lying in ponds
The absurdity of partisanship
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Joe Conason
New York Observer

Columns 42
Words 40948
Normalized Median Partisanship Index 70.54
Normalized Total Partisanship Index 59.97
Normalized Combined Partisanship Index 65.25
Democratic Index 38.28
Republican Index -70.26
Positive Index 19.23
Negative Index 58.78
Neutral Index 21.99



Partisan References

Type Number All References
Positive Democratic 134 Clinton(22), Democratic(14), Democrats(11), Gore(8), the Clintons(8), Democrat(5), Carter(5), Democratic Party(4), Kerry(3), Bill Clinton(3), John Kerry(3), Lamont(3), former President(2), Sestak(2), Lieberman(2), President Clinton(2), Al Gore(2), former president(2), Hillary Clinton, president, Robert Menendez, Charles Schumer, Joe Sestak, Ted Kennedy, former vice president, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Hillary, Ann Richards, Harry Reid, Clinton White House, Jack Murtha, Jimmy Carter, Ned Lamont, James Carville, Senate Democrats, former President Bill Clinton, Gary Hart, Hart, Bob Casey, Casey, Webb, Jon Tester, Tester, Claire McCaskill, Sherrod Brown, Duckworth, Murtha, Pelosi, Henry Waxman, Jerrold Nadler, Hamilton
Negative Democratic 36 Lieberman(12), Murtha(4), Democrat(2), Democrats(2), Pelosi(2), Hoyer(2), Reid(2), Joe Lieberman(2), Ann Richards, Clinton, Carter, Democratic president, Joseph Lieberman, Dianne Feinstein, G.O.P., Democratic
Neutral Democratic 86Democrats(15), Democratic(11), Democrat(6), Lamont(4), Clinton(4), Democratic Party(2), former president(2), Harold Ford Jr. (2), James Webb(2), Casey(2), Pelosi(2), Lee Hamilton(2), Edward Kennedy, Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Joseph Lieberman, Reid, Ned Lamont, Lieberman, Jim Webb, Bob Casey Jr., Hillary Rodham Clinton, F.D.R., J.F.K. , Harry S. Truman, Clinton administration, Richards, Carter, President Clinton, Ford, Webb, Heath Shuler, Brad Ellsworth, Mike Weaver, Tammy Duckworth, John Murtha, Steny Hoyer, Nancy Pelosi, Tom Daschle, Murtha, Hoyer, Jimmy Carter, Hamilton
Positive Republican 40 Republican(6), Bush(5), John McCain(4), McCain(3), the President(3), McConnell(3), Hastert, Brent Scowcroft, Jim Nicholson, Mitch McConnell, father, administration, John Warner, Lindsay Graham, Warren Rudman, Rudman, The President, Republicans, Gates, Baker, Gingrich, Donald Rumsfeld
Negative Republican 496 Bush(58), the President(46), Republican(44), White House(31), Republicans(26), Bush administration(25), Abramoff(18), DeLay(14), Foley(13), Cheney(11), George W. Bush(10), John McCain(7), Vice President(7), Weldon(7), the president(6), Blunt(6), Rove(6), Libby(6), Karl Rove(6), President Bush(5), Hastert(5), Jack Abramoff(5), Rumsfeld(4), Chertoff(4), Reynolds(4), Dick Cheney(4), administration(4), Gingrich(4), Tom DeLay(3), Grover Norquist(3), President(3), Republican Party(3), president(3), Bush White House(3), McCain(3), President George W. Bush(3), The president(2), Dubya(2), Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld(2), McClellan(2), The President(2), Curt Weldon(2), Ronald Reagan(2), Duke Cunningham(2), Lewis (Scooter) Libby(2), Senate Republican(2), Speaker Dennis Hastert(2), Condoleezza Rice(2), Mark Foley(2), R.(2), Newt Gingrich(2), National Republican Congressional Committee(2), Vice President Dick Cheney(2), R.N.C. (2), The president's father, Nixonian, Duncan Hunter, Randy (Duke) Cunningham, Rummy, Paul Wolfowitz, William Bennett, House Republican, Orrin Hatch, Hatch, Richard Shelby, Rudolph Giuliani, Michael Chertoff, commander in chief, Tom Ridge, Ridge, Bob Ney, President of the United States, House Republicans, Cunningham, Lewis, Robert Ney, Bushies, Rice, House leadership, Scott McClellan, John Boehner, Tom Delay, Shimkus, Boehner, Norquist, Andrew Card, George Bush, Dan Bartlett, Tony Snow, Lindsey Graham, Rick Santorum, Conrad Burns, Mike DeWine, G.O.P. , Grand Old Party, Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, G.O.P., Nixon, Henry Kissinger, Robert Gates, Donald Rumsfeld, Gates, Newt
Neutral Republican 113the President(11), Bush(10), Republican(10), Republicans(8), Armitage(8), President Bush(4), Rumsfeld(4), James Baker III(4), R.(3), DeLay(3), Gates(3), John McCain(2), Bush administration(2), White House(2), McCain(2), Reynolds(2), Rush Limbaugh(2), the president(2), Gingrich(2), Don Rumsfeld, Administration, George W. Bush, Dan Quayle, Reagan, Richard Armitage, Roy Blunt, Rove, Libby, Hastert, Norquist, President George Herbert Walker Bush, Rice, Tony Snow, Vice President, Tom Reynolds, National Republican Congressional Committee, Hunter, Boehner, John Shimkus, John Thune, Weldon, Snow, Bob Corker, George Allen, President Reagan, Baker, Abramoff, John Boehner



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
Newt's free-speech ideas
22 December 2006
911 40 2R+: Gingrich, Donald Rumsfeld
6R-: Newt, Newt Gingrich, Republicans, Gingrich, Gingrich, Gingrich
2R=
A real exit strategy: talk to the enemy
14 December 2006
899 40 1D+: Hamilton
1R+: Baker
4R-: Bush administration, the President, White House, the President
1D=, 3R=
A belated dose of truth about Iraq
7 December 2006
956 35 1R+: Gates
7R-: Robert Gates, President George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Gates, the President, Bush administration, John McCain
9R=
Bush's words evolve, but not his policy
30 November 2006
975 75 13R-: Bush, President George W. Bush, the President, the President, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Bush, the President, Bush administration, the President, Bush, White House, Bush administration, the President
2D=, 2R=
Bush studies Vietnam, flunks history test
27 November 2006
961 67 2D+: John Kerry, Clinton
2R+: John McCain, Bush
12R-: Bush, George W. Bush, White House, the President, Henry Kissinger, the President, the President, Bush, Bush, President Bush, Bush, McCain
2R=
Pelosi's first move is questionable
16 November 2006
1026 0 6D+: Murtha, Pelosi, Democratic, Democratic, Henry Waxman, Jerrold Nadler
11D-: Pelosi, Murtha, Democrat, Murtha, Hoyer, Murtha, Democratic, Murtha, Hoyer, Pelosi, Democrats
6R-: Republicans, Republican, Tom DeLay, Duke Cunningham, Republican, Republicans
9D=
G.O.P. campaign tactics reveal true character
9 November 2006
1000 96 8D+: Democratic, Democratic, Democratic, Democratic, Democratic, Duckworth, Democratic Party, Democratic
20R-: G.O.P. , Republicans, Republican, Republicans, Grand Old Party, Republican, Republican, National Republican Congressional Committee, Republican, Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Bush, Cheney, R.N.C. , White House, R.N.C. , Karl Rove, Republican, Nixon, Republicans
1D=
The bright side of repudiation
3 November 2006
1127 41 14D+: Democratic, Democratic, Bob Casey, Democratic Party, Casey, Webb, Democratic Party, Jon Tester, Tester, Democrat, Claire McCaskill, Democrat, Sherrod Brown, Democrats
1D-: G.O.P.
1R+: Republicans
12R-: Republicans, Republican, Republican, Rick Santorum, Republicans, Republican, Conrad Burns, Republican, Mike DeWine, Republican, President Bush, Republicans
22D=, 7R=
Many explanations, but no solutions
26 October 2006
931 75 1D+: Democratic
1R+: The President
18R-: Republican, White House, John McCain, the President, George W. Bush, the President, Dan Bartlett, White House, Tony Snow, Bush, Republican, White House, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Republicans, the President, Vice President, Karl Rove
4R=
Everything he touches turns to pork
18 October 2006
972 92 1D+: Democrats
10R-: Curt Weldon, R., Republican, Weldon, Weldon, Weldon, Weldon, Weldon, Weldon, Weldon
1R=
Reaping the fruits of Bush's Korea policy
11 October 2006
958 86 1D+: Bill Clinton
11R-: Bush, Bush administration, George W. Bush, Bush, Bush, White House, administration, John McCain, Bush, Bush, Bush administration
2R=
The gang that couldn't talk straight
5 October 2006
1043 76 2D+: Democrats, Democrat
33R-: Republican, Republicans, Mark Foley, Republican, Speaker Dennis Hastert, R., John Boehner, Republican, Foley, Foley, Hastert, Foley, Foley, Foley, Republican, Hastert, Foley, Hastert, Foley, Foley, Foley, Shimkus, Foley, Boehner, Reynolds, National Republican Congressional Committee, Mark Foley, Reynolds, Foley, Foley, Reynolds, Reynolds, Foley
11R=
Bushies can't handle a dose of truth
28 September 2006
1110 80 17D+: former President Bill Clinton, Clinton, Clinton, Clinton, Clinton, Clinton, Clinton, Clinton, Clinton, Clinton, Clinton, Clinton, Clinton, Gary Hart, Clinton, Hart, Clinton
2R+: Warren Rudman, Rudman
23R-: Bushies, Republican Party, Bush administration, Bush White House, Condoleezza Rice, Republicans, Republican, Senate Republican, John McCain, Republicans, Republican, Republicans, Bush administration, Bush, Rice, the President, Vice President, the President, the President, Vice President, White House, Bush, Cheney
2D=, 4R=
Opponents of torture are true patriots
20 September 2006
990 31 1D+: Senate Democrats
7R+: Republican, John McCain, John Warner, Lindsay Graham, Republican, McCain, McCain
13R-: The President, Republican, Bush, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Bush, Cheney, President, Republican Party, the President, Bush, Grover Norquist, Republican
2R=
Five years later, Bush still clueless
13 September 2006
958 20 6R+: Bush, the President, Bush, the President, the President, administration
9R-: Bush, George W. Bush, President, administration, Bush, White House, the President, Bush, Bush
Media misses point on C.I.A. leak story
7 September 2006
1148 55 1R+: Bush
19R-: Bush administration, Karl Rove, Lewis, Rove, Libby, Rove, Libby, Rove, Libby, Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney, Libby, White House, Rove, Libby, Bush, the President, White House, the President
13R=
Voters turn away from Bush's error
9 August 2006
986 32 1D+: Democrats
2D-: Joe Lieberman, Democrats
10R-: Bush, Bush administration, Republican, Bush administration, the President, Bush administration, Bush administration, Bush, the President, Bush administration
10D=, 2R=
Dysfunction rules
2 August 2006
875 100 3R-: Bush administration, President George W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice
Lieberman's allies blame the bloggers
26 July 2006
987 8 6D+: Democratic Party, Ned Lamont, Lamont, Lamont, Lamont, Democrats
7D-: Lieberman, Joe Lieberman, Democrat, Lieberman, Lieberman, Lieberman, Lieberman
4R-: Republican, Bush administration, the President, White House
10D=, 2R=
Our coarse president can't fix the Middle East
19 July 2006
904 82 1D+: President Clinton
1R+: father
9R-: president, President of the United States, George W. Bush, Bush, Bush administration, Bush, The president, Bush, president
Lieberman misses point of opponents
12 July 2006
933 33 2D+: Democrats, Lieberman
8D-: Lieberman, Joseph Lieberman, Lieberman, Lieberman, Lieberman, Lieberman, Lieberman, Lieberman
1R-: Senate Republican
5D=
Bush's supporters will libel any foe
30 June 2006
899 88 3D+: John Kerry, Jack Murtha, Democrats
11R-: Bush, the President, White House, Karl Rove, Republicans, President Bush, White House, Bush, Bush administration, Bush administration, Bush
2R=
A burning issue on Capitol Hill
23 June 2006
944 16 5D+: Harry Reid, Democratic, Democratic, Democratic, Democrats
3D-: Reid, Dianne Feinstein, Reid
5R+: Mitch McConnell, Republican, McConnell, McConnell, McConnell
6R-: Republican, Republicans, the President, Republican, Republicans, Republicans
1D=
A shameful silence
14 June 2006
893 38 1D+: Lieberman
1R+: McCain
3R-: White House, White House, Republican
1D=, 2R=
Politics as usual instead of security
7 June 2006
870 100 12R-: Michael Chertoff, Chertoff, Chertoff, President Bush, Tom Ridge, White House, Ridge, Bush, Bush, Jack Abramoff, Chertoff, Chertoff
Bill travels, Hillary runs,
2 June 2006
979 77 11D+: Hillary, Clinton, Bill and Hillary Clinton, the Clintons, Clinton, the Clintons, former President, Clinton, former President, the Clintons, the Clintons
3R-: Republican, John McCain, Rudolph Giuliani
4D=
Nobody's laughing at Al Gore's truths
25 May 2006
907 67 11D+: Al Gore, Al Gore, former vice president, Gore, Gore, Gore, Gore, Gore, Gore, Gore, Gore
2R+: Jim Nicholson, Republican
5R-: Grover Norquist, Republican, Bush, Dubya, the President
4R=
Desperate Bush turns to the National Guard
17 May 2006
927 58 1D+: Ted Kennedy
1R+: John McCain
11R-: Bush, Republican, The president, White House, the president, Karl Rove, Bush, president, Bush, the president, administration
1D=, 5R=
Crackdown on leaks can lead to trouble
26 April 2006
991 74 14R-: White House, William Bennett, President Bush, the president, Lewis (Scooter) Libby, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, White House, Republican, Orrin Hatch, Hatch, Richard Shelby, Republican, Bush administration, White House
5R=
Bush hears voices
21 April 2006
1020 81 5D+: Kerry, Democrats, Joe Sestak, Sestak, Sestak
20R-: Bush, George W. Bush, Rumsfeld, Bush, commander in chief, the president, Rummy, Bush, Rumsfeld, Bush, the president, White House, Rumsfeld, Republicans, Paul Wolfowitz, the President, Rumsfeld, Curt Weldon, Republican, the president
1D=, 5R=
Post scandal reflects the Murdoch Method
17 April 2006
958 25 1D+: Carter
2D-: Carter, Democratic president
4R-: Ronald Reagan, Newt Gingrich, Gingrich, Republicans
3D=
The culture of corruption will outlast Tom Delay
5 April 2006
978 54 1R+: John McCain
12R-: Tom Delay, Tom DeLay, Jack Abramoff, DeLay, DeLay, Abramoff, Republicans, DeLay, Robert Ney, DeLay, House Republican, DeLay
2D=, 5R=
Who put the temper in judicial temperament?
29 March 2006
939 80 4R-: Bush administration, Bush administration, White House, Vice President Dick Cheney
1R=
Three years later, no end in sight
22 March 2006
915 33 1R+: Brent Scowcroft
3R-: the President, the President, President
2R=
Abortion ban will test 'moderate' Republicans
16 March 2006
935 52 8R-: Republicans, George W. Bush, John McCain, Republican, McCain, McCain, Republican, Bush
2D=, 5R=
Desperate G.O.P. attacks the Clintons
9 March 2006
1075 87 19D+: the Clintons, Democrats, Bill Clinton, Democrats, the Clintons, Hillary Clinton, the Clintons, Bill Clinton, president, Clinton, Clinton, Clinton, Democrat, Robert Menendez, Clinton, Charles Schumer, former president, former president, the Clintons
17R-: G.O.P., Republican, Jack Abramoff, Republicans, Abramoff, Republicans, Republican, Bush administration, Bush, Bush, The president's father, Dubya, Nixonian, Republican Party, Duncan Hunter, Republican, Randy (Duke) Cunningham
4D=, 1R=
Who dares to question the Dubai port deal?
1 March 2006
954 100 1R-: Bush administration
Too quick on the draw, Cheney ducks for cover
15 February 2006
1029 89 4D+: John Kerry, Kerry, Kerry, James Carville
1R+: Republican
21R-: Cheney, Dick Cheney, Vice President, Cheney, White House, Vice President, Vice President, Cheney, Republican, the President, Cheney, Dick Cheney, Cheney, Bush, Cheney, the President, White House, Cheney, Lewis (Scooter) Libby, Vice President, Cheney
1R=
Bush's tough oil talk lasted about 24 hours
10 February 2006
969 89 5D+: Jimmy Carter, Carter, Carter, Carter, Carter
12R-: Bush, the President, the President, the President, Bush, Andrew Card, Dick Cheney, the President, Republicans, Bush, Ronald Reagan, George Bush
1D=, 1R=
Bush on health care:
1 February 2006
925 62 1D-: Clinton
9R-: Bush, George W. Bush, Bush, the President, the President, The President, the President, Bush, Republicans
2D=
Picturegate inspires no media outrage
27 January 2006
1139 85 4D+: Ann Richards, Democrat, Clinton White House, President Clinton
1D-: Ann Richards
1R+: Bush
47R-: White House, George W. Bush, Jack Abramoff, Republican, White House, the President, Abramoff, Abramoff, the President, Scott McClellan, McClellan, Bush, Abramoff, White House, Abramoff, McClellan, Abramoff, the President, Bush administration, Abramoff, Abramoff, the President, Abramoff, Republican, Bush, Bush, the President, Abramoff, Abramoff, Bush White House, the President, Abramoff, Bush, Karl Rove, Rove, administration, Bush White House, Bush, the President, Abramoff, Grover Norquist, Rove, Abramoff, Norquist, White House, White House, Bush
2D=, 2R=
Republican leaders say they're reformers!
19 January 2006
1052 74 2R+: Hastert, Republican
30R-: Republican, Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay, Duke Cunningham, Bob Ney, Speaker Dennis Hastert, DeLay, DeLay, Hastert, DeLay, DeLay, DeLay, DeLay, Abramoff, Hastert, Abramoff, DeLay, DeLay, Blunt, Blunt, Blunt, House Republicans, Blunt, Abramoff, Blunt, Cunningham, Blunt, House leadership, DeLay, Republican
6R=