♪ [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] ♪ [inaudible conversations] ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, please rise [inaudible] thank you very much. [inaudible conversations] >> welcome. david broder was a reporter. he knew that about himself from literally his youngest days. he never reconsidered or wavered in his passion for this calling for his competitive result to be the best he could. he became a columnist, lecturer, speaker, pungent and tv talking head. he was also a husband, father and grandfather, george broder's one of his sons. i stand with you wearing his watch which was his own father's watch, a depression era dentist from chicago who tended to his patience and took payment in trade or cash only when they could convince him they could afford it. here with us today among his other items, his left hand return typewriter and a united states flag presented to our mom by the veterans administration in recognition of his service in the u.s. army. on behalf of my mom, ann, broder, my brothers, matt, tauscher and mike, our wives, wndy, karen, susan and robin and his seven grandchildren, dan, loren, maddy, nicole, emma, julia, and luka. thank you all for being here today. thank you, mr. vice president for being here. distinguished guests, contact and sources. [laughter] his colleagues and peers from the state's and those of you who were his loyal readers for being here. thanks for your patience in waiting to get started. we hope you've enjoyed the slide show and the music of the sage string trio. curious pull virtually the jury in his last column ran on february 6th and he left us on march 9th. he wouldn't have truly understood it and the truth is i don't really get within 24 hours after he died, she had more tweets than charlie sheen or princess kate's dress. [laughter] not bad for an 81 year old who had his challenges with the new lawyer world we all live in. thank you for laughing. [laughter] not because i knew one of the stand-up comic but because we want there to be laughter in the room today. this is a memorial service. we will have some tears but my father loved to laugh so let's recognize that also, the laughter and good will. yes, our family is grieving. we thank you for being here to share that with us. as well as the celebration of a life long life. we regret that the circumstances in his last month prevented many of you from being able to visit with him. the family wants you to know he was never in any great pain. in his last hours and days he was at peace with himself and the decision that it was time to go. my mother -- excuse me, my father and my mother and our family, we understand and respect the place of feet in many people's lives. the strength and so bennati that comes from this. we are not a religious family in the conventional sense, so we gather here today at the national press club at his direction of a cathedral with you will to the highest values and standards and goals in the profession to which he dedicated his long life. the brilliance to the amendment of the constitution, the role and purpose of the free press and an open domestic the acrostic pluralistic, there is, society, the duty of the media on behalf the people to ask hard questions to investigate, probe and analyze the issues of the day, the responsibility of the members of the state to inform, educate, communicators and deliver their views about what they found in an unbiased, straightforward and honest form. and finally, the distinct sanction of the first amendment the need to exercise the honor and obligation with civility and respect for fellow americans and those from other nations so that's why we're here at the national press club and goes to speak today will share their insights into his life with this backdrop. our family is indented to each of them for agreeing to do this. let me say a couple things about my childhood and adulthood as one of the sons of ann and david broder, a political activist and political reporter. are you surprised if i tell you i majored in police science at the university of wisconsin? my apologies to those that have heard the story. i remember the sunday evening of 1968, family dinner going on, watching the black-and-white tv as president johnson talked about vietnam. as the president spoke, like father realized where the speech was going. he jumped up and shouted he's not going to run and bolted for the door. [laughter] moments later the phone rang and my mom answered and she assured the person don't worry, he's already on the week. [laughter] and she hung up. in the sixth, seventh and eighth grade i had a paper route, yes, the morning paper, "the washington post." family connection had nothing to do with it. this was before he won the pulitzer. my friend, steve bauer and talf went already had routes and when another became available, i to get. a true father, one morning i was so sick i couldn't deliver my papers and he rose to the occasion. following an address list, he got the job done but it took so long that was light out. by the time he was finished. word got back to my mom from a neighbor with a few days, and she said i saw dave the other morning. that's amazing. he writes the paper on monday -- [laughter] and delivers it on tuesday. [laughter] as an adult, like many of you, i was always delighted to be able to talk public policy and politics with him and to talk sports. he loved sports especially baseball. i'll miss talking with him about both. no more teasing him about the cubs or commence reading about the woeful redskins. in recent years i wouldn't call it a tradition but facing the countdown we were on. i've made a point to always call him whenever i was going to my first baseball game of the year. looking in san francisco usually with a cigar and a good pal would tell him that kaine is pitching, we are planning. he would tell me have fun, i wish i was with you. i'm going to miss making that call this year. before the first eulogy, we want to show a video of our father. he's talking about one of his two most famous topics, his grand children or the voters. this is about voters from three years ago in 2008 in new hampshire. we think you will enjoy it for the same reason we do. it shows how much he loved what he did and how he was still at 878-years-old his 13th presidential campaign decades and decades and decades on the beat and not a cynical bone in his body. let's watch. >> i have a lot of memories of talking to voters here and across the country. one of my favorite experiences in reverse was being run off of a property by a guy who came out with two very large dogs and made it very clear that if i didn't clear out of their pretty fast he was going to let the dogs off their leash. what's fun about covering the hampshire campaigns is the people here, not just the politicians, but the people themselves are really into. >> i've been working on this campaign and obama's prior campaign was when i was a senior high school and worked for jfk. >> you see more front yard and back fence campaign signs in this state than any other place i've ever been because the people do feel very committed to the candidates they are supporting, and that level of energy that comes straight from the people is what makes the hampshire politics really wonderful. >> i'm pleased to introduce the first eulogy, staying with baseball we have a grand slam lineup. we had to start with the news room where my father spent so many years of his life when he wasn't on the road. i don't know what cosmic forces are in play he's got the same initials as our father, d.b. and he's become a good friend to the rest of the family along the way. dan balz from the fifth floor of dan balz from the fifth floor of the "washington post." >> thank you, george, and george, josh, matt, mike, other members who are here, mr. vice president, distinguished guests, friends, colleagues, we are here today to pay tribute to one of journalism giants, david broder and political reporter without peer. he was one of the most decent human beings any of us ever worked with and he was also my dear friend. we mourn his passing, but we celebrate a life that in its richness and accomplishment remains an inspiration to all of us. dave broder was part of a generation of remarkable political reporters. they included jack modules, walter mirrors, the late bob novak, johnny apple, others too numerous to mention today. at the post, haynes johnson and dave shared a special bond come something i've long cherished. the same is true of lou cannon with whom he collaborated so often and effectively a except for one night in new hampshire when the two aces in 1980 managed to misread the tv listings and therefore miss the opening of the republican debate. with a little help from back home the managed to scramble and cover the the date adequately but we never quite trusted them the same after that. >> whether his own generation or subsequent generations, dave was always special. he was called the dean fer reason tweets for a reason. he brought unmatched integrity, in sight, fairness come seriousness of purpose and true humility. he was, as george said, a reporter's reporter. he might have been one of the most widely read columnists in the nation and may have been on meet the press 401 times, a record there will not be broken but he never thought of himself as a pundit. he never believed he had all the answers. he knew that answers and insight grew out of doggett reporting. everyone has heard of his devotion to the voters. he believed elections belong to the voters, not the politicians or strategists were commentators many reporters paid lip service to this idea but if you did it as dave did, carefully, methodically, completely. he would go up and down the streets of a bird's a strange towns for hours on end. he bent into living rooms, engaged people in conversations, learned their hopes and fears, most of all he respected their opinions. this isn't the easiest of work, but they've never tired of it. i remember one summer he decided the two of us needed to take a sounding around the country. we would start he said that the national governments association which was always a regular stop on his summer circuit. from there we were to fan out to different states where we would do a number of days of door knocking. that would have been enough for me but not for dave. he declared that the end of the week we would meet up at the national conference of state legislators where we would do another round of interviewing. i was more than exhausted by the time that week ended but he was still full of vinegar and fight. given his devotion to the voters, roger simon, our friend, suggested the other night we would ask everyone here to volunteer to days of door knocking in the battleground state. the assignments will be distributed on the way out after the service. another thing that set david apart was his unerring ability to stay focused on what was important. he loved the tough and gripping campaign, but he also believed when the campaign ended politicians had the responsibility to do what they could to solve the country's problems. he hated frivolous politicians and public officials. he believed journalism was an enjoyable part of the space society. he believed good journalism made the machinery of government work better. he believed the holding politicians accountable and he always focused his energy on the big issues and the toughest problems. at the post, he led our coverage for more than four decades and in an era of bigfoot journalism, he always walked lightly. he taught by example and made certain all other reporters have this case and the encouragement to flourish and expand their own horizons. ask anyone who's covered politics over the post in the time david was there and they will tell you that. that doesn't mean he didn't occasionally intimidate his editors or fellow reporters. we could always tell when he didn't think we were measuring up to his exact standards. he has the look we would say. nobody liked it when the will close directed at them. i first experienced this in 1968 as the college senior. i was interviewing dave for a class project. after two questions he looked at me and only the way that he could and said what do these questions have to do with your topic? [laughter] for once i put myself back up off the floor. broder then gently helped me figure out how to refocus my project to do it right. to the young girl reporters he was always unfailingly generous and he played for colleges on the first campion and shared information with competitors including some he barely knew. they never forgot as the e-mails i received after his death show. david obviously loved more than his work he loved ann, his wife 59 years and his sons and daughters in long and his grand children especially. he loved the cubs, the jacket is there, he loved the theater, he loved the gridiron club, its rituals and customs and contributed so many songs and jokes over the years. he was a straight arrow in the best sense, but he wasn't always all business all the time. i remember the opening night of the 1980 republican convention in detroit. those were koln days as you can imagine we were not tweeting around the clock in 1980's we extra time and dave and lu and invited me to join them for dinner. the dining room at the train hotel was packed and noisy and filled with delegates and reporters and there was a combo playing in the background. there was nothing rushed or hurried as we ate and talked about a week ahead. finally, it was time to go over to the convention floor. as we were selling that the bill he leaned back in his chair and he looked over. i never forgot what he said next. my head tells me to go to the convention, he said, but my feet want to stay here and boogie. [laughter] this is perhaps a side of him most of you have never seen. [laughter] i would also be remiss if i didn't mention he kept the messiest office in the newsroom, that driving with him could be an adventure especially in light, and as george suggested he could be sometimes technologically challenged. more than once when we were on the road together and he was struggling to finally story on that line, our political editor at time would call me and say can you just go to his room? send the story. was always clear who was story she prized most. [laughter] none of this slowed him down. she kept at it with an intensity and pace of some one half his age and for far longer than any of the rest of us might have tried. he was still out there last fall at age 81 making his rounds. he did it despite aging legs and a body that was giving out on him. he wanted to see and hear for himself what was happening in that campaign. to the end he had an indomitable spirit. now he's gone and we all miss him terribly. he leaves an extraordinary legacy. one that embodied values that can guide all of us in these difficult times. he leaves a huge void. he is i believe irreplaceable. i've said this before, and i want to see it again. i cannot imagine there will ever be another political reporter like him or colleague for whom so many people have such respect and such affection. goodbye, friend, may you rest in peace. [inaudible conversations] >> thank you for the beautiful tribute. good afternoon, everyone. my name is matt broder, and thank you for coming together to honor our father today. i am ann and dave's third son. one of my father's treats that came through repeatedly in the public testimonials after he died was his willingness to help younger reporters with characteristic modesty he often said his advice was free and that was worth when you pay for it. but the people on the receiving end of that advice usually knew better. in the spirit, going to offer a little advice this morning or this afternoon. two of the young reporters out there wondering how do i get to be a big-time pungent in the ultra competitive world of journalism? how do i get to the 4,000 columns, to the 401 appearances on meet the press? i have the answer control from the life of the been himself, david broder. practice on your children. [laughter] on your young children. i offer as evident the content of an old postcard i discovered some time ago while rummaging through a box in the attic of the family's summer home in michigan. this was a postcard my father sent to me while he was on a reporting trip and 1964. i will do the math for you. the future pulitzer prize winner was 34-years-old. i had just turned five. on the front of the postcard was a studio photograph of three basset hound puppies. the postmark was from somewhere in texas, houston i think. dear nephew, the postcard began, do you like these puppies? of these puppies are sad. do you know why they are sad? [laughter] they are sad because they lost their oil depletion allowance. [laughter] love, dave. [laughter] i will mention for only a moment the ridiculous situation this but my mother in. [laughter] even a university of chicago education doesn't prepare you to explain the oil depletion allowance to a kindergartener. suffice it to say that this postcard explains why my father wrote eight books on politics but not a single one on parenting. [laughter] all kidding aside, this story provides an important insight about david broder. he experienced the world through one lens only to the intersection of politics and policy. a postcard to a child became the chance to dwell on tax policy. the trick is san francisco sports bar with my brother, george coming years leader prompted a column about the presidential campaign process and the attention span of the electorate and there was the annual trip to beaver island michigan which my father used not really to relax but more often as a springboard for musings on the environmental policy of the reagan administration or voluntarism and public education or the implications of alternative energy programs. .. >> speaking of younger journalists, u now have the pleasure to introduce one of my father's favorite journalist from the generation that came after him. dave had a big heart for anyone with a pen and a note pad, but it's fair to say he loved his colleagues. his intelligence and insight for obvious to my father even before they were colleagues at the washington post in the 1980s, and the friendship they developed deepened over the years even though glenn went to work for competing news organizations. later, my father looked forward to his aday appearances, and faithfully watched the show on those weeks he did not appear as a guest. the entire broder family is grateful to glenn for delivering a eulogy today. we can think of no better fitting one to do so. >> okay. i have a card. thank you, matt, and thank you to all of the broders, and thank you for inviting me to speak here today and allowing us to borrow david for so many years. david was for special to me as he was to everyone in this room. he was a there for us to aspired to cover politics in a matter that went deeper into polls and personalities. he was a mentor, who, of course, made the time and had the time for younger reporters, and, of course, he was a friend even when he was beating you on a story or at the very least telling it better than you ever could. over the past few weeks, i've been trading story with a many other journalists looking for nuggets. i probably should be surprised that in the end, everybody seemed to repeat the same version of exactly the same story always using words like generosity and excellence and modesty. uncommon decency, one political reporter wrote, relentlessly irritatingly sen tryst wrote another. [laughter] i'm certain he would have liked that last one. [laughter] i was one who looked up to him and stunned he never looked down