If he had a sense of decency, he'd at least get rid of Peretz.
"But, frankly, Muslim life is cheap, most notably to Muslims. And among those Muslims led by the Imam Rauf there is hardly one who has raised a fuss about the routine and random bloodshed that defines their brotherhood. So, yes, I wonder whether I need honor these people and pretend that they are worthy of the privileges of the First Amendment which I have in my gut the sense that they will abuse."
Peretz is a secular Zionist and passionate advocate for Israel's right to defend itself who at the same time strongly opposes Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria.
This combination of views is increasingly rare and that's a real shame, because without prominent people advocating them, defending Israel and defending the settlers are going to reflexively come together as a package.
One can defend Israel without resorting to barbarism. Peretz appears to have a difficult time doing so.
My overall point is if Mr. Hughes wants to engender good vibes about his new purchase, perhaps he should get rid of its biggest bad vibe generator.
But are you sure the 'bad vibes' around Peretz are due solely to his racism? I figured he'd run TNR into the ground, and I knew he was disliked, but I figured it was solely because the audience for left-wing domestic policy + right-wing foreign policy has been steadily evaporating. I suspected most of his audience had picked a 'side' and jumped for The Nation or something like Commentary, depending on their preferences.
In any case, I have to admit I don't see TNR's reason for being post-Peretz. It'll be interesting to see what Hughes does with it.
I'm unsure. But it certainly can't help. Peretz was condemned by Harvard's undergrads back in 2010.