News Analysis: NBC’s Chief White House correspondent speaks in Tucson

Just two days after Election Day, I joined a large audience of 1,400 gathered at Rabbi Marcus Breger Hall at Congregation Anshei Israel in Tucson to hear NBC’s Chief White House correspondent David Gregory speak about spirituality, politics and the election.

A spiritual man of the Jewish faith, he was there for the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s 2009 campaign kickoff. I went to hear what a Jewish journalist would have to say about President-elect Barack Obama.

Speaking both sincerely and matter-of-factly, he said as the son of a Kenyan father and white mother from Kansas, “This was not a celebration for African-Americans alone.”

Gregory said Americans voted for Obama because of the economy, where 81 percent of voters said they are worried about their personal financial situation. The state of the U.S. after eight years of the Bush administration — where Obama won eight red states that Bush won eight years ago — meant voters did not view Obama as a black politician first.

Gregory spoke about being chastised by a woman in a coffee shop for not using the president-elect’s full name on the air — Barack Hussein Obama — to which he said rhetorically, “How many of our people have died for this reason alone?”

Gregory was adept at blending how our spiritual lives affect politics, and discussing the late commentator of NBC’s “Meet the Press” Tim Russert, he spoke with reverence and admiration. Calling him “a man of faith and spirituality,” he said after Russert’s sudden death, the focus wasn’t on his career but on religion and family — his true essence.

His talk wasn’t long, as he wanted to give ample time for questions from the audience, but in closing, his prepared remarks said, “It’s time to regain optimism. It’s an enormous milestone for our country. Washington needs help, our community needs help, our world needs help.”

Hearing the questions, it was apparent no one held back from expressing what was on their mind.

“Do you think MSNBC reported the election fairly,” one man asked. “Opinion journalism has proliferated ... there is no systemic bias at NBC. As political journalists, we cover those (candidates) who are ahead versus those who are behind,” Gregory responsed.

He also said the president must be questioned “sharply every day,” that mainstream media asks good questions and people want retroactive truth.

Evidently not pleased with how the mainstream news has been or is reported, one man asked, “What can we do to affect a change in news reporting?” Circumventing the question somewhat, Gregory said, “The country is less emotionally involved than it was during the Vietnam War.”

In his summation remarks, he said, “Tuesday night was about us groundbreaking. The Republicans need to find new voices for their party. There’s a professional class of voters now voting for Democrats.

“The election was special pride for black Americans. It’s a time to celebrate history for all of us.”

Ellen Sussman is a freelance writer in Green Valley. Contact her at ellen2414@cox.net.