Target Marketing

You will be automatically redirected to targetmarketingmag in 20 seconds.
Skip this advertisement.

Advertisement
Advertisement
 
 

We’ve Only Begun to Miss Tim Russert

Coming: lies, innuendo and the season of nastiness

June 2008 By Denny Hatch
11
Get the Flash Player to see this rotator.
 

In the News

McCain: I ‘Didn’t Love America’ Until Held Prisoner
Republicans have hammered Michelle Obama for her remarks in February that she was proud of America “for the first time in my adult life.” Tonight, however, Dan Abrams showed footage he uncovered of a Fox News interview with John McCain on March 13, 2008, in which McCain said, “I didn’t really love America until I was deprived of her company.” Abrams thinks McCain’s comments could undermine the “right wing’s steady attacks against Michelle Obama.”
—Huffington Post, June 19, 2008 09:15 PM
I was zipping around the Internet and bopping in and out of my e-mail when a Yahoo headline hit me in the face: “Tim Russert dies.”

I clicked on the news story and couldn’t believe it. I still don’t.

Russert’s passing at age 58 is a national catastrophe.

Look out politicians. Beware business folks.

In this GOTCHA! world, the goo-goos are gonna getcha.

Memories of Tim Russert
The last time I spent quality time with Russert was watching him on May 20, the night of the final major primaries in Kentucky and Oregon. He was pumped, bubbling with enthusiasm, his eyes shining. My God he loved politics! And how he loved his job(s)—moderator of “Meet the Press,” chief of the NBC News Washington Bureau and VP of NBC News.

Russert had two qualities unmatched in television journalism:

1. His incredible knowledge and foresight. Who can ever forget Election Day 2000, when he announced the three states that would determine the outcome. Whereupon he held up sign on which was scrawled:

FLORIDA!
FLORIDA!
FLORIDA!

2. He brilliantly articulated the political process. Tim Russert had no agenda and played no favorites. Process and results were everything. With all other newscasters and talking heads, you can smell their biases, prejudices and nastiness right through the TV screen.

Rival network CBS so revered Russert that it took out a full-page ad in The New York Times to mourn his passing. (See illustration below.)

The Bad Stuff Coming
Dirt—and Gotcha! tactics—are already beginning to fly thanks to the goo-goos, those “Good Government” reformers who first surfaced at the end of the 19th century. Today’s goo-goos spread outrageous stories to further their own agendas while hiding behind anonymous Web sites, network news and talk shows.

Who can forget Michelle Obama’s line, “And let me tell you something, for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country”?

The goo-goos at CNN played this 24/7 as an endless loop. Tennessee Republican goo-goos jumped on it and made a four-minute anti-Obama video, playing Michelle Obama’s gaffe seven times interspersed with ordinary folks claiming pride of country. Fringe stuff? It drew 773,563 views—more than twice the typical cable talk show audience. See it for yourself.

Takeaway Points to Consider:

* The Internet is rife with false rumors, innuendo and unsubstantiated dirt.

* “The Scottish Parent Teacher Council said pupils are turning to Web sites and Internet resources that contain inaccurate or deliberately misleading information before passing it off as their own work,” wrote Martyn McLaughlin in the Scotsman on Saturday. As a result, grades are down. The main culprit is reliance on Wikipedia.

* Before blindly forwarding an Internet story to 200 of your nearest and dearest friends, check it out first. Don’t let Internet vipers with personal agendas make a chump of you.

* Spend time learning about the candidates and the issues—nationally and locally. Go ahead, become a political junkie. This election will determine the future of health care, foreign policy, the economy, your retirement and what happens to your kids.

* Then vote your conscience and your intellect.

* Above all, vote! Do not sit this election out.

Web Sites Related to Today's Edition:

Tennessee GOP Questions Michelle Obama’s Patriotism
http://www.youtube.com/tennesseeGOP

Dan Abrams Refutes the Tennessee GOP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XQhu1inI-w

Tim Russert’s Kennedy Center Memorial: Videos and Transcripts
http://tinyurl.com/43nykp

TheModerateVoice.com: Robert Stein on Tim Russert
http://tinyurl.com/4y2t44

McCain Votes With Bush 95% of the Time
http://tinyurl.com/3k5apd

Bloomberg Criticizes “Whisper Campaign” Around Obama
http://tinyurl.com/4pvnvq

Floyd Brown Ready to Attack Obama
http://tinyurl.com/4cu4l5

Barack Obama sets up Internet ‘war room’ to fight slurs
http://tinyurl.com/3nv5rr

3 in 10 Americans Admit to Race Bias
http://tinyurl.com/3z4qk5

Veterans Rebut ‘Swift Boat’ Charges Against Kerry in Answer to Challenge
http://tinyurl.com/3w44o9

Obama says Republicans will use race to stoke fear
http://tinyurl.com/4oxcw4

‘Special Report’ Panel on Obama’s Flip-Flop on Public Financing
http://tinyurl.com/5wco7s

Falling exam passes blamed on Wikipedia ‘littered with inaccuracies’
http://tinyurl.com/5c8w2h

Brokaw to Moderate “Meet the Press” Though November 2008
http://tinyurl.com/5jr4sp

Floyd Brown’s Anti-Obama Web Site
http://www.ExposeObama.com
 

Companies Mentioned:
11

COMMENTS

Click here to leave a comment...
Comment *
Most Recent Comments:
Carolyn Hansen - Posted on June 25, 2008
I know I'm a little late to this party. And I know the Bible doesn't need me to defend it . . . but that out-of-context quote by Floyd Brown really got to me. Here's what it really says: "But he [the Lord] said to me [St. Paul], 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I [St. Paul] will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." It's a quote about humility, not humiliating other people! Oy. A little more to your point, and re: Linda Stanley's comment . . . I don't expect much from TV news, so I rarely watch. I read magazines that "report what really happened (or didn't)."
Linda Stanley - Posted on June 25, 2008
Getting good quality reporting is tricky these days because it takes TIME.
www.projectcensored.org/
Locates stories about significant issues of which the public should be aware, but is not, for one reason or another.

And NPR seems to be trying to get things right. But what I really want is a show that reviews the "news" 1 week or 1 month later and reports what really happened (or didn't) How telling it would be to see hyped "news" revealed as the PR lip service that our $$ driven national media laps up from manipulative press handlers.

Another idea would be to have a 15 minute lag time and run the evening 30 minute news as a 1 hour program...allowing an army of young researchers to try to tell the "rest of the story" in a split screen/freeze action program that makes the original report look like the thin gruel that it is.
Who ever can do this well can bring down the news/entertainment lazy propagandists overnight. We could exalt the talking head who will say "we don't know", "we have no facts yet", "we are trying to find out" "our sources are stonewalling so we are going behind their backs to find the truth" What is so hard about that?
This I hope I live to see: Investigative reporting and great editors cutting media hacks out of our lives.
Meryl Steinerg - Posted on June 24, 2008
Political discourse thrives on glib, faulty conclusions drawn by pundits & pols who don't give a fig about logic. It makes my head hurt. Tim Russert was a consummate professional & good man. So are you...even if we don't always agree :-)
Mike B - Posted on June 24, 2008
I've been reading your "cranky little e-zine for quite some time, and this is the first time I've felt compelled to add a comment.

I'm disappointed that you took Obama's prediction of Republican racism at face value, without comment.

How are we going to diminish racism in this country if someone like Obama (who is said by many to "transcend" race) predicts it before it even occurs? He is the presumptive Democrat nominee for President of the United States, for crying out loud! How racist are we (as a whole) if that event occurred?

No, the majority of the racism that Obama has faced in this campaign to date has come from within his own party, not mine. The Clintons played the race card to a degree that angered many African American leaders.

No mention of that, of course -- it's those dirty Republican racists that will play the race card.

Wash Phillips - Posted on June 24, 2008
Smears, slurs, lies, dirty tricks and character assassination have a long and glorious history in these United States, nearly the equal of warmongering, conspiracy and prejudice against race, gender and ethnic origin.
That esteemed American Revolutionary, Thomas Jefferson, with genius and golden words writ freedom on enough hearts of King George?s colonial subjects to ring in the notion of a new and shining state. The master of Monticello later used that same intellect and vocabulary, as Vice President, to plant scurrilous claims and rumors against his own President, John Adams. And eventually got his job.
Business as usual. All hail to thee, Karl Rove!
John Friesen - Posted on June 24, 2008
Tim Russert had no agenda. What?! You say that with a straight face? Tim Russert was the consummate corporate toady. He was all over Clinton's "cock" like a dog at a chew toy, but scarcely ever, if ever, had anything critical to say about the lies that took the US into war with Iraq.... Oh, yeah, wasn't he complicit in the treasonous (according to your laws) outing of Valerie Plame. Hell, George Carlin is a greater loss than Tim. National catastrophe indeed -- only if you consider his effects to have been deleterious to the news business the way Katrina was to New Orleans!
Maggie - Posted on June 24, 2008
Since you brought it up, I would love to hear your other reasons for not living in Pittsburgh. I don't think this type of thinking is unique to Pittsburgh. I've lived in the Phili area and I bet I could get the same comments there. Sounds like you've got some prejudices of your own...
bb - Posted on June 24, 2008
Interesting Wikipedia-Russert connection:
http://tinyurl.com/55u4vh
"...But within minutes of the 58-year-old?s heart attack the news had spread across the internet, after his Wikipedia page was altered to mention his passing."
Tim Lowe - Posted on June 24, 2008
I am an American with strong political views. But I must commend your plea for people to vote their conscience and their intellect. That is all I've ever asked in the political arena from all who trod this pebble with me.
Sue C - Posted on June 24, 2008
He was just about the only person in the media that I trusted (next to you). The Internet has become the slimy tool of malicious minds. I don't know what we will all do without his clear, honest vision.
Rebecca - Posted on June 24, 2008
I love to complain. Especially about our politicians. I feel that I have that right because I vote in every election. If you don't vote, please don't complain to me about the war in Iraq, about our president, about our society. I had a friend who came over in the 70s from Vietnam as a child. She was rescued from Saigon, along with the rest of her family. She is now an American citizen and pays her taxes, etc. BUT SHE DOESNT VOTE! It is too "inconvenient" for her she has told me. My father fought in Vietnam and brought back many horror stories -- to ensure the safety of her and her family. The LEAST she can do is vote. Even if it isn't for a candidate I would choose. Nonetheless, it rattles me to my core to see her not voting due to inconvenience. Frankly, I don't want her here anymore. I know this is harsh, but let's raise our voice by VOTING instead of wasting our time picketing.
Click here to view archived comments...
Archived Comments:
Carolyn Hansen - Posted on June 25, 2008
I know I'm a little late to this party. And I know the Bible doesn't need me to defend it . . . but that out-of-context quote by Floyd Brown really got to me. Here's what it really says: "But he [the Lord] said to me [St. Paul], 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I [St. Paul] will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." It's a quote about humility, not humiliating other people! Oy. A little more to your point, and re: Linda Stanley's comment . . . I don't expect much from TV news, so I rarely watch. I read magazines that "report what really happened (or didn't)."
Linda Stanley - Posted on June 25, 2008
Getting good quality reporting is tricky these days because it takes TIME.
www.projectcensored.org/
Locates stories about significant issues of which the public should be aware, but is not, for one reason or another.

And NPR seems to be trying to get things right. But what I really want is a show that reviews the "news" 1 week or 1 month later and reports what really happened (or didn't) How telling it would be to see hyped "news" revealed as the PR lip service that our $$ driven national media laps up from manipulative press handlers.

Another idea would be to have a 15 minute lag time and run the evening 30 minute news as a 1 hour program...allowing an army of young researchers to try to tell the "rest of the story" in a split screen/freeze action program that makes the original report look like the thin gruel that it is.
Who ever can do this well can bring down the news/entertainment lazy propagandists overnight. We could exalt the talking head who will say "we don't know", "we have no facts yet", "we are trying to find out" "our sources are stonewalling so we are going behind their backs to find the truth" What is so hard about that?
This I hope I live to see: Investigative reporting and great editors cutting media hacks out of our lives.
Meryl Steinerg - Posted on June 24, 2008
Political discourse thrives on glib, faulty conclusions drawn by pundits & pols who don't give a fig about logic. It makes my head hurt. Tim Russert was a consummate professional & good man. So are you...even if we don't always agree :-)
Mike B - Posted on June 24, 2008
I've been reading your "cranky little e-zine for quite some time, and this is the first time I've felt compelled to add a comment.

I'm disappointed that you took Obama's prediction of Republican racism at face value, without comment.

How are we going to diminish racism in this country if someone like Obama (who is said by many to "transcend" race) predicts it before it even occurs? He is the presumptive Democrat nominee for President of the United States, for crying out loud! How racist are we (as a whole) if that event occurred?

No, the majority of the racism that Obama has faced in this campaign to date has come from within his own party, not mine. The Clintons played the race card to a degree that angered many African American leaders.

No mention of that, of course -- it's those dirty Republican racists that will play the race card.

Wash Phillips - Posted on June 24, 2008
Smears, slurs, lies, dirty tricks and character assassination have a long and glorious history in these United States, nearly the equal of warmongering, conspiracy and prejudice against race, gender and ethnic origin.
That esteemed American Revolutionary, Thomas Jefferson, with genius and golden words writ freedom on enough hearts of King George?s colonial subjects to ring in the notion of a new and shining state. The master of Monticello later used that same intellect and vocabulary, as Vice President, to plant scurrilous claims and rumors against his own President, John Adams. And eventually got his job.
Business as usual. All hail to thee, Karl Rove!
John Friesen - Posted on June 24, 2008
Tim Russert had no agenda. What?! You say that with a straight face? Tim Russert was the consummate corporate toady. He was all over Clinton's "cock" like a dog at a chew toy, but scarcely ever, if ever, had anything critical to say about the lies that took the US into war with Iraq.... Oh, yeah, wasn't he complicit in the treasonous (according to your laws) outing of Valerie Plame. Hell, George Carlin is a greater loss than Tim. National catastrophe indeed -- only if you consider his effects to have been deleterious to the news business the way Katrina was to New Orleans!
Maggie - Posted on June 24, 2008
Since you brought it up, I would love to hear your other reasons for not living in Pittsburgh. I don't think this type of thinking is unique to Pittsburgh. I've lived in the Phili area and I bet I could get the same comments there. Sounds like you've got some prejudices of your own...
bb - Posted on June 24, 2008
Interesting Wikipedia-Russert connection:
http://tinyurl.com/55u4vh
"...But within minutes of the 58-year-old?s heart attack the news had spread across the internet, after his Wikipedia page was altered to mention his passing."
Tim Lowe - Posted on June 24, 2008
I am an American with strong political views. But I must commend your plea for people to vote their conscience and their intellect. That is all I've ever asked in the political arena from all who trod this pebble with me.
Sue C - Posted on June 24, 2008
He was just about the only person in the media that I trusted (next to you). The Internet has become the slimy tool of malicious minds. I don't know what we will all do without his clear, honest vision.
Rebecca - Posted on June 24, 2008
I love to complain. Especially about our politicians. I feel that I have that right because I vote in every election. If you don't vote, please don't complain to me about the war in Iraq, about our president, about our society. I had a friend who came over in the 70s from Vietnam as a child. She was rescued from Saigon, along with the rest of her family. She is now an American citizen and pays her taxes, etc. BUT SHE DOESNT VOTE! It is too "inconvenient" for her she has told me. My father fought in Vietnam and brought back many horror stories -- to ensure the safety of her and her family. The LEAST she can do is vote. Even if it isn't for a candidate I would choose. Nonetheless, it rattles me to my core to see her not voting due to inconvenience. Frankly, I don't want her here anymore. I know this is harsh, but let's raise our voice by VOTING instead of wasting our time picketing.