The decision to initially keep Tom Brokaw away from the desk is a good idea for a few reasons. One, Mr. Brokaw is not at his best as an interviewer when in a setting that would be considered 'the traditional MTP setting,' in other words. It would just be too powerful on a reminder that Mr. Russert is no longer there. Three, Mr. Brokaw can not, in fact, hold the chair even despite his legendary resume. This week's interviews with western-state governors was a safe transition.... Interviewing western governors IN THE WEST! The glaring issue with this decision is that there isn't that urgency or spontaneity of the live interview, which was a key reason why you watched Mr. Russert and MTP in the first place.
And before we get into a look at the statements by these governors, there is one more thing that should be stated. Chuck Todd, after the November election, actually after the new year, will take over the chair of Meet The Press. Yes, you heard it here first. Mr. Todd is still sometimes a little too sure of his own opinions, but but it's not overbearing. Mr. Todd is the logical choice because, one, he's a Russert disciple. Mr. Russert brought him in. Two, unlike the other prospective NBC News anchors for the permanent spot, Mr. Todd accumulated any baggage of opinion with viewers. I.E. Chris Matthews is a blowhard - some people would argue... etc. Lastly, at first, ratings won't be great with Mr. Todd, but eventually that will turn around and the commitment to him taking over the show will create stability. He's young enough to have a long run at the desk, which is exactly what has to happen.
[Last week, Brian Williams was not up to the task. Every good point that he made, he delivered in a fast rambling mumble so no, it won't be Mr. Williams. However, last week he did get a great quote (opinion) from Senator Joe Biden of Delaware about running as Vice President. If you watch the show, you know the quote - see link below:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/25314965#25314965]
Now, onto the substance....
The reorganization of western state gubernatorial leader is quite stunning - more Democratic governors in the west than I have ever seen in my lifetime. The reason for this is that the Bush Administration, from the outset, has left states to fend for themselves and financially cope on their own. Without necessarily articulating it, the American people realize this and elected Democratic governors who are more prone to consider the overall financial safety of the state and its individuals.
By most standards, all three governors interviewed today are conservative. However, Governors Bill Ritter (D-Colorado) and Dave Freudenthal (D-Wyoming) are social conservatives. Arnold Schwarzenegger, on the otherhand, is a Republican, but is socially liberal. If there is one thing for sure, President Bush has really shaken up the playing field. Everything that seems straight, is bent. And everything that is bent is actually straight - meaning that where people should be in lock step with the President and the party's national agenda, it's just not happening. Officials are striking out with their own opinions with the White House unable to employ any persuasion.
Both Governors, who were interviewed in Wyoming, illustrated on key point respectively and that they are so solely focused on their own states, that while they can opine about the Presidential contest, the plight of the state is a grave concern, with energy being at the top of the list. Mr. Bush's sole solution of drilling more holes in the ground is simply not flying with anyone and seems transparently pathetic in the face of a one-thought agenda - more oil.
In Arnold's defense, California has been saddled with incredible debt so if in fact, he is paying down the debt, it is a great thing and will only be recognized until after he leaves office. It's the most thankless, but vital thing a Governor can do for his/her state - alleviate the debt. But of course as soon as Gov. Schwarzenegger says something that makes sense, he digresses into an anecdote that makes you reconsider the wisdom of him in office. Those dinner table conversations he was recanting were.... let's just say 'worrisome.' Mr. Schwarzenegger, even if the amendment were not in place, should never be considered an option for the office of the President.
So we have begun the new age of Meet The Press and no matter what, this column will be watching.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
6.19.08: Sometimes, We're All Like One Another
This column is posting this picture to illustrate a little point that in politics is often forgotten. That no matter what side of the aisle you prefer and/or oppose, however vehemently, we all grieve as one people, as the collective America. It's the culture of this country, unfortunately, that we're so ready to kick the other side when it's down. Maybe for once we should pick each other up and fix the clear and terribly present ills that face this nation.
See you on Sunday.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
6.17.08: Eugene Robinson's Russert Column
This column considers Eugene Robinson one of the foremost common sense makers in journalism. His insights never seem forced and the continually reek of sensibility, always begging the question - why didn't I think of that.
The Outsider's Insider
By Eugene Robinson
Tuesday, June 17, 2008; A17
Tim Russert knew he was a big deal -- he had a healthy ego and an accurate sense of his accomplishments. But I'm confident that he would be stunned at the magnitude of the reaction to his death, especially among people who never met him. There's a sense that something more than the man has been lost.
I've appeared occasionally on "Meet the Press," and this year I often worked with Russert on MSNBC's election coverage. Since last Friday, when Russert suffered a heart attack while preparing for Sunday's show, I've been stopped a number of times by people I don't know -- in the street, in the supermarket, at a restaurant -- who extended condolences as if a member of my own family had passed away. I've gotten e-mails from both friends and strangers saying they were touched by Russert's passing in a way that surprised them.
The temptation is to chalk this up to Russert's great skill as a broadcaster -- effortlessly projecting his personality through the screen. As friends, colleagues and the subjects (or victims) of his interviews have attested, he was a great guy. At this point, after a weekend of nonstop tributes, it would be self-indulgent for me to add my own litany of personal recollections and unadulterated hosannas. Suffice it to say that he deserved it all.
But why such a huge reaction? I think it's not just because of who Russert was, but also because of the role he carved out for himself as a kind of ombudsman -- the mediator not only of a television show but of a weekly dialogue between the public and the political establishment.
In an age of postmodern irony, there was nothing remotely postmodern or ironic about Russert -- or for that matter about his television show. His "Meet the Press" presented the nation's political discourse as we would like it to be: sober yet good-natured, always civil, scrupulously informed. The show flattered guests and their subject matter by taking them seriously and, by extension, flattered the millions of viewers who reliably tuned in every Sunday morning by taking them seriously as well.
Much has been made of Russert's "everyman" persona -- the blue-collar kid from Buffalo who never lost sight of his roots. It's true that Russert didn't put on airs, but he never pretended to be a regular guy and I doubt many people saw him that way. In fact, he was the insider's insider, with connections and access -- and also wealth and influence -- that no one would remotely consider ordinary. If there is a Washington "bubble," Russert lived at its center.
What he did so effectively was confront his fellow insiders with the questions and concerns of those living outside. This was not a unique gift -- other great journalists do the same thing. But Russert did it so well, and gradually aggregated such a large audience, that he came to occupy a unique position in the nation's political life. He made "Meet the Press" a rite of passage for anyone seeking high office, a confessional for politicians who had sinned, a briefing room where generals could defend their strategies.
"Meet the Press" has been on the air for an incredible six decades -- Russert was the longest-running host, at 17 years -- and the show clings to some charming traditions. After each segment, a photographer comes out to take a picture for the archives. When the taping is done, snacks are brought to the set and the guests linger for a while, chatting with the host -- about their families, about baseball, about the news of the day and about what's likely to be the news of tomorrow. It's all so civilized that it feels almost anachronistic.
Tim Russert wasn't an anachronism, though. Journalism is going through a phase of traumatic transition -- newspapers are losing circulation, the broadcast networks are losing viewers, the Internet is changing everything. The temptation is to think of Russert as a throwback. But actually he was the state of the art because he did what any journalist, in any era, needs to do in order to thrive: He made himself essential.
That, I think, is why there is such an outpouring of sympathy over his death. He is so desperately missed because he was so necessary.
The Outsider's Insider
By Eugene Robinson
Tuesday, June 17, 2008; A17
Tim Russert knew he was a big deal -- he had a healthy ego and an accurate sense of his accomplishments. But I'm confident that he would be stunned at the magnitude of the reaction to his death, especially among people who never met him. There's a sense that something more than the man has been lost.
I've appeared occasionally on "Meet the Press," and this year I often worked with Russert on MSNBC's election coverage. Since last Friday, when Russert suffered a heart attack while preparing for Sunday's show, I've been stopped a number of times by people I don't know -- in the street, in the supermarket, at a restaurant -- who extended condolences as if a member of my own family had passed away. I've gotten e-mails from both friends and strangers saying they were touched by Russert's passing in a way that surprised them.
The temptation is to chalk this up to Russert's great skill as a broadcaster -- effortlessly projecting his personality through the screen. As friends, colleagues and the subjects (or victims) of his interviews have attested, he was a great guy. At this point, after a weekend of nonstop tributes, it would be self-indulgent for me to add my own litany of personal recollections and unadulterated hosannas. Suffice it to say that he deserved it all.
But why such a huge reaction? I think it's not just because of who Russert was, but also because of the role he carved out for himself as a kind of ombudsman -- the mediator not only of a television show but of a weekly dialogue between the public and the political establishment.
In an age of postmodern irony, there was nothing remotely postmodern or ironic about Russert -- or for that matter about his television show. His "Meet the Press" presented the nation's political discourse as we would like it to be: sober yet good-natured, always civil, scrupulously informed. The show flattered guests and their subject matter by taking them seriously and, by extension, flattered the millions of viewers who reliably tuned in every Sunday morning by taking them seriously as well.
Much has been made of Russert's "everyman" persona -- the blue-collar kid from Buffalo who never lost sight of his roots. It's true that Russert didn't put on airs, but he never pretended to be a regular guy and I doubt many people saw him that way. In fact, he was the insider's insider, with connections and access -- and also wealth and influence -- that no one would remotely consider ordinary. If there is a Washington "bubble," Russert lived at its center.
What he did so effectively was confront his fellow insiders with the questions and concerns of those living outside. This was not a unique gift -- other great journalists do the same thing. But Russert did it so well, and gradually aggregated such a large audience, that he came to occupy a unique position in the nation's political life. He made "Meet the Press" a rite of passage for anyone seeking high office, a confessional for politicians who had sinned, a briefing room where generals could defend their strategies.
"Meet the Press" has been on the air for an incredible six decades -- Russert was the longest-running host, at 17 years -- and the show clings to some charming traditions. After each segment, a photographer comes out to take a picture for the archives. When the taping is done, snacks are brought to the set and the guests linger for a while, chatting with the host -- about their families, about baseball, about the news of the day and about what's likely to be the news of tomorrow. It's all so civilized that it feels almost anachronistic.
Tim Russert wasn't an anachronism, though. Journalism is going through a phase of traumatic transition -- newspapers are losing circulation, the broadcast networks are losing viewers, the Internet is changing everything. The temptation is to think of Russert as a throwback. But actually he was the state of the art because he did what any journalist, in any era, needs to do in order to thrive: He made himself essential.
That, I think, is why there is such an outpouring of sympathy over his death. He is so desperately missed because he was so necessary.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
6.15.08: Farewell Father Tim
It is most important to include the word 'father' in the title of today's column. Literally and figuratively, Tim Russert was a great father. It seems like a statement that could only be made by someone who knew the man personally and not some anonymous writer of some blog. But from listening to the testimonials of today's guests and knowing what we already know, the man loved his son and his family, mentored and set the standard for so many journalists, represented us in the face of power, and educated everyone who knew his name. To that point, Mr. Russert was one of this individual's political fathers. He provided a young idealistic man, fresh from the Peace Corps a reason to stay engaged in what what happening in the world; that what the leaders of this country said mattered to all of us as individuals; that people from 'little' places can do the most amazing things.
I underestimated the difficulty of writing this column because I miss my Sunday Morning Teacher - more than I ever thought. Right now, this column has no more words. I anticipated today's column about the show to be more analytical, reflective, but it just didn't work out that way as often happening that things seldom do.
We'll continue in your spirit, it's the gift you've given us.
I underestimated the difficulty of writing this column because I miss my Sunday Morning Teacher - more than I ever thought. Right now, this column has no more words. I anticipated today's column about the show to be more analytical, reflective, but it just didn't work out that way as often happening that things seldom do.
We'll continue in your spirit, it's the gift you've given us.
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