Happy Father's Day

To all the fathers in the house. I saw on television the other day that Tim Russert has actually written (or something) a second book about why dads are awesome. Not, to be clear, a book about the phenomenon of family breakdown in the inner-city and its dire consequences. Just, you know, fond remembrances of dad as a follow up to his book of fond remembrances of his dad.

The whole thing makes me feel a little less ridiculous about the idea that I'll have a book coming out soon. But it also strikes me that if I had as much money as Russert, and as big a platform as Russert, I'd really want to use it to say something about something important in the world.

Comments

So, you're saying fatherhood is contemptible? Because, if that's what you're saying, I think that's a lousy attitude to have.

First you want to keep sportsmen and hunters from shooting down airplanes full of deer, and now you hate fatherhood. Goddamn liberals.

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In other Father's Day news, the NYTimes Mag has a delicious article on Chinese virtual gold farmers that's well worth a read.

Posted by Petey | June 17, 2007 12:13 PM

Yeah - fatherhood isn't important? John Edwards is a father.

Posted by berger | June 17, 2007 12:25 PM

Yes, but Tim Russert is also very lazy. Basically he puts his name on a bunch of stories collected from other people edited by someone else.

Posted by Rob | June 17, 2007 12:27 PM

Heh, very subtle Matt.

Posted by VasyaDC | June 17, 2007 12:28 PM

Fuck Tim Russert and Big Russ, both a bunch of liars. Happy father's day to everyone else. Motherfuckers.

Posted by Gooz | June 17, 2007 12:46 PM

The more money you have and the larger your platform, the less likely it is you'll want to say "something about something important," aside from platitudes and banalities. Particularly if you're a media figure.

Posted by Mark | June 17, 2007 12:47 PM

Fuck Tim Russert and Big Russ, both a bunch of liars.

I agree, and fuck Tucker and his dad while we're at it.

Posted by My Left Boob | June 17, 2007 1:04 PM

if I had as much money as Russert, and as big a platform as Russert, I'd really want to use it to say something about something important in the world.

... and that's precisely why you have not been granted as much money as Russert, or as big a platform as Russert.

Posted by moron | June 17, 2007 1:11 PM

If Russert were to say something worthwhile about anything important, they'd take away his platform and stop giving him money.

Posted by Borden Tarde | June 17, 2007 1:13 PM

" I'd really want to use it to say something about something important in the world."

That would probably cost him his job.

Tim Russert and his ilk get paid big bucks by the corporate media to sell white bread, not to say or do anything to offend, especially business interests. Although Tim Russert does feel free to trash Dems/liberals, like he did on Sean Insanity's show this week, because he thinks they can't fight back.

If he wrote about something important, say global warming, he would offend the right wing in this country. So he sticks to safe subjects, "fathers=good", "terrorists=bad".

Posted by DonB | June 17, 2007 1:32 PM

WTF Matt. Russert can write whatever he wants. It's like me telling you that you should stop blogging about basketball and start devoting half your blog to Darfur or something. Don't be a prick.

P.S. When IS your book coming?

Posted by Korha | June 17, 2007 1:41 PM

Tim Pussert is illiterate and his "panels" always push the stupidest kind of non-thinking. In any other country in the world, he'd have to host a cooking show or something unintelligent like that, not a fucking political debate show.

Posted by Oncrack | June 17, 2007 1:56 PM

Russert is always pleased with himself. The book extolling his father is just another example of that. It explains, to Russert, why Russert is such a good guy, in Russert's own opinion. It's because his dad was a good guy.

Posted by stm177 | June 17, 2007 2:39 PM

Stm177,
If Big Russ were still around, Little Russ would be in for an ass whoppin'.

Posted by Joe Klein's conscience | June 17, 2007 4:07 PM

And if you wrote your "important book," what holiday exactly would it make a perfect gift for?!

Posted by Karl Weber | June 17, 2007 4:51 PM

"And if you wrote your "important book," what holiday exactly would it make a perfect gift for?!"

Considering the foreign policy Matthew espouses, quite obviously he will time his book for this holiday.

Posted by Petey | June 17, 2007 4:59 PM

Matt said: "Not, to be clear, a book about the phenomenon of family breakdown in the inner-city "

How is a book about successful fatherhood any less valid. Would you rather another white liberal apology on why "inner city" men too often are shitty fathers? I wouldn't.

Having a strong and supportive father has a profound affect on childhood development, particularly a child's respect for authority. I think that many NYC teachers would agree (I am sure they do in fact) that there is a strong correlation between a student's behaviour and the presence and effectiveness of the student's father. Promoting and even glorifying good fathers is a worthwhile pursuit.

Happy Father's Day to my Dad and all the good Daddys out there.

Posted by laborlibert | June 17, 2007 7:15 PM

That's why you'll never have Russert's platform, dude. It's easy to sell 10 million books on how Dads are neat. It's hard to sell 10,000 books about the complex intersection of masculinity, poverty, and fatherhood. Crowd-pleasers make bank, shit-stirrers make squat.

Posted by Diablevert | June 17, 2007 9:38 PM

The feeling you have to say something important about something is precisely the reason that you will never be someone like Tim Russert, who doesn't have much of any thing important to say about anything. Tom Brokaw proved there was money to be made mining the better-than-average generation.

Posted by Joe Strummer | June 17, 2007 10:00 PM

The worst think about the Cult of Big Russ is that Timmeh gets granted as much face-time to plug his bullshit books on every media outlet imaginable. It's a massive wankfest.

Posted by pseudonymous in nc | June 18, 2007 12:18 AM