Bowtie Institute Welcomes Ben Domenech

Former Washington Post blogger becomes Institute's youngest research fellow

PR NEWSWIRE
27 March 2006

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Bowtie Institute, a leading center for conservative thought, is proud to announce the addition of Ben Domenech as its newest Research Fellow.

Mr. Domenech stepped into the national spotlight last week as the author of Red America, a newly launched conservative blog hosted by Washingtonpost.com. Mr. Domenech resigned his post at the Post three days later amidst allegations of rampant plagiarism. He is accused of having lifted entire paragraphs from sources such as Salon, the Associated Press, and the Washington Post itself over the past six years and passing them off as his own.

"We prefer to think of it as 'recycling' -- taking spent prose and putting it to new and more productive uses," says BTI director P. Cyrus Bloman. "The Bowtie Institute is founded on the belief that privilege should not entail sacrifice, and that it's far better to reap the fruits of other people's labor than your own. No one exemplifies that approach more than Ben."

At one time the youngest political appointee in the Bush White House, the 24-year-old Domenech boasts a rich conservative heritage. As White House liaison for the Department of the Interior, his father Doug Domenech helped coordinate political favors for the Indian tribal clients of lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Domenech's White House connections were part of what attracted the Institute's attention.

"From the president on down, knowing the right people has always been more important than knowing the right things," says Bloman. "Any idiot knows it's better to be rich -- or have rich friends -- than be smart or even competent."

With experience as both a journalist and an editor of such conservative luminaries as Michelle Malkin and Hugh Hewitt, Domenech is expected to head up BTI's publications division. His position at the Institute should not impact his duties as co-founder of the blog RedState.org, where he routinely publishes lighthearted racist satire under the penname "Augustine."

"At the tender age of 24, Mr. Domenech has achieved a level of public humiliation most conservatives don't attain until much later in life, if at all," notes Bloman. "We believe he has a long, bright future ahead of him."

ABOUT THE BOWTIE INSTITUTE

The Bowtie Institute (BTI) provides in-depth analysis on issues of interest to conservatives, providing intellectual justification for policies that benefit the rich and powerful. Give us sufficient funds, and we’ll produce the facts you require.

The Bowtie Institute: Putting the Clothes on Naked Self Interest Since 2004