on your fair-trade Starbucks lattes.

BUUWHAAAAHAAAAHAAAA!!!!

Ben should just quietly pull his blankie over his head. Such an embarrassment for the Post!

Setting aside the fact that many "news" companies make no effort to achieve "balance" in their reporting, your recent step to achieve "balance" with Ben Dominech is without doubt a step in the wrong direction.

If we look at Mr. Dominech's statements, we find not balance, nor even positions near the "main stream." This may be seen in his recent comment about Coretta Scott King's funeral entitled: "The Preident visits the funeral of a Communist."

If we look at Mr. Dominech's journalism credentials, we find only writing for extremist publications. He does not know what balance means, and he appears to be consitutionally incapable of writing without imparting his opinion.

The Post might also attempt to achieve "balance" by publishing articles by Rush