Something about Russert that really bothered me:

[hisownpetard]

Russert was recalling how his father, back in 1960, was nailing a sign up for JFK in front of their house.
"Why are we for Kennedy?," Timmy asked his father.
"Because he's one of us," was his father's answer.

Russert told this story proudly, although it rankles, every time I hear it.
Does anyone else think that philisophy is not something to be proud of?
To me, that's a very narrow view of the world and what it should be.

JFK was not their candidate because he was intelligent, diligent, had good judgment, was inspiring, well read, eloquent or promising?
Only because he was Irish Catholic?

If that were the criterion everyone used, Obama wouldn't be our candidate.
And I think Obama is the best, most exciting, most capable, most intelligent, most ethical and most promising candidate we could
possibly find, and extremely well suited to the challenges we face.

When we set out with the pre-condition that all we want is someone who is "like us," we have already limited our results in a very dangerous way.

Besides, I could never trust Russert after reading about how, at the Al Smith dinner, thinking that Al Gore had turned away from his side, he
turned towards Bush and conspiratorially flipped back his left lapel to show him the "W" lapel pin he had put there.

From all the endless testimonials on TV, it seems to me that Russert was a very caring individual who especially loved children and was a devoted
family man. That's much to his credit. He seems to have been unusually thoughtful and a good friend. But as far as his politics and philosophy go,
I was never crazy about him, and with good reason - he's not like me. Not at all.

[Jackpine Radical]

1. "Integrity is for paupers."

--Tim Russert.

Says it all.

[hisownpetard]

2. And he wound up being a very rich man...

[gateley]

3. It meant a big deal to Irish Catholics -

and non-Irish Catholics. It was the first time somebody other than a WASP was getting some respect. It was exciting. But that was just part of the magic he brought. Plenty of non-Catholics voted for him, too.

Like any ethnic group, there's a kinship borne from a shared history of prejudice.

[hisownpetard]

8. Of course, there's always pride when someone who comes from your own kind achieves something, just

as there's always the fear, when some horrible crime is committed, that the guilty party will be
one of your own kind. That's just a natural human reaction, I think.

I'm just saying that I don't think that should be the only criterion for choosing a candidate and,
as Russert explained it, it was.

[gateley]

20. Pride -- that's the word I was looking for.

I didn't get that same sense when I heard Russert tell the story, but we all interpret things differently, so who knows? One of us is right, anyway. :7

[NotThisTime]

27. I agree.... Pride is a powerful thing....

[stuntcat]

4. I'm sure he was just fine or whatever

today I heard a replay of an old interview with him. I wasn't listening too closely but I always have an ear out for any mention of environment stuff and I swear I heard him saying that it was a good thing for Al Gore to have eased up about the environment. No matter how great anyone is I won't excuse that kind of talk, and I'm pretty sure that's what I heard, I just couldn't rewind it. For most of the interview he was going on about how great it is having children :eyes: he was a very smiley person, planet-rapers are always so jolly.

[butterfly77]

5. Tweety also says this ...

and bush said something similar to this while talking to some reporters and the essence of it was that we are a caucasian country..

[hisownpetard]

9. Yes, I've heard Tweety say this, too.

[Captain Hilts]

16. He's also said "people like a guy as president." What a jerk. nt

[Cleita]

6. I think you are reading too much into this.

I was in Catholic college at that time and yes the Irish Catholics were thrilled and the Catholics at large, but it was all those qualities you mentioned that had people behind him not just that he was Irish Catholic. The Irish Catholics were proud that one of them could be so outstanding.

[hisownpetard]

11. "...but it was all those qualities you mentioned that had people behind him not just that he was

Irish Catholic."

Yes, that's the difference here, I think.
As long as it isn't the *only" standard by which a candidate is judged.

[catgirl]

22. "one of us" doesn't mean "irish catholic"

what a stupid slant you're trying to project. And how disgusting of you. You're
painting someone a color that is YOU, not him.

[hisownpetard]

25. What does "He's one of us" mean, in your opinion?

[BlooInBloo]

7. But golly what a great journalist Tim "everything is presumed to be off the record" Russert was!

[Bluerthanblue]

10. it bothers me when we seperate ourselves from others

and judge them as unworthy- foreign- less than.

That goes for "freepers" "repukes" "trolls" "ragheads" "neocons" and a gazillion other slurs that are used by many of us on a continual basis-

Words that put individuals we have little or no personal knowledge of- or right to judge- into piles that 'we' believe to be beneath us, - inferior- deserving of our wrath.

Tim Russert was more like you than you want to know- and when you judge him, you are condemning yourself right along with him.

We all need to look homeward.

peace~

[hisownpetard]

12. I agree with your entire post - except for the penultimate sentence, which seems to be

in direct contradiction of the rest of it.


:shrug:

Confused as to how that makes sense in this context.

[Bluerthanblue]

13. sorry-

I don't know what the word you used means- and to be quite honest I'm too lazy to look it up- so I'm going to do something pretty stupid and assume you mean the last sentence.

And I hope I'm right- I can see how that would be the one.

Your last statement- that Tim Russert wasn't like you at all, is what prompted the comment.

Because you distanced yourself from him- and in so doing tried to seperate what we just cannot seperate ourselves from.
Our common- flawed- beautiful- tragic- stupid- unique connectedness.

I'm fighting off sorrow, memories, dispair, pain and many other personal demons today- so I'm probably making absolutely no sense at all- but I'm stubbornly refusing to give it up- I apologize for my drivel, and hope you'll read my thoughts with this knowledge.


Today is a tough day for many- I'm sorry for my ranting.

peace~

[hisownpetard]

14. I'm so sorry that you're going through a difficult time today, for whatever reason.

The word "penultimate" means "next to last." So I was referring to the next to the last sentence in your post.

Feel better. Tomorrow is another day!

[Bluerthanblue]

19. thank you-

for your kindness and understanding.
(and for clarifing- I was wondering if the pen- was 5 oriented, like the ultimate fifth:silly:)

And tomorrow is indeed another day. One that I hope brings us all good news.

Peace~

[Captain Hilts]

15. At least his father was honest about it. Most people aren't. nt

[tishaLA]

17. I posted this earlier

It's from, of all people, Joe Klein:

The last time I saw Tim on television was the night that Barack Obama secured the nomination — and he was, appropriately, telling a Big Russ story, about his dad nailing a John F. Kennedy sign on the side of the house in 1960. Tim asked, "'Why are we for Kennedy?' And my dad said, 'Because he's one of us.' And that's the big question Barack Obama is facing," he concluded, "Will Americans accept him as 'One of us.'" I remember thinking, "Ahh, Tim. We're getting old. Maybe Big Russ and my parents — and you and I — wonder if someone named Barack Obama is 'one of us,' but not our kids." I figured I'd mention it to him next time we talked. Now there won't be a next time. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1814645,00.html">Time

[hisownpetard]

26. Interesting. Thanks.

[democrat2thecore]

18. It's the same pride African-Americans have for Obama. Silly thread. -nt

[catgirl]

21. "like us" could mean all those things (you're speculating in a putrid way)

intelligent, diligent, good judgement, inspiring, well read, eloquent, promising.

And he liked Obama. Kind of gross to bring up your intentionally skewed idea
of Russert after he's gone. Trying to spark things up.... Icky.

[dflprincess]

23. I was raised in a family where IrishCatholicDemocrat was one word

long before JFK - but there was a great deal of pride and a sense that he was "one of our own" when he was elected, especially in my grandparents' generation.

[BklynChick]

24. It's always rubbed me the wrong way too. Here's the thing: if by saying "he's

one of us" Tim's Dad meant "he's on our side, he's for us" that would be a great sentiment. But these are unusual times, and we have a Black man running for president and there are many Americans who are afraid of that (too many examples to name) and so by Tim telling that story over and over again, I think it could so easily be misinterpreted as: we have to vote for the person that it most like us (be that religion, race, gender, whatever). The optimist in me says Tim meant it the first way, but surely the knuckleheads of the world will take it the wrong way.

[rufus dog]

28. I don't wan't to get into Russert, but Obama is one of us

I am a white (o.k. background is Irish catholic) guy who grew up in Phoenix, AZ, in a working class family.

Obama is one of us, knows the struggles, knows how hard it was to get a college education, knows how hard it was to work your way up.

McCain, moved into AZ from a privileged background and married his way into success.

So in my mind Obama is one of us!

I don't give a flying fucking shit if he is black, half black, whatever. He has experiences that a lot of us have and worked his way through it.