Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader sees that Howard Kurtz is out defending the Washington Post’s decision to hire Ben Domenech to opine on the WaPo’s new blog “Red America.” As many of you will no doubt know Ben Domenech is a founder of RedState.
Ben is a social conservative. Most of what he has written is pretty standard stuff from a social conservative’s viewpoint. Your Maximum Leader understands that particularly strident liberals might be offended by what Ben writes. But he is writing opinion. Last time your Maximum Leader checked, unless it was an editorial opinion, the opinion pieces published by a newspaper (or a newspaper’s on-line affliate) did not reflect the “official” opinion of the paper or its owners. It represented the opinion of the editorialist. So what is the big deal here?
Kurtz’s article makes note that Domenech was not hired to “balance” the staff in any particular way. Domenench’s voice on the editorial page provides an opinion from a social conservative that is not widely available from many newspapers. What is wrong with that? The many liberals and Democrats who are deriding the Post or attacking the decision to hire Domenech seem to be making arguments that can be boiled down to “I don’t like his opinion so don’t publish it.”
My! What an awfully open-minded position to take.
Your Maximum Leader has been annoyed for decades by the likes of Molly Irvins, EJ Dionne, Richard Cohen, and their fellow travellers. But you know, never once has it ever occured to your Maximum Leader to complain to the Washington Post for running their columns. Never. Indeed, some mornings your Maximum Leader jumps right to the liberal columnists first-thing just to get his heart racing for another day of villainy.
Your Maximum Leader thinks that those calling for Ben Domenech’s (proverbial) head should just take a deep deep cleansing breath. Then go to their local Starbucks and get a cup of whatever you like - decaf. Then remind themselves that if they don’t like what Domenech is writing they are free to write a letter to the editor expressing their displeasure and why their opinions might be superior - or start their own blog - or something. Trying to silence a man with an opinion is not going to benefit our republic.
Carry on.
