Russert Watch: 5-4-08: In Which we Propose a New Name for Meet the Press
[From the Columbia Journalism Review]
Some viewers are probably disappointed that Tim Russert devoted only the first fifteen minutes or so of Meet the Press to l’affaire Jeremiah Wright. (That’s by my count; Patrick Healy and Jeff Zeleny in The New York Times came up with eighteen minutes.) No surprise, Russert brought Wright up at the top of the show as if some impersonal mechanism had tossed him a ball and now it had to be kept in the air.
A generous interpretation would be that Russert felt obliged to keep after the Wright embarrassment because there were loose ends to tie up—and that, once they were tied up, Obama would be off the Wright hook unless any new muck rose to the surface.
It strikes me that Russert must think that he is obliged to rake through the muck when enough of it has piled up during the previous week. Here is how he broached the subject in his stentorian intro:
The epic Clinton and Obama battle continues. Issues such as the Reverend Jeremiah Wright and the soaring cost of gasoline and food prices dominate the debate.
“Dominate the debate” evidently means “dominate media coverage of the campaign.” So Russert must construe his role as channeling, compressing, and summarizing the state of play in the media. In this sense, giving him the benefit of the doubt, he volunteers to serve as an echo chamber. In which case the show might be renamed: The Press Meets the Press.
What struck me about Obama’s responses is how seriously he took the particulars of the massive derailment of recent weeks. He answered soberly—delivering, in Alessandra Stanley’s words in the morning Times, “long, thoughtful and professorial answers.” About “professorial,” I don’t know (but then I wouldn’t, would I?); to me, he sounded less smooth than that, more like wrestling with the questions, as opposed to delivering up textbook answers.
When Russert asked, “Is it fair for people to raise questions about your judgment for misjudging Reverend Wright?” Obama acknowledged that it was
fair for people to look at this episode—along with all the other things that I've done over the last twenty years. You know, when you're running for president, your life's an open book, and I think that people have a right to flip the hood and kick the tires—
and then struggled to bring the conversation back onto his terrain:
and this is one element of a much larger track record that has led me to not only run for president, but to help build a movement all across the country to bring about change.
For the rest of it, Russert mainly asked straightforward policy questions and Obama mainly came back with straightforward policy answers while voicing the magic word “values” eleven times. The response that made news concerned Hillary Clinton’s “We would be able to totally obliterate them,” when she was speaking of Iran if it attacked Israel with nuclear weapons. Obama called this
language that's reflective of George Bush. We have had a foreign policy of bluster and saber rattling and tough talk, and, in the meantime, we make a series of strategic decisions that actually strengthen Iran.
For some reason, Russert among other commentators, never asks why Israel’s own nuclear deterrent wouldn’t suffice in this case. I understand why Israel doesn’t come right out and say so, and why the U. S. government doesn’t either—they don’t want to have to invoke the Nonproliferation Treaty. But none of this reticence binds commentators, does it?
Russert did sensibly ask about Senator Clinton’s having
called for an umbrella of deterrence in the Middle East, defending not only Israel, but, she said, ‘other countries in the region,’ suggesting that perhaps Saudi Arabia, Jordan, other places in that region. Should the U.S. have an umbrella of deterrence to protect Arab nations?
It would be a small step forward for humanity, which is hanging on this election, if such questions could lead a session of Meet the Press rather than slot in toward the end.
But at least the subject of Obama’s missing flag pin didn’t come up. Perhaps Russert is saving the subject of empty lapels for coming interviews with the other candidates. Speaking of which, I await the arrival of the Straight Question Express to pick up John McCain at the station.
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Guys and Gals, I hate to say it but the reason this story stays on the front burner is that it is VERY pertinant. This speaks volumes about the man who is running for the office of President! The fact that he was a member of Rev. Wright's church is relevant. The fact that he said that he didn't hear any of this while he was in the pew for 20 years is relevant. The fact that he could not disown this man for saying these things that we heard- is relevant. Then he (Rev. Wright) says them one too many times (same venom that he spewed on earlier tapes) and all of a sudden, Mr. Obama feels he must disown him. You know- Reverend Wright has the right to preach whatever he wants. Mr. Obama has the right to attend any church that he wants. The part that you all seem to overlook is that I have the right to use this information to form my opinion of who I will cast my vote for.
well then go vote for mccain, he has hagee, and hillary has the fellowship cult.
jerimiah wright has said nothing bad, americans just hate to hear the truth that this country does a lot of bad things and people see this country as #1, better than others, yet most know only this one and haven't traveled, and so forth.
unfortunately since he talked a little bit louder than is acceptable by sensitive americans, he must be condemed, just as howard dean was bad because he "screamed"
why don't americans vote on real issues not garbage like this? If we vote on wedge issues and issues of emotion rather than voting for the best candidate we'll get another 4 years of bush type wrong track.
calm down folks, Russert doesn't hate Obama, or black people. he just hates himself!
It was 18 minutes, I timed it. While not an apologist for Russert, I'd posit his reason for using the time was an effort to allow Sen. Obama to put the issue behind him -- even offering opportunities for him to get a little hot under the collar and say, "Enough all ready -- move on."
As for belaboring the issue, Sen. Obama has staked a foundational portion of his campaign on judgment. He initially defended Rev. Wright with as much affection as his grandmother and only when Rev. Wright "disrespected" him by calling him a politican did Sen. Obama disavow him. Oprah got it, why didn't he?
I've heard the excuse that Sen. Obama was new in Chicago and wanted to find a spiritual home to find himself. Okay, so he shopped churches and found his spiritual home where it was advantageous for a young upcoming politican to be seen. I'll concede that this is plausible, but to know 15 months ago that Rev. Wright was going to be a political problem he really has had time to consider his answers. The answers so far have been a rag tag melange of conflicting excuses.
Until the press gets what they are after, eighteen minutes is not too much time to spend questioning a person who might be the next leader of the free world. I wish half that amount of time had been spent asking W why he thought God had called him to be President.
Is that what God does? With so many zaneys in the religion biz, why should anyone take more notice of one over another. Some preachers drop outrageous comments into the middle of a sermon to prod their congregations to think about certain aspects of some larger point they are trying to convey. I'm sure alot of congregants couldn't quote what their pastor said last month, let alone last year. The basic idea is entertainment, with a little self improvement hopefully thrown in.
Instead of pissing and moaning and bitching about Russert and the rest of the media bloviacs, send them outraged e-mails like I do. If they get enough of them, perhaps they'll listen. Do not hold your breath, but do take some constructive action.
Thank you for the RussertReport. I enjoyed reading about it in Arianna's new book. I'm so grateful that someone is keeping an account.
Russert is from Buffalo, New York. Leave the poor guy alone, for crying out loud.
Howard Kurtz posits that the press is behaving like this because the Obama campaign doesn't give them enough access. They had tons of access to GWB, they buddied up to him, and see where it got us. Reporters have been behaving iike this since back in the "Boys on the Bus" days.
Hope the link works.
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I had actually decided to no longer watch Meet The Press, however since Obama was going to being on the show, I thought maybe Russert would redeem himself. I couldn't believe it, he stayed on the Wright topic for yup -18 mins. It seem that no answer Obama gave was good enough, he found another way to ask another question about Wright. Including the questions of Judgement came up. I found Obama, is too nice, he needs to make certain questions like Hillary does off limits,if they want an interview with him. An again as I watch the Today show this morning, Matt Lauer asked Obama the same questions as Russert did, i.e the same question about Wright regarding judgement when Obama accidently called him Tim when answering the question. Matt corrected Obama and excuse him staying that Obama, must be tired due to campaigning. My immediate thought was, Obama...ca
Hey Tim,
With all the problems facing Americans, you managed to waste 15 minutes on Sunday by talking about a person who is NOT running for President.
If this is the way the media is going to play the "gotcha" game, then...
Please describe YOUR many appearances on The Don Imus Show. Remember him? He was that DJ who managed to slur the Rutgers Women Basketball Champions? Does this mean that you, Tim Russert, and all the other people that were on his show have the same racial thoughts - and think about the Rutgers BB team just like Imus?
Where have all your questions about McCain been, regarding his good buddy G. Gordan Liddy and how Liddy made comments (in today's Huffington Post) about Vietnam, Branch Davidians and some guy named HITLER. Remember Tim, McCain is "An Old Friend" of Liddy. That should kill atleast 20 minutes next time he is on.
And lastly, if Hillary says she would have left Barack's church if she had been a member of that church, please ask Hillary why SHE DID NOT LEAVE Bill Clinton after he got a BJ from an intern in the Oval Office of The White House.
Welcome to Today's World of "Gotcha News" Interviews, folks!! Now can we please get back to the real news about the problems facing all of us?
Obama should stop offering himself up as a sacrificial lamb and he won't be slaughtered. Its looks as if he cannot defend himself. I believe that Obama supporters would like to see him turn the tables on the conventional mainstream press. He hasn't figured out how to do this yet. Its going to be a long summer and disappointing fall if Obama doesn't take the initiative rhetorically.
Its looks as if he cannot defend himself."
It looked like he knew just how to zap Matt by calling him Tim...that wasn't an accident. Obama has all the smarts in how to handle these characters
As much as we'd like to see him really nail these dunces, we really need to make sure he holds on until he gets the nomination and then the election.
After that, I'm pretty sure a bi-racial kid that grew up in hard times probably has a good vocabulary and proper nuance to take care of those less worthy.
I look forward to having to say "Yeah, you go Obama" when he tells it like it is ...instead of what we've gotten from Bushco for 8 yrs.
Fifteen (or eighteen) minutes, including the answers, is very little compared to twenty years or even an hour a week for twenty years plus the Michigan NAACP speech and the Press Club speech. I can't imagine what you would have said if Russert had asked him to comment on Wrights Michigan speech in which he claimed that black and white people's brains worked differently.
And then, as if that was not enough..Ma
Maybe he did not know that it had all been hashed to death when he was wherever in the world last week. Then everyone reported that Obama looked tired. YES..tired of being nice to people that think that they are journalists. Lauer took great glee that Obama called him Tim. "We both had a long week last week" he said. Uh Matt,,,you are a vapid pretty boy news reader. Barack is running for President. Maybe you should show your legs like Katie used to, and boost the ratings.
Perhaps it was a Freudian slip on Obama's part. Or after being asked the same questions by different interviewers over and over again, he's just going to call every male news interviewer "TIm". If the questions are interchangeable, the interviewers may as well be.
Apologies for all the typos in previous post... Multi tasking... can't cook and type at the same time...
Okay, it's Monday, 5:13 pm EST. Hardball with Chris Matthews is on. Amd we all know ho Matthews has been obsessed with the Wright story, playing it on a virtual loop. Well, Matthews just announced that it's the American public bgging for the reverrend story, demanding to hear more, can't get enough of the reverend story as the show's "ratings prove."
Question:
Now, since Matthews made that statement, blaming his audience who are demanding the reverend story, is there a way to see if this is true, if indeed his ratings have gone up?
I don't know about the ratings, but I've been avoiding Hardball lately. I've sent two nasy-grams to the network in complaint of he shabby coverage. Something stinks like a red herring. Cripes, there's so much crap on Hilliary out there and not a word. Follow the money.
Every Russert interview comes across to me as a defense of the prevailing Washington (Republican) narrative about everything. Too bad.
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