MyDD :: Right-wingers Slowly Jump Off the Ben Bus

Right-wingers Slowly Jump Off the Ben Bus

by Matt Stoller, Fri Mar 24, 2006 at 11:02:51 AM EST

The right-wing blogs are aflutter, unsure how to handle the unethical conduct of their colleague.

Though apparently a co-founder, I would also encourage RedState to think very seriously about his role as a RedState blogger going forward. If Domenech plagiarized as freely and often as it would appear, there is no excuse for it.

Outside the Beltway:

I am not ready to toss Domenech under the proverbial bus or call for his firing at the moment. There may, indeed, be perfectly reasonable explanations for these charges. But while Erickson is probably right that "Facts have never been debate winners among the haters," they should damned well be debate winners among the rest of us. Let alone, I should add, the side that so loudly heralds traditional virtues like honor.

Patterico pleads with his fellow right-wingers to discuss the issue.

But not all is well in right-wing land. Michelle Malkin, Hugh Hewitt, and Glenn Reynolds are still silent. This is especially notable because Ben edited Hugh's book and Malkin's latest book.

And Redstate? Ahh, Redstate. That loveable community is torn between pompous screeds like 'We Must Defend', 'We Must Attack', 'We Must Continue', and simply lying:

And now those opposed to Ben have googled prior writings that on the surface appear suspicious, but only because permissions obtained and judgments made offline were not reflected online by an out dated and out of business campus newspaper.

Out of business? And yet the paper published today? This claim also makes it seem like Ben only plagiarized for his college newspaper, but stolen words appeared in many more publications than that.

We're now seeing the rot from the inside. The conservative movement is nearly totally bereft of ethical standards. Torn between loyalty and integrity, they pick neither, a lukewarm mixture of contempt for those who point out ethical violations, a reflexive angry defensiveness, and a melancholy regognition that supreme self-righteousness might not be the most appropriate attitude in every instance.

UPDATE: Ok, Michelle Malkin's off the bus.

Tags: Ben Domenech, Washington Post, media (all tags)

Permalink :: 9 Comments :: Post a Comment

Re: Right-wingers Slowly Jump Off the Ben Bus (none / 0)

They are all coming down like a house of cards built during Katrina. The "unified voice" of the right is no more.

Whats great is I found an article from the WaPo in 2000 that was about Domenech. They were really cheerleading for him back then and it is apparent that woody has stuck like an overdose of viagra:

http://www.intoxination.net/2006/03/24/m y-finds-on-domenech/

Jamie
http://www.intoxination.net

by hovercrafter on Fri Mar 24, 2006 at 11:18:00 AM EST

RedState is apoplectic (none / 0)

"The character assassins must be defeated. Completely and utterly defeated."

- http://redstate.org/story/2006/3/24/1040 29/267

"They are dead to me. And frankly, if they all dropped dead tomorrow, I'd order a pizza to celebrate."

- http://www.redstate.com/redhot_history/7 669/#7669

by tparty on Fri Mar 24, 2006 at 11:25:44 AM EST

Apoplectic? try Unhinged (none / 0)

They don't seem to have the slightest grasp of the facts at hand. People aren't calling Box Turtle a racist because he called Coretta a communist, they are calling him a racist for approvingly copying an article that suggests that the only good black baby is a dead black baby.

Their defence of the plagiarism seems to be that nobody started calling Ben on it until 48 hours after they started calling him a racist red-baiter. First their timeline seems off, second WTF? You get busted for armed robbery and they find a body in the trunk of your car, guess what? You get arraigned on additional charges.

Assrocket and others who prided themselves on using the blogs to set up Dan Rather are waking up with a blind eye today. Collectively the Left Blogosphere can and will swing back. And we want it to hurt.

Some people suggest you don't kick a man when he is down. Me I am in the market for some rhetorical steel-toed boots.

by Bruce Webb on Fri Mar 24, 2006 at 11:42:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]

We are all intoxinated now (none / 0)

Great find. It is just mind-numbing that they have been grooming this kid since he was 18 years old.

Six years of hard work building themselves the next George Will and it all comes crashing down in the course of a day and a half.

I suspect for most people this little skirmish in the battlefield of ideas will pass unnoticed like a fart in a hurricane. But for the funders, founders, and profounders of the Rightwing Think Tanks 2006 is going to be an eyeopener. Because the Left Blogosphere has Google and we are not afraid to use it.

by Bruce Webb on Fri Mar 24, 2006 at 11:28:14 AM EST

I gotta be honest I am enjoying this (none / 0)

This is the kind of stuff that we have screamed about for years. The lies, exaggeration, racism and its fun when its so easy to expose. In less than two days the Post has damaged their credibility to the point that any and every shmo is able to take a shot and it lands squarely between their eyes. How long till they figure out how much damage they are inflicting on themselves ?

by KosTexasliberal on Fri Mar 24, 2006 at 11:32:13 AM EST

Re: Right-wingers Slowly Jump Off the Ben Bus (none / 0)

I think America can't take the lies.

But I do disagree with you about something. Paul Hackett is NO coward.

by puma on Fri Mar 24, 2006 at 11:36:55 AM EST

Re: Right-wingers Slowly Jump Off the Ben Bus (none / 0)

Here's my liberal blog: www.LiberalLozenger.blogspot.com

I blog first thing in the morning and when I get home from work I blog til I drop! My blog is only 2 days old. (Awwwww....how cute. It's a zygote blog.) It's a place for liberals to go and answer questions that no one is talking about because quite frankly, these questions are ridiculous. Hey, we spend our days blogging, researching, and yelling online to neocons who wouldn't know the truth if it ran them over as they were crossing the street, so why not take a break from all of that and freely answer questions using your own opinions. LOL

The right wing of this country has always controlled AM radio and they don't like the idea that liberals and progressives have the Internet as their tool. We need to capitalize on that for sure.

by KayInMaine on Fri Mar 24, 2006 at 11:43:57 AM EST

Re: Right-wingers Slowly Jump Off the Ben Bus (none / 0)

A good old-fashioned cheesy scandal can be the best way shed light on things.

Obviously, we've found out that Domenech is a thief and a liar, and that his friends and allies are willing to overlook it. Can anyone truly be surprised? If they'll overlook Bush and his war crimes, what's a little plagiarism anyway? Okay, a LOT of plagiarism. Same difference.

But there's more.

Let's face it, it's not as if the wingnuts invented plagiarism and lying. And it's not something that got invented on the blogs, nor did tolerance and support for thieves, cheats and liars get invented on blogs.

That said, it's also current reality that the blogs are censor-filled, ethics-free zones. That includes both liberal and conservative blogs. As a general rule, the political blogosphere is a set of competint megaphones that have scant regard for fact and truth.

I presume that The Washington Post will get rid of the guy. If they don't then everyone ought to worry because it'll tell us that the barbarians are inside the gates to stay.

by cwilson on Fri Mar 24, 2006 at 12:08:29 PM EST

Re: Right-wingers Slowly Jump Off the Ben Bus (none / 0)

Why is RedAmerica suddenly missing a post? WaPo.com took down his post about being a minority?

by sethco on Fri Mar 24, 2006 at 12:47:19 PM EST

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