Death In The Family

What is notable here is how a human event can immediately level out the more complex relationship between politicians and the press and, instead, underscore the familial nature of Washington.  It's for that reason, John McCain's statement to the media about the passing of Tim Russert seemed as earnest as the tarmac hug Joe Lieberman shared with NBC correspondent Kelly O'Donnell.    Tim Russert, R.I.P.

(image: LM Otero.  Washington. June 13, 2008. via YahooNews)

Comments

[Karen]

This news is very sad. I find it interesting that a member of the media receives so much attention and grief. I guess the fact that the various cable media would devote so much time to the death of one of their own, particularly an icon such as Russert, is no surprise, but on a certain level it's odd to someone of my generation who remembers a time when the journalist was rarely the story. I have to wonder what the level of coverage tells us about the place of news in our society, especially when it is understood that until recently, the country was so equally divided in political divisions only a small number of relatively low information voters decided national elections.

[stevelaudig]

the only time a journalist should embrace his/her prey is when they are frisking them for weapons before an interview. Every journalist should visualize an interview with a pol as a criminal lawyer views cross examining the most important witness against their client.

A journalist's client is the truth and pols are to be viewed as if they are murderers of the truth.

What's wrong with McCain's hands I wonder.

[DennisQ]

We Americans live our lives vicariously through the people we know on television. We spend part of our evenings with Jay Leno, and Sunday morning with Tim Russert, George Stephanopoulos, and either Keith Olbermann or Bill O'Reilly. Journalists have become entertainers, even members of our families.

This is not a good way to run a democracy. Celebrity journalists have a lot to lose if they make people think. Rather than ask substantive questions that might embarrass a politician, celebrities posing as journalists ask puff questions, sometimes in the form of Gotcha! questions.

We didn't get into the mess we're in solely because of George Bush. The current state of journalism bears some blame for policies that get adopted without being adequately thought through. Tim Russert assumed that he had no right to share with the public what was told to him in confidence. What an odd idea for a journalist! This man sat on an important story until he was required by a subpoena to tell it.

We should not be mourning a death in the family. Russert could have been a real journalist but he chose to be a millionaire celebrity. He was not a family member; he was a guy on television.

[Victoria]

The "village" mentality cries for serious consideration. What is it about this village that makes its members so full of themselves? Maybe if we understood the dynamic at work, we could start to diffuse what is unhealthy and un-serving about it.

I am thinking of watching Brian Williams say last night, “The Newseum in Washington has the First Amendment carved on its exterior front wall. That was Tim Russert’s suggestion.” He said it with such heavy significance: We. Now. Have. This. Because. Of. Tim.

I thought, “Well, that’s not exactly a big idea. I mean wouldn’t that be one of the first things you’d think of to put there?” - Picture it: A group of teens sit down for a brainstorming session to determine what might be most appropriate to put on the front of a building about the news business... How many minutes would pass before the First Amendment hit the list?

This, I believe, captures some of the oddness.

[itwasntme]

I find all this mooning over the death of Tim Russert to be a bit unhinged. Sorry for the family, but for heaven's sake, do the general public have to imitate the media/beltway elite who actually might have known the man?

Tim turned out to be Cheney's schmuck. Perhaps when he realized it, he "lost heart."

[Emily L. Ferguson]

Did the press and politicos make this much fuss over Halberstam last year?

Do they even know what a journalist is?

[Zzyzx]

Well, I, for one, was stunned. No. Not at the death of Russert, people die all the time. But as I stared in amazement at that TV screen, MSNBC actually preempted any pretense at covering the news for constant run-on eulogies for Russert. And bloody hell, they are still doing it TODAY!! What is wrong with these people? They haven't been this upset since the death of Anna Nicole Smith, FGS!!

Aside from consideration for the person who died, the photo is illustrious of the psychopathology of one J. S. McC. III.........yeah, yeah, spoke to the mic, I'm outta here.

The sycophant's sycophant dutifully does the compassionate embracing that the psychopath sycophant cannot do.

Yes, Emily, R.I.P. Halberstam.......way, way too early.

[gmoke]

Yes, McCain's hands. The stiffness in his fingers make him look like an automaton. Perhaps the loss of range of movement in his shoulders make his hands so stiff. He is also walking away from the hug in the background with a determined look on his face and the tan slacks with the dark jacket make him look as if he is at a country club.

[Esoth]

Grief is a universal human reaction, so of course, journalists and politicians share in it, but despite my feelings for the Russert family, and my appreciation of Russert as a talented, decent man, he was emblematic of much of what is wrong with our politics and media. Russert's work ethic and his on-camera skill were matched and perhaps supplanted by his too-often-off-record friendships and his need to be liked by everyone, and to be accorded his exalted status as the king of the hill in mainstream media.

Russert prided himself on his courtesy, but most often, when genuine anger flared it was because someone, usually a guest, insulted his show or his status as the pre-eminent political journalist. No doubt Russert saw as part of his mission, the promotion and maintenance of civility, but there was much more to it than that.

He gloried in his "gotcha" moments, even as over the years he came to be dependably relied on, particularly by the Bush Administration, to defuse the discomfort almost as methodically as he created such moments. His show, and his persona, became the favored vehicle for weathering political storms. He may have been sometimes hard on his guests, but ultimately could be counted on to soften the blow. As much as Russert may have acted out of a genuine and understandable impulse to empathize with someone under pressure, his approach was simply not good journalism, and ultimately didn't serve us well.

Russert often enthusiastically presided over a pack of lies, many of which led to, or covered up terrible actions by Washington's elite. His image as the extraordinary regular from Buffalo was often expressed through easy and apparently genuine affection with his guests (and in his comments when interviewed by others). How bad could these people be, if they were so chummy with so likable a guy? And from there, it was a short but certain step to how bad could the policy, how bad the conduct, how bad the alleged transgressions, and how bad the impact on the wider world.

Russert will indeed be missed by millions, but he will be acutely missed by the Bush Administration, because he and his show were going to be the focal point of Bush's last war in Iran.

[Victoria]

Follow-up: Some further thoughts on The Village, and what Tim Russert is teaching me about it.

Having watched and read a considerable amount of the coverage, certain patterns jump out. It seems clear that there was something special about Russert, the man, that made him a standout in the village; hence the overwhelming depth of widespread grief and sense of profound loss.

From what I observed, there seem to be these essentials: First, this was a genuinely happy man. Everyone notes this. Consider how unusual it is for people to pursue the trappings of power from a depth of happiness. More commonly, power and fame are meant to compensate for some missing... something. Second, he was authentic. When they say he never left Buffalo behind, they really mean he remained his true self. Also unusual in the halls of power and fame, energetic forces which can knock the best of souls off their marks.

I am left with a suspicion that the seeming overplay of mourning was, in fact, an unnerving awareness that the village had just lost something extremely rare in their world.

But how to generate more of these precious qualities on such non-nourishing turf?

[Tim Fuller]

A corpulent rat bastard who was one of the highest paid White House shills dies of what amounts to overconsumption and he gets three days of nonstop crying and lionizing. Dead soldiers, not so much.

I wonder if the government will cut NBC's share of the money they were likely receiving from the Office of Strategic Disinformation's very large coffers? Maybe that's what they were really crying about.

Enjoy.

[g]

Yes, the media is very self-absorbed, but I think there's another reason for so much coverage of Russert's death.

I don't want to over simplify this, but I think part of the shock and grief expressed by members of the news media have to do with the fact that he died abruptly and on the set. It would be a shock in any workplace or any school for someone to die so suddenly, and among them. They will have stories - "I was standing right there," or "I turned and saw - " or "I tried to give him CPR." - The scene of the death was the studio, as they continue to work there the memory continues to resonate.

[Bill O'rally]

The story of Timeh' being felled by aheart attack is a lie. he choked on one of Cheney's balls.

[Nancy]

Thank you, all of you, for saying what I was thinking every time I turned on MSNBC and thought, geez, what is this, 3 days of non-stop mourning for a media celebrity (that I'm going to guarantee you only a small fraction of the American populace can identify)? Nevermind that he was the propaganda conduit for the Bush administration. Nevermind that he withheld information from the American public. I'm sorry for his family's loss, but talk about your misplaced priorities. This was way over the top. Thank you again for speaking so eloquently to what needed to be said and for doing it in a respectful, rational way.

[Bryan M]

Every single one of these comments are insane. You people are absolutely nuts. I love the Bag and have been reading it for years, but this is another reminder why I stay away from the comments section on websites in general.

* Sucking Cheney's balls
* Office of Strategic Disinformation
* Propaganda conduit for the Bush administration
* Focal point of Bush's last war in Iran.

None of you know how hard Tim worked every day, and what a great person he was.

I expected more from the Bag's readers. Tim will be remembered for the work he did and the books he wrote, what he brought to the table.. and these idiotic opinions will thankfully be forgotten.

[Sons]

The telling moment for me about Russert was when he discussed on Meet the Press the famous Washington Correspondent's Dinner where Stephen Colbert lambasted George W. Bush to his face.

Russert did not utter Colbert's name when discussing the dinner. Instead, he brought onto his show some Bush impersonator and giggled with him for fifteen minutes about his performance.

Later, when Colbert became too big to ignore and Russert thought it was safe, he began associated with Colbert.

That dinner, the Washington correspondent's reaction to Colbert, and Russert's follow up ignoring of the Colbert performance spoke so loudly about exactly what we have for a national press in America: Complete servants of the Establishment.

Sons

[Ralph]

None of you know how hard Tim worked every day, and what a great person he was.

I did not know Mr. Russert, but since his death I have gained a sense of just how kind and warm he must have been to those around him. One immediately sees this in the faces and voices of those who now grieve his loss.

My sympathies goes out to Mr. Russert's family and to his many friends and colleagues. For them, this must be a difficult time.

Sadly, for many of us who have not been able to meet or work with Mr. Russert, it has become painfully clear that he was not a journalist with a commitment to documenting the important stories and issues of our day.

At a time when we have had to watch a deeply corrupt administration and congress systematically destroying the system they were elected to serve, Russert was not a reporter who stood ready to expose dishonesty, incompetence or criminal conduct among holders of elective office.

Even sadder, Mr. Russert does not appear to have been someone who thought deeply about the future of our country, one who worried about the consequences of bad policies and unnecessary wars, of rampant cronyism, or of recent attempts to destroy the US Constitution.

Nobody is perfect. Mr. Russert obviously had many wonderful qualities. Unfortunately, in recent years he and his management have done great disservice to our country by ignoring the worst misuses of political power in US history.

[Denise B.]

Exactly what WAS Russert's contribution to the craft of journalism; i.e, the pursuit of truth?
What in the pursuit of truth will he be remembered for?
The Pentagon Papers?
Watergate?

Or silence in service of a criminal "Administration"?

[Bryan M]

Well, I think if you had been able to ask him, he might say 'That was not my job.' Was he a *reporter*, or was he the host of a talk show and a political commentator? There is a difference. Did you watch his show ever?

His questions were tough, his show was not easy for guests. He would hold them to the fire, but never disrespect them, and give them a chance to share their side of the story.

He was not Bill O'Riley. His show was a forum to Meet the Press, not "Dress Down and tell your guests to Shut Up'.

We need MORE dialog like his show provided to the press and politicians in Washington, not less.

[Bryan M]

You guys just have it all wrong...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4179618/

This interview is a good example of Tim Russert's interview style of respect but still asking tough questions, in different ways, trying to get to the bottom of the way a person is thinking. I don't know what else to say really, your minds are all made up.

[elephty]

Russert ruined his reputation when he decided to become a hit man for the Republican Party. When Tim and George moderated one of the Clinton/Obama debates it was obvious that he was not merely asking tough questions, he was attempting to paint both of them in the most negative light possible.

Of course, when Obama becomes president the news media will somehow find it gonads again and become real tough, mainly because the Democratic Party has not figured out a way of paying off the news media in the same fashion as the Republican Party has learned works.

The trick is to simply submit to anything the large corporations want, but make it appear that the decisions are based on national security, patriotism, and American values. The rewards are quite high for people capable of pulling off this deception, just ask Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Reilly, Savage, Medved, and Ingraham.

[elephty]

Much of what we have seen in the coverage of the death of Tim Russert has been to promote his best qualities as if those qualities were embodied in the news media in general. It requires a rather ghoulish consciousness to make use of one of its own member's death to continue on its path of betraying the American people.

[DB]

I'm sorry Russert is dead like so many other people (vagueness intended). But the public showboating and handwringing that accompanies the passing of someone with this sort of prominence or celebrity always reminds me of the Dallas Cowboy's bad-attitude-having running back Duane Thomas, who said something like "I don't understand all this big deal about the Super Bowl. Aren't they going to have another one next year?"