primary season, 1996, i found myself in iowa with a handful of mac students who identified as something other than a tree-hugging knee-jerk-bleeding-heart-reactionary, volunteering for the rnc. (for the experience, okay?!) i did some time with dole's folks, and discovered he was funnier in person than one would expect, a fact which also proved true when i got to know vice president gore a little working in his press shop.
anyway, the last couple of days were super intense. they kind of shoved us all onto the floor to help where we were needed and i ended up being a runner for nbc. more specifically, for the "meet the press" crew. i didn't do a whole lot more than hold cords and grab food for talent and crew alike, but i did get a chance to talk with russert, for a few minutes. what i remember most about him was how giddy he was, how excited by the democratic process and twelve years later that's still something incredibly rare, especially to find in a member of the washington press corps. he was kind, and generous of his time, and willing to give up a few minutes of his precious free time to talk with a kid who was completely starstruck and in love with politics and the process.
i am not sad about this in the inexplicably intense way i was when peter jennings died, but in an era where people are increasingly cynical, when nuanced political reporting, or at least the attempt therein, is anachronistic, tim russert stood out as someone to whom democracy mattered, someone who cared about what he was covering and the people he affected.
i'll miss him.
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