Remembering David Broder

Like many in politics, I read David Broder because he told me what I needed to think about. With his passing, I've lost a friend and mentor.

Like so many people in politics over the past half century or more, I read David Broder’s news items and columns religiously for the simple reason that they told me things I needed to know, and they made me think about things I needed to think about. Over time, I became one of Broder’s many hundreds---probably thousands---of sources. He would call and ask questions, and I would answer. Occasionally we’d meet for breakfast or lunch and talk about the current state of political play.

But at one critical point, Dave Broder also played a significant role in my development as a political operative and my growth as a person.

Following the defeat of my boss, President Jimmy Carter, in the 1980 Presidential election---a campaign in which I had held positions of some consequence (including Executive Director of the DNC and Acting Campaign Manager) -- I was asked to write a report on what the national party had done to help the Carter/Mondale ticket, as well as its contributions to down-ticket races. It was to be a post-mortem of sorts -- but with an audience primarily composed of DNC members, state Democratic chairs and other party poobahs, it was supposed to paint as positive a picture as might be possible, given the fact that we lost both the White House and the Senate that year. To be charitable, it was “spin” of the most audacious kind.

Well, a copy of the report found its way to David Broder, and although he did so in the kindest and most gentle way imaginable, he chastised me, in his column, for a reach too far. It was a humbling and hugely important lesson, and I decided then and there that I would never even try to do something like that again. I realized that trust and respect are as important in politics as they are in any other endeavor, and the thought of putting David Broder’s regard for me in any jeopardy whatsoever simply wasn’t worth the price.

The world of journalism has lost an exemplar, America has lost a distinguished public citizen, and I have lost a friend and mentor. It is a very sad day, indeed.

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