He Is America. (And Agrees With Public Eye!)
(AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
"I think those studies are a little off.”
All Blog Posts from Public Eye
Read all 'Tim Russert' posts in Public Eye
October 22, 2007 2:48 PM “People say that young people get their news from Jon Stewart and myself and other late-night people, but I think they wouldn’t get the joke if they didn’t know some of the news already.
"I think those studies are a little off.”
Stephen Colbert, “Meet The Press” online interview, sounding strangely familiar
"I think those studies are a little off.”
July 25, 2007 9:36 AM 
One final postmortem on the First-Of-Its-Kind and Groundbreaking CNN/YouTube debate from the other night.
It was called “freewheeling” and “lively." A “brave beginning." “Provocative," too. The New York Times thought it brought “freshness and spontaneity."
I’ve got another description for it: “Open-Book Test,” a point only raised – from as far as I can tell online – by Tim Russert at MSNBC.
The YouTube debate was unlike previous ones in ways catalogued exhaustively (and more enthusiastically) elsewhere, but its most overlooked trait was the fact that all the questions were available for public consumption as soon as they were uploaded. I could see them anytime leading up to the debate; you could see them. And so, critically, could the candidates and the candidates’ communications teams.
"Open-Book" Debate?
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
It was called “freewheeling” and “lively." A “brave beginning." “Provocative," too. The New York Times thought it brought “freshness and spontaneity."
I’ve got another description for it: “Open-Book Test,” a point only raised – from as far as I can tell online – by Tim Russert at MSNBC.
The YouTube debate was unlike previous ones in ways catalogued exhaustively (and more enthusiastically) elsewhere, but its most overlooked trait was the fact that all the questions were available for public consumption as soon as they were uploaded. I could see them anytime leading up to the debate; you could see them. And so, critically, could the candidates and the candidates’ communications teams.
February 12, 2007 9:30 AM 
According to the Los Angeles Times' Scott Collins, the Scotter Libby trial has exposed the fact that "to some Washington media types on both the right and the left, [Tim Russert is] just a tool for the powerful."
Russert, of course, hosts NBC's "Meet The Press," and he has long had a reputation as a tough questioner. Collins seizes on comments by a former Cheney press aide who pushed for Cheney to appear on Russert's show. The aide reportedly said the show was "our best format," a place where the Cheney team could "control the message."
I don't agree with Collins' implication here. Russert's show is arguably the most high profile regular platform available to a politician, and a successful appearance can indeed give him a boost. It's thus no surprise that Cheney's aide would want him on the show. But that doesn't mean that Russert is simply a tool for the powerful.
An interview is a complicated negotiation, but one thing is clear: The interviewee is not going to appear if he doesn't think he can gain by doing so. People submit to interviews because they have something to sell, whether it’s a new movie or a plan for Iraq. If Russert were simply to hammer Cheney for the duration of the interview, Cheney wouldn't show up in the first place.
At the same time, if Russert were to be too accommodating he would lose his reputation as a tough interviewer. His show would lose its luster as a result, and Cheney would forfeit the credibility a strong appearance on "Meet the Press" and the other Sunday shows gives him.
If an appearance on "Meet The Press" is simply a dog and pony show guaranteed to benefit a politician, after all, someone forgot to tell John Edwards. His 2002 appearance on the show is widely remembered as a disaster, one that put a significant dent in his presidential aspirations.
Tiny Tim?
(AP)
Russert, of course, hosts NBC's "Meet The Press," and he has long had a reputation as a tough questioner. Collins seizes on comments by a former Cheney press aide who pushed for Cheney to appear on Russert's show. The aide reportedly said the show was "our best format," a place where the Cheney team could "control the message."
I don't agree with Collins' implication here. Russert's show is arguably the most high profile regular platform available to a politician, and a successful appearance can indeed give him a boost. It's thus no surprise that Cheney's aide would want him on the show. But that doesn't mean that Russert is simply a tool for the powerful.
An interview is a complicated negotiation, but one thing is clear: The interviewee is not going to appear if he doesn't think he can gain by doing so. People submit to interviews because they have something to sell, whether it’s a new movie or a plan for Iraq. If Russert were simply to hammer Cheney for the duration of the interview, Cheney wouldn't show up in the first place.
At the same time, if Russert were to be too accommodating he would lose his reputation as a tough interviewer. His show would lose its luster as a result, and Cheney would forfeit the credibility a strong appearance on "Meet the Press" and the other Sunday shows gives him.
If an appearance on "Meet The Press" is simply a dog and pony show guaranteed to benefit a politician, after all, someone forgot to tell John Edwards. His 2002 appearance on the show is widely remembered as a disaster, one that put a significant dent in his presidential aspirations.
January 26, 2006 3:05 PM
Old Boys Will Be Old Boys
Arianna Huffington and Mickey Kaus are a bit worked up over James Carville, Paul Begala, and Mary Matalin's appearance on "Meet The Press" this weekend. I'm a little surprised they even watched the segment – I couldn't, having already seen enough Carville and company to last a lifetime. (The James and Mary show has hit "Meet The Press" alone 41 times since 1996, according to Arianna. Mickey says 35 times. But you get the point.)
Take it away, Huff:
Take it away, Huff:
James and Mary, plus their straight man Paul Begala, were on to promote Carville and Begala's new book Take It Back: Our Party, Our Country, Our Future -- which, I'm sure to their publisher's immense satisfaction, was mentioned 12 times in the course of the show.Any guess who said co-host might be? Luke Russert, a sophmore at Boston College, who "attended two Super Bowls, a World Series, five Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Games, an NBA final, four NBA All-Star Games, two NCAA Final Fours, an NHL Stanley Cup Final, a U.S. Open and The Preakness Stakes," all by age 16! He is also…let me check…yes…Tim Russert's son! What a coincidence! Here's the chummy exchange on the subject between Russert and Carville. Note that they never quite spell out what's going on:
But what made this appearance extra-special is how it was so luckily timed to coincide with Carville's upcoming gig as the host of a sports show on XM satellite radio.
And what made it all even more special is the relationship of Carville's radio co-host to Meet the Press's host…
