lying in ponds
The absurdity of partisanship
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Cal Thomas
Tribune Media Services

Columns 32
Words 27571
Normalized Median Partisanship Index 16.81
Normalized Total Partisanship Index 20.58
Normalized Combined Partisanship Index 18.69
Democratic Index -39.25
Republican Index 2.67
Positive Index 22.35
Negative Index 47.40
Neutral Index 30.25



Partisan References

Type Number All References
Positive Democratic 44 Obama(8), Barack Obama(4), Kennedy(4), Clinton(3), President Kennedy(2), McCaskill(2), Democrats, Sam Nunn, Charles Robb, David Boren, Gary Hart, Boren, Democratic, Bob Beckel, Clinton administration, Kennedys, Bill Clinton, Ted, Caroline and Patrick Kennedy, Democratic Leadership Council, JFK, Caroline Kennedy, Democrat, Gary Ackerman, John F. Kennedy, David Plouffe, Plouffe, Hillary Clinton
Negative Democratic 159 Obama(32), Clinton(25), Democrats(19), the Clintons(10), Carter(9), Barack Obama(8), Democratic(8), Hillary Clinton(7), Bill Clinton(7), Spitzer(7), Jimmy Carter(6), Democratic Party(2), President Clinton, George McGovern, Joe Kennedy, Bill, Hillary, Lyndon Johnson, Kennedy, Edward Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, Russ Feingold, Clinton White House, The Clintons, White House, former president, Bruce Lindsey, Eliot Spitzer, Barack, House Democratic, Dems
Neutral Democratic 90Obama(23), Clinton(10), Barack Obama(9), Democratic(9), Democrats(7), Hillary Clinton(6), Democrat(2), Bill Clinton(2), John F. Kennedy(2), Kennedy(2), Bob Casey(2), Al Sharpton, JFK, the Kennedys, Caroline Kennedy, The Clintons, the Clintons, Dan Rostenkowski, Clintons, Andre Carson, Keith Ellison, Carson, Julia Carson, Robert F. Kennedy, Tim Roemer, Casey, Democratic Senate
Positive Republican 55 Republican(10), John McCain(6), Reagan(6), Ronald Reagan(4), Flake(3), McCain(3), Republican Party(2), Republicans(2), DeMint(2), Chuck Hagel, Bill Brock, John Danforth, Christine Todd Whitman, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Powell, President Bush, Jeff Flake, Mitt Romney, George H.W. Bush, Bush administration, Mel Martinez, R-, Ken Starr, Republican president, George W. Bush
Negative Republican 51 Republicans(13), President Bush(7), Republican(7), McCain(4), Bush administration(3), Reagan(3), Richard Nixon(2), Republican Party(2), George W. Bush(2), Bush, President Nixon, Boehner, Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nixon administration, Nixon, John McCain
Neutral Republican 44Republicans(8), McCain(8), Republican(7), President Bush(6), Reagan(2), Republican Party(2), John McCain(2), President George H.W. Bush, the president, House Republican, John Boehner, Bush, Ronald Reagan, Goldwater, GOP, Bobby Jindal



List of Columns

Lines in yellow indicate a substantive crossover column, meaning that the column is of opposite sign to the pundit's Normalized Total PI for the season, and contains at least five non-neutral partisan references.
Title/
Date
words Norm
PI
Partisan References
H.O.P.E.F.U.L.
29 April 2008
833 7 4D-: Democratic, Democrats, Democrats, Democrats
1R+: Republicans
4R-: John McCain, Republican, McCain, McCain
7R=
Carter doesn't get it
24 April 2008
830 100 12D-: Carter, Jimmy Carter, Carter, Carter, Carter, Carter, Carter, Carter, Jimmy Carter, Carter, Jimmy Carter, Jimmy Carter
A matter of life and death
22 April 2008
754 0
Dems want back in the religion game
17 April 2008
887 38 1D+: Clinton
12D-: Dems, Democratic, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Democrats, Clinton, Obama, Democrats, Democratic, Obama, Clinton, Democrats
4R+: Republican, John McCain, Republican, Republican
3R-: George W. Bush, President Bush, Republican
3D=, 2R=
Obama's audacity
15 April 2008
895 31 2D+: Hillary Clinton, Clinton
9D-: Obama, Barack Obama, Obama, Obama, Obama, Obama, Obama, Obama, Obama
2R+: John McCain, McCain
14D=, 3R=
Resolve and commitment
10 April 2008
794 100 2D-: Democratic, Democratic
2R+: John McCain, George W. Bush
King's imprint
3 April 2008
842 72 1D+: Kennedy
2R-: Nixon administration, Nixon
2D=
Conversion: A one-way street?
1 April 2008
799 0 5D=
4,000 patriots
27 March 2008
771 20 1D-: Democrats
2R=
Typical
25 March 2008
902 43 1D+: Obama
2D-: Barack Obama, Democratic
1R+: Republican president
2D=
Spending as if there were no tomorrow
20 March 2008
787 33 2D+: McCaskill, McCaskill
4D-: Democrats, Democrats, House Democratic, Democratic
3R+: DeMint, DeMint, John McCain
1R-: Republicans
2D=, 1R=
Barack and the bigot
18 March 2008
907 42 10D-: Barack, Democratic, Barack Obama, Obama, Barack Obama, Obama, Democratic Party, Obama, Obama, Obama
2R-: Republican Party, Republican
Sex and the married governor
12 March 2008
800 100 10D-: Eliot Spitzer, Spitzer, Spitzer, Spitzer, Spitzer, Spitzer, Spitzer, Bill Clinton, Clinton, Spitzer
Hide and seek
11 March 2008
913 66 3D+: Barack Obama, David Plouffe, Plouffe
22D-: Hillary Clinton, Clinton White House, Clinton, Clinton, Clinton, Clinton, The Clintons, Bill Clinton, Clinton, Bill Clinton, Clinton, Clinton, Clinton, Clinton, Clinton, White House, former president, the Clintons, the Clintons, Bruce Lindsey, Clinton, the Clintons
1R+: Ken Starr
5D=
Inevitability
6 March 2008
892 12 5D-: Ted Kennedy, Russ Feingold, Clinton, Obama, Democrats
3R+: McCain, McCain, Republicans
3R-: McCain, George W. Bush, McCain
13D=, 6R=
Coming out
4 March 2008
858 1 2D-: Democratic Party, Democrats
1R-: Arnold Schwarzenegger
1R=
Hit the road Jack
28 February 2008
775 100 1R+: Republican
Economic woes
26 February 2008
771 100 3D-: Democrats, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama
1R+: Republican
Adios, in-Fidel
21 February 2008
846 26 2D+: President Kennedy, President Kennedy
2R+: Mel Martinez, R-
1R=
Misplaced hope can be dangerous
19 February 2008
826 33 1D+: John F. Kennedy
5D-: Barack Obama, Obama, Obama, Obama, Obama
4D=, 1R=
The lessons of appeasement
14 February 2008
835 0
Redefining conservatism
12 February 2008
938 12 6R+: Reagan, Reagan, Reagan, John McCain, Reagan, Bush administration
4R-: Reagan, Reagan, Reagan, Republicans
6R=
The war(s): Who pays?
7 February 2008
767 20 1D+: Gary Ackerman
2R=
The Obama infatuation
5 February 2008
977 56 19D-: Obama, Edward Kennedy, Obama, Obama, Clinton, Obama, Obama, Clinton, Democrats, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Obama, Clinton, Obama, Democrats, Obama, Obama, Clinton, Obama
1R-: Republicans
7D=, 1R=
The fall of the House of Clinton
31 January 2008
1087 3 17D+: Barack Obama, Kennedys, Obama, Bill Clinton, Ted, Caroline and Patrick Kennedy, Obama, Kennedy, Democratic Leadership Council, Obama, JFK, Caroline Kennedy, Democrat, Kennedy, Obama, Kennedy, Obama, Obama
19D-: Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Hillary, the Clintons, Democrats, Bill Clinton, the Clintons, Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, the Clintons, the Clintons, Kennedy, Carter, the Clintons, Clinton, Clinton, the Clintons, the Clintons
3R+: Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Republican
3R-: Republicans, Republican, Ronald Reagan
10D=
The Republican retreat
29 January 2008
1024 6 2D+: Barack Obama, Obama
5D-: Democrats, Democrats, Democrats, Democrats, Bill Clinton
13R+: President Bush, Jeff Flake, Republican, Flake, Flake, Flake, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Ronald Reagan, Ronald Reagan, Reagan, Reagan, Republican
17R-: Republican, Republican, Republicans, President Bush, Republicans, Boehner, Republican Party, Republicans, Republicans, President Bush, Republicans, Republicans, Republicans, Richard Nixon, Republicans, Republican, Republicans
1D=, 6R=
Clintonomics II
24 January 2008
881 14 1D+: Clinton
7D-: Hillary Clinton, George McGovern, Joe Kennedy, Clinton, Clinton, Clinton, Bill
2R-: Richard Nixon, Bush administration
2D=
The cost of Roe at 35
17 January 2008
862 100 1R-: President Nixon
Misplaced faith
15 January 2008
841 75 6R-: President Bush, President Bush, Bush administration, Bush administration, President Bush, Bush
2R=
Barack Obama: Feeling good
10 January 2008
939 37 2D+: Barack Obama, Clinton administration
6D-: Obama, Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, President Clinton
6R+: Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Republican Party, Powell, Republican, Ronald Reagan
1R-: President Bush
16D=
Segregation: Muslim style
8 January 2008
866 0
Meeting of minds
3 January 2008
872 14 8D+: Democrats, Sam Nunn, Charles Robb, David Boren, Gary Hart, Boren, Democratic, Bob Beckel
6R+: Republican, Chuck Hagel, Republican Party, Bill Brock, John Danforth, Christine Todd Whitman
4D=, 3R=