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13 June 2008
Tim Russert just died. Whoa. →[More:]I sort of loved him for his devotion to the lo-tech whiteboard-and-marker technique on the night of the Indiana primary to explain the math.
He's left a void that's going to hard to fill. There are lots of decent analysts and commentators out there, but I can't think of anyone else that could do it at the level Russert did. I sort of took him for granted, but suddenly I realize how incredibly important he is to to current media. I assumed we'd have him around for a long time to come.
Oh man, as a Buffalonian and a person that appreciates true journalism, this makes me really, really sad. I agree with Slack that I kind of took him for granted. I can't believe we'll be going through a Presidential election without him.
He'll always be the guy who comforted me through those horrible wee hours of the 2000 election. His constant dry erase board scribbles provided a bit of comic relief.
Is it wrong of me to have fleetingly wished it had been Chris Matthews instead?
Aww, I kind of have a soft spot for Matthews. Especially after this
from a couple weeks back. Also, I thought this recent NYT profile humanized him quite a bit.
But this is about Russert, not Matthews. Like him or not, you could always tell the man truly loved the sport of politics.
I heard this on my way home from work today, and I almost ran my car off the road.
I'm watching MSNBC right now - Keith Olbermann is reading several well-wishes from figures and broadcasters from all over the broadcast range and political spectrum. He's managing, but you can tell it's hard for him to keep it together.
Hell, it's hard for me to keep it together right now.
The flags here have all gone to half-mast in his honor. The dive bar around the corner also has all the tvs turned to msnbc. Which is not at all surprising to anyone from Buffalo, as I'm sure Doohickie and misskaz can attest. Whenever anyone from here makes it big people celebrate them as much as they would a member of their own family, so I'm betting a lot of people here feel like they've lost a beloved Uncle.
I think he was sincere, but the Atrios end of the liberal blogosphere -- the part that constantly criticized the media -- has long felt he was responsible for making "gotcha" journalism respectable. Most of his supposed "hard-hitting" questioning revolved around having an intern dig up something his interview subject said seventeen years ago that was slightly different from their position today. He was singlehandedly responsible for one of the worst presidential nominating debates of the modern era.
In some ways, I cannot really mourn his passing.
Matthews, on the other hand, while an annoying blowhard on a good day, is certifiably more progressive. By inches, perhaps, but provably so.
They both got their start working on campaigns and as Hill staffers, interestingly enough.
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