One Year Later: irreplaceable

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The Last Post for Viva Chuck Todd

Bittersweet is about the only word that comes close to the feeling of today. This is the last post for Viva Chuck Todd.

I say it all in the below video, but it needs to be put in "print" just how thankful I am to all of you who made this site a joy to do everyday for the past six months. It has been a fantastic experience just in "meeting" those of you who frequented this site and made your presence known. I know personally that Chuck is forever grateful to all of you for your words of support and encouragement through this historic election season.

For the record, over 120,000 people visited Viva Chuck Todd, Chuckolyte.com and Chucktodd08.com combined in the last six months, tens of thousands of Viva Chuck Todd and Viva Rachel Maddow e-cards have been sent, there are over 350 (and counting) Chuckolyte card-holders and approximately $600 has been raised for the Tim Russert charities.

As the dust settles in our electoral process, this seemed like the logical time to sign-off and go back to what I get paid to do. With that said, there might be some posts in the future as events dictate; so be sure to sign up for updates via email using the Feedburner box to the left- but for the most part, I'm done.

This site and all related Chuck Todd sites (Chuckolyte.com and Chuck08.com) will remain live as will our spin-off site, Viva Rachel Maddow.

Before I go, special thanks need to go out to Chuck's G, Kim, Kristian, Willie Geist, Joe Scarborough, Jonathan Capehart, each and every proud Chuckolyte card holder, Ol' Man Barnacle, of course The Chuck and most importantly, Tim Russert for hiring that numbers guy from The Hotline.

Thank you all again for one hell of a fun experience.

Vaya con dios Viva Chuck Todd,

Paul Chamberlain

Never forget, this site exists because of him

NBC News Names D.C. Bureau Chief

Just announced. The following was taken from TIME's The Page by Mark Halperin

The network announces Monday that Mark Whitaker, an NBC News Senior Vice President, will take over Tim Russert’s role as Washington, D.C. bureau chief.

His position includes executive oversight of “Meet the Press” as well as network election and political coverage.

Whitaker will also continue in his current role as SVP.

Comments?

Montana Can Wait:Tom Brokaw gets the MTP chair through 2008 election

A decision like this makes the past week's speculation seem juvenile and vulgar. Of course Brokaw was going to moderate Meet The Press; what were we thinking? The voice, the Beltway gravitas and the friendship between him and Russert almost vaults this into something of a Greek tragedy: The other warrior king emerges from retirement to carry on the fight with the eventual denouement being a proper laying down of his comrade's shield who fell in the midst of battle.

Our best wishes to Mr. Brokaw and the MTP team - Go get'em.

TOM BROKAW TO SERVE AS MODERATOR OF “MEET THE PRESS” THROUGH 2008 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

(New York) – June 22, 2008 – Beginning on Sunday, June 29, NBC News’ Tom Brokaw will serve as moderator of “Meet the Press” through the 2008 presidential election. The broadcast will continue to originate from the NBC News Bureau in Washington D.C. The announcement was made today by NBC News President Steve Capus.

http://thepage.time.com/nbc-release-on-brokaw-and-meet-the-press/

A first-person experience from one of our readers - Tim Russert's Memorial Service

Greetings to the keepers of VivaChuckTodd,

I am not certain if any of you are local to the DC area and didn't want to post this at large to the site, but I attended the wake this afternoon for Tim Russert along with easily 1,000 other people and actually spoke to Chuck. He truly appeared to be like a man who lost his father. I was amazed by who was there (given they are holding a private memorial) I saw at least half the NBC crew there along with many from other networks and most astonishingly - Tim Russert's son and wife were there greeting mourners who had come to pay their respects. It was unbelievably moving and horribly sad, both were tremendously brave. When I spoke to Chuck he was still obviously distraught and having a hard time with the idea moving forward. He was overwhelmed by the outpouring for Tim and to all of them at the Washington bureau. I said to him in wishing my condolences that the best way we honor Tim is to ensure we get people out and voting on November 4th. He concurred and I told him I could only imagine how hard is was for him this week but that we were going to be looking to him to gain that understanding of what was happening in the election because I believe that is what Tim would have wanted. He appeared very touched by the outpouring of tributes and there were many fans of the blog standing in line with me (I discovered this as we started to share stories).

Dalissa
(MovieMom)

Our deepest thanks to Dalissa for sending us this note
You can read more of MovieMom at her blog
Not Ready for Prime Time

Sunday is going to come whether we like it or not

You've heard it, we've heard it - The macabre murmur of necessary speculation on who will fill Tim Russert's chair. Politico.com and National Review Online have already weighed in on the potential heirs as have multiple blogs with insightful, albeit biased, yet consistently respectful opinions on the next chapter of Meet The Press.

The reason that we've decided to chime in on this uncomfortable subject is because at last count by our editorial staff, Chuck is at the top of most lists. As you read their observations, you understand that Chuck is the visceral choice. He emulates the qualities that Russert did; a warm humility, disarming intelligence and a voracious appetite for all things sport and politic. On the flipside, the logical choice is David Gregory. Logical in the sense that he's a known quantity by having been a guest-moderator several times before and is a fixture of the NBC News Political team. But what echoes constantly when Gregory's name is brought up is his elite arrogance and cozy relationships he shares with key political figures sometimes skewing his objectivity.

Andrea Mitchell, Gwen Ifill and Chris Matthews (I know) have been suggested as well. Even Tom Brokaw is making the lists. The new talent such as Keith Olbermann (not new per se, but new to this level of serious consideration for political coverage) and David Shuster have been hinted at with the all usual right-wing pot shots reserved for Olbermann.

Many people have pointed out the similar backgrounds both Chuck and Russert shared. The humble roots, strong family ties and respect for the golden rule. Some of the more heart-wrenching moments on Friday were when people like Andrea Mitchell and Keith Olbermann introduced Chuck as essentially one of the best things that happened to the NBC news team in a long time and each one emphatically praised Russert for being the one responsible for bringing Chuck on.

Let's just put it out there and freely admit that this is hardly the repository for objective analysis on Chuck Todd and the NBC News Division. We all want the best for Chuck and Meet The Press. What we don't want is a hasty solution in the midst of this historic election that causes a truncated epilogue to the tragedy that was Friday.

That's why we want to hear from you. Knowing that the vast majority of us would want nothing more than to see Chuck ascend to this role - we also know that there will be some decisions made on grounds antithetical to emotion. With that said, vote in the poll below and leave comments on why Chuck should get the job or why he shouldn't. Perhaps the right people who have influence read Viva Chuck Todd. We certainly like to think Tim Russert did.

Viva Chuck Todd Online Emporium:all new product and an all new purpose

The Viva Chuck Todd Online Store has received a makeover and a new purpose.

We've added dozens of new products and two new designs, including the wildly popular e-card design "In a Perfect World, Chuck Todd is King and Rachel Maddow is Queen...". But what we're most proud to announce is that all proceeds from the store will go to Tim Russert's favorite charities: Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Catholic Charities USA.

As fans of Chuck Todd know, Tim Russert was his mentor, friend and the man who put him on television to let the world see what he saw in Chuck.

The fans of The Chuck thank you for that Mr. Russert.

Disbelief owns the night: Tim Russert 1950-2008

Keith Olbermann does what he does best for a figure lost from our daily routines.

Tim Russert was a man that demanded that we all pause. Pause what we were doing because his word and his alone validated the days events on all things political. His declaration of Senator Barack Obama as the Democratic nominee after the Indiana primary was the unofficial whistle that ended the Democratic Primary season. His statement to that effect, lit up Blackberries across the beltway and people listened. He had power. Power earned from respect, intellect and experience. Power that had a countervailing humility and warmth that no other journalist could match.

You will be missed, mourned and remembered Mr. Russert. And forever conjured by fans who will remark, "I wonder what Russert would think of that?"

A glass will be raised to you on election night. For it will be a little less enjoyable because you wont be there to enjoy it with us.

Our thoughts and prayers to you, your family and your friends.

IN MEMORIAM: Tim Russert

If it wasn't for this man, this site wouldn't exist.

Our deepest sympathies to both the Russert and NBC families.

Sundays are forever changed.

Same Chuck Time, Same Chuck Channel

Apparently, The Chuck is also the Caped Crusader. The jury's still out over here whether that is indeed the case because it's felt The Chuck's pecs and biceps would be much more defined. Now Cilliza as The Chuck's Robin? It's so obvious Chris, why even wear the mask?

A Viva Chuck Todd Gracias to BobbleheadElection/clinton_superdelegates@

Chuck Todd Facial Expression #76

Chuck Todd Facial Expression Translation: What the F%$# did you say Russert?