Yesterday I got in the car and turned on the Randi Rhodes show as I do every day after work and she was talking about Tim Russert. But as I got closer and closer to B's work I got confused - she and her guest were speaking in the past tense. So I immediately called my brother and asked if he was near a computer because they were talking about him in a strange way. "He didn't DIE, did he??"
And then he said that yes, he had died - a few hours ago. We chatted, he said he wasn't able to get ahold of our dad, so I said that I would try. I did get ahold of him and he was as heartbroken as I was.
I'm sure that if you don't follow politics and aren't a political junkie like we are, this isn't a big deal and doesn't resonate in your heart the way it does in mine. But this is a terrible loss, trust me. Tim Russert was not only the moderator of Meet the Press, but the director of NBC News and was the most influential voice in politics in regards to his fellow reporters. They all looked so lost and bleary eyed yesterday during the non-stop tributes to him.
Of course, it's also upsetting because he was so young, only 58. He was the same age as our parents and that will also give anyone pause.
2 comments:
i think m has been considering wearing all black as he's been so upset. it's hit the ouiser household pretty hard. m watched tributes all day yesterday while i was out. all. day. i think s thinks we must be related to tim russert or something:)
hehe. six days. that's a much happier thought.
Everyone here felt/feels especially distraught not only because he had such talent and counted as such a well-respected political voice but also because he was Buffalo's favorite son....Nobody famous who came from Buffalo supports the city like he did, at least not as vocally. I cried when I watched all the tributes...all the state flags in the city are at half-mast. Such a loss, and I urged my parents to get themselves checked out, too.
Hopefully this will make our generation and future generations strive to replace him as best we can; nobody could have a better model for political savvy, tenacious questioning, and good listening skills.
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