Tim Russert Dies of Apparent Heart Attack
By Nicole Belle Thursday Jun 12, 2008 2:58pm
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Tim Russert, the host of “Meet the Press,” and NBC’s Washington bureau chief, has died. He was 58.
Mr. Russert was a towering figure in American journalism and moderated several debates during the recent presidential primary season.
Tom Brokaw, the former anchor of NBC Nightly News, came on the air at 3:39 p.m. and reported that Mr. Russert had collapsed and died early this afternoon while at work. He had just returned from Italy with his family.
“Our beloved colleague,” a grave Mr. Brokaw called him, one of the premier journalists of our time. He said this was one of the most important years in his life, with his deep engagement in the network’s political coverage, and that he “worked to the point of exhaustion.” Mr. Brokaw said Mr. Russert was a true child of Buffalo and always stayed in touch with his blue collar roots and “the ethos of that community.”
He said Mr. Russert had just moved his father, who is in his late 80s, from one facility to another in Buffalo. He said he loved his family, his Catholic faith, his country, politics, the Buffalo Bills, the New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals.
“This news division will not be the same without his strong, clear voice,” Mr. Brokaw said.
As with all announcements of this sort, we ask that your comments stay respectful.
Update: John Amato. Wow, what shocking news. My heart goes out to his friends and family. When moments like these arrive, it's a reminder to us all just how precious and fleeting our lives really are..
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whoah...
I really respected the guy. What a loss.
That's sad. He was young.
I'm very sorry to hear this. My condolences to his family.
*
How sad. And so young. My condolences to Mr. Russert's family.
Sundays will never be the same...
Rest in peace.
Rest in Peace.
I'll leave politics aside for the rest of the day and call my dad... just because.
total shock.. wishing his family the best in these times.
Very sad indeed.
Wow. Fifty eight is way too young.
What a shock; Russert was a good man.
Surprising, shocking. I have neighbours who are family members. My condolences to all of them and his friends who are eulogising him now.
That's terrible!
As a Canadian - who threw his TV out 7 years ago - I only knew of Tim Russert from the internets. He was one of your best.
This is very sad!
With this news, flooding, tornados, etc., Friday the 13th is casting quite a shadow on Fathers Day.
Tim Russert - RIP
Condolences to his family.
Wow. How awful.
i enjoyed his style.......the good can die young
My condolences to the Russert family. Rest in peace.
Rest in peace, Tim. I appreciated your work.
My sincere condolences to his friends and family.
:( On MSNBC , he expressed how excited he was about this election. It's sad that he will miss it, and he will be missed.
Well that is very sad news. He would have loved to be part of this upcoming election and his voice will be missed.
Too young!
My sincere condolences to his family. Very sad day for an accomplished journalist/commentator.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Russert.
When I was watching him last Sunday, I thought that his eyes had a different look in them. My condolences.
treasure each day you're alive.
RIP Timmy - May you be watching over this election from the big white board in the sky
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Tranditional Irish prayer.
Not a fan of his right-wing politics, but this is sad for his family especially right before Father's Day.
Truly sad. Much too young.
Ron @ 26:
a coworker and i just said the same thing. sad news. my condolences to the russert family. rip tim
my prayers go out to the family
My thoughts are with his family. Someone said Sunday mornings will never be the same. Nope they sure won't. This is truly a sad day.
I hate it when somebody MY AGE departs the Earth.
Is it usual to include the favorite sports teams in an announcement of this kind? Just curious.
We haven't watched TV in over 15 years or read newspapers in 10 - maybe things have changed.
*
R.I.P Mr Russert
I feel bad about this. I grew up in a house where we all had to be quiet at 6:30pm to listen to the news. (Cronkite). There are only a few people left that have the ability to just radiate warmth, dignity and make us feel like we are being allowed to hear crucial information.
Tim Russert was like a "normal everyday kind of person" that somehow got into that major personality league. I think the last thing I will remember about him is the way we he kind of declared Obama as the democratic candidate....seems so strange that he won't be around during this election. I also liked his relationship with his dad....when he was interviewed for the series on assisted living.
I think he was one whose stature was sufficiently respected that he could speak truth to power on occasion. I am sorry for his family's great loss.
spirittoo @ 359:
Mike Malloy quoted this site last night? I missed Malloy last night. I understand C&L sentiments about the Russert death and how they want to maintain a level of civility here. I like Mike Malloy, but on the day a person deceases, even Mike Malloy should show some liberal humanity and not bash a guy who just died hours earlier. I had issues with Mr. Russert and his show, but there is a time and place for everything. At the end of the day, the Bush administration make the decisons and I do not think anyone or any one entity would have prevented them from attacking Iraq or the impending attack on Iran.
The media in many ways is scapegoated for the decisions of the Bush administration and the American people's continual re-election of the likes of McCain and other Republicans. The media at the end of the day does not vote in Congress or make the final decisions from the Oval office. Mr. Malloy should even realize this.
There are limits to how much the media can do to stop wars, etc. Blaming Russert for the war on Iraq is quite ridiculous, for he is not the president nor did he vote on it in the U.S. Congress. People need to start to take a more sober view of government and understand who is ACTUALLY Making the policy decisions.
Attacking Mr. Russert or making the claim that C&L is "censoring" people is alsi ridiculous. There is a time and place for everything.
Attacking Russert in the hours after his passing is something I would expect out of conservatives, not liberals like Mr. Malloy or other "liberals" here at C&L. Tolerance, charity, forgiveness and love are also liberal ideals.
bubba @ 326:
Same on some military blogs, he had respect from both the right and left. Thats high praise in a hyper charged and partisan country like this one.
Spip @ 353:
I hope your head explodes
Spuds @ 362:
I listened to Mike last night, and though I thought it might be a free-for-all against Russert, I thought Mike handled it with a decent amount of respect for the late Tim. He did mention C&L's moderation of comments, and he read some pointed comments about Russert from bloggers, but overall, I felt he did alright by Russert.
Agreed about Russert not being responsible for the warcupation of Iraq; his complicity or lack thereof in its sale to the US people is not the subject of the thread so I'll end it there.
RIP.
Spip @ 353:
You and Tucker's mother would be the only people able to stomach that eternal prick.
With all due respect to Tim Russert and his family, the non-stop coverage of his death on MSNBC since 4pm yesterday has been a bit too much. Andrea Mitchell is manning the phones and the famous folks keep on calling.....Allbright, Dean, maybe Santorum. Why not just fade to black for 48 hours?
fastfeat @ 366:
Morning fastfeat, how are you doing this morning? I'd like to know more about what Malloy said with regards to C&L. I went over there to his site and found nothing. I hink the site monitors were right in removing the offensive comments about Russert.
The guy wasn't even cold yet. I think they could have waited till he was in the ground. But thats just me.
Chopvac @ 346:
It's a question of tact and timing, not a double standard. It's unethical to speak undue ill of the dead. Need anyone lionize him? No.
Need we get cheap shots in before the man has been laid to rest or mourned? He wasn't perfect, but he was human. Each of us deserves as much: time enough to be celebrated for our positives for just a while after passing.
We all have our flaws and failures. We should be held to account. He did and will be.
There are, however, times when doing so (just at that moment) is cruel, inhumane, common, and disgusting.
If we want a new kind of politics, we're going to have to adhere to a new kind of rhetoric.
You can fight Rove, or you can be like him. Good luck either way.
RIP Tim Russert. My Sunday mornings will be undeniably changed, as will election coverage.
Dhalgren @ 368:
Absolutely. But they cannot take the financial loss.
Or can they? If they honor Tim's memory, then please just shut up for a given timefram (to be determined) and respect his family and their grief with no reporting on this.
Mo(u)rning (?) to ya too, Mudshark--
I wasn't going to listen to Mike last night just because I knew his intense dislike of Russert, and I thought it might just be a shred-fest. But I really enjoy Mike and his passion, so i thought I'd give him a chance. And (I thought) he showed some compassion for the man in death. Was he as reserved as the moderators here?--of course not. Did I make it through the show and still respect Mike for his views without taking away from my sense of loss at Russert's life--yeah. (Trust me, I was no huge fan of Tim, but hell, I even cried--just a little--when Raygun died; just a human thing I guess. And I think Mike showed he, too, is a decent guy.)
The comment about C&L's moderation was brief. Paraphrasing roughly , he said that blogs, and especially TV, were fawning all over Russert in his death, while ignoring the (fact) that he (Russert) was part of the unapologetic machinery that lead us into war. He mentioned C&L specifically as keeping the tone down on its thread; I don't believe he used the word "censored." (If I'm wrong, someone let me know...) He then read a few emails (to him) and took a few calls re: Russert. He did try to balance the conversation with remarks about respect for the dead and Tim's family, but he never got mushy. Overall, I thought he walked a pretty fair line.
[Edited, Site Monitor]
Why did this have to happen? And why Tim Russert? He was a good man. He wasn't a hate monger. But why did he have to pass away so young?
[Edited. Sitemonitor]
Only the good die young.
I fear God does not exist, it's just a bit of fiction made up.
Rest in peace, Mr. Russert.
Sitemonitor--
Sorry about the double quote at #372. Not trying to see myself twice, honestly...
[ FIFY. Site Monitor]
There will be a time and a place to register complaints about Russert's complicity and enabling in things that the Bush administration has done for the past 7 1/2 years. Just not here on this thread of comments.
I think Russert was a good family person. A good person. He cared about people. He cared about people he did not know. He cared about his friends no matter what disagreements he may have had. For these reasons I cannot accept that he was a Republican (in fact he was a democrat) or was in bed with neocons. Republicans and neocons could never hold the values Russert held. Did I have problems with Russert? Absolutely. I'll save my disagreements for the right time and let loose. This thread is what it is. If you don't like it move on. Nothing for yoiu here.
Although Russert was part of the corporate-media-political complex that keeps Americans uninformed and ignorant, there was a moment where he helped crack the monolith.
After 9/11, newspeople were afraid to criticize the "president". In the wake of the Iraq war, Russert had an interview with the Chimperor, which actually asked him tough questions. And all Dubya could say, repeatedly, is "I'm a war preznit! I'm a war preznit!"
That interview seemed to herald a thaw in the media freeze.
Mark. Shut up. Was the media complicit? Sure. Did Russert kill 4000 people? No. Just stop. For the love of all that is decent and holy, stop. The people who were duped wanted to be duped. We're all complicit.
When you die, I won't spit on your grave . . .
The corporate elite fascists loose an effective propagandist. That is all.
Sunday morning will not be the same without Russert. He was a class act. RIP
"The people who were duped wanted to be duped. We're all complicit."
I was not complicit. I knew the Bushies were lying from the start, so did most of humanity. The largest single protest in history happened on 2/15/03 before the war. 3/4th of all Brits opposed the war against Iraq in Jan-Feb 03. The reason support for an unprovoked war of aggression was so high in the U.S.in early 2003 was exactly because of the actions of people like Russert. The man had blood on his hands.
Very sorry to hear this news... I watch MTP via the podcast ... my thoughts go out to Tim Russert's family ... small tribute on my blog
What made me like him was his enthusiasm for the news he was covering,
Mark @ 383:
And why does the Washington, D.C.-New York City media so glorify Mr. Russert's death, while saddening, but do so little for our fallen military veterans?
Word.
rev_cletus @ 385:
Word.
He's one of their own. Military personnel only matter if they're newsworthy to promote propoganda since they are after all just a number.
spirittoo @ 359:
With all due respect, grow the hell up. It's not censorship on a private website to moderate comments. People like you really get on my last nerve. The man died hours earlier and you PRESUME that you have the right to besmirch his memory on someone else's site? Really? How fucking rude.
So I'm curious: do you also go over to other people's homes to insult them and disrespect them? Do you think nothing of picking fights with others at someone else's home? Because that's what you're doing. I honestly couldn't care less about how you feel about Russert nor your rather narcissistic need to display your hate for the world to see. This is John Amato's site and you play by John Amato's rules. And that goes for Malloy as well.
Do you not realize that for the 350+ comments on this thread that there are 100s of 1000s of others who did not comment? Do you not realize that in those numbers are people only too happy to hop on our bandwidth to prove that liberals are hateful, nasty little buggers who can't even show common courtesy for the recently deceased? Do you presume that you have the right to give them the leeway to do that?
Seriously, have you no decency?
Interesting thing about our opinions pro or con
They die with us.
I like the ancient Celtic way of approaching death.
Often the very great warrior who killed another great warrior, would be the chief among them in mourning.
It wasn't hypocritical.
But the deceased was what made his rival so great, and the rival was grateful.
Sic transit gloria mundi.
Geez, it looks like I'm talking to myself now.
ysbaddaden @ 386:
Not a warrior, just a mouthpiece. I'm sure when other mouthpieces go there will be the same sentiments for them here as well.
Condolences to his family and those who will miss him.
Nicole Belle @ 385:
Good comment Nicole. I think that is what differentiates us with the right as a whole. I think that is one of the reasons we lost the last two elections. We don’t like to go to the places the right wing goes. Sometimes we do but most of us hold our noses when we do. While there is plenty to complain about Russert this is not the place and I assume that maybe 2 or 3 % of the posts were out of line by out standards. BUT TO COMPLAIN ABOUT KEEPING the discussion civil is unbelievable to me.
As far as Mike Malloy is concerned I like him. I thinks he goes over the line more than I am comfortable but at the same time I am glad he does because the left needs that sometimes to counter Savage and Limbaugh and the Gibsons and the Becks and the Hannitys and the O’Reillys and there are just so many of them.
Not that you need it or want it but I just wanted to give you a pat on the back Nicole. You guys and girls do a hell of a job!!
Captain Obama’s Bitter Half Husein Kangaroo @ 391:
Yep. It's why I'll always get my news and perspective here first, and then verify it from other sources later.
And also:
Rest In Peace, Mr. Russert.
You were loved.
working class @ 380:
I too recognized the lies from the beginning, but this insistence on blaming one man, when he just passed .. .
Well, I'm repeating myself, but it's grotesque and COUNTERPRODUCTIVE.
Melissa @ 342:
Would/could you please state the evidence of Tim Russert being a "damn fine Democrat"? As a "journalist" I'm sure Tim would want you to elaborate, given your knowledge. Thanks.
why couldn't it be glenn beck?
Blue Knuckle @ 369:
Yours is a blatantly false statement. No one attacked him or made "cheap shots", and no one has said, "He's dead, good," as was said about Falwell by many posters. Your silence on other people is quite interesting.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/05/15/jerry-falwell-1933-2007/
http://www.haloscan.com/comments/crooks/100117317
And to reiterate, I was no fan of Falwell.
No. What you're doing is rationalizing. How soon someone's work can be criticized is clearly becoming dependent on how the person is viewed. Go look up the comments on the deaths of several rightwingers in the past few years - Ronald Reagan, Jerry Falwell, William F. Buckley, among others. Criticism of their lives' work came immediately from their political opponents.
Also of note is your ignoring the key words: criticism of their lives' work. Many comments about Ronald Reagan, Jerry Falwell, and William F. Buckley were not character assassination, and none of the criticisms of Russert on this page were either. Don't be duplicitous or dishonest, leave that to the republicans as they do when their political opponents die, impugning characters and making false statements after people's deaths or illnesses. Or have you forgotten only a few weeks ago the number of tasteless remarks by the right when Ted Kennedy appeared to be on death's door?
Another dishonest statement. You're racking them up, this time by employing one of Rove's tactics in making false assertions about the messenger instead of evaluating the message.
I'm asking that everyone be held to the same standard, that factual criticism is fair but making false statements about those who can't defend themselves isn't fair. One has to wonder why you would object to that.
You may want the same standard for all, but yours amounts to both sides saying, "They can't criticize our guys but we can criticize theirs".
If its Sunday.....
Ill just go back to bed.
He asked the tough questions, and he asked them of everyone. He will be missed! My sincere condolences to his family. What will I wake up to on Sunday mornings now?
It's really a shame, he had lots of integrity and handled himself with a lot of class. That can't be said of many hosts/anchors/talking heads these days.
It's sad there aren't more people in politics like Russert.
I've posted a lot of critical and pretty mean things about Tim over the years, but moments like this make you realize however catty and nasty you get, we're all just human beings, trying to live life. Nobody who was ever critical of Tim Russert ever wished this upon him. Like him or not, he was the guy a lot of America looked to for commentary and advice. So it's a sad day and for me I'm reminded to try to get a little life in every day.
I've certainly spent some time on Sundays being confused and angry at Tim for a variety of (what I perceived to be) peculiar and often right-ward tilts, but I never once doubted his wit and style and I feel just terribly for his family.
I hope he is moderating a heavenly debate between Barry Goldwater and Thurgood Marshall right this minute.
Rest in peace.
Only the good die young; even in journalism. Sad day.
Maybe we could not talk about who will replace him just yet.
[I think I took care of that one. It's not at the number you cited-Sitemonitor]
Sad news... I hope his family can be comforted in this time of trouble.
58 is very young. He was no doubt a force to be reckoned with and though I despised his politics and his point of view, it's a passing that will leave a void.
This is a battering ram to the face. He was a major cog, and you can't help but feel for the Russerts and the MSNBC crew.
Bye, Tim. Gonna miss you.
Far too young. :(
pissed off patricia @ 43:
Thank you Patricia. There are some really bad people out here.
I now realize that the accolades of his colleagues who are essentially saying Russert was one of the best we had in the field is a way to try to help absolve themselves for their shortcomings. The bar is truly set quite low.
I even heard the old chestnut, "he was a guy you wanted to have a beer with."
Boy, would I (just to unload).
"Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?"
What? To soon?
Captain Obama’s Bitter Half Husein Kangaroo @ 374:
Please let me know when and where that will be so I can post on it.
Rush Limbaugh on Russert's death:
"He was the closest thing there was at any of the networks to an objective journalist."
What an backhanded asshole compliment.
Rush, you can't hold a candle to the man. You're nothing but a jackass blowhard.
Oops, the comment that used to be 37 has been removed. Van, my comment wasn't aimed at you.
[FIFY-Sitemonitor]
this begins a time of mourning for his family, his friends and his many colleagues.
we wish only to express appreciation for his work, and deep sadness at being in a world without him.
ave atque vale, tim russert.
While I was not a huge fan of his commentary, I appreciated his love of his work and the love he had for family. His book "Wisdom of our Fathers", was immensly touching and something I will remember him for.
He left us too soon.
I have often been critical of him, but he always showed grace and professionalism, and proceeded from earnest and honest values. This is shocking and tragic, and I offer condolences to his family. We are all poorer for this loss.
I have to agree with Biggus - whatever you may have thought of him as a journalist, today is not the day for that. Whatever he did for a living, he was still a man who had a family and who died far too early.
RIP Tim
I've always liked him, and I'm shocked and sad to hear that he has passed. News is less interesting without him there.
He was the least right wing of the conservatives, perhaps a true centrist. Rest in peace.
i'm so sorry for his family.
58 is not old, it's way too young. Rest in peace Tim.
I send my condolences to his family.
He had a frighteningly encyclopedic knowledge of American political history.
This is a big blow to NBC. He is their #1 journalist.
Left&Left @ 49:
Seriously.
I am in shock. I can't believe how many tears are in my eyes. If there is a heaven, Timmy is there. He was one of a kind. A real class act. I can't even think who could replace him on MTP.
Today we all mourn for Tim Russert regardless of our disagreements. Tim had his beliefs and I had mine. They just weren't the same. Prayers for his family. Especially sad just before Father's Day.
Trittydi @ 36:
Russert was a HUGE Bills fan, and often joked about their 0-4 record in the Super Bowl on MTP, so yes, I think it was fitting that they mentioned it. Russert probably would have liked that.
Anyways, sad news. I know people on this blog had their problems with his style and/or line of questioning, but I do think he was better than your average Washington pundit. Plus, MTP is an institution (for better or worse), and in an industry that often shows personalities the door before they have a real chance to prove themselves, he was the face of that show for a long time - a fact that in itself deserves some props.
Personally, I'm a MTP fan [Edited-Sitemonitor]
I may have disagreed with him at times, but he was one of the good guys.
My Sunday mornings won't be quite the same.
I must admit, I didn't like his style, but this is very sad. Big Russ ends up out living his own son. Very devastating.
[Edited-Sitemonitor]
Trittydi @ 36:
well, perhaps when such things mattered to the person involved. Mr Russert was a vociferous fan of his hometown team. Nothing wrong with that, or in painting a full picture of how someone enjoyed life.
RIP Mr Russert. My sincere condolences to your family.
This is a shocker. There were times he made me angry and times where I liked him. Either way, 58 is too young to die. RIP, Mr. Russert.
The few times that I saw him, I was not a fan of his Republican spin. May his family find comfort in their friends and relations.
i don't know what to say!
RIP sir!
Wow. Just wow. I am floored. All prayers and bleesings to his loved ones. This November will not be the same without him.
i just attended the funeral of the mother of a friend....this sux
rip mr russert
RIP, Tim Russert.
TPRA
_______________________
Remember remember, in early November,
The NeoCon treason and plot.
I see no reason why the NeoCon treason
Should ever be forgot.
RIP, Tim.
there's never enough time...
I just clicked onto C&L and said "WHAT!!!???" when I saw the report. I am thinking "but I just saw him yesterday!"
Condolences to his family and friends.
-Quint
Though I was occasionally infuriated, I never missed MTP.
Sundays will be different. Political analysis will be different.
Yes, 58 is too young and all my condolences to his family. Tim was intelligent and entertaining. He was a good man. Salt of the Earth.
That's a darn shame. You think about some of the folks who try to pass themselves off as journalists out there, and then we lose a real one.
As a Buffalo native, I liked watching his occasional Buffalo forays, where he'd show where he grew up, what he did when younger, etc.
What a shame. I always felt like he could have been a much better journalist if his corporate bosses had just given him free reign to ask the tough questions. It would have been interesting to see if his tone might have changed with the next presidential administration. I have to say, he was certainly more intelligent that a lot of the journalists on television.
Rest in peace Mr. Russert.
Ugh. I've had my issues wit him and his coverage, but this makes me very, very sad. RIP Tim, and my heart goes out to your family.
My condolences to his family and [Edited-Sitemonitor] put aside political criticism for two seconds to be a human being.
And thanks to the powers that be for the aggressive moderation of this thread. It is appreciated.
I must have shouted "No" like 5x when a colleague informed me of his passing. Being a Buffalonian myself, I thought he was refreshing and was one of the reasons why i woke early Sunday monrings.
This feels like a slap to the face. Meet the Press was always the first thing I turned on every Sunday for I don't know how many years. This coming Sunday is going to hurt for sure.
RIP Tim. You will be deeply missed.
Xenos @ 86:
Ditto. Nice job. It's getting pretty vile over at Think Progress.
I am absolutely stunned by the news. Literally jaw-dropping. No, I wasn't his #1 fan by any means, but I, as so many others, respected him and the passion he had for his family and his work.
My heart goes out to his family, friends, and colleagues. As they look back on his life, both personally and professionally, may they gain some sense of peace during this time of tragedy.
Wow. When I saw this post I was thrown.
Too young. Rest in peace, Mr Russert.
Wow. I didn't always agree with the guy, but I liked him. Sad news for any Western NY'er. My condolences to his family and friends.
I was looking at Mike's blog roundup & came across www.taylormarsh.com & saw a post with this info but for some reason I thought it was a joke or satire. Tim Russert & his dad "Big Russ" were such an important part of Father's Day thanks to "Wisdom Of My Fathers". It must be so painful for Tim's dad to see his very accomplished son die so suddenly. Family was so important to the Russerts. I may have felt that he gave Republicans a free ride these last 7 years, but I do join everybody in expressing condolences to his family friends & coworkers.
Matt Goldberg @ 82:
I FULLY second that emotion.
Matt Goldberg @ 82:
Hyear- Hyear!!
What a terrible shock for Mr. Russert's family and friends.
My sincere sympathies to them for their loss.
Such a sad moment. My heart goes out to his family and friends.
Rest in Peace, Tim.
The Champ is out.
I've never went to church, so the closest thing I ever had to a pastor was Russert on Sunday. He will be missed.
This was truly shocking and sad news. Cut short in his prime.
I never wrote bad things about him because I was usually just too disappointed by him to speak.
It is sad that he died so young.
But it should serve as a reminder to all just how fragile life really is and that we should think twice before we are mean to one another. Isn't it sad that a group of people in D.C. has us all hating so much?
We need an end to this nightmare. The nightmare is over for Tim Russert. May he rest in peace.
Please- EVERYONE- no matter your grievances- keep it civil and respectful....
What will Sunday mornings be like now? Man, that is way too young to die!
But the man died exactly where he probably would have wished: at work.
My thoughts to all that admired and love Tim!
Am in shock.. I was annoyed at him MANY times but ALWAYS looked at his show. Sunday morning talk rounds will never be the same. Sad to think it happened before the elections.. He was sooo.. psyched about it...You just never know!!
RIP
We're sitting here in tears watching the news. This is such a shock. My deepest condolences to his family and friends. He seemed like a really good man and it just won't be the same without him around. My first thoughts upon waking on Sundays were that it was Meet the Press time. It was great to see someone who clearly loved his work in making the news and politics accessible, even if he drove me up a wall sometimes. Rest in peace, Mr. Russert.
This just doesn't seem real.
It's a sad thing. Especially for his family, but also for McCain who was counting on some inside the beltway help at NBC.
Way too young, and even though we may have disagreed on politics or policies, I always respected Mr. Russert. This is a real shock and very saddening for his colleagues in the media, coworkers, friends, and most of all his family.
It was only the other day i heard Bill O'Reilly castigating Russert becauuse he was "in the tank for Obama" and doing so to "take his big fat pay check home"
RIP Russert.
@ 69:
the lesson here is that, Mr Russert's death is not about any of you -
an appropriate message would simply say, "I am sorry for their loss, my condolences" e.g.
and knowing full well how rude it is to point out that others are ill-mannered louts: get some etiquette lessons.
Left&Left @ 102:
No point in naming posts. The SMs are scrubbing, with extreme prejudice, any comments like that one (I saw it). It is now replaced by the next in line which, as you can see, is totally civil.
Once again, this is very sad. Russert was too, too young.
I would pick Tim any day of the week, compared to the anchors at Faux News. At least Russert was professional.
Biggus Diggus @ 39:
I never doubted that Russert sincerely believed that what he did was: 1) journalism, and 2) beneficial to America.
Guess I'm not the only one who said "wow!" when he heard it?
Such a shock- everybody dies, people die young and in unexpected manners but when it is someone who you've "welcomed" into your house every Sunday morning it comes as a real blow. I'll miss the man, he had style and was one of the better hosts. Totally taken by this, I'm speechless.
My thoughts are with his family and loved ones. You never forget, you just get used to their being gone.
If you didn't like Mr. Russert, this thread is not the place to express it. As I said on the previous thread, if you can't say something respectful, just keep your thoughts to yourself.
Tim was one of the few allowed to practice real journalism on TV networks owned by war-profiteering corporation. This amazing considering that Tim was anti-war.
Oh and he loved Bruce Springsteen!
SAD to hear he left his body. My sympathy to his family and friends.
Russert had to be one of the hardest working men in the news business. Seems like everyone can respect that about him.
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