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"There are certain days when you can feel the air sucking out of Washington's giant hot-air balloon, and Friday was one of them," writes the N.Y. Times Mark Leibovich in a 6.15 piece about the news of the passing of Tim Russert.
"News of the Meet the Press host's death moved entirely too fast, in that unnerving way that these things do in the viral media world, but especially here -- the cycle of rumor to 'did you hear?' to confirmation ('it's online') to disbelief lasted a matter of minutes. Riders on the D.C. Metro stared into their BlackBerrys, and every politician with access to e-mail was issuing statements, from the president on down."
It was a whopper for me personally, I can tell you. Heartbreak for his friends, family and colleagues; a loss for the world of political TV coverage; a chill up the spine of every heavy-ish person out there over the age of 40. I felt for the MSNBC team yesterday during their marathon coverage. They were simultaneously reporting and dealing with their own private grief. They couldn't see any way around not covering it as an all-day, stop-the-presses, death-of-JFK event. They didn't want to turn it off, and probably couldn't have if they had a change of heart.
That said, there's this little voice stating that I understand and respect the rules that govern the observance of the death of anyone famous, particularly one as beloved as Tim Russert, which is that you may not talk about the circumstances that may have caused his life to end and whether or not it could have been prevented or at least delayed.
Type in the words "cholesteral plaque enlarged heart" and tell me what it gradually tells you. I've done a little reading for 20 minutes or so, and -- I'm saying this as plainly and respectfully as I can -- it just doesn't seem as if a tree just uprooted itself and fell on the guy.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on June 14, 2008 at 1:42 PM
comment #1
George Prager
says ...
I saw Matt Lauer's interview with Dick Cheney this morning. It was the first time I liked Dick Cheney. Matt tried to get the Vice President to drink the "humble beginnings" kool-aid that proved so successful with Mike Barnicle and all of the other blowhards that NBC had been interviewing ("You both came from humble beginnings...". Instead of engaging in reverie, Cheney just looked kind of embarrassed and said "Yes." Interview over.
Posted by George Prager
at June 14, 2008 2:29 PM
comment #2
Edward
says ...
Sad, sad news. I would think the stress of his job was a factor as well.
Posted by Edward
at June 14, 2008 3:50 PM
comment #3
supertaster
says ...
It's ironic that so many of the entertainers paying tribute to Russert lack the qualities of his that they are saying they admired most--dignity, respect for his subjects, objectivity, faith, and desire to elicit truth.
His death is disturbing beyond the personal element because he leaves behind few people capable of or interested in delivering the truth without intepretation or filtering.
No slight to Russert, but It has been almost 24 hours of non-stop coverage on msnbc. i know it's a slow news weekend, but surely there must be other stuff happening in the world? i heard something about some rain or flooding or something somewhere in rubeland -- some information could be good but msnbc is usually such a solid source for fully-formed facts that I'm hesitant to get news from one of the other, you know, news stations.
Maybe it was my Catholic upbringing, but I think Russert would be embarrassed by the lavish praise-a-thon taking place at nbc's spinoff network. Hour after hour, person after person it becomes less about him and more about them, their sadness, the story of their grief (witness Wells' comment about the msnbc team). Clearly this is a huge loss for everyone close to him, but the personal stuff is best and most sincerely expressed in private.
I think Russert would say "ok guys, I'm flattered, but McCain just contradicted himself again and Obama made a naive comment about social security. Go after them *both* and find out what's happening."
Posted by supertaster
at June 14, 2008 4:48 PM
comment #4
Movie Watcher
says ...
I agree with supertaster. I was shocked and saddened about Russert, but how long does the eulogy last on msnbc? Today is a special Meet the Press. That's good, I undetstand that. They should do that. Hopefully, by tomorrow, msnbc will return to normal. I know it's only been a few days, but I wonder who will replace Russert on MTP? I just hope and pray it is not Chris Matthews. It would be a terrible choice. His horrific laugh, I mean cackle, is annoying. Also he has that bad habit of interupting people who are still talking, I can't stand it. Brokaw would be a good choice. Or maybe they will alternate between 2 or 3 of them. They could do that, and take there time to find a permanent replacement.
Posted by Movie Watcher
at June 15, 2008 6:50 AM
comment #5
Terry McCarty
says ...
Movie Watcher wrote:
I know it's only been a few days, but I wonder who will replace Russert on MTP? I just hope and pray it is not Chris Matthews.
I'm guessing David Gregory.
Posted by Terry McCarty
at June 15, 2008 11:28 AM
comment #6
dixiedugan
says ...
I'd second the David Gregory pick there Terry.
Yes, I was also shocked and saddened by Russert's death...but crying out loud, what was that we had in Iowa and other parts of the Midwest? Ohhhhhhh that's right,major flooding. Guess it isn't a big enough story because it didn't happen on the coasts, and yeah I am bitterized saying that - considering I've got friends I haven't heard from in days.
Corn prices up up up!
Posted by dixiedugan
at June 15, 2008 2:52 PM
comment #7
bb
says ...
Matthews and Olbermann are both auditioning for the role right now.
Olbermann's heart has slid down his sleeve, crawled over the Steve Capus's office and slithered up his ass while Matthews has settled on a strategy of transgressing common human decency as a way of impressing the suits.
NBC truly is an empty shell without Russert.
Posted by bb
at June 15, 2008 6:02 PM
comment #8
JHRussell
says ...
David Gregory will ultimately get the MTP gig. Matthews and Olberman are biased hacks who wear their political leanings on their sleeves. Gregory is more old school, like Russert (or Bob Schieffer) - you have plenty of suspicions about where his inner feelings lie, but he never betrays it. The MTP host has to give every appearance of being neutral.
NBC will do everything possible to elevate someone from inside the network, but the only likely candidate is Gregory. it is possible they will go outside to replace Russert...don't be surprised if you hear murmurs about someone like Katie Couric...you read it here first...
Back to Jeff's point, I think that a good public service campaign will come from this sad death - it is a real wake up call for white males in the 50+ bracket who are not taking care of their health. Scared hell out of me, and I am pretty much on top of my health these days...knock on wood.
Posted by JHRussell
at June 16, 2008 5:24 AM
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