lying in ponds
The absurdity of partisanship
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Mary McGrory
Washington Post

Washington Post home page
National Society of Newspaper Columnists 2000 Lifetime Achievement Award


Columns 22
Words 22098
Median Partisanship Index 48.81
Total Partisanship Index 40.34
Combined Partisanship Index 44.57
Positive Democratic Index 16.18
Negative Democratic Index 4.62
Positive Republican Index 10.29
Negative Republican Index 39.08
Positive Index 26.47
Negative Index 43.70
Neutral Index 29.83



Partisan References

Type Number All References
Positive Democratic 77 Dean(9), Edwards(8), Democratic(6), John Kerry(3), Tom Daschle(3), Daschle(3), Rangel(3), Bill Richardson(3), Clinton(3), Boxer(3), John Edwards(2), President Clinton(2), Democrats(2), Joe Biden(2), Bill Clinton(2), Kucinich(2), John F. Kennedy, Charles Rangel, Frank Church, Hillary Clinton, John Podesta, Charlie Rangel, Democrat, Jack Reed, Harry Truman, Adlai Stevenson, Byron Dorgan, Barbara Boxer, George Miller, Miller, Gene McCarthy, Jay Rockefeller, Ed Markey, Wesley Clark, Paul Wellstone, Kennedy, Ted Kennedy
Negative Democratic 22 Democrats(6), Edwards, Daschle, House Democratic, Dick Gephardt, Democrat, Dean, Johnson, Henry Jackson, Jackson, LBJ, Al Sharpton, Sharpton, Richard Gephardt, John Kerry, Joe Lieberman, Ted Kennedy
Neutral Democratic 62Democrats(9), Democratic(8), Daschle(7), Edwards(4), Kerry(3), Howard Dean(3), Clinton(2), Dean(2), Democrat(2), Clinton administration, Al Gore, John Edwards, Gore, John Kerry, Richard Gephardt, Joseph Lieberman, Robert C. Byrd, Hillary Clinton, Democratic House, Bill Richardson, Ted Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Bob Graham, Joe Biden, Carol Moseley-Braun, Moseley-Braun, Sharpton, Dennis Kucinich, Democratic Party, Democratic National Committee, President Clinton
Positive Republican 49 Wolf(8), Colin Powell(8), Powell(7), Bush(5), John McCain(2), Larry Lindsey(2), Secretary of State Colin Powell(2), administration, George Bush, Bob Dole, Frist, Republicans, Lincoln Chafee, Senate Republican, John Chafee, Frank R. Wolf, George W. Bush, Richard Lugar, The president, Anthony Zinni, Karl Rove, White House
Negative Republican 186 Bush(55), White House(15), Rove(10), the president(10), George W. Bush(9), Powell(8), George Bush(8), Republicans(5), The president(5), Colin Powell(5), administration(4), Lott(4), President Bush(4), Donald Rumsfeld(4), Republican(3), Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld(3), Trent Lott(2), Ari Fleischer(2), Nixon(2), Karl Rove(2), Richard Perle(2), Mary Matalin, William Weld, Bush administration, Attorney General John Ashcroft, Ashcroft, Bill Frist, Frist, Condi Rice, Lee Atwater, commander in chief, Cabinet, Richard Nixon, Rumsfeld, House Republicans, J. Dennis Hastert, John Ashcroft, Tom Ridge, Jim Nicholson, Caspar Weinberger, Dick Cheney, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, White House Chief of Staff Andy Card, Condoleezza Rice, Administration
Neutral Republican 80Bush(20), Powell(7), the president(7), White House(6), Frist(4), Rove(4), Colin Powell(3), The president(3), George W. Bush(2), George Bush(2), Secretary of State Colin Powell(2), Strom Thurmond, Republican, Howard Baker, Trent Lott, Republicans, Republican Whip Don Nickles, Lott, Don Nickles, George Bush Sr., Rumsfeld, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, President Bush, John Dean, Bush administration, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, Tom Ridge, administration, Ari Fleischer, Republican National Committee, Larry Lindsey



List of Columns

Title/
Date
words PI Partisan References
Blossoms and Bombs
16 March 2003
902 100 9R-: George W. Bush, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld, Administration, the president, the president, the president, the president
Tony Blair in the Doghouse
13 March 2003
1036 40 2R+: Bush, Bush
8R-: George W. Bush, White House Chief of Staff Andy Card, White House, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, George Bush, Bush, White House, Bush
1D=, 4R=
The 'Shock and Awe' News Conference
9 March 2003
970 73 8R-: The president, The president, Bush, the president, Bush, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, Bush, Bush
3R=
To My Very Persuasive Readers
6 March 2003
1044 48 2D+: Kennedy, Ted Kennedy
5R+: Colin Powell, Colin Powell, Colin Powell, Bush, Powell
13R-: Colin Powell, White House, Colin Powell, George Bush, Richard Perle, Ari Fleischer, Caspar Weinberger, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Powell, Powell, Bush, George Bush
1R=
Not a Week for Reality
2 March 2003
997 75 1D+: Bill Clinton
1R+: Secretary of State Colin Powell
9R-: President Bush, Bush, Bush, Bush, Bush, Powell, Powell, Powell, Bush
1D=
Praying for Papal Intervention
27 February 2003
946 59 10R-: the president, George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, White House, Jim Nicholson, President Bush, Bush, Bush, Colin Powell, The president
7R=
The Parade for President
23 February 2003
1099 5 5D+: Wesley Clark, Kucinich, Paul Wellstone, Kucinich, John Edwards
7D-: Al Sharpton, Sharpton, Richard Gephardt, John Kerry, Joe Lieberman, Ted Kennedy, Democrats
2R+: Karl Rove, White House
2R-: George Bush, Bush
18D=, 5R=
French Fashions
20 February 2003
958 50 1D-: LBJ
5R-: John Ashcroft, Colin Powell, Tom Ridge, George Bush, George Bush
1D=, 1R=
Panic City, U.S.A.
16 February 2003
984 50 3R-: House Republicans, J. Dennis Hastert, George W. Bush
3R=
Shield Us From War
13 February 2003
1003 60 2D+: Ed Markey, Joe Biden
3R+: Larry Lindsey, Colin Powell, Anthony Zinni
10R-: White House, George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Rumsfeld, Bush, White House, the president, The president, the president, Bush
Fuzzy-Headed on North Korea
9 February 2003
960 32 5D+: John Kerry, Bill Richardson, Bill Clinton, President Clinton, Jay Rockefeller
6R+: Secretary of State Colin Powell, Richard Lugar, Powell, The president, Powell, Bush
8R-: President Bush, Bush, administration, Bush, Bush, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, White House, George Bush
3R=
I'm Persuaded
6 February 2003
1065 14 1D+: Gene McCarthy
2D-: Henry Jackson, Jackson
7R+: Colin Powell, Colin Powell, Powell, Colin Powell, Powell, Powell, Colin Powell
12R-: George W. Bush, Richard Perle, the president, commander in chief, Cabinet, White House, Powell, Powell, Bush, White House, Richard Nixon, Republican
7R=
All Creatures Great and Small
2 February 2003
975 79 7D+: Barbara Boxer, Boxer, George Miller, Joe Biden, Miller, Boxer, Boxer
8R-: the president, Bush, Bush, Bush, White House, Bush, Bush, Bush
4R=
Humanitarian Warrior
30 January 2003
878 82 2D+: Democratic, Byron Dorgan
12R-: George Bush, Bush, Republicans, Bush, Bush, Bush, Bush, Bush, Bush, Bush, Bush, The president
3R=
The Karl Rove Show
26 January 2003
1048 72 28R-: Karl Rove, George W. Bush, Karl Rove, President Bush, Rove, Rove, Bush, Rove, Rove, Bush, Bush, Rove, Rove, Rove, Republican, Trent Lott, Lott, Bush, Lott, Bush, Rove, White House, Bush, Rove, Rove, Lee Atwater, Bush, Republicans
5D=, 6R=
'A River of Peaceful People'
23 January 2003
967 40 1D-: Johnson
5R-: Nixon, Bush, Bush, Condi Rice, Nixon
1D=, 3R=
A Doctor's Certainty
19 January 2003
1004 40 12D+: John Kerry, Dean, Harry Truman, Dean, Dean, Dean, Dean, Dean, Adlai Stevenson, Dean, Dean, Dean
2D-: Dean, Democrats
3R+: John McCain, Larry Lindsey, John McCain
3R-: Bush, Bush, Bush
5D=
What About This Crisis?
16 January 2003
1048 18 10D+: Democratic, Bill Richardson, Clinton, Democrats, Democratic, Democratic, Tom Daschle, Bill Richardson, Clinton, Clinton
10R+: Frank R. Wolf, Wolf, Wolf, George W. Bush, Wolf, Wolf, Wolf, Wolf, Wolf, Wolf
6R-: Bush, Bush, Bush, White House, White House, Bush
2D=, 6R=
Silent on the Brink
12 January 2003
1067 39 7D+: Charlie Rangel, Rangel, Democrat, Rangel, Rangel, Jack Reed, Democratic
2D-: Democrats, Democrats
3R+: Lincoln Chafee, Senate Republican, John Chafee
9R-: administration, White House, Ari Fleischer, administration, Bush, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Republicans, Republicans, Bush
3D=, 4R=
Opening Day in The Senate Spotlight
9 January 2003
1103 11 10D+: Democratic, Tom Daschle, Daschle, Hillary Clinton, Daschle, Tom Daschle, John Podesta, President Clinton, Daschle, Democrats
5D-: Democrats, Daschle, House Democratic, Dick Gephardt, Democrat
4R+: Bob Dole, Frist, Republicans, Bush
4R-: Bill Frist, Lott, Frist, Lott
12D=, 11R=
John Edwards -- Luck of the Drawl
5 January 2003
1048 51 11D+: John Edwards, Edwards, John Kerry, Edwards, Edwards, Edwards, Edwards, Frank Church, Edwards, Edwards, Edwards
1D-: Edwards
9R-: Republican, Mary Matalin, William Weld, Republicans, Trent Lott, Bush administration, Attorney General John Ashcroft, Ashcroft, George W. Bush
12D=, 4R=
Breaches Of Sense
2 January 2003
996 18 2D+: John F. Kennedy, Charles Rangel
1D-: Democrats
3R+: Powell, administration, George Bush
5R-: George W. Bush, White House, Bush, administration, Powell
1D=, 5R=