Gawker
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informatics
Mitt Romney's Foreign Policy in PowerPoint Form
Future president Mitt Romney is both a "Bainiac"—a data-obsessed business android indoctrinated into Bain and Company's cultish worldview—and a Mormon. So his foreign policy is a weird, numerological, schematic mess. Here it is in PowerPoint, his native language. More »
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By John CookComment by hatchetman: So, the media finds a raw document from a non-Democrat, and publishes it. Hey, care to go through some of... 4 Responses | Other threads
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180s
Michael Wolff Used to Hate Politico
Weird! Last year Michael Wolff thought Politico was lame because politics is boring. Now he thinks it is the greatest thing ever! Politico's foreign policy correspondent disagrees, which is why he quit after six months. More »
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By PareeneComment by vitajex: I don't get it. Why the picture of Kojak? 1 Responses | Other threads
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new republic
Marty Peretz To Own New Republic Again!
The New Republic sort of dialed down its level of maddening hawkish crazy once Franklin Foer was installed as editor, but all that could basically change right now: Marty Peretz is buying it back! More »
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By PareeneComment by SultanaEleusis: The greatest tragedy in the history of the New Republic was when Marty Peretz bought it. The first time.... more » | Other threads
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obamarahma
Rahm's Mom Wishes He Was a Pretty, Pretty Ballerina
Sexy-yet-crazed stabber Rahm Emanuel says he disappointed his mom by not becoming a dancer. But this behind-the-scenes photo, from the New York Times Magazine photo shoot, shows he's still trying to make his mama proud.
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Comment by mypupmaxigirl: He's smallish, but I would still take him... 10 Responses | Other threads
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media
CNN Rave: "Least Evil" Political Team on Television
The lovable left-centrists at The New Republic look upon the middling political coverage of CNN and declare—it's good! It just may be the for-real best political team on television, Greg Veis declares. His primary justification for this claim is their use of technology, which means the stupid wall-of-tvs behind Wolf Blitzer in the situation room and the neat iPhone thing John Roberts manhandles on primary nights. The iPhone thing is a cute if needlessly flashy way of displaying useful information, yes, but in trying to expand those innovations into a claim of CNN's superiority to the hackery of Fox and MSNBC, Veis makes a compelling argument that CNN is basically everything wrong with contemporary political discourse. Join us on a trip into the land of politics as parlour game! More »
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By PareeneComment by jbwan: what about PBS? how come everyone forgets about PBSs coverage? oh wait, I think I just answered my own question. 4 Responses | Other threads
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losers
Loser Clinton Flack Blogs for Loser Clinton Magazine
How did we miss this? The New Republic gave a blog to Howard Wolfson! Wolfson is Hillary Clinton's reviled old flack. He's known for his terrible sweaters, terrible NPR-schmindie taste in white people music, and for being a big loser like everyone else who is blamed for the mismanaged Clinton campaign. TNR editor (and big pussy loser, JUST LIKE HOWARD WOLFSON) Franklin Foer says: "The Flack aims to pull back the curtain on the dark art of the political operative. As Howard dishes out his punditry, he'll try to explain how the likes of Axelrod and Schmidt might work through their calculations." Yes, he'll pull back the curtain and then spew patent nonsense about what we can all plainly see behind this curtain. Then he will cry and listen to The Mountain Goats. [The Flack/TNR]
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By PareeneComment by Aaron Altman: I'm afraid to ask where Mark Penn will pop up. 3 Responses | Other threads
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journalismism
Is The Press Turning On Obama?
John McCain made a pair of not-bad ads mocking the schoolgirlish moments of pundits talking about Barack Obama. Sure, it was hypocritical since McCain's no stranger to favorable press — he famously joked that reporters constituted his "base." Also politically dangerous for the same reason. But if he gets away with tweaking the Fourth Estate it's because he offers the kind of access other pols don't. This is why Jonathan Chait and Jacob Weisberg may not vote for him but still kind of admire the guy. Obama, however, is the anointed presidential hopeful (if he doesn't say so himself), and he clearly has more to lose if the media's infatuation with him ends. Gabriel Sherman of the New Republic has a good piece explaining how the bloom's already gone off the rose. Obama's press liaison Robert Gibbs is a dick, and his other handlers are prickly and micromanagerial. More »
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Comment by American Dreamer: If Obama really wants to be appreciated as the great compromiser he should pick McCain as his VP. It would... more » | Other threads
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clash of the titans
Literary Light Heavyweight Battle About to Commence
In a piece ostensibly about how terrible Damien Hirst is (breaking!), New Republic literary editor and noted crank Leon Wieseltier declares that there is no such thing as "rock bottom," that there is never a point at which things can't get worse, and offers as proof of this maxim the existence of Christopher Hitchens. Allow him to explain: More »
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By PareeneComment by raincoaster: @Sproing: Amen to that. I didn't even know Leon was still alive, but he is and he's still misunderstanding things completely,... more » | Other threads
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culture wars
'New Republic' Editor Takes Least Surprising Position Ever
New Republic literary editor Leon Wieseltier is unhappy that the New York Times printed an article about how sharia isn't so bad but they'd never print an article about how awesome the Torah is. We weren't crazy about the New York Times running that Styles piece about hipster farmers but you don't see us writing 1,000 words on it, Leon. [TNR]
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By PareeneComment by Hamud Ibn Hamud: Just a little clarification... Halacha, not Torah, is to Judaism what shariah is to Islam. more » | Other threads
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new york times
Rest of Media Shamed 'Times' Into Running McCain Story
The New Republic's story-of-the-story of the New York Times' story of how John McCain might've fucked lobbyist Vicki Iseman is up, and, as could probably be predicted, it's the story of Bill Keller being a total pussy and not letting his reporters go with all the awesome juicy stuff they were totally sure they had nailed down, provable or not. It's also the story of how now, basically, the standard for publication at the Times has slipped measurably closer to, say, ours.
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By PareeneComment by hercules q. einstein: She's lying about her age, right? She looks older than 40 to me, especially in other photos I've seen. more » | Other threads
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the internets
Lee Siegel: The Internets Is Ruining Us All
Writer and "cultural critic" Lee Siegel went on the Daily Show to promote his "I hates teh Internets" book, Against the Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob. Lee is also known for the little anonymous-commenting stunt he pulled on his own essays for the New Republic. He thinks we are just spending way too much time on these infernal machines, and we don't really even know who we're "chatting with!" More »
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By SheilaComment by ShoplifterOfTheWorld: @olafhumbert: You check back? I have to concur. Perhaps the internet is to blame for clever meta-writing a la Juno,... more » | Other threads
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fabulists
We Had No Idea War Zones Could Mess With The Memoirist's Mind
Tinker, tailor, soldier, fabulist alert! The credibility of A Long Way Gone, the bestselling Farrar, Strauss and Giroux memoir from child soldier Ishmael Beah has been called into question by an Australian couple. It seems Beah may have spent a mere three months—not two years—kidnapped, drugged, running for his life, and watching his friends and entire family be raped and hacked to death. The outrage! Listen here, Ishmael, there will be no getting mixed up, we don't care how much brown-brown they made you take or how heavy your AK-47 was. Our rules about memoirs are very serious. More » -
books
Bloggers Rewrite History, Says Writer Who Wrote Own Reviews
Much like bloggers, Stalin "rewrote history, made anonymous accusations, hired and elevated hacks and phonies, ruined reputations at will, and airbrushed suddenly unwanted associates out of documents and photographs," explains New Republic editor Lee Siegel. And that's only one choice bit from the Times' review of his book, Against the Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob. For his part, Siegel refers to his praiseful anono-commenting on his very own essays as "my rollicking misadventures in the online world." Now that's re-writing history! (Click for the work of Siegel's former anonymous avatar, "Sprezzatura.") More »
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By SheilaComment by Carol Gardens: PS 29 Salon 2008 Literary Series Presents: Critic Lee Siegel A Benefit for PS 29! Friday, January 25, 2008 7:00 PM to 8:30... more » | Other threads
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internets
Are We Having Fun Yet? Lee Siegel and the Internets
"There needs to be a [late, influential New Yorker film critic] Pauline Kael of the Internet. People need to write critically about this thing," says New Republic editor Lee Siegel. (As you might remember, he was once suspended for a little stunt where he commented anonymously on his own essays, via the Internet). He's basically unimpressed by the entire Web and wrote a book, Against the Machine, on this topic. "What the Internet's doing is professionalizing everyone's amateuristic impulses. Everybody wants to jump into the big time and be recognized ... they're not taking the time to just have fun." Is this true? Discuss! Also, if anybody would like to apply for the new position of "Pauline Kael of the Internet," please send your resume our way! [NY Mag]
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By SheilaComment by EncephelanetRepairHelperGuy: Where the hell is the theatre? more » | Other threads
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portfolio
What's up with Gabe Sherman?
When Portfolio lost Gabe Sherman to the New Republic, the troubled Conde Nast business magazine claimed the young reporter would remain as a contributing editor. (At this point, is anybody not a contributing editor to Joanne Lipman's free-spending title?) Portfolio, which has lost a slew of writers despite lavish contracts, seemed to save face, at a price. Which would make it embarrassing if, as we're hearing, Portfolio's golden boy hadn't in fact come to terms. Some magazines are so toxic that they can't even pay people to do nothing. Hear anything?
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By Nick DentonComment by Conbon: @Nick Denton: Only if the article was titled "Why TNR Is The Bestest Magazine Ever and Every Other Periodical, Especially... more » | Other threads
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new republic pagecount watch
The current issue of the New Republic clocks in at a trim 56 pages. Hmm.
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helpful critters
You Are Not As Helpful As These Commenters
Some commenters are just so gosh-darn helpful in relaying the kind of information that we absolutely need to know to, as they say, move the story forward, that they deserve an award: the Helpful Critter award. Oh, and while we're at it, we've decided to execute people whose comments this week make them decidedly Unhelpful Critters. Go back from whence you came! More »
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Comment by brian griffin: Has it really been a week since the first one of these? I don't feel like I've been to work... more » | Other threads
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dept. of clarifications
In our item yesterday about the New Republic's sad number of ads in its latest issue, we overlooked the fact that last month the magazine hired former National Journal Corporate Advertising Director Sarah Kuhn, and a couple weeks ago hired former National Journal Advertising Director Holly Maine to beef up ad pages. Neither has started yet, but they've got their work cut out for them when they do. We'll be watching!
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Comment by Ed: Perhaps some "Sell GRIT," Sea Monkey and Charles Atlas ads are just what the New Republic needs. They certainly once... more » | Other threads
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shattered ass
'New Republic' Full Of Pugnacity, Mendacity
Leonine New Republic literary editor Leon Wieseltier comments on the New Yorker in the wake of that publication's hiring of TNR book critic James Wood: "It would be hard to comment on the difference between The New Republic's audience and The New Yorker's audience without sounding vain and snobbish. The pieces we publish, they're more argumentative. They're more agitated and more agitating. They make more fights. They're more scholarly. We allow a touch of wildness." Also a touch of bullshit! More »
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By abalkComment by TimeWarnerRhymeAnaheim: Oh there goes the neighborhood! You remember what happened the last time they let a British fop work there. Well... more » | Other threads
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'tnr' exodus continues
James Wood, literary critic for The New Republic since 1995, follows recent TNR evacuee Ryan Lizza over to the New Yorker. [NYT]
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By abalkComment by Mike Barthel: ...which is only compounded by the fact that I recently read Benjamin Kunkel. Stop it, New Yorker! more » | Other threads
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explanations
We understand that the "dark week" at the New Republic was "long-planned," and in any case, "it's not so dark," since half the office is there. (So again, we wonder: paid or unpaid?) But there might be a very compelling reason for the involuntary vacation: Editor "Frank Foer is expecting child at any moment," a source tells us. Aw! How cute! Paternity leave! Uncle Jonathan Safran!
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Comment by TheBigDoggy: When the Daddy Warbucks behind TNR figures out no one misses it during the third dark week, perhaps he'll decide... more » | Other threads
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euphemisms
Why Is The 'New Republic' Going Dark?
A meandering, unsigned note in this week's New Republic informs readers that the magazine is going on vacation, and that the magazine will be published three weeks from now, instead of the "customary two." Err, okay! This raises a few questions for us, some of which are related to the fact that this week's issue is a scarily thin 48 pages. More »
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Comment by Sid: Looks like they ran out of things to write about. Or maybe blogs like this are putting them out of... more » | Other threads
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mysteries solved
'TNR' Blogger Reveals Himself, But 'Weekly Standard' Not Impressed
Today, the New Republic's Iraq soldier-blogger revealed his true identity—he's Private Scott Thomas Beauchamp, of the Alpha Company, 1/18 Infantry, Second Brigade Combat Team, First Infantry Division. (Questions had been raised as to whether the blogger was actually a soldier, and also whether the gruesome events he described were true.) So that's a huge relief for 'TNR' editor Frank Foer and his new online editor Ben Wasserstein, we're sure! But the Weekly Standard, those fun-loving conservative bastards, aren't letting TNR off the hook quite yet. More »
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Comment by strangebrew: @mediahoho I'm sure you are referring to how what the Swiftboaters said about Kerry was never disproven and now the left... more » | Other threads
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you couldn't make it up
Is 'The New Republic' Lying About More Than Pagecount?
Does the New Republic have another fabulist on staff? Editors at The Weekly Standard—who, as full-time administration supporters, know from b.s. military dispatches—claim that the magazine's 'Baghdad Diarist' (allegedly an American soldier in Iraq) is a fraud. TNR editor Franklin Foer has launched an investigation—how could he not, what with all the stories Stephen Glass made up for the magazine in the '90s—but is generally supportive of the diarist, noting helpfully that he's pretty sure that the guy is at least a soldier. Maybe the investigation can run in the book and bulk it up those 80 pages they promised but never delivered. More » -
magazine death watch
This week's New Republic is 56 pages. Holding steady!
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washington
The New Yorker picks up New Republic senior editor Ryan Lizza as its Washington correspondent, replacing Jeffrey Goldberg, who went to the Atlantic. Meanwhile, New York associate editor Ben Wasserstein (son of NYM owner Bruce) will head to the New Republic as its online editor. (Confidential to Ben: Please put an end to those painful Frank Foer videos. Thanks!) [WWD] -
smart people explain tv for you
'The Sopranos' Finale Was An Ongoing Work Of Staggering Suchness
New Republic resident intellectual (and former guest star) Leon Wieseltier offers a kaddish for "The Sopranos."Carmela is right to aspire to more and better love, even if Madame Bovary is a lovely thing to have in a den. Don't stop believing. It is true that every trust that Chase depicts is drawn into the Soprano corruption—cops, therapists, priests, doctors, lawyers, officials, teachers, writers, and above all wives—but corruption, too, interests him as a human expression. Chase never relieves his people of their responsibility for all this physical and emotional violence: even as he inquires into the experience of depression, he laughs at the alibis of psychology. And in the end he wisely insists upon the invincible on-goingness, the eternal suchness, of the life that was chosen. The door of the diner opens and closes, opens and closes, admitting joy or danger
Uh, yeah, that's what we were trying to get at before, the "eternal suchness" and the "invincible on-goingness." Sorry we were so biguous. More »
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By abalkComment by grandenchilada: I thought he meant the eternal suckiness of that fucking cheap ending from hell. more » | Other threads
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at last a magazine that speaks to us
The New 'New Republic': Fewer Pages, More "Cum Blankets"!
When Marty Peretz announced that the beleaguered New Republic was going "fortnightly," he promised that even though there would be fewer issues, the magazine's new publishing schedule would allow for "deeper writing on truly significant matters. Again, on politics, with penetrating thinking in very literate prose. Domestic affairs and foreign relations, confronting the deep breaches in our own society. Culture is not a step-child." How's that working out? More » -
numbers game
Who's Afraid Of The Ad Department?
Until now, figurehead-publisher Martin Peretz's promise to TNR readers that each new redesigned issue would be 80 pages, instead of 40, has gone unfulfilled. It was with a hardened heart that we read his latest e-mail missive to subscribers, for it seems that in the latest issue of the magazine is an article about "Islamicist" thinker Tariq Ramadan. Peretz calls the article "erudite and vivid, a model of the history of contemporary ideas." He also writes, "People will be arguing about it for a very long time." Who can argue with that? The article is 28,000 words long—and still this week's issue is only 68 pages! Oops. Perhaps some of that redesign money would've been better spent on a new sales team? More » -
the unsexy magazine industry
The 'New Republic' Fattens Up!
Great news! This week's New Republic is a healthier 68 pages! Not quite the 80 per issue that we were promised, but we're getting there! Slowly! Keep it up, troupers! One thing: Running this home video of editor Franklin Foer walking us through the new issue didn't feel to us like it exactly helped their cause. Unless their cause was sending us off for a nap. More »
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Comment by Trackback: Last night, Stanford University put together a panel to discuss what the future holds for the newspaper industry. Let's... more » | Other threads
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poor magazines
The Incredible Shrinking 'New Republic'
In March, New Republic Editor-in-Chief and former owner Martin Peretz told subscribers that the weekly magazine's shift to a bi-weekly publication schedule might mean fewer issues, but it would not mean fewer pages! The magazine would now be 80 pages, instead of 40, and would come out half as often. So readers would be receiving the same number of pages per year, just divided among fewer issues. This was immediately shown to be not at all true, and has become even less true as time has gone on. More »
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Comment by TourPro: How does this impact their circulation numbers? Will it be cut in half? more » | Other threads
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new republic
Marty Peretz Breaks His Promises
Hey! Remember a few weeks ago, when New Republic editor-in-chief Marty Peretz and his henchman Frank Foer made a big deal about the magazine's redesign, and how subscribers would be getting half as many issues, but they'd be twice as long? In fact, we believe he actually pinpointed how many pages the magazine would be: 80, instead of 40. This was supposed to assuage angry subscribers who had paid for 44 issues, but would now only get 24. (Math!) Anyway, imagine our surprise when we opened up the latest issue to find only 64 pages! (And that includes the Spring Books section!) Does this mean they're planning on doing 36 issues per year? We demand answers. Are things not going well under the new CanWest full-ownership scheme? More »
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Comment by secondbestbest: Maybe TNR wants to be a little magazine. Then it can be super-intellectual, relevant and sexy! more » | Other threads
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new republic
'New Republic' Redesign Hotline Not Up To Snuff
We just got our hands on a copy of the new, redesigned, so pretty New Republic (being traditionalists, we prefer to wait until it arrives in the mail days after it comes out)! You've probably seen it— it's the one with the 9th grade art class painting of Barack Obama on the cover. Anyway, there's a nice little note from the editors about the redesign, about the new, thicker magazine, the better quality paper (shiny!), the original art (see above), and the photography (floating heads of David Sedaris!). There's also a number you can call for "human interaction" about the redesign, so we decided to give them a ring. We hoped that Frank or even Marty himself would answer! More »
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Comment by raincoaster: Every cover is lovingly mouth-painted by an Israel/Lebanon war amputee. Obviously the new Canuckistani ownership hasn't established themselves there, or your... more » | Other threads
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new republic
'Detested' Marty Peretz's 'TNR' Hard Sell
New Republic email list subscribers received a communiqu from erstwhile Editor-in-Chief (but no longer owner!) Martin Peretz, Mr. Blogsy McBlogsalot himself, this afternoon, informing them of the mag's new publication schedule and thickness (80 pages instead of 40, blah blah blah). All this, and more, can be yours for a mere $9.97 per year, which—even to our non-print-media eyes—seems rather, shall we say, cheap. Also, he says that "this week is a week of interregnum for The New Republic," which seems like a bit of an overstatement, even for a notorious malapropist. More »
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Comment by yellojkt: $9.97 is a bargain. I haven't read TNR since back when Kinsley, Krauthammer, and Kondracke were making neo-con noises. more » | Other threads
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remainders
Remainders: Gucci Knockoff
- This guy made a fake Gucci ad using himself as the model, and a Swiss weekly ran it. The bill went to Gucci. Now he's M.I.A. [BoingBoing] More »
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Comment by raincoaster: To get hired by media outlets you can also start a blog making fun of them, or so I hear. more » | Other threads
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new republic
'TNR' Hopes Fatter Ass Will Compensate For Fewer Issues
As we mentioned on Friday, The New Republic, the nation's leading provider of pro-Israel diatribes and grudging apologies for fiercely supporting the war in Iraq will be switching to a twice-per-month publishing schedule (which will still wind up in your mailbox two weeks late). Okay, we're excited: new frequency, bigger issues, etc.! Woo hoo! Can you tell us what's not changing for subscribers? Well, not the subscription price. ("Because we value your readership, your current subscription price will not change due to the magazine's recent improvements.") Anything else? More » -
remainders
Remainders: 'Anything But Love'
- Looking for gainful employment? Serve beer to drunken grups on Smith Street this summer! [Eater] More »
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Comment by EugenieRose: Memo to "Jane" : $50 is barely enough to buy a mid-range new bra. If you want to take a... more » | Other threads
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media bubble
Media Bubble: The New New 'New Republic'
• The New Republic has its first "bloodless transition" of editors in many years, as nebbishy-novelist-brother Franklin Foer takes over for incumbent Peter Beinart, on whose watch the magazine lost 40 percent of its circ. [NYT/NYO] More » -
stephen glass
Stephen Glass' new novel
Stephen Glass, who "was fired from The New Republic five years ago for fabricating details in 27 stories," has written a roman-a-clef. About himself. (Proving thereby that one can do any number of dispicable things and still revive their career with 350 pages of the gory details.) Neal Pollack points out that he, too, has written a roman-a-clef about his days at The New Republic. An excerpt: More »
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1-39 of 39 for "New Republic"
