Reports: Tim Russert dead after heart attack; was working in NBC Washington bureau
He was 58.
Reports coming in from the NYPost and NYTimes.
He was a fixture of Beltway political journalism, good on the entitlement crisis, and by all accounts, a good-humored guy. One small personal experience: When I was a lowly videotape library aide at NBC News in 1992, I sent him a critique of the information-gathering system–and he was kind enough to send a reply.
R.I.P.
***
TVNewser reports that Russert suffered the heart attack while working on an MSNBC.com interview in the Washington bureau.
Here’s that last interview.
Here’s video of Tom Brokaw’s announcement of Russert’s passing.
More details at the NYPost and The Caucus, which quotes Tom Brokaw:
“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.”
Russert made a guest appearance on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show in 2004 to promote his book about his father, “Big Russ and Me.” The appearance came during the week of Ronald Reagan’s funeral. Here’s an excerpt:
RUSH: We don’t have guests on this program, but we made an exception here for our friend Tim Russert of NBC News. Tim, how are you, first off? Nice to have you with us. It’s a real pleasure.
RUSSERT: It’s an honor to be here, Rush. Thank you very much.
RUSH: We put this together two weeks ago before the events of last Saturday and this week took place. We decided to go ahead and stick with it because I’m sure you have some Reagan stories, and before we get into the discussion of your book, let me ask you, Tim. As a journalist, what is your reaction to what you are seeing and hearing this week around the country and in Washington?
RUSSERT: Extraordinary. What we have seen is an outpouring of affection and respect for an American president. I have not observed or witnessed anything like it since the death of President Kennedy, and I was quite taken last night, Rush, as we showed some old footage of the Kennedy funeral which was the grainy black and white and people crying and sobbing, and in shock because of the assassination — and the contrast is so striking to the mood we saw in the streets of Washington last night. It was celebratory.
RUSH: Yeah.
RUSSERT: Because there was an understanding that President Reagan had lived an extraordinarily long and honorable life. And like in so many things, I had a long conversation with my dad about President Reagan, and dad’s instincts I think, are exactly right. He said, “You know, he told us exactly, early on about Alzheimer’s. He died in dignity, and he braced us for it. He prepared us for it. He was stand-up about it,” and I think that’s what we’re seeing reflected from the American people today, an appreciation of someone who talked to them in a way that was understandable, and meaningful, and respectful of them, as well as the issues.
RUSH: You know, it’s said that the country’s “never been more divided than it is,” and I think most people’s historical perspective begins when they’re born. You can I’m sure go back in American history and find easily as ribald a period of time if not more so than today, but still that is people’s reality. Do you think an event like this can have any lasting unity beyond Friday when the internment takes place?RUSSERT: I hope it can, and I think it might. I heard that from Democrats and Republicans. Because there was a sense that when Ronald Reagan was president, he was a conservative Republican and he was proud of it, and he was unabashed in laying out his conservative principles and philosophy — and yet he was also willing as he would say, “If I can get three-fourths of a loaf I’m going to take it, stay with my principles, and move on.” I remember when (New York Democrat Senator) Daniel Patrick Moynihan, whom I knew very well, and (GOP Senator Kansas) Bob Dole went to President Reagan with a compromise on Social Security to keep it solvent to people would continue to have it for years to come and President Reagan said, “Can we get (Democratic Speaker of the House) Tip O’Neill?” and the four of those men — two Democrats, two Republicans — sat down and fashioned a compromise, which guaranteed the solvency of Social Security for a long time to come. That’s Ronald Reagan and that’s his legacy. I think that if more people here realize that there are ways to approach government where people can keep their principles and yet be willing to find common ground and consensus, the better off we’re all going to be.
RUSH: Well, where were you in the 80s in terms of your career? Were you working in Washington yet?
RUSSERT: Yes, I had finished law school, and then I joined Daniel Patrick Moynihan in 1976 and was there through 1982. In fact, I was with Jim Brady, the President Reagan’s press secretary, the night before he was assassinated [sic—wounded, paralyzed]. We were at a replay, if you will, of the gridiron dinner where President Reagan and Senator Moynihan had spoken with and we walked out to the parking lot together and bid farewell and the next thing I knew 12 hours later, Jim Brady was shot.
RUSH: Again, somewhat of a personal connection to the formative event. As you look back on it now, Tim, from the standpoint of your age now as an adult and what you’re doing for a living and in your life now, all encompassing things as you, look back now these 20 years do you have a different recollection of the 80s now than did you perhaps when you were living through them going through them?
RUSSERT: Yeah, I think it’s much more macro, much larger. Sometimes when you’re covering and engaged in life on a day-to-day basis, or hour-to-hour basis, you don’t fully appreciate the size or scope or magnitude of an individual. And, Rush, I remember as a little boy watching with my dad when Gorbachev [sic--Khrushchev] took off his shoe and started banging it at the United Nations –
RUSH: Khrushchev.
RUSSERT: — yelling, “Your children would grow up in communism,” and my dad sat there shaking his head, saying, “No, sir. No, siree. No, sir.” This is a Big Russ, the World War II veteran.
RUSH: Yeah.
RUSSERT: And I had forgotten that imagery until, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,” and it’s exactly the kind of resolve and determination that I saw in my dad, who is now 80 as I saw in President Reagan. You know, it’s funny because people talk about Reagan Democrats. I know Reagan Democrats. I grew up in an Irish Catholic neighborhood. People who were born Democrats and baptized Catholic, and in the 60s and the 70s, they believed deeply that the Democratic Party left them, and that’s very much the way Ronald Reagan experienced it a little bit earlier, in the 50s, and the reason people, these Democrats, these ethnic Democrats embraced Ronald Reagan was not because they had a checklist of his issues or philosophy or on a one-to-ten scale on tax cuts and so forth, not — some did. Some did, but many others embraced him because he began to talk about the United States and what it is and what it stands for — and morning again, America standing tall. That’s what my dad grew up with. My dad’s favorite expression in the whole world is, “What a country,” and that’s the language that Ronald Reagan used to explain who we were and what his vision was, and that’s why Reagan Democrats embraced them so vigorously.
***
Here’s the clip of Russert’s illegal alien driver’s license question that tripped up Hillary Clinton:
Stacy McCain: “I can think of nobody in TV news today who will be able to fill Russert’s shoes.”
Christian Broadcasting Network journalist David Brody:
Tim Russert was a principled, fair, honest and decent man.
He gave me an opportunity of a lifetime to be a regular panelist on Meet the Press in the last year — and for that, I am forever grateful. The fact that he decided to make this correspondent a regular says more about Tim Russert than it does about me. What it says is that Tim Russert is always looking for a wide range of analysis from all across the political spectrum.
The one thing you could always count on from Tim Russert is that he was fair. NBC News lost a political heavyweight and a dear family member today. The political world lost one of the most respected names in the business.
My best memories of Tim Russert were when the show was over.
If you thought the round table discussions on the air were interesting, you should have heard what talked about off the air. He had a knack for telling great stories about his beloved father Big Russ and all of the political heavyweights he had met in his life. I sat on the Meet the Press roundtable and soaked it all in like a sponge. To be in his company was an honor and privilege.
Brian Maloney has fresh reaction from Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, and other radio talk show hosts.
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Trackbacks
- RIP Tim Russert | The Sundries Shack
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- The Other McCain: Tim Russert, R.I.P.
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- Tim Russert, Dead » The American Mind
- silent E speaks - Conservatively Speaking from Western Waukesha County » RIP, Tim Russert
- TacJammer
- Tim Russert: An Appreciation
- Stuck On Stupid
- Orange Punch » Blog Archive » Russert widely appreciated - OCRegister.com
- Hot Air » Blog Archive » Whoa: Tim Russert dies of heart attack; Update: Brokaw video added; Update: The closest to objectivity among the MSM, says Limbaugh
- Tim Russert - RIP | The Anchoress
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Wow – not old. RIP.
May the afterlife receive you kindly, sir.
Were there any signs of him having heart trouble?
wow
This is very sad, so young. I actually liked hearing what he had to say when he’d appear on “Morning Joe.”
What a shock!
So long Tim…Rest in Peace
RIP.. May God Be With You… Where were the Clintons…?
oh wow! I thought I mis-read the headline at first. He always seemed like a really nice guy. RIP Tim.
Of all the (MS)NBC commentators, Tim was the one I felt tried to be evenhanded. He was always a cheerful voice among the pundits. He will be missed.
Sad. I liked Tim Russert. He was intelligent, thoughtful and balanced. I’ll never forget the evening of the 2000 election. He and Tom Brokaw were talking, when another wild swing in the Florida vote count scrolled. They looked at each other in silence and that silence spoke, more than any words could, the profound moment that was occuring. We’ll miss Tim.
He truly was decent. A journalist.
Too young. RIP.
Yes he was. RIP Tim.
In a media-world often peopled by the likes of Chris Matthews and Keith Olberman, Mr. Russert will be sorely missed.
Wow, it’s on Fox now. You know, he was a Dem but like in_awe said he tried to be even handed.
Just caught Brokaw and he was practically crying on the air. Wow, what a shock.
You know I have his book “Big Russ” and it is an excellent Father’s Day book.
RIP, he seems like he was a really nice guy.
The only guy with the sand to ask hillary the tough questions. RIP.
(hillary is lower case for a reason)
21 guns for Tim.
Oh my god
Wow. I am really saddened to hear this. I watched him on “meet the press” for years and he seemed like a really nice genuine guy. He will be missed.
“Go Bill’s.”
I just heard this as I walked back in my office on Hannity. Sorry to hear of his passing he was one of the very few folks in the MSM I still had some respect for. He will be missed our prayers of his family and friends.
Very sad. One of the best journalists in American history even though I probably disagreed with him on many issues from my Reagan conservative perspective. Condolences to his family and close friends.
The recent gaffe by someone ( was it Terry McCauliffe? ) speaking with Tim about how his father was up in heaven, when in fact Tim’s father is still alive, reminds me to state the old adage:
No father should outlive his son…
My prayers go out to Mr. Russert’s family, and to “Big Russ” –
Not a pleasant way to begin Father’s Day weekend. Truly a sad loss.
Wow. Shocking.
He was a good man, and the most fair at NBC News. Sad.
Yes, he seemed fair, unlike others at MSNBC/NBC. Be interesting to see where they go from here.
While surprising, yet another reminder that some things transcend politics and the need to care for yourself.
One of the few “good ones” left.
RIP Mr. Russert.
Wow, what shockingly sad news. My condolences to his family.
Godspeed Tim.
Rest in peace, Tim. 58 is a young age to part this world. Condolences to the family for their loss.
He was one of the few mainstream media guys who I respected.
RIP Mr. Russert.
He seemed to be an honorable man. Our prayers are with his family.
May he rest in peace.
A true loss for us as a nation coming into the election year. He will be missed for sure. NBC just lost the only reason to watch them and hope to get anything resembling journalism. RIP Mr Russert
May God comfort his family.
I cannot believe this.
For me, Tim Russert exemplified the thoughtful “loyal opposition” that all those in the fourth estate should strive to be. Americans won’t ever see eye to eye on all issues, but there should never be a question about a journalist (or a politician) being essentially FOR our country. With Mr. Russert, there never was.
God’s joy to him in heaven, and peace and comfort to his family still here on earth.
My Prayers to his family and loved ones.
Rest in Peace, Tim Russert. I hope to meet you in Heaven some day.
RIP Mr Russert and Godspeed.
TypicalWhite said:
Great post.
I am not the type to get worked up about a death of someone I dont know, but this one is tough.
A man gone too soon. May you rest in peace and the love of God fill the life of your family.
Very sorry to hear this news. He will be missed.
Yes, I am truly stunned. The man had barely 8 yrs on me. Stunned indeed………..
He Sunday show was like church to me. I never missed it. RIP Mr. Russert.
Video of Tim Russert and Imus here.
http://imustruth.typepad.com/index/2008/06/tim-russert-dea.html#comments
God Bless Tim Russert and his family.
I was shocked to hear this on the radio while running errands for work.
Didn’t really watch “Meet the Press”, but I knew who Russert was. My prayers are with him and his family.
My dad turned 62 yesterday. 58 is far too young to die.
This is such a huge loss for the profession known as journalism. His like will never be seen again. With a known political bent, Mr. Russert transcended bias and always was spot on with the topic and always treated his guests with respect without giving up integrity of thought.
I will miss him on MTP. May God bless and comfort his family, especially Big Russ.
I will be 58 this August. I will never be able to be the man he was. Rest well Tim Russert, you’re duty is done…. we’ll take the night watch now.
That’s just too young. I’ll miss the added dimension Tim brought to us every Sunday.
On top of that though, reading about Tim’s recollections of Ronnie Reagan’s funeral reminded me of Maggy Thatcher’s eulogy that is always worth another read once in a while.
Although I didn’t always agree with him (but then who agrees with everyone all the time)I found him to be an excellent example of good journalism. He always tried to be fair and his interviews were on the mark. His affability and his passion for his job just made you feel good. A truly decent man. Condolences to his family.
He was a life-long Democrat.
I wish all democrat journalists were like him. You could see his bias from time-to-time, but he genuinely worked not to let it show. He was only human, but he was an example of telling the story without being the story or making the story.
Tim Russert was the journalist that America thought Cronkite was and what Rather wishes he could be.
Even gone, he will remain a figurative giant among his peers.
May his widow and son find peace despite their tragic loss.
I am fortunate enough to be able to watch all the Sunday talk shows (except ABC … which conflicts with FNS) because they are not all on at the same time … always watched Meet The Press and for the most part felt he was fair with his guests although not always as unbiased with his “panel” depending on who made up the panel …
Condolences to his family and may he rest in peace …
I am in shock and I am saddened by the news.
“May eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen”
My sympathies goes out to his family. RIP
How tragically sad. Mr. Russert’s was one of the few sane voices in today’s blow-dried, Botoxed media. Who does this leave us with at NBC News now — Chris ‘Tingly’ Matthews and Keith Olberman? Gads.
I started watching Meet the Press this year during the primaries, and I really grew to like his style of journalism. Just another reminder that life is not promised to you.
He will definitely be missed.
RIP, Mr. Russert, and condolences to the family. The line about his “not forgetting where he came from (Buffalo)” says a lot about the man. All of us would do well to remember that line, especially politicians.
How sad, this makes me tearful. He just got back from Italy last night where he took his family on vacation. His kid just graduated from Boston College this year and I guess they were celebrating. I am so sad for his family, and Big Russ, I am sure he will be sorely missed. He was such a likable guy. The nation lost a good one today.
Wow, Fox News is reporting that his wife and kid were still in Italy. They are flying home now. That is going to be a very long flight. That makes this even sadder.
My Choir is doing the Faure Requiem this fall. He will be in my thoughts.
Tim Russert was the voice of reason at NBC. He will be sorely missed by folks in posession of reason. My best wishes and prayers will be sent to his Family.
This is especially sobering. I could’ve had a beer with this man and swapped stories about our dads.
I am 58 so this is a wake up call!
Very sad, a young guy, he had an honesty about him.
Ditto!!!
An honorable man has gone on to meet his maker. May he always have “Fair Winds and Following Seas” even in this final journey.
As bad as this is, MSNBC made it worse by having the idiot Keith Olberman do the commentary on his death. If Russert HAD been in his grave, that fact alone would make him revolve. Fox News had excellent coverage, as did CNN. Surprising, when I was checking around, NBC was running a commercial.
Way, way too young. My prayers go out to his family.
One of the only fair yet tough journalists on TV. Matthews and Olbermann aren’t worthy of shining his shoes. Wow. This one is really tough.
Tim Russert’s last appearance on Imus in the Morning this past Monday link below. I really took this man being on air for granted. There are layers of lessons here, at the too soon and untimely death of Tim Russert. Fathers Day is this Sunday. He was a family man.
http://imustimes.wordpress.com/2008/06/13/i-fav-tim-russert-is-dead-at-58/
So very sad. My condolences to his family.
I think its interesting that NBC chose Tom Brokaw to make the announcement. Obviously no one else on staff has the gravitas, stature, or the trust of the American people, to handle such a solemn occasion.
Very sad. RIP Mr. Russert. Prayers for you family during this time.
Such sad news, only made even more sad when it occurs so close to Fathers’ Day.
I may not have always agreed with some of his views, but when you compare him to some of his other NBC News colleagues, Russert had a much more even keel. NBC News has indeed lost its voice of reason.
Condolences to his family in this most difficult time.
A sad day. He was a good man.
May God the Father Almighty rest his Soul and Comfort his family.
One of just a couple of journalists around that I felt tried his hardest to be fair in his interviews.
Life indeed turns on a dime.
RIP…
Very sad. I liked him. He was a good journalist, all in all. I didn’t always agree with him, but I always listened to him and respected him.
The last unbiased news reporter in the main-stream media.
So Sad!
RIP Mr. Russert
He will be missed by many of us who value fair journalism.
If only all newspeople had his ability to ask fair but tough questions. I didn’t always agree with him, but his interviews were facinating. He actually let people answer his questions.
I listen to Meet the Press on KMOX radio late on Sunday nights and always felt enlightened as well as entertained.
Oh, no, that’s terrible. I am shocked. And saddened. He seemed like a really nice guy, a true gentleman with great integrity.
You have made an impact for the positive, Tim. You’ll be missed.
I’ll always fondly remember his evisceration, er, interview with Howard Dean in 2004.
Sean Hannity mentioned that when Russert was on his show while he was promoting the annual Freedom Concerts, Russert pulled out his checkbook and donated $10,000.
While driving I briefly caught Hannity’s radio show where he recounted Russert’s son Luke getting a tattoo. Hannity butchered the story. But here is the transcript from Hannity’s TV show:
When you’re called home, you’re called home. This dance is over.
What a sad day…. I didn’t know Russert very well but I did know he was a Dem. What was striking about Russert is that he tried to ask the tough issues that others in his field of lefty journalists didn’t want to do. I tend not to watch the Sunday, roundtable shows, though I did catch Russert from time to time.
He was errudite, intelligent, and had a sense of humor in an industry that thinks its opinions mean something or which takes itself entirely too seriously. I will probably break from the rest of you and say, being from Upstate New York, that my family didn’t like Moynihan all that much. I found it particularly ironic that one of his staffers would join a field in which many politicians don’t particularly want to engage.
Tim Russert, you may have been a Dem, and I may not have agreed with you much, but you challenged both politicians and the very field you worked in. You were the last of the true blues.
RIP… say hi to Ronnie Reagan and Murrow for me, would you?
Man oh Man, Did anybody else Here the Tom Leykis Show? Geeze, Russert has just passed a few hours and they are already mocking the man.
I commented on a page on You Tube calling Russert a “Lying Liberal Whore” and said,”Hey maybe it would be a good idea to change the title now that he’s dead, I mean the guy has kids.”
And so far the response is:
“Why? He was a lying liberal whore. Quit trying to PC the world.”
“Too bad, another lefty newsman bites the dust! Too many steak dinners I guess. If Dick Chaney died, liberals would be celebrating.”
“Glad he is dead, another dead commie.”
Nice…some great “conservatives” there. I like to think we can have some compassion. Coomments like these make us look as bad as them. I mean for Pete’s sake it’s not likes he’s Ted Kennedy.
On a side note, I only suggested the removal of the word WHORE. The rest applies.
Nevermind this trash right here:
Every once in a while a celebrity death really floors you. I was last floored when Heath Ledger OD’d. The death of Mr. Russert in especially sad at a time when his voice and thoughts will be missed during a monumental election year. He asked extremely tough questions, while always remaining intelligent, articulate and extremely classy. Watching him work with that sweet, earnest look on his face with a touch of a sly smile, always tickled me. I’ll miss him, and wish him peace and comfort if his journey continues. May his family find strength and love also.
I loved Tim Russert. He seemed very sincere and fair in his viewpoints. I thought it was great that he could ask the questions that nobody else would ask of the presidential candidates. He will be missed. RIP.
The man did scathing interviews with everyone. Hard but fair, and that is really all conservatives ask of the media. He delivered it. As a conservative I really don’t care what his personal politics were, what matters is that he called politicians out on their BS whether they were Republican, Democrat, animal, vegetable, or mineral. By all accounts he was a great family man and patriot. He had his priorities right.
God bless and rest in peace Tim.
I was at a conservative blog where someone referred to him as a “schmuck”. To be fair, the vast majority of the comments I saw were respectful and positive, but to those who would say hateful things as a way of getting back at the mendacity of the Moveon morons I would say: Just don’t do it. We don’t have to be like that.
I agree, Reggie1971. He hit the left just as hard as he hit the right.
Just remembered its Friday the 13th.
I did not agree with some of his stance on some issues but he was a good man. Our prayers are with his family and may he R.I.P. He will be missed.
One more great thing about Russert was that he was slavishly devoted to the Buffalo Bills like I was. I think we probably both cried at the Bills’ demise in all 4 Super Bowls they choked in. That was something that I never thought I had in common with him.
I guess I really never retained my faith in the Bills since they’ve stunk so much the past few years. Ah, well. Perhaps, there will be a time when our Bills will be great once again. If that moment ever happens again, Russert will definitely be grinning ear to ear in heaven.
WOW! I am stunned! He was a great reporter I will miss him.
RIP Tim.
Tragic…what a great broadcaster…God bless his soul and comfort his family