First thoughts: Remembering Tim
Posted: Monday, June 16, 2008 9:08 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under:
First Thoughts
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
*** Remembering Tim: The three of us here -- like so many other folks at NBC and across Washington -- idolized Tim Russert. We have a recent memory of him that for us means the world: Tim had Wizards-Cavs playoff tickets, and he invited us to come to the game with him. We leapt at the opportunity. The three of us are avid sports fans, but it was also a chance to hang out with our friend, our leader, and our mentor. Watching a game with him was exciting -- everyone was shouting out at him, thanking him for his work with Meet the Press, asking him who was going to win the Clinton-Obama contest, you name it. Watching him watch the game was a blast, too. He was just so excited to see the Wizards but also to see LeBron. He was one of those good sports fans who appreciated great play. But the highlight of the night was heading to the bar with him. We got to do what everyone this weekend said made Tim seem so real to folks that didn't know him: We got to have a beer with him -- actually two. And we just BS’ed with the guy (mostly about hoops, not politics) as if we were buddies for a long time. It's what makes us feel so lucky that we had even a few private moments. The thing with Tim is that everyone in this bureau has similar memories of him.
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VIDEO: A look at those who shared memories of the host of NBC's "Meet the Press," Tim Russert, who died suddenly from a heart attack.
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WWRD: It doesn't feel right that we have to work today because, frankly, we worked for Tim. We wanted to impress him -- give him that nugget that would make say, "wow," and then immediately trigger an idea in his head for examining something in a way we hadn't thought of yet. So forgive us this week if we don't seem to have a lot to say. It's never going to be the same. One thing we do know is that What Would Russert Do will be guiding us, and many others as well.
*** The long pause: It’s not surprising that everything here paused after Tim Russert’s sudden death. But it says something about the man that everything seemed to have paused even on the campaign trail. Sure, there was an occasional email here or there that hit McCain or Obama, but one could sense that there was passion lacking in those email blasts. And that's not such a bad thing.
VIDEO: NBC's Andrea Mitchell and Chuck Todd talk about the presidential race and the candidates' chances of winning toss-up states.
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Michigan here we come: Kicking off the second week of his “Change That Works for You” tour, Obama spends today and tomorrow in Michigan. Not only is Michigan the first state where he has spent more than one day on this tour, but it's also now the first battleground state he's returning to since he began to act like the presumptive nominee. The reason: Given the fact that he didn’t really campaign in the state due to the primary calendar mess -- as well as the political mess in Detroit -- Michigan is one of McCain’s best chances to turn a blue state red. Obama has a very realistic path to 270 that doesn't include Ohio AND Florida, but he doesn't have a realistic path if he somehow loses Ohio, Florida, AND Michigan. The Michigan GOP has unveiled a
Web video asking Obama this question: What took you so long from campaigning in the state?
***
On the trail: McCain is in Texas, where he holds two fundraisers in Dallas. Obama, as mentioned above, campaigns in Michigan, where he starts his day with an event in Flint and concludes it with a rally in Detroit.
Countdown to Dem convention: 70 days
Countdown to GOP convention: 77 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 141 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 218 days
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