Jim VandeHei
Co-founded Axios in 2017 and Politico in 2007. Frequent TV appearances on political and media topics.
How We Measure Tone
Tone is a numeric score from −6 to +6 measuring how a statement characterizes legislation — not whether we agree with it. The score reflects language intensity, not correctness.
“They named a mass detention bill after one victim to make it politically impossible to oppose.”
— Joy Reid on the Laken Riley Act“The concern from civil liberties groups is the 48-hour takedown mandate — that gives platforms an incentive to over-remove content.”
— Chris Hayes on the TAKE IT DOWN Act“The bill passed the House 218 to 206 with two Democratic votes. It faces a 60-vote threshold in the Senate.”
— Jake Tapper on the Sports Act“The One Big Beautiful Bill was a solid win, in part because it dodged some terrible policy.”
— Kimberley Strassel on the OBBBA“This is a common-sense bill. Laken Riley would be alive today if this law had been in place.”
— Sean Hannity on the Laken Riley ActTone measures how a personality frames legislation, not whether their framing is accurate. A +5.0 and a −5.0 can both be factually correct — the score reflects advocacy intensity. We don't rate outlets as left or right. We measure what they say.
“Republicans are trying to convince their members — and the American public — that you can take in less money in taxes, spend more on defense, and somehow reduce deficits without touching the programs that cost the most. Since Trump signed his 2017 taxes into law, deficits are up 248 percent. That is…”