Did You Know...

Last September, New Republic editor Franklin Foer ducked under his desk when I came to visit his office seeking comment on the Scott Thomas Beauchamp debacle. He then refused a follow-up request by e-mail to schedule an appointment for an interview about the matter.

Now, TNR can’t stop pestering me with e-mail from publicists pimping their latest articles. Check ‘em out:

date Wed, Mar 12, 2008 at 3:23 PM
subject From The New Republic

Hi Michelle,

Sean Wilentz, who has previously written about Obama playing the “race-baiter card”, extended this argument to Orlando Patterson’s recent op-ed in The New York Times, in which Patterson described Hillary Clinton’s “3 a.m.” commercial as racist. Patterson responded on TNR.com today. “Sean Wilentz makes no attempt to respond to the points raised in my article beyond his huffing that it is biased. He merely repeats his earlier, quite absurd inversion of the course of events leading up to, and responsibility for, the injection of race in the campaign.” You can check out their dialogue here. This debate between two passionate public intellectuals mirrors a lot of the discussion among Clinton and Obama supporters. It’s been causing an outpouring of opinion from our readers; I think you and your readers would find it interesting as well.

Please don’t hesitate to call or write me an email if you have any questions, and here’s that link once again:

link

Thanks,
Cara Parks

The New Republic, LLC
Phone: (202) 508 4455
Email: cparks@tnr.com

***

date Thu, Mar 6, 2008 at 1:53 PM
subject From The New Republic

Dear Michelle,

My name is Cara Parks and I work for The New Republic. Today we are running a piece on Lamar Alexander’s transition from presidential hopeful to elder statesman. You can read the piece here. The article examines his attempts to unite opposing factions in the Senate while exploring the misunderstandings that divide them, noting, “The battle between the conservatives and the moderates in the Senate is a fundamental one over how to understand their 2006 electoral demise: Did it happen because they sold out the values of the base, or because they ignored moderates on Iraq?” It’s a great insider’s look at the Senate, and I think your readers would find it interesting.

Thanks very much, and if you have any questions, please feel free to email me or give me a call. Here’s the link once again:

link

Best wishes,
Cara Parks

The New Republic, LLC
Phone: (202) 508-4455
Email: cparks@tnr.com
***

date Thu, Feb 21, 2008 at 1:13 PM
subject TNR Exclusive: The Story Behind the ‘New York Times’ McCain Bombshell

Hello,

The New Republic just posted an article by TNR special correspondent Gabriel Sherman that tracks the behind-the-scenes drama at the ‘New York Times’ over the paper’s controversial story about John McCain and lobbyist Vicki Iseman. The publication of the article capped three months of intense internal deliberations at the Times over whether to publish the negative piece and its most explosive charge about the affair. It pitted the reporters investigating the story, who believed they had nailed it, against executive editor Bill Keller, who believe they hadn’t. It likely cost the paper one investigative reporter, who decided to leave in frustration. And the Times ended up publishing a piece in which the institutional tensions about just what the story should be are palpable.

Here’s the link to the full story: link

Please let me know if I can help you with anything else.

Best,
Cara Parks

***

date Mon, Feb 4, 2008 at 2:38 PM
subject Clinton Donor Article from The New Republic

Hi Michelle,

My name is Cara Parks and I work at The New Republic. Today we are running a lengthy story on the Clintons’ sleaziest donors. You can check out the piece here. Obama has Rezko; the Clintons have, well, a lot more people. Some of them you might have forgotten – Ng Lap Seng, the Macau hotel owner (“known as much for its prostitutes working the lobby as for its floor show of whip-wielding, leather-clad dancers upstairs”)? Peter Paul, who tried to swindle Fidel Castro in the ‘70s and used to be Fabio’s manager? IPA, an allegedly sexual-harassment-filled firm in Illinois – two ex-employees told their stories on Oprah — that’s given over $100,000 to Hillary’s campaigns since 2000? And unlike other politicians who’ve returned IPA’s donations, she has not.

There’s a ton of fascinating stuff in there, and I think your readers will really enjoy it. Here’s the URL again: link

Thanks,
Cara Parks

The New Republic, LLC
e-mail: cparks@tnr.com
phone: 202-508-4455

All together now: SOL.*

(*Snorting out loud.)