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Tim Russert: Civility and accountability
Tim Russert, however, the longtime host and moderator of NBC's "Meet the Press" falls in snugly with those legends of the past. His address at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza last Sunday capped off the 11th season of the Distinguished Speaker Series of Southern California, and what an enlightening, enriching evening it was. Russert's credits would make Murrow himself raise his eyebrows, snuff out his cigarette, and nod in approval. He's been with "Meet the Press" since 1991, but also fills his overflowing plate with regular features on "NBC Nightly News," "Today," and his own program, "The Tim Russert Show" on CNBC. His accolades are endless; he's been called everything from D.C.'s "most influential journalist" (Washingtonian magazine) to "Dream Dad" (Parents magazine). Russert, 56, attributes most of his success to his upbringing in Buffalo, N.Y. The chief influence in his life was, and is, his father, who for 30 years worked two fulltime jobs, as a sanitation engineer and a truck driver, yet instilled in his children an indefatigable sense of optimism and civility. Russert not only employs these attributes in his work as a journalist, he believes the concepts contributed to America's greatest triumphs and the solution to its present day problems. Russert cited several examples to prove that a cando attitude combined with opposing sides of an issue working together for a common goal, helped America win World War II and recover from the terrorist attacks of 9/11. In today's world of combat journalism, partisan politics rules not only on the airwaves, but in the halls of Congress and the White House as well. In his role as moderator of "Meet the Press," Russert identifies a key issue for the week and seeks out people who want to solve the problem by discussing it candidly and honestly, without resorting to spinning, dodging questions, or parroting boilerplate, prefabricated responses. He found it refreshing when he challenged Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's January 2006 pledge that he would not run for president, only to have the senator acknowledge that he had since been swayed by the response to his book and speeches and had changed his mind. A student of American history, Russert recalled the time when Sens. Hubert Humphrey and Barry Goldwater, though politically polarized politicians, respected each other enough to put their heads together to reach common ground on disputed topics. Russert asserts this method would work with today's burning issues including energy sources, the war in Iraq and Social Security. He didn't discuss global warming. Even on last week's perhaps most volatile issue, the firing of shock jock Don Imus, Russert sees a positive outcome. He said that although Imus' comments about the Rutgers' women's basketball team were "painful" and "terrible," he believes that Imus is capable of redemption should he return to broadcasting, based on Imus' past history of charity work. "If he did come back," said Russert, "he should focus on reconciliation of the races." Russert is disarmingly charming, with a wonderful sense of humor. He started his speech by relating hilarious anecdotes about, in order, Ross Perot, the James Carville/Mary Matalin marriage, and Yogi Berra. Self-deprecating, Russert joked that broadcast journalism is "Hollywood for ugly people." It would not be inconceivable to imagine going to a ballgame with Russert or sharing a beer at a local bar. There is not a pompous bone in his body. Trained as a lawyer, Russert s the voice of civility and reason in a highly volatile and increasingly politicized world. Despite his access to powerful figures, he reserves his objectiv ty and refuses to play favorites on his program, or divulge his personal politics. As for politicians who side step his direct questions and pointed follow-ups, "if you can't answer tough questions," he said, "you can't make tough decisions." We are fortunate to have Tim Russert on the scene, keeping 'em honest in Washington. |
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