Friday, June 13, 2008

So very sad


Sad day today. Our favorite journalist, NBC's Washington Bureau Chief Tim Russert, died of a heart attack today at the age of 58. How sad that a devoted family man in the prime of his life is here one minute, and gone the next. How poetically unjust that this extraordinary political analyst will miss out on the rest of such a historic year in politics.

I can't explain my reaction when Dennis called me this afternoon and said "Did you hear Tim Russert died?" For a minute, I thought I must have heard him wrong. But unfortunately, I did not. I instantly felt like I'd been punched in the gut; like I'd just been told a close friend had died.

How is it that you can feel such sadness at the loss of someone you never even met? Someone you knew only through your television? Strange to feel such strong emotions without ever having had any kind of personal connection. I can't yet comprehend that when we watch Meet the Press this Sunday, there will be no Tim Russert.

Kudos to NBC for dedicating the entire Nightly News broadcast tonight to remembering him. We DVR'd the show, and I doubt we'll ever erase it. They'll also air a special tonight at 10:00 p.m., covering highlights from his career. Can't wait to watch it.

3 comments:

Claire said...

It is strange how we connect with personalities we don't know personally. They spend so much time in our livingroom, yet they don't know us. We like them...we like listening to them. they become our "friends".
Although comparing him to Princess Diana is laughable, I felt like you when I woke up at our campsite, came out of my tent, and was told by other campers that she had died. I'm still in denial almost 11 years later.

Anonymous said...

It is people like Tim that give people hope, that there are good honest people left in this world.

Politics is a very important part of our lives and with Tim you knew you were going to get and honest unbaised opinion. And then you made your own decisions.

I cannot imagine what a loss the family is feeling if we as viewers feel like we do.

Denise said...

I agree. I have been so bummed out. It is confusing to feel so strongly for someone who I didn't know. I guess he exuded things that resonated with us.

I didn't get to see the news last night, but they have all of the segments online. I welled up re-wathcing the "Breaking News" segments that aired during the day. If you didn't see that, you should check it out. The music beforehand and the raw emotion from Tom Brokaw are both so touching. xo