New Republic Faces Fallout Over ‘Inappropriate And Invasive’ Buttigieg Column

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JULY 07: Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks on stage at 2019 ESSENCE Festival Presented By Coca-Cola at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on July 07, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Paras... NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JULY 07: Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks on stage at 2019 ESSENCE Festival Presented By Coca-Cola at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on July 07, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE) MORE LESS
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At least one sponsor has cut ties with the New Republic after the magazine published and then quickly removed and apologized for a column about 2020 candidate Pete Buttigieg’s sexuality. 

The League of Conservation Voters cut ties with a climate change event that’s co-hosted by the New Republic after the article was published.

“The offensive piece by this author, and the choice to run it, are inconsistent with our values and LCV is withdrawing our participation in the presidential primary candidate climate forum previously announced in New York City on September 23,” the group’s President Gene Karpinski said in a statement. “We will remain focused on the important work of elevating the climate crisis in this election and encouraging all the candidates to be prioritizing solutions.”

LCV is a prominent environmental group that was signed up to help co-host a discussion about climate change at the forum, according to CNN Business.

It appears the entire event has been cancelled, according to New Republic climate reporter Emily Atkin, who tweeted she was “devastated” by the cancellation triggered by “a couple of dudes’ bad decisions.”

TNR has come under considerable fire for the supposed satire that referred to Buttigieg as “Mary Pete” and made highly speculative and unsubstantiated remarks about his sexual activity. The column was replaced by an editor’s note on the website, apologizing for the “inappropriate and invasive” article.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify the original TNR piece’s wild claims about Buttigieg’s sexual activity.

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  1. The left-leaning magazine

    ??

  2. I missed the part about Pete’s “promiscuity” - the only sexual behavior described in that trash was in the imagination of the author. This little news item is slipping more misinformation into the bloodstream. And given that gay men are often viewed as promiscuous, it’s upholding a stereotype.

  3. That was true back in the 50s when Henry Wallace edited it. Back then The New Republic was the only mainstream magazine to attack McCarthy right from the start. But then it took a more moderating tone into the 70s and became a neocon organ in the 80s by defending the Contras and pushing The Bell Curve crap. Oh and don’t forget when Andy Sullivan and Michael Kelly took it over and endlessly trashed Hillary’s health care proposal. Oh they looked the other way when Steven Glass published his lies.

    Which is why I refer to that rag as The New Republican.

  4. Talking Points Memo states that the article on The New Republic “remarked on Buttigieg’s sexual promiscuity.” This is inaccurate and should be corrected immediately. The New Republic article hypothesized at length about Buttigieg being promiscuous in an offensive and homophobic manner. There is no public record of Buttigieg engaging in the promiscuous behavior described in that article. Talking Points Memo is misinforming its readers by using the phrase “Buttigieg’s sexual promiscuity” as though it’s an established fact.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

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