It’s easy to blame the book publishing industry for every known crime in the world. Heaven knows I’ve done it for years, but here’s the problem: Once you make an accusation, you better not be guilty of the same crime.
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Recently The New Republic lashed out against the book industry for being “addicted to the quick Trump fix.” Writer Alex Shephard said that publishers routinely exploit the insane charisma of Our Prez by pumping out White House tell-alls, which then become bestsellers.
May issue of The New Republic
Nothing new there, but let’s give editors at The New Republic credit. They’d never stoop so low, right?
Well, let’s take a look at the magazine’s May issue, which crops up in an ad for subscriptions farther down the page. Featured on the cover are four United States senators (Amy Klobuchar, Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand and Elizabeth Warren) under the headline, “WOMEN ON THE VERGE.”
I’m sure those words are meant to remind us of the 1988 movie, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. The story is about a “super-sexy (heroine who) is forever teetering around atop her skyscraper spikes as she obsesses over Iván, the lover who just jilted her over the answering machine!” So begins the description on Vudu.com. Other ditzy gal pals get crazier by the minute.
It’s a comedy, but, you know, dark.
Apparently The New Republic staff thought it humorous to make this “Women on the Verge” connection. The four female senators in the May cover may be serious contenders for president in 2020, but when it comes down to it, guys, they’re still women. Kamala looks a little loudmouthed, Elizabeth a bit totalitarian, Kristen about to get her period and Amy clearly tripping on her microdose. (more…)