ON THE ROAD: I'll be leaving early Wednesday morning on a business trip to upstate New York, so Wednesday's columns will be late. Hopefully I can at least evaluate columns on a delayed schedule for the rest of the week. In the meantime, check out Dean Esmay on partisanship.
A SMALL RASPBERRY SAMPLE: An examination of the partisanship rankings this early in the year plainly illustrates the effect of small sample size. Because of only a few consecutive Democratic-leaning columns, Washington Post columnist William Raspberry has moved into the Top Ten, even though he is clearly one of the least partisan pundits. Mr. Raspberry had only the 27th highest partisan score out of 33 columnists in 2003, and was 26th of 37 in 2002. He'll soon drop off this year's list, to be replaced by more reliably partisan colleagues.
Mr. Raspberry has long been one of my favorites, because he has always been willing to grapple honestly with difficult issues, addressing arguments on all sides without arrogance or vitriol. A couple of years ago I highlighted an excerpt from his commencement address here at NC State:
Yet we seldom take the effort to recruit allies from among those who hold views different from our own. Conservatives are (to liberals) people who don't care about minorities, or women, or "the little people," not decent men and women who have a different view of what works. Liberals are (to conservatives) people who want only to tax and spend the country into bankruptcy, not thoughtful men and women who want America to work for everyone. Each sees the other as enemy.Surprisingly often, I have discovered, a focus on the problem, rather than on political enemies, could disclose common interests and lead to innovative solutions.
| Author/ Affiliation |
Title/ Date |
words | PI | Partisan References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OJ On the Editorial Page WSJ OpinionJournal |
Abdul Qadeer Khan 17 February 2004 |
850 | 100 | 1R- PARIS--We observed: administration |
| Brendan Miniter WSJ OpinionJournal |
What Bush learned from Lincoln. 17 February 2004 |
1246 | 91 | 1D-,9R+,1R= What Bush: Bush Terrorism is,: George W. Bush President Bush: President Bush, Bush, Bush Teaching civics,: President Bush, administration However, the: President Bush, Bush This election: John Kerry, Bush |
| Robert Scheer Creators Syndicate |
Old MacDonald had a judge ... 17 February 2004 |
822 | 85 | 1R+,12R- Quack, quack.: vice president Bizarre as: Vice President Dick Cheney But Scalia's: White House, Cheney "It did: Dick Cheney The case: Cheney, Cheney, the president This all: Cheney, GOP After all,: president "I'm surprised: vice president The Scalia-Cheney: Cheney |
| NYT Lead Editorial New York Times |
Distorting the Intelligence 17 February 2004 |
898 | 61 | 2D+,2R+,11R-,3R= The Senate: administration, the president In making: administration, administration Nuclear The president: The president, Bush, President Bush, the president Biological The National: President Bush Aerial Attacks Some: Vice President Dick Cheney, Trent Lott, Republican, Cheney, Bill Nelson, Democrat, Cheney The common: Bush administration, administration |
| Paul Krugman New York Times |
The Health of Nations 17 February 2004 |
821 | 60 | 1D+,1D-,3R- The Economic: Democrats According to: the president But the: administration I'll talk: administration, Democrat |
| Thomas Oliphant Boston Globe |
Kerry, Edwards win on their ideas 17 February 2004 |
966 | 58 | 13D+,2D-,3D=,1R= Kerry, Edwards: Kerry, Edwards WASHINGTON IT: Democrats, Democrats, John Kerry, John Edwards Each had: President Bush For Kerry: Kerry, Edwards As the: Kerry, Edwards As the: Democrats, Joe Lieberman, Howard Dean, Dick Gephardt Among other: Edwards, Edwards Kerry's special: Kerry So-called catastrophic: Kerry |
| Molly Ivins Creators Syndicate |
And they're off! 17 February 2004 |
994 | 57 | 14D+,4D-,2D=,7R-,3R= My favorite: Democratic, the President, RNC, Ed Gillespie, Democrats In the: John Kerry, Kerry, Democratic Happily for: Kerry, Republicans, President Bush, John Kerry, Bush, Kerry In another: Al Sharpton, Republican, Sharpton, Sharpton Stone has: Republican, Sharpton, Republicans But for: Max Cleland, Bush administration, Cleland, Cleland He also: Cleland As for: Cleland, Cleland, Cleland How lucky: Cleland |
| E. J. Dionne Jr. Washington Post |
Kerry's Primary Education 17 February 2004 |
1030 | 49 | 19D+,4D-,13D=,11R-,6R= Kerry's Primary: Kerry MILWAUKEE --: Democrats, Bush Face it,: Democrats, Howard Dean, John Kerry, John Edwards Kerry ran: Kerry, Edwards, Dean, Edwards, Dean, Kerry, Dean Then the: Democrats, George W. Bush, Kerry, Kerry, Kerry But if: Bush Some of: Bush, Bush, administration, Bush, Republicans And then: the president, Democrats, Kerry In the: Bush, Democrats, Democrats, administration, White House, Bush, Bush The political: Bush, Democrats, Jim Doyle, Democratic, Democratic, Doyle, the president, Republicans, Democratic Also, count: Democrats, Edwards, Edwards Kerry wants: Kerry, Kerry, Kerry In Sunday's: Kerry, Edwards Kerry needs: Kerry |
| Richard Cohen Washington Post |
Bush's War Against Nuance 17 February 2004 |
937 | 48 | 2D-,1D=,13R-,7R= Bush's War: Bush To satisfy: Joseph R. Biden, George Bush, the president, the president At one: Clintonian No one: Bush administration, the president, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell But a: Bush After Bush's: Bush, Wes Clark, Bush Others lamented: Bush, Bush Bush, though,: Bush There is: the president, Bush "He had: the president The president: The president, Bush |
| WP Lead Editorial Washington Post |
Pricing Drugs 17 February 2004 |
687 | 33 | 1D+,2D= WITH THE: Nancy Pelosi, Thomas A. Daschle Nevertheless, before: John Breaux |
| Cal Thomas Tribune Media Services |
The National Guard (again) 17 February 2004 |
843 | 16 | 3D+,3D-,7D=,4R+,8R= Didn't we: Dan Quayle, George H.W. Bush, Quayle, Quayle, Quayle Many of: President Bush, Quayle Could we: John Kerry, Ted Kennedy, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Walter Mondale, George McGovern, Charles Rangel, Barney Frank, Al Gore Would this: Democrats, Bill Clinton, President Bush, President Bush, Clinton President Bush: President Bush, Franklin D. Roosevelt This isn't: administration This is: Bush, John Kerry |
| David Brooks New York Times |
The Party of Kennedy, or Carter? 17 February 2004 |
930 | 15 | 14D+,14D-,6D=,6R+,1R= The Party: Kennedy, Carter Between 1940: Democratic Party, George Bush, John Kerry The Democrats: Democrats, Harry Truman, John Kennedy Their confidence: Scoop Jackson, Democrats, Republicans But most: Democrats, John Kerry These Democrats: Democrats Hence Democratic: Democratic, Democrats, Jimmy Carter These liberals: Democrats, Ronald Reagan, Jeane Kirkpatrick, Reaganites, Truman, Kennedy, Democratic, Kerry, Reagan Most Americans: Reagan, Democrats But the: Democrats, Democrats, Democrats Now, in: Democratic Party, Truman, Kennedy If you: Democratic, Democratic, Jimmy Carter And if: John Kerry If Kerry: Kerry, Truman, Kennedy |
| Thomas Sowell Creators Syndicate |
The equality dogma 17 February 2004 |
745 | 0 | |
| David Ignatius Inactive |
The Right Tools To Fight Terror 17 February 2004 |
873 | |