It’s hard to imagine facing the 2008 election without NBC’s Tim Russert.
Through the years, whether it was waking up with his Sunday morning “Meet The Press” or staying up late with him on election night, Russert became enmeshed in our American political fabric.
He was smart. He was accurate. He was engaging. And he could be trusted.
Like Walter Cronkite before him, when Russert said something, Americans believed him.
On the night Hillary Clinton lost the North Carolina primary earlier this spring, pundits speculated that it could be the end of her campaign.
Russert didn’t speculate, he told us it was so. And it was.
Who can forget Russert holding up his white board and circling the word “Florida” before the 2000 election? He knew.
Russert was in Denver in April to pick up the Denver Press Club’s Damon Runyon award and delivered an impassioned defense of his business and the First Amendment. (For audio of his speech, go to .)
“If a president is not asked tough questions, he can’t make tough decisions,” Russert said. “That’s the essence of our democracy.”
Russert was energized by politics and policy because he understood their importance to our democracy.
On the night Barack Obama claimed the Democratic mantle earlier this month, Russert beamed — not because he was delighted with the outcome but because he relished the importance. He said he wished he could teach an inner-city high school civics class the next day.
In an age when campaigns are shaped by attack ads, distortions and sound bites, Russert became a civics teacher for all of us. He will be missed.
