Like many folks across the nation, the death of Tim Russert touched me deeply. A week and a half later, fresh comments and insights still abound in newspapers and magazines and on TV and the Internet.
I’ve been surprised at how deeply I feel about him and how grieved I have been at his death. On a practical basis, I only “knew” Tim Russert in blips and bytes. Joanna and I usually watched only the first few minutes of Meet the Press as we finished getting dressed for church on Sunday mornings. I always enjoyed Russert’s program enormously and always felt slightly annoyed that the beginning of church interfered with the conclusion of Meet the Press.
(Just the other day, a friend asked why we never recorded the show, so we could watch it later. Well, the truth is we were blocked by our own expectations. We always watched Meet the Press on our bedroom TV. It doesn’t record; it just plays. So, I never thought about recording. Dumb.)
We also saw him on the Today show from time to time. But since Today comes on about time to leave for work, Russert sightings were appreciated but rare.
Still, I watched Tim Russert enough so that he became my favorite TV news provider. Several reasons stand out:
• He exuded passion. You couldn’t watch him for three minutes without recognizing he loved is job, soaked up politics and enjoyed people enormously. All other things being equal, passionate people do the best job and make the best friends.
• He was brilliant. When you watched him on Meet the Press or other programs, you learned something. Occasionally, he provided totally new information. More often, he clearly synthesized the issues, eloquently articulating options and possibilities. He brought grainy pictures into focus .
• He was funny. Even when you’re dealing with tense issues and serious subjects (and often especially when you’re dealing with tense issues and serious subjects) a sense of humor saves the day.
• Best of all, he was civil. Week after week, he confronted politicians with their own inconsistencies and waffles. Year after year, he raised issues on which the nation has been grievously divided. And yet he treated everyone with respect and raised the standard for engaging in sane and serious discussion—without yelling, bitterness or rancor. While others baited and barked, Russert smiled and kindly yet firmly stayed on point. Even though he hosted Meet the Press longer than anyone else, Russert became more and more refreshing in contrast to the bar-brawl attitudes of so many other “news” programs.
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Not coincidentally, the Russert family asked John McCain and Barack Obama to sit next to each other at Tim Russert’s funeral. Their request mirrored the lifelong principles of their husband and father: People of goodwill can come together for common purpose. They can treat each other with decency and respect. They can acknowledge disagreements and agree to disagree, affirming that right of difference in the other. And, if they look hard, they can see that they hold far more in common than the volume of whatever might separate them.
America’s clergy should be teaching that truth. Instead, too many high-profile preachers train their followers’ eyes on discord and division. Thank God for a devout Catholic layman who demonstrated amazing grace throughout his lifetime.
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