Tim Russert, RIP
By Pejman Yousefzadeh Posted in Miscellanea | Tim Russert — Comments (6) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
As his NBC colleagues have been reporting, Tim Russert was Everyman. The rumpled and cheap looking suits, the unremarkable ties, unremarkably tied around the collar, the non-matinee idol hair and the obesity that led to his untimely demise could easily cause people to fail to take him seriously. Too often, despite all warnings to the contrary, we still tend to judge books by their cover and to judge people by their physical appearances. Many people looked at Tim Russert, assumed certain things about his abilities from his looks--especially when they compared his visage to the visages of other television news personalities--and decided that when it came to abilities, Russert occupied the middle of the bell curve.
Those people would be in for nasty surprises when they realized that they were being questioned on Sunday mornings by a man in possession of a powerful intellect, a man who used that intellect diligently and prodigiously--backed up with a fearsome work ethic--to learn all he possibly could about his guests and their positions, in order to take the other side when he asked them questions, precisely what Meet the Press legend Lawrence Spivak trained and advised him to do when Russert took over the show. In addition to being the moderator of Meet the Press, Russert was the Washington Bureau Chief for NBC News, a kind of player-coach the likes of which are no longer seen in journalism.
He was a class act. He was a tough and demanding interrogator, but one who always wanted his guests to come up with answers, instead of being left stammering and flummoxed. And he conducted his interrogations with good cheer and great enthusiasm. He conducted them with kindness as well; given the manner of his death, I can't help but remember that in his interviews of Vice President Cheney, he would always close by asking the Vice President about his health. To be sure, the health of the Vice President was and is a newsworthy event. But given the stories of Tim Russert's many kindnesses to others, I cannot believe that he didn't ask those questions out of genuine care and concern for a fellow human being. Russert never saw others in the great game of politics as adversaries or enemies. He didn't hector like Chris Matthews does and he didn't pompously pontificate the way Keith Olbermann does. He informed. And he was always civil and good-natured about it--leading people to respect his opinions and to admire his style. Now that he is gone, the colleagues that he left behind can pay tribute to his memory by adopting the very exemplary professional and personal characteristics that so defined Tim Russert's life.
He was blessed amongst men. As David Gregory pointed out in NBC's coverage of Russert's death and life, Judaism teaches us that when the departed meets God and his angels, he or she is asked two things. Did the departed try to have a family and did he or she work for the redemption of the world? It is indisputable that for Tim Russert, both questions could be answered in the affirmative. He took joy in his work and in his family. He got to make a vocation out of his avocation and he was constantly surrounded by the love of his wife, his son, his father and his sisters and their families.
You can't ask for anything more.
Tim Russert was taken from us far too early. Sundays will never be the same and during the course of this political season, a whole treasure trove of insights and analysis will be missed by lesser journalists and pundits, or will be discovered by the public eye far too late simply because Tim Russert is no longer around to offer them.
He was taken from us far too early. But while we wish that his life could have been longer, we rejoice in the fact that it was so filled and so fulfilling.
Rest in Peace.
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Tim Russert, RIP 6 Comments (0 topical, 6 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
To me, Russert remained true to his roots. He came up in the Democratic establishment; however, he was a fair and balanced interviewer because of the embrace he had for his upbringing.
Now that Timm Russert has passed, a fair analysis makes it all the more obvious what woeful partsans the other two individuals mentioned really are, and what a very shallow bench journalism has developed.
What made Russert different from the others was he had his professional and personal standards, on display, every time he was on the air and he stuck to them relentlessly. What will become apparent is that the remaining on-air talent of NBC, do not possess these standards and that will magnify the impact of Tim's passing for NBC. People forget he was not only Mr. Sunday Morning, but he ran NBC's Washington Bureau and was a senior executive for NBC. That represents a huge void in both talent and leadership to fill
Of the many "journalists" with left-wing backgrounds that host television news shows, Tim Russert was one of the better ones. Among left-wing tv "journalists", Russert treated conservatives better than many others.
That doesn't mean he was completely fair and balanced with regard to conservatives and liberals. He certainly did give at least slightly better treatment to liberals and Democrats than to conservatives and Republicans. I hadn't watch a lot of "Meet the Press" in recent years, but saw plenty to see his at least a slight bias in favor of Democrats and liberals. I remember him saying on a show that "coming up" (after a break) would be Tom "the Hammer" Delay. He should have just said "coming up" is Majority Leader Tom Delay. He would never have used such a nickname to refer to a guest that was a member of the Democratic House leadership.
I will miss viewing Tim Russert. He was a hard worker and a very intelligent guy.
Rest in peace Mr. Russert.
...everything is right on, fair, and magnanimous.
It makes me regret that earlier I nearly commenting with a demand that you return to covering foreign affairs.
Wonderful post.
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