I was totally shocked with the news of Tim Russert's passing as everyone was. A heart attack at 58...we are never promised tomorrow.
He was truly a class act. If you didn't know his personal politics were pretty liberal, you would never have guessed it by watching Meet the Press. He was the epitome of what journalism should be about. He was hard on both sides equally. He didn't give anyone a break, no matter his personal beliefs on the issue. Every politician knew that an hour on his show could either make you or break you.
When I worked at MSNBC in '03, one of my jobs was to maintain contacts in the conservative circles of DC so we could have a good pool of guests. That involved going down from NYC to DC about once a month or so. When I did, I worked out of the NBC office in DC which is where Russert worked. I had the privilege of meeting him several times and seeing him in his "zone." He always had a smile on his face and was very easy to be around, unlike a few other MSNBC hosts who worked in DC.
This Presidential campaign won't be the same without him. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
4 comments:
I forgot about you working at MSNBC. It is nice to hear your personal opinion of him. I think we were all shocked because it was so unexpected and he was so young. For being a member of the MSM, he was a class act.
This presidential campaign has taken so many twists and turns and this is just one of them. Did you hear the latest about Watts? I'm still in shock and hoping that somehow its not true.
Brian and I talked about him last night. We both liked how you couldn't really tell what side of the fence he was one. OH, and '91 made it to Sunday morning this year...were down by 6 when it ended up being rained out. The boys did real well this year.
Working at MSNBC... SHUDDER!
Thank God we got you outta there and somewhere safe instead!
This was sad news about Russert. I didn't watch his show but often used clips of his interviews with Democrats in my posts.
His interview with Obama where B. Hussein waffles on whether he opposed or supported the Iraq war is a classic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbO-kgB-ZI4
I,too, was deeply saddened by the loss of Tim Russert. He was an amazing journalist and from what I can understand, he was the epitome of a family man. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him on TV... whether it be on Meet The Press or on the nightly political recap shows.
He brought his own passionate style and love for politics into our home on a regular basis. I can remember thinking on several occassions during the never-ending primary season that I could hardly wait for Tim Russert to appear on TV so I could get a better understanding of what was REALLY going on and what the string of primary results meant for each candidate.
It's so hard to imagine going through the general election without him. One thing is for sure, it will not be the same without him.
I pray for his beloved son Luke, and for his loveing wife Maureen. I pray that they will find peace by leaning on our Father and pray the He will make His presence known to them in a very strong, real way.
Be Blessed,
Lesley
P'ville LA
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