--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But political parties must claim to be…" description: "\"But political parties must claim to be radically different from one another, and political journalism must play along, or else why exist? So the Libera..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/neil-macdonald-5908_exist_but-political-parties-must-claim-to-be-r_2021743.jpg" --- # But political parties must claim to be radically different… ![“But political parties must claim to be radically different from one another, and political journalism must play along, or else why exist? So the Liberals and Tories concentrate on what does distinguish them: their leaders. That in itself just about guarantees a campaign of ad hominem gooning.” quote by Neil Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/neil-macdonald-5908_exist_but-political-parties-must-claim-to-be-r_2021743.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/neil-macdonald-5908_exist_but-political-parties-must-claim-to-be-r_2021743.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/neil-macdonald-5908_exist_but-political-parties-must-claim-to-be-r_2021743.jpg) > “But political parties must claim to be radically different from one another, and political journalism must play along, or else why exist? So the Liberals and Tories concentrate on what does distinguish them: their leaders. That in itself just about guarantees a campaign of ad hominem gooning.” [Neil Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-macdonald/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Political parties and media create a false dichotomy, focusing on personalities over policies, leading to personal attacks. **In simple terms:** Parties and press emphasize leaders, not ideas, causing ad hominem attacks. Key Takeaway Focus on policy, not personalities. Themes politics media campaigns Mood critical skeptical Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - election coverage - party debates - media analysis Key Concepts polarization personalization media bias Questions to Reflect On - How can journalism shift focus to substantive issues? - What impact does leader‑centric coverage have on democracy? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Different Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-political-435372/) [Exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Liberals Tories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberals-tories-3665567/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-journalism-630730/) [Political parties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-parties/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Tories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tories/) [Why](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/why/) ## Related quotes > [Joe Klein is the flower of American political journalism, a sharp raconteur who shows traces of the gonzo style that was in vogue when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/joe-klein-is-the-flower-of-american-political-journalism-a-sharp/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [I'm happy to have interns at The Weekly Standard and happy to have readers of The Weekly Standard, but if you all tell me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/i-m-happy-to-have-interns-at-the-weekly-standard-and-happy-to-have/) [William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/) > [I kept thinking, I'm not going to do political journalism, because there's no way to keep my principles and be a political journalist, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/i-kept-thinking-i-m-not-going-to-do-political-journalism-because/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [My dream was to do political journalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/my-dream-was-to-do-political-journalism/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [The most consistent and ultimately damaging failure of political journalism in America (is that it) has its roots in the clubby/cocktail personal relationships that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-most-consistent-and-ultimately-damaging-failure-of-political/) [Hunter S. 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