June 13 at 5:31PM
BREAKING: New York Times Reports Tim Russert Has Died of a Heart Attack
Update: From Huffington Post…
Russert suffered a massive heart attack and collapsed Friday afternoon in NBC's Washington bureau, according to the New York Post
Russert was in the tracking booth, recording a track, when he collapsed. He returned from Italy Thursday night. His wife, Maureen Orth, and son Luke, are still in Italy.
TVNewser reminds us that "Around 1pmET this afternoon, Russert was conducting a political Q&A on MSNBC.com."
The New York Times currently has a breaking news banner claiming that Tim Russert has died of a heart attack.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and colleagues. We will update as we receive information.
Below the fold, watch some of Jon Stewart's interviews of Tim Russert from happier times.
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I cried (43, California), my mom cried (67, Toronto Canada), my dad cried (74, Florida).
But enough with the TRTV already!
He came from a working class background. He worked for Moynihan and Cuomo. But he was SOOOO not a progressive, or a liberal, or a Democrat.
Tim Russert was the kind of guy who populates american board rooms. He plays golf with his "buddies". He gladhands and backslaps.
If he had NOT been the big Irish guy, if he had been a slight little nerdy guy, would he have been as successful? No. He was a big guy who fulfilled the American need for a safe authority figure, who was willing to be the tough dad.
That does NOT mean he was a fair and unbiased journalist, nor that he was particuarly good at it. What he was, was comfortable. But when it really came down to important issues that required calling REPUBLICANS like Cheney, like Bush, on the carpet, that did NOT happen —- at least not till 2005. Read the transcripts of his interviews. Cheney and Bush essentially got platforms for delviering propaganda speeches from him. Till 2005. When the polls turned against Bush, Tim Russert got brave.
Tim Russert,like all corporate white guys, knew which side his bread was buttered on. Don't make him seem like a saint. He wasn't.
I would be willing to bet that in two weeks, the "we loved him so!" hysteria will calm down and cooler heads will prevail and what I am telling you here, namely that he was just another corporate white guy, will be alot more acceptable to you all.
And Kevin Aguilar, just because a woman calls a guy out for being a corporate shill does not make her blinded by women's studies. Though, I think you coudl take a course or two. Sounding just a little misogynistic yourself there, Buddy!
Just a blue collar kid, from the shores of Lake Erie, who lived to his full potential.
Too bad he worked himself to death.
How sad. Pretentious know-it-alls who can't even wait a week to express their pseudo-contempt for Russert. Where were your rants against him before he died? Oh right, you only realized how much you hated him AFTER he died and needed another angle to get a reaction from bloggers. Bravo.
Tim Russert was the epitome of political journalism excellence. He not only cared about getting to the truth in politics, he genuinely cared for all of his guests regardless of their political affiliation.
He did things to break his heart. He did things to break everyone's hearts. Oh it was just so cute and nostalgic to hear him smugly shit the standard issue of everyone doing something other than drinking piss beer at Woodstock. FUCK HIM. And you blinked bitch. You were scared. Ha.
[....standard issue contempt...] I'm not writing here anymore. This pisses me the fuck off how fucking humane you think you are, how much you think it fucking matters as you speak now over his nothing. YOU ARE LATE. JUST like Vonnegut. FUCK YOU.
I complained about Russert to NBC often. Whenever he was completely biased or bullied for a conservative point of view. So to Jenna who seems to think that saying anything negative about Tim Russert is a new reatcionary point of view, I'd suggest she contact his editors at NBC and see how often they did indeed get complaints about his blatantly biased perspectives.
It IS possible to voice the opposing point of view without having an agenda other than that opposing point of view. Tim Russert is being eulogized as having been far better than he was and that ought to be recognized. Because it contributes to an attitude of "this is (apparently) the best the press can be" when in fact, we have a right to expect a far higher bar.
The reason so many of you saw biases in his work was that he played it like he was on the opposing side all the time. When liberals came on, he would appear to be conservative. When conservatives came on, he would appear to be liberal. That's the mark of a good journalist, to challenge your guests no matter who they are.
Out of respect for those that have passed, I stayed away from this thread. Seems like the respect aspect has been lost on a few of us.