Althouse: David Broder has died.

March 9, 2011

David Broder has died.

WaPo obit.

26 comments:

Anonymous said...: Not mentioned: Broder called for Clinton to resign the presidency during the Monicagate scandal.

If you've lost David Broder, you've lost the dean of the Washington press corps.; 3/9/11, 1:17 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Click on my David Broder tag to see the last time I wrote about him. I was as cruel as I could be.

I saw him speak at the law school a while back. I have a decent caricature I drew of him that time. I found him really bland.; 3/9/11, 1:21 PM
Meade said...: *clicks on "David Broder" tag*

Then has to wonder: Will the coroner ever ask: Did Ann Althouse start it?; 3/9/11, 1:21 PM
Christy said...: I always enjoyed listening what he had to say. Still, as did Leo, I noticed the obituary didn't have much to say about his reportage of Democrats.

And how cute was it that Broder noted his college newspaper was torn by the two factions - Liberals and Communists? Have conservatives ever been welcome in the media?

R.I.P.; 3/9/11, 1:33 PM
rhhardin said...: and one of the most respected writers on national politics for four decades

That means dull.

Nobody says Limbaugh is respected.; 3/9/11, 1:40 PM
Emil Blatz said...: I'd place him the Walter Cronkite bin of "Journalism". Someone from a time when there were so few channels of information that they took on the oracular function, not because their information or insight was so great, but because there was only channel 4, 6, 12 and that goofy UHF channel to choose from. Thank God that has been swept. Hasta la vista.; 3/9/11, 1:50 PM
lemondog said...: I liked Broder. "Dull" and "bland" he got to the crux of things.

RIP; 3/9/11, 1:50 PM
Bob_R said...: My condolences to his friends and family, but ....

The company man from the company paper in the company town. The dull, bland face of government in control of everything. The Florsheim loafer stamping in your face...forever.; 3/9/11, 2:00 PM
Known Unknown said...: They were obviously using a 15-year old headshot for any of his latest columns, because I had no idea the man was 81.

RIP, Mr. Broder.

WV: soymede ... the healthy alternative to Meade.; 3/9/11, 2:17 PM
Unknown said...: From the Leftist standpoint, he was very conventional, although I have to say he never got into the snark his comrades like Richard Cohen.; 3/9/11, 2:27 PM
The Drill SGT said...: I thought he was an honest Liberal

RIP David; 3/9/11, 2:32 PM
Anonymous said...: RIP, a democrat mouthpiece has been silenced. Everybody has nice things to say about you when you pass but I've watched him for decades and won't miss him.; 3/9/11, 2:37 PM
Humperdink said...: I used to gag every time I heard the word "dean" to describe this guy.

Never, I mean never, did I find this guy interesting or insightful. An absolute dud.; 3/9/11, 2:37 PM
MadisonMan said...: I had no idea the man was 81.

Same.

Time is relentless.; 3/9/11, 2:47 PM
ricpic said...: Were David Broder and David Gergen ever seen in the same place at the same time?...thought not.; 3/9/11, 2:49 PM
Trooper York said...: David Broder was the turgid epicenter of convential wisdom.

It has now moved to Ezra Kleins lunchbox.; 3/9/11, 3:37 PM
Trooper York said...: David Broder made Wally Cox look like Charlie Sheen.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.; 3/9/11, 3:38 PM
Anonymous said...: I'll have to say that I think that Broder was truer to his convictions than the mealy mouthed fair weather political chameleon Gergen....patooie!; 3/9/11, 3:39 PM
traditionalguy said...: I liked his style. Broder was an equal time balloon popper.; 3/9/11, 3:39 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: I wonder if I will still get him confused him with that other guy - David Gergen.; 3/9/11, 5:35 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Ricpic:
Sorry, I see you beat me to it and said it better too.; 3/9/11, 5:37 PM
The Dude said...: I had read a glowing review of Broder's work years ago. I watched him on tv for years, waiting for him to be interesting or memorable. He never was. Oh well.

Gergen is another story. He was at least interesting at times, even though he is very fickle. Spending too much time in DC will ruin a person, apparently.; 3/9/11, 5:49 PM
rcocean said...: Sorry Broder died but he should have retired a long, long, long time ago. He not only was dull, but beneath the "Can't we all get along" exterior beat a rather dishonest reporter.

During the Amnesty debate, Pete Wilson gave a talk about Prop 187 and amnesty. Broder questioned (aka debated) Wilson about it, and constantly tried to state various lies as facts.

He was one of those "Responsible" "Fair" old-timey MSM Reporters who tried to be "objective" but who'd twist the truth when some REAL IMPORTANT liberal position was at stake.

And he was really, really boring. But sorry he's dead.; 3/9/11, 7:50 PM
rcocean said...: Gergen is another story. He was at least interesting at times, even though he is very fickle.

You need to define "interesting". Gergen always struck me as a phony underneath the moderate, serious exterior. I'm mean how can anyone seriously flak for both Reagan AND Clinton? Usually when old 'Melon Head' appears, I change the channel.; 3/9/11, 7:54 PM
rcocean said...: BTW, is Daniel Schoor dead yet? Who else but NPR would've hired this 90 year-old liberal has-been and keep him on the air for 20 years.; 3/9/11, 7:58 PM
Big Mike said...: I used to read Broder regularly, but in recent years he dropped even the skimpiest effort to appear objective, culminating in a pitifully low point when he dedicated a column to effusive praise of Janet Napolitano shortly after she announced that "the system worked" when the "Underwear Bomber" was stopped by fellow passengers on his flight.

Broder should have quit a long time ago, before he became a pitiable parody of a journalist.; 3/9/11, 8:06 PM