Breaking: Meet the Press moderator Tim Russert dead at 58

Sad News

I heard this a little bit ago too.  Sunday mornings are gonna be weird without Tim Russert in my living room.  Meet The Press just ain't gonna be the same.

Rest in Peace Mr. Russert

Besser ein ende mit Schrecken als ein Schrecken ohne ende

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by: becca @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 15:01:53 PM CDT

We were watching

when the red "Breaking News" screen came onto NBC- and when Tom Brokaw looks that upset, before he even speaks (and that it's Tom speaking in the first place!), you know the news is bad...

So many crazy Sunday mornings with the kids here, I've said to Charlie, "Take your coffee and watch 'Tim' upstairs in our room- lemme know what's said later" or I'd settle down the heathens and join him. This feels like the loss of family, the loss of a friend.

He was always so genuinely interesting- his interviews were never rude. A true scholar of history, politics and the world. Who can forget the white board in 2004 and his "Florida- Florida- Florida"?

RIP with many thanks, Tim. If it's Sunday, it's "Meet the Press"- but it will never be the same again.

Go, Buffalo Bills...

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by: Louise @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 15:29:31 PM CDT

The world is not as good a place as it was this morning.

I hope his epitaph reads "Florida Florida Florida"

One of the best the business ever had.

Question:  What does an atheist do when they fall to the floor and start "speaking in tongues"?

Answer: Get a CAT scan.

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by: Snooky Ookums @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 15:29:56 PM CDT

I'm watching it online

Andrea Mitchell just emotionally recounted how Tim called her "Mitch" -- as her father did -- and she had a hard time staying composed. All of them are devastated.

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by: Pam Spaulding @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 15:31:29 PM CDT

Kid claimed TV here....

and for once, no argument from either of us. Never been so happy to see "Little Bear" and Noggin.

I cried when Brokaw spoke; I can't imagine what you're seeing. Will watch later...

 

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by: Louise @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 15:35:54 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Tim Russert

God bless Tim and condolences to his family. That behind me, the first thing I thought on hearing the news was not "poor Tim" but "geez, now I'm gonna hafta listen to 3 or 4 solid days of hearwrenching tributes to Tim on cable news"...

Tim was a proponent of "gotcha" interviewing, where you always took apart your interviewee with quotes that they'd made ten years before to the Des Moines* Women's Club, This usually left his guest stammering for an excuse...he had his moments of real reporting, but his schtick was a tried and true cloudpleaser and got pretty stale and old to me...

And his books about his dad, which he pushed unmercifully on his shows and appearances for months before and months after they were published were lightweight heartwarmers. That's when I realized what a salesnewsperson he was...he was using a show where he should have been having an honest political dialog to push his "product".

Like Chris Matthews, Russert was one of the inside newsmakers who must have known the level of corruption in this government, any thinking and reasoning person who studied what's been going on the last 30 years would.

Tim always went for the shallow truth, cutting into the sickness, without acknowledging and trying to excise the huge cancerous growth below the surface that the Bush administration has nurtured and fed.

*Condolences to Des Moines, Cedar Rapids too...I just can't imagine!

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by: wagonjak @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 16:04:44 PM CDT

Yes, let's spare the pieties

He will be lionized as a great journalist, the Edward R. Murrow of his generation, when he was more and more a hack and routinely flubbed interviews, not following up on lies or omissions, and clearly seemed to favor the administration. I found his interviews hard to watch and he was one of the big, slavering, shallow pundit pack who kept repeating the nonsense about Obama not getting women or blue collar voters, and having problems with Hispanics and Jews--when the polling shows the opposite.

I am sorry for his family and friends and colleagues, but he was no journalistic paragon, and to me represented much that was wrong with TV.

Has everyone forgotten his utterly disgraceful moderating during the democratic debates?  I haven't and it bears repeating:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/...

Now, when David Brinkley left us, that was horrible news, because he was a truth teller to the end, and came of age among real journalists.

"In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant."  The Colbert Report

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by: Lev Raphael @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 16:17:32 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I agree

 I don't wish death on anybody but I wouldn't mourn if Sean Hannity got hit by a bus either.

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by: Margaret @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 16:27:11 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I'm not going to trash Russert

It's horrible to think of someone dying right there on the job among colleagues. I was even respectful of Falwell when he passed, despite his certainly not deserving any praise.

Journalism is not what it can and should be today; we've seen the impact of the corporatization of it quite clearly. I can, however, certainly take a few moments to steer clear of criticizing the man to mention a large contribution to journalism that Tim Russert made.

He was left the kinescopes of early episodes of Meet the Press  and took the time and care to preserve all those interviews with important political figures of the day. That is a news legacy that would have otherwise perished and it will be essential for future journalists to learn about and see the evolution of their chosen discipline for better or worse.

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by: Pam Spaulding @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 16:29:38 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Death makes people soft

I saw no reason to praise Falwell when he died, nor Nixon, who suddenly became one of our greatest presidents as if Watergate had never happened.

I find it utterly sentimental (and very American) that death makes people adhere to the old maxim de mortuis nihil nisi bonum.  Russert contributed to the degradation of news in this country and thereby aided and abetted a runaway administration.  

"In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant."  The Colbert Report

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by: Lev Raphael @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 18:35:59 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Okay then

Let me put this question to you Lev, because you are my friend and your opinions matter to me:

Can you name a member (or members) of MSM that you feel has NOT "contributed to the degredation of news" and/or "aided and abetted" Dubya?

My views on Tim Russert and respect for his work, while sentimental (as you put it), are based on decades of watching him and learning from his interviews and analysis. His passion for politics and upbeat personality were infectious and made politics interesting to me, certainly far more than someone along the lines of David Brinkley.

Brinkley was brilliant, but IMO he was as dry as melba toast and half as interesting as said toast. I respected his reporting, but listen to more than 10 minutes of it? Nope.

But that said... your point regarding MSM giving this administration a pass is a very valid one. I would blame the WH press corp far more than Russert; I would blame Rupert Murdoch, his squad of spewing bobbleheads, and the culture in America that celebrates assholes in the guise as "shock jocks" like Stern and Imus, far sooner than Russert.

He did his job with respect, earned or not, towards whomever he interviewed and whomever he was discussing. That's a helluva lot better than most of them. Perfect? No, of course not. But I think he did a very good job.

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by: Louise @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 19:15:47 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Hi, Louise!

Well, it's a pretty rotten pack, but asking me to choose among them isn't really to the point, is it?  Russert may have started well, but his recent behavior was despicable, especially at the debates.  I can't recall specific interviews that angered and disappointed me, but they began to show a pattern: the administration and its defenders seemed to get off easier than democrats.  I'm not the only one to think so--he's been widely scored on the Internet for his apparent bias.

I didn't say he should be or needed to be perfect.  But he was a lousy journalist at the end, serving the party in power.  Is the WH press corps lousy, too?  Indubitably!  Ditto most of the pundits. As for respect--watch footage of his debate performance--it was profoundly disrespectful.

However, I remain very truly (and respectfully) yours, Lev Raphael.  :-)

"In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant."  The Colbert Report

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by: Lev Raphael @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 20:58:52 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I'm with you, Lev.

I am perpetually amazed and disgusted by the accolades that otherwise sane people heap upon poisonous toads like Falwell and Nixon after they die.  

Of course, Russert never came anywhere close to reaching their depths. But while he may have been a great guy to his family, friends and colleagues, as an enabler of unprincipled power brokers he did no favors for the American people.

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by: johnbinpt @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 19:17:25 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Agreed

I've never gotten the whole "don't criticize a public figure who's died" thing. To me, it's perfectly legitimate to question a person's actions without being happy that he's dead.

I am very sorry for Russert's family, especially his son--I know what it's like to lose a fairly young parent suddenly. But that doesn't change the fact that my lasting memory of Russert is going to be of the way he joined the other Beltway villagers in enabling the crimes of the Bush Administration, and of his disgraceful performance as a moderator of the Democratic debates. Dying shouldn't automatically confer sainthood.

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by: Darkrose @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 20:44:24 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Oops. sorry Pam

I hit the wrong button and rated your post as "Troll".  My mistake...

Question:  What does an atheist do when they fall to the floor and start "speaking in tongues"?

Answer: Get a CAT scan.

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by: Snooky Ookums @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 20:34:29 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

You know how much I admire you Pam,

but telling the truth about Russert isn't trashing him.  As the encomiums will mount, it'll be harder and harder to see the truth: that in many ways he became co-opted by a White House and right wing skilled at perverting the discussion of almost every issue so that it was argued on their terms.  And they betrayed their profession and country thereby.  Here's just one small example of Russert's failures:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/...

Did he do good in preserving the kinescopes?  Of course.  Does that mitigate his having become a hack?  Not remotely.

"In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant."  The Colbert Report

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by: Lev Raphael @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 21:12:54 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

That's "Lennox" (I'm a big fan, sorry.)

When you look for the bad in mankind, expecting to find it, you surely will.

- Abraham Lincoln.

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by: Fritz @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 23:00:05 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

how come you waited so long

to correct the typo?

I'm a huge fan, too, but not always the best typist.

:-)

"In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant."  The Colbert Report

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by: Lev Raphael @ Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 06:38:59 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

truth telling

I have no problem with truth-telling, Lev; it's not as if I haven't been hard on the MSM or the religious right during the four years of my blogging. I personally just see no value in starting the criticism before a body is even cold.

The quality of discourse has been lowered enough to begin with, and basic civility is too often cast aside, particularly with the speed and anonymity of the internet, to even take a pause for the sake of basic humanity. It is, however, what it is -- people are free to comment on Russert's passing in whatever context they would like. I don't expect a homogenous reaction to his passing.

After all, if I were to drop dead tomorrow, I'm sure there would be public happy dances and criticism around certain corners of the Internets by people who don't know me personally, or care anything about me as a human being.

All I am saying is that I am willing to sincerely extend a moment of respect and courtesy. There's always another day to go for the jugular even when justified. That's just my POV.

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by: Pam Spaulding @ Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 05:52:33 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Unfair framing

Pam, when you use terms like "go for the jugular" or "trashing" they are distinctly pejorative.  I am not doing either and don't intend to.  Nor am I "lowering the discourse"--that's rally an inaccurate and unfair characterization.  Ann Coulter does that.  

I was responding to what I see coming: a wave of undiscriminating praise for him that would blur or even eliminate the truth of the kind of journalist he has been over the last eight years of this administration.

That's what my original post was about.  And subsequent ones brought up Nixon, too, who suddenly became 24/7 one of America's greatest presidents when he died, to the amazement and horro of people who lived through his preidencies and remembered a very different man.  You're not young enough to remember what a bullying, paranoid nasty little piece of work he was.  

Now, Russert's obviously not in the same category, but that doesn't mean he's exempt from criticism. I'm not addressing his wife or family or personal friends by writing here, so there's nothing disrespectful about what I'm saying.  For "the sake of basic humanity," I did say something about his family and colleagues, but there will be a monsoon of such platitudes, and I don't need to join in further.  What you'll see far less of is the very mixed truth of his career.  Here's just another small example of the many ways in which he fell below the standards of his profession:
http://mediamatters.org/items/...

"In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant."  The Colbert Report

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by: Lev Raphael @ Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 06:48:43 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

I wasn't addressing your comments

Pam, when you use terms like "go for the jugular" or "trashing" they are distinctly pejorative.  I am not doing either and don't intend to.  Nor am I "lowering the discourse"--that's rally an inaccurate and unfair characterization.  Ann Coulter does that.

No one is questioning the less-than-positive role of Tim Russert -- along with many, many, others -- in changing what journalism is defined as today. The examples are plentiful, as you've pointed out.

I think Jesse at Pandagon, no fan of the MSM, did the right thing. He posted the news and kept the comments closed. No one needs to lionize the man if they do not agree with his work or influence, but I see nothing wrong with basic civility -- represented in this case by a pause from the criticism we engage in day after day -- in matters like these, that's all. I wouldn't expect everyone to  agree with my POV.

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by: Pam Spaulding @ Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 07:02:35 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

And let's not forget

that Russert was almost as overtly homophobic as the Fox News crowd.  Pointed example: some years ago, when Andrew Cunanan's over-hyped "killing spree" was the headline du jour, Russert invited a "panel of experts" to discuss it.  And the very first question out of his mouth was (as close to direct quote as I can manage, at this distance), "How did Andrew Cunanan's homosexuality contribute to what he did?"  I kept waiting for someone, anyone to say, "The same way Ted Buundy's heterosexuality contributed to what he did."  But of course it never happened.  Tim's pal's responded to his question as if it was legitimate, and that was that.

His coverage of the MA marriage ruling was almost as offensive; and he never seemed at all comfortable discussing anything gay-related.

This was an"objective" journalist?!?  I've never been able to regard Russert (and his numerous clones, who dominate network "news" today) as anything but a prime indication of America's moral, social, intellectual and political decline.

Cynic, n.  A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be.  
-Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

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by: QScribe @ Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 08:34:36 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Thank you for that!

It's salutary amid all the sentimental pap circulating in the media ("He was always smiling"--Washington Post), to hear what he specifically did that adversely affected us in the glbt community.

He was not journalism's Mother Theresa, though a quick look at MSNBC might convince you otherwise.

This is the kind of news the station producers love: they get to be self-congratulatory; show some low level sensationalism; and convene panels who need nothing more than their own memories or opinions to blather on all day, as if he were a great hero, a great statesman, a great general, a great humanitarian, a great anything.  It's cheap--nobody has to do research or take a crew anywhere.  

"In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant."  The Colbert Report

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by: Lev Raphael @ Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 10:36:04 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Was out at the grocery

Had to run to the car in a thunderstorm.  Turned on the radio and Randi Rhodes said that she had just heard Tim Russert had died.  She sounded like she was in shock.

I was shocked. I couldn't believe it.  He was only 4 years older than me.  

He will be missed.

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by: Zorya @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 16:14:46 PM CDT

Well it's certainly sad that he died

and I grieve for his family. 58 is young. On the other hand, maybe more fair feet will fill those shoes. Somehow I doubt it though.

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by: Margaret @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 16:16:34 PM CDT

Or...

They might import someone from Fox or the Faux-Fox (d/b/a/ CNN).

Now's not a time to slam Russert.  Plenty of critiques of him are out there already.  They should suffice for a few days.

Kat

>^..^<

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by: KatRose @ Fri Aug 14, 2009 at 14:58:25 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I'm sorry....

...but I don't define expressing hope that they find a fairer person to fill Russert's shoes as "slamming" him. I thought I'd been extremely respectful, considering the fact that I normally call him something other than "Russert". I'm not going to fuss about it though. Nor am I going to apologize.

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by: Margaret @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 21:24:06 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Margaret wasn't slamming anybody

Mediamatters.org and other sites have ample evidence that Russert was an unfair interviewer, and his performance during the primary debates was dreadful and biased.

That's not a slam.  And Margaret expressed herself respectfully, without invective or denigration.

There is a strain in American culture which imposes censorship about public figures when they die. Look at the fantasy Nixon that was created after his death.  I can't tell you how many people I knew who had lived through his presidency who felt they were in the Twilight Zone the week after as the press, 24/7 praised him to the skies.

Margaret didn't turn up drunk at Russert's funeral, blaring obscenities, she simply hoped he would be replaced by a fairer interviewer.  I nominate Rachel Maddow!


"In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant."  The Colbert Report

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by: Lev Raphael @ Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 07:38:13 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Second the Rachel Maddow nomination.

It'll be Gregory or Tweety or somebody though....

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by: Margaret @ Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 07:44:51 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Gregory, ugh!

I used to admire him, and anyone who pissed off George Bush by speaking French to the French president had a lot going for him.  But he's become shallow--his little side show on MSNBC offers more heat than light.  He's an entertainer and the attempt at flashy graphics for his show says it all.  I do also resent that he says his guests "all come to play."  We'd be a better culture if for ten years, pundits and talking heads resisted discussing politics in terms of sports.  

"In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant."  The Colbert Report

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by: Lev Raphael @ Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 08:05:22 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

I think Gregory used to be

a pretty fair reporter.   But that was years ago.  More recently, he has been defined in my mind by the weird spectacle of him boogeying (or trying to--he's an atrocious dancer even for a straight guy) on stage with Karl Rove during Rove's "rap" a year or two back.  

Can you say "co-opted"?

Cynic, n.  A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be.  
-Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

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by: QScribe @ Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 08:41:56 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

That whole press corps dinner

is corrupt beyond belief.

Didn't Rupert Everett say it was the most disgusting dinner he'd ever attended?

It should be stopped, or at the very least, nobody from the White House should be invited or allowed to attend.

"In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant."  The Colbert Report

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by: Lev Raphael @ Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 08:47:30 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

I think it's gonna be Gregory!

I have a bad feeling we'll have Gregory in Little Russ's weekend political show. I feel the same way about David others here do...he portrays himself as a tough questioner and critic of this administration, and HAS asked some tough questions during Press Conferences, but recently he's become part of the beltway brunch crowd...more interested in being part of the pack then asking the hard questions...see his dancing with Karl Rove at that press dinner...

Whoever it is, it will be someone to the right of Russert....

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by: wagonjak @ Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 11:53:14 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Look at any pond

The scum always rises to the top.

Cynic, n.  A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be.  
-Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

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by: QScribe @ Sun Jun 15, 2008 at 09:10:42 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

St. Ronnie

I don't remember Nixon's death as well, but I remember the way Reagan went from being a morally, ethically, and intellectually bankrupt, racist-pandering warmongering hypocrite to being Saint Ronnie the Peacemaker who single-handedly ended the Cold War once he died.

If you don't challenge the hagiography when it begins, it becomes entrenched as conventional wisdom. I just don't see why, when everyone's looking at a public figure's legacy, it's wrong to note the less-than-perfect aspects along with the praise.

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by: Darkrose @ Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 11:57:25 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

True

Sorry.  I wasn't intending to imply that the wish for a better replacement was slamming.  That's not (I'm hoping for Maddow or Schuster - anyone but Tweety or a Fox import.) I was just making a general comment about what I'm afraid the corporate tools at GE might be planning.

Kat

>^..^<

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by: KatRose @ Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 19:45:37 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Will the press report about his "lifestyle"?

What's interesting about this is how the press will cover for him. Aterial sclerosis the the quintessential "lifestyle" disease. So many het men deliberately choose the lifestyle of unhealthy foods and lack of exercise. It's literally a form of suicide. Yet will the MSM report that? If he had been a gay man patronizing bareback bathhouses and died of AIDS, would the press be so non-judgmental? I'm so sick of the double standard. Russert committed suicide by food because he enoyed oral stimulation more than life itself - AND HE KNEW THE CONSEQUENCES!

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by: Ralph4159 @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 16:22:02 PM CDT

You make a good point...

... and I like a good laugh at the funeral party. Where are the sandwiches?

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by: DC @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 23:57:45 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Favorite laugh line at a funeral lunch

A relative turned from the buffet table and said cheerily to her lesbian daughter, "Look, honey, they have tongue!"

"In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant."  The Colbert Report

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by: Lev Raphael @ Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 08:48:52 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Here's the answer ...

Yes, the press ocvered, as you quaintly put, his "lifestyle choice" and cause of death - this from MSNBC:

Russert's physician, Michael Newman, said cholesterol plaque ruptured in an artery, causing sudden coronary thrombosis.

Russert had earlier been diagnosed with asymptomatic coronary artery disease, but it was well-controlled with medication and exercise, and he had performed well on a stress test in late April, Newman said. An autopsy revealed that he also had an enlarged heart, Newman said.

And as someone who has been actively dieting, exercising and trying to prevent a similar circumstance or possibly diabetes, as one of my parents was newly diagnosed last month, I take offense at your tone and post. Are you this much an ass in RL, pointing your finger at fat people and loudly denouncing them as "suicidal"?

He was taking the steps to change his health. As am I. As have countless others, including folks here at PHB who have documented bravely their choices and their journeys in the hopes to encourage others not to give up hope and to try to do the same.

It's always intersting to see what one's first reaction is to news like the death of a public figure. Sometimes, far too much is revealed about a person's true nature.

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by: Louise @ Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 12:06:09 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Ralph's post wasn't

about "fat people" but about the ongoing double standard the press has in reporting on gay lives vs. straight ones.  It was not about you.

Cynic, n.  A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be.  
-Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

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by: QScribe @ Sun Jun 15, 2008 at 09:07:42 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

tragic

thats really sad, shocking

http://www.queersunited.blogspot.com

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by: hippie4lyfe @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 17:23:51 PM CDT

I cried like a baby this afternoon

I never missed Meet The Press. Russert was engaging and put on a great show every week.

Was he the best journalism had to offer? No. Those of the highest calibur tend to shun TV don't they?

But, I can't imagine MTP without him.

When you look for the bad in mankind, expecting to find it, you surely will.

- Abraham Lincoln.

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by: Fritz @ Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 22:56:15 PM CDT

Me too Fritz

It's still a shock this morning. His approach towards politics influenced my interest greatly when I was younger- he just seemed like such a regular guy.  

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by: Louise @ Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 06:54:15 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Summer of Love

My Holocaust survivor mother was a fearless truth-teller and had no truck with bs or false pieties. She would see nothing uncivil about responding to the whitewash of Russert that's coming.

What would be uncivil is sending my comments to his friends, family, colleagues, posting on MSNBC.  This is a safe haven for Blenders here and not, I presume, a place where his friends, family, colleagues, turn for comfort in their sorrow and shock.  

Meanwhile, on a happier note, the NYT reports on a new "Summer of Love" coming in California, as marriage for gays and lesbians becomes legal Monday morning.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06...

The world is changing, even Michigan is changing as I noted in my recent diary The Color of Change:

http://www.pamshouseblend.com/...

"In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant."  The Colbert Report

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by: Lev Raphael @ Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 07:32:54 AM CDT

oops

the above was upposed to be posted in reply to Pam's above. ....  Sorry.  Time for another Tassimo.

"In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant."  The Colbert Report

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by: Lev Raphael @ Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 08:50:16 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

I'm with Lev

Other sites and most of the mainstream media will be canonizing Russert for days if not weeks...it's nice to get a little reality here at Pam's House Blend...not the whitewashing we'll be inundated with from most of the rest of the MSM...

Russert was an engaging interviewer and seemed like a nice man, but he was part of the enabling Beltway crowd who always scratched the surface of the malaise facing this country, and never probed too deeply beneath to reveal the real rot.

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by: wagonjak @ Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 11:59:53 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

A safe haven for Blenders

...as long as your opinion is not that Russert was any good at his job. If the news of his death was a shock or upset you, then you are "simply reacting out of American sentimentality". Or worse.

Honestly, Lev, give it a break. Some of us have expressed views that differ than yours and rather than be understanding of that, you have continued to post unnecessary vitriol. Can we let it drop- please??

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by: Louise @ Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 11:42:43 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Dear Louise:

Sorry you found my minority opinions "vitriol."  Clearly anything anti-Russert is off-limits here.  So be it.

Sorry that what I wrote upset you, and that you misread it as a personal attack when it nothing of the sort.  It was commentary on American society and culture at large.  People growing up in immigrant households sometimes see the country of their birth with a different perspective than those with native parents.

Have a great Father's Day!  And a great 2008!

"In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant."  The Colbert Report

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by: Lev Raphael @ Sun Jun 15, 2008 at 08:46:40 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

I'm Sorry...

but compared to the giants of broadcast news of the past, Russert was the king of the softball question.  It's only in comparison with the infotainment oriented broadcast news of today that he seemed like a heavyweight.  My condolences to his family, friends and his fans, but I just can't get very worked up about it.

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by: TomTallis @ Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 12:47:16 PM CDT

Apotheosis

In the extraordinary outpouring of grief since his sudden passing last week, this humble product of South Buffalo has been given the closest thing to a state funeral this town has seen since the deaths of Presidents Reagan and Ford.....in death, this commoner was turned into royalty by official Washington.

After days of wall-to-wall tributes to Russert on NBC, MSNBC and even rival outlets, President Bush joined thousands at Russert's wake on Tuesday. Condoleezza Rice, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Madeleine Albright were among the 2,000 to attend a televised memorial service yesterday afternoon at the Kennedy Center.

"In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant."  The Colbert Report

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by: Lev Raphael @ Thu Jun 19, 2008 at 08:07:50 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Sympathy for Tim Russert's family and friends

It was raw and tough watching several of Mr. Russert's colleages trying to speak. I didn't see Meet the Press today, but that must have been brutally hard for Brokaw to do it on Father's Day.

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

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by: peteyPornpig @ Sun Jun 15, 2008 at 17:28:23 PM CDT