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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 always struck me as a stand-up guy, something rather rare to see in journalism recently.

Go gently, Mr. Russert. Go Bills.
posted by muddgirl 13 June | 14:54
Holy shit. Didn't see *that* coming. Wow.
posted by mudpuppie 13 June | 14:57
Whoa. Sudden death freaks me out. I quite liked him myself.
posted by gaspode 13 June | 14:58
Dammit.

Is it wrong of me to have fleetingly wished it had been Chris Matthews instead?

Russert was one of the good ones.

58 is way too young.

Dammit.
posted by BitterOldPunk 13 June | 15:01
Damn, he was one of the good ones. I was shocked to see this.
posted by BoringPostcards 13 June | 15:02
(Heh, jinx on BoP...)
posted by BoringPostcards 13 June | 15:03
:(
posted by krix 13 June | 15:07
Wow, yea. People only a dozen years older than me shouldn't be dropping dead.
posted by octothorpe 13 June | 15:07
how sad. I wonder if his funeral will be in Buffalo... I might go if it is.
posted by kellydamnit 13 June | 15:23
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.
posted by Slack-a-gogo 13 June | 15:39
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.

I wish it weren't true.
posted by misskaz 13 June | 15:55
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.
posted by Hellbient 13 June | 15:57
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.
posted by Atom Eyes 13 June | 15:59
I loved Tim Russert. I just read this. What a shock.
posted by LoriFLA 13 June | 16:14
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.
posted by syntax 13 June | 16:16
He always came across as a straight up, sincere guy.

[soap box]
He had diabetes and died of a heart attack. Most diabetics die of heart disease. Get tested, bunnies.
[/soap box]
posted by deborah 13 June | 16:25
People at my office are crying. One of the people who sits near me went to HS with him. His poor dad must be a wreck.

I cannot think of a single journalist today who is fit to host Meet The Press.

And man, the poor guy didn't even get to finish out the election season!
posted by kellydamnit 13 June | 16:26
He's the same age as my father. Must call Dad this weekend.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 13 June | 16:50
Oh, man. I hate this.
posted by bunnyfire 13 June | 17:44
What a shame. He was a thorough professional who kept it interesting. Rest in peace.
posted by redvixen 13 June | 19:05
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.
posted by kellydamnit 13 June | 20:13
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.
posted by stilicho 13 June | 22:53
RIP Tim. I didn't always like you but I had respect for you that I don't have for a lot of your brethren.
posted by arse_hat 13 June | 23:53
Fox Forced To Apologize To Obama For Third Time In Two Weeks! || The Independent Women’s Football League - who knew?

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