The New York Times has a story about a state senator stealing money from charities. He’s a Democrat. How do we know? Because The Times never mentions his party.  Allah did a Google search to confirm but you don’t really have to go to such trouble. We just know that whenever a politician is charged with corruption and his party is not mentioned, he’s a Dem. I think it’s in the AP Stylebook. But look at it this way. It saves a bit of newsprint, which is good for the paper’s bottom line and for the environment.