What the ever loving f***? (Homophobic New Republic Article)

[dsc]

The New Republic literally ran a story that contained this along with other paragraphs.

https://newrepublic.com/article/154457/mayor-pete-problem?fbclid=IwAR3eYBQ_iSWAwdG1554SbfwZ5Wm0ZsphtBhXJCFOaDH7RD3D6Vz8b0aSZs8

All this makes Mary Pete different from every other left-leaning neoliberal in exactly zero ways. Because let’s face it. The only thing that distinguishes the mayor of South Bend from all those other well-educated reasonably intelligent white dudes who wanna be president is what he does with his dick (and possibly his ass, although I get a definite top-by-default vibe from him, which is to say that I bet he thinks about getting fucked but he’s too uptight to do it). So let’s dish the dish, homos. You know and I know that Mary Pete is a gay teenager. He’s a fifteen-year-old boy in a Chicago bus station wondering if it’s a good idea to go home with a fifty-year-old man so that he’ll finally understand what he is. He’s been out for, what, all of four years, and if I understand the narrative, he married the first guy he dated. And we all know what happens when gay people don’t get a real adolescence because they spent theirs in the closet: they go through it after they come out. And because they’re adults with their own incomes and no parents to rein them in they do it on steroids (often literally). If Shortest Way Home (I mean really, can you think of a more treacly title?) makes one thing clear, Mary Pete was never a teenager. But you can’t run away from that forever. Either it comes out or it eats you up inside. It can be fun, it can be messy, it can be tragic, it can be progenitive, transformative, ecstatic, or banal, but the last thing I want in the White House is a gay man staring down 40 who suddenly realizes he didn’t get to have all the fun his straight peers did when they were teenagers. I’m not saying I don’t want him to shave his chest or do Molly or try being the lucky Pierre (the timing’s trickier than it looks, but it can be fun when you work it out). These are rites of passage for a lot of gay men, and it fuels many aspects of gay culture. But like I said, I don’t want it in the White House. I want a man whose mind is on his job, not what could have been—or what he thinks he can still get away with.

end of quote

I am simply amazed they thought this was OK. Just imagine for a second them doing this to any other minority candidate.

[elleng]

1. Heard about this from John Aravosis,

who is very angry about it.

[LisaM]

2. Doesn't it seem like almost nothing is edited anymore?

I think back to the glory days of great editing with a lot of longing. And it's not okay. It's bad enough that it was published, but who writes that in the first place? And why would a magazine like the New Republic even consider printing it?

[dsc]

5. I am just flabbergasted

[WhiskeyGrinder]

3. Dale Peck? Now there's a name I haven't heard in a long, long time.

[LisaM]

11. And he "thinks" his friend's last name was "Cox".

I wasn't sure it wasn't a satire piece for a minute.

[TexasTowelie]

16. I knew someone with that surname.

Her first name was Mary. The trash talkers always said that she had sister named Minnie.

[AncientGeezer]

4. That was a horrific read...screw you Dale Peck and your hatred

[brush]

6. This kind of stuff is infuriating and thankfully has been mostly off limits in our party.

In a general election it won't be though. The repugs will get dirty.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

9. The New Republic is a "liberal" magazine.

[ancianita]

12. Yeah no. It was founded as such in 1914, but has become a conservative rag. All its good writers

gone.

Its readership is half what it was 10 years ago, down to around 53,000.

So fuck this rag.

[hlthe2b]

13. It was sold in 2016.

[brush]

20. I know. I did say "mostly" off limits.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

24. They must really disliike neo-liberals whom they believe Mayor Pete is one.

I find the whole labeling thing reductionist.

[SidDithers]

7. Yeah, saw this on the Twitter...

WTF indeed.

Sid

[greatauntoftriplets]

8. That's plain vile.

What's wrong with the writer?

[Glorfindel]

30. I have met several embittered old "queens" like that writer

They loathe themselves and everyone else. This writer is seething and churning with jealousy of Mr. Buttigieg's youth and talent, both of which are blindingly evident, and his achievements, which the writer sorely lacks.

[LuvNewcastle]

43. I think he snorted some bath salts before he wrote that article.

Anyone who knows this asshole should shun him. He's a vile piece of trash.

[yardwork]

55. That is a widely shared assessment, from what I've read.

[Princetonian]

10. Absolutely disgusting.

Who approved this garbage?

[SouthernProgressive]

14. Messed up.

Leaving it at that. Thank you for putting it front and center.

[CDerekGo]

15. Had to double check

the link more than once to see that this WAS NOT The Onion...

[madaboutharry]

17. It is horrible, but one thing we should all know is this:

Pete Buttigieg knows who he is and doesn't give a shit what some jerk writes about him. We can all follow Mayor Pete's lead on this because no doubt he will shrug it off.

[MineralMan]

18. Way, way over the top.

Email going out to the publisher.

[Farmer-Rick]

19. He's a hate writer

I read some of Peck...er's other articles and I wish I had gone blind before I read them. They were 2 reviews that eviserated the authors. I think this one is by far his most awful. I wish he would stop writing and getting published. He really is a bad writer. Like a better spoken Rush Limpballs with a homophobic twist.

[Indygram]

21. It's ugly and disgusting and sadly, this kind of despicable and vile hatred

would motivate even more right wing religious whack jobs to vote for Trump. While good, decent, normal Americans may be ready for a gay president and would support and vote for Buttigieg...if he is the nominee it will also cause usually dormant hate mongers that don't vote to rise up in support of Trump.

[jberryhill]

22. More about the author...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dale_Peck

Dale Peck (born 1967) is an American novelist, critic, and columnist. His 2009 novel, Sprout, won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Children's/Young Adult literature, and was a finalist for the Stonewall Book Award in the Children's and Young Adult Literature category.

...

[dsc]

23. the fact he writes books for gay youth fills me with horror

[LuvNewcastle]

44. Sleazy old chicken hawk

[mcar]

25. WTF?

[dsc]

26. they answered someone on Twitter claiming it was satire that was over the top

To say I don't see satire here is an understatement. If Falwell Jr. wrote this, the screams from gay would be heard on Mars.

[MustLoveBeagles]

36. I'm not seeing the satire in this either

I think they're just covering their asses. That article is offensive in every way.

[Raven123]

27. Astonishing, but had to read the last line of the quote twice, because it described Trump perfectly.

[cwydro]

28. "I want a man whose mind is on his job"

Has this person paid attention to some of our straight presidents???

Lmao.

[Demsrule86]

29. That is a vile and disgusting article...

horrible

[JI7]

31. WTF is that ? i can't even finish reading the whole thing

[mcar]

32. It was satire, they say

Link to tweet

?s=19


Brian Stelter
✔
@brianstelter
TNR's response to my request for comment: "The New Republic recognizes that this post crossed a line, and while it was largely intended as satire, it was inappropriate and invasive," Chris Lehmann says

Link to tweet

…

[yardwork]

53. The typical excuse of a bigot. "I was joking! Can't you take a joke?!"

We've all heard it. Confronted for saying something racist, homophobic, anti-Semitic, misogynistic - always the same excuse. "Can't you take a joke?! What's wrong with you??!!!"

Makes no difference if the writer claims to be gay himself. There's plenty of parallel violence in the world.

[mcar]

54. Well said

[MustLoveBeagles]

33. Thank you for bringing this "article" to our attention

I can't believe this garbage was even published. What a disgusting hit piece against Mayor Buttegieg. And what was with the photo at the top right? It makes him look like a predator.

[Honeycombe8]

34. The link didn't work for me. It just says, "OOPS." Looks like they took it down.

Who was the author? Was it a hack into the site maybe?

[dsc]

35. It worked when I posted it so I am wondering if it got taken down

[Honeycombe8]

37. Who was the author? Maybe it was a hack into the site.

I would think all their articles are cleared for publishing before published. Maybe it was a hack by a troll.

[dsc]

38. TNR responded to criticism of it by claiming it was satire

so it wasn't a hack. I think they just took it down.

[Glorfindel]

40. They took it down. Like locking the barn door after the horse has been stolen.

Editor’s Note
By THE NEW REPUBLIC
July 12, 2019
Dale Peck’s post “My Mayor Pete Problem” has been removed from the site, in response to criticism of the piece’s inappropriate and invasive content. We regret its publication.

[not_the_one]

41. you know the new attitude about publicity....

that there is no such thing as "bad" publicity.

If it gets attention, and "clicks", it does what it was intended to do.

[MustLoveBeagles]

39. I don't think it was a hack

Read posts 22 for author info and 32 for an excerpt of the hit piece.

[Politicub]

42. This is insane. It's written by a deeply homophobic person. Disgusting. n/t

[Celerity]

45. it got pulled for offensive content

[dsc]

46. actually he calls it inappropriate not offensive

and this isn't remotely good enough. TNR should be banned from all campaigns press rooms and no candidate should consent to an interview from them or any writer that is writing for them until an abject, total, and complete apology complete with firing of both the writer and the editor is forthcoming.

[MineralMan]

47. Here's the New Republic's Response:

Editor’s Note
By THE NEW REPUBLIC
July 12, 2019

Subscribe
Dale Peck’s post “My Mayor Pete Problem” has been removed from the site, in response to criticism of the piece’s inappropriate and invasive content. We regret its publication.

It's gone, and good riddance.

[dsc]

48. as I said above not even close to good enough

First, this wasn't inappropriate it was offensive and bigoted. Second, TNR should be banned from every campaigns pressers, no candidate should grant interviews to this magazine or its writers unless and until there is an abject apology for this coupled with the firing of both the writer and the editor.

[MineralMan]

49. The article was horrible.

The apology from New Republic is what it is. They pulled the article and now say they regret publishing it. That's about as far as any publication will go in such situations.

I don't read New Republic. Not very many people do. Even fewer will after this.

I doubt that the writer will ever see print in NR again. As for the editor, I have no idea what will happen to him or her.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

50. Since the catalyst for the attack was that Pete is accused of being a neo-liberal

Since the catalyst for the attack was that Pete is accused of being a neo-liberal who doesn't conform to the author's idea of how a gay person should act can someone answer my question:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287200156


Thank you in advance

[yardwork]

51. OMG. What in the world?

[highplainsdem]

52. What a bizarre, disgusting op-ed. It's good TNR took it down and semi-apologized, but

only complete failure of editorial judgment could explain it being published in the first place.