Political satirist Mark Russell tried retiring a few years back.
But then group of Congressmen decided to skinny dip in Isreal’s Sea of Galilee in 2012 and all bets were off.
Lucky for us, particularly now when there seems to be an endless abundance of comic fodder coming from Washington, D.C., where Russell has called home since he was a teen. Russell, 82, slips into the Fox Tucson Theatre Friday night to give us the lowdown on what’s happening in D.C. now that the Republicans have taken control of both the House and the Senate.
We caught up with Russell, father of Tucson publicist Matt Russell, on Tuesday, the day after D.C. hosted all the pomp and circumstance of swearing in the new crop of senators and representatives, including REp. Martha McSally of Tucson. He had just seen the front page of the Arizona Daily Star, which featured a photo of Senate Majority Leader John Boehner hugging Democrat Nancy Pelosi.
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“That is hilarious. It looked like the obnoxious drunk at the Christmas party forcing himself on the boss’s secretary. We know everything is staged and that is a perfect example of it,” Russell said.
Russell’s show is mostly bipartisan; though he leans to the left, Russell is quick to poke fun at Democrats as easily as Republicans. His show mixes one-liners, insider stories and piano songs — political parodies including “Love For Sale,” the woeful lament of the poverty-stricken Clintons trying to make due off former President Bill Clinton’s paltry $300,000-per-speech earnings after he left the White House.
“Hillary did take some time off a few months ago to become America’s Grandmother, although Chelsea’s baby was baptized in Iowa so they weren’t taking any chances,” he quipped.
He’ll also do a song he wrote that rewinds 2014 and another that he penned about Arizona. Yes, Sheriff Joe Arpaio is a central character, but sorry, Sheriff Joe, it’s not all about you.
“I did it up in Mesa last winter and it got to him and he plugged the show,” said Russell, who makes it to the state a couple times a year to visit his son. “He put it on his Facebook or whatever the heck it is. He thought the entire song was about him. I thanked him.”
Russell has been doing political satire for five decades now and has never had to look far for fodder. With the Republicans in control and Obama still in the White House, "the stars are in perfect alignment for the sky to fall.” Expect gridlock, "but under the Republicans it will be handled better," he said.
"Best example of gridlock would be if they want to commemorate Cinco de Mayo but they couldn’t agree on a date," Russell added.
“(The Republicans) are under the illusion that this coming year will have anything to do with other than 2016. In Washington, D.C., the year is 2016 right now," he said. "Just like when (House Majority Leader) Mitch McConnell said a few years ago, ‘My one goal is to make Obama a one-term president,’ well their one goal now is to have a Republican president. Everything is predicated on that, no question."
He expects the Republicans top priority will be to "assess Benghazi. Benghazi is their mantra"
"And then they’ll introduce their 41st bill to abolish Obamacare," he added. "What does it mean that the Republicans take over the Senate? It simply means we still have 50 states where half the people don’t know who their senators are.”
With all the divisiveness, it wouldn't surprise Russell if the government shut down again as it did in 2013. Not that we would notice any difference, he quipped.
"Sometimes you can’t tell if the government is shut down or not," he said. "It seems like they’ve been shut down for the last couple of years.”
It also will be interesting to see who among the Republicans throws their hat in the 2016 presidential race. By his count, there are 37 possible contenders, but he thinks Jeb Bush has the inside track. He's hoping for another Bush-Clinton race, with Hillary Clinton a sure bet for the Democratic ticket.
“The trouble with (Jeb) Bush, the dynasty label is probably his biggest problem, the fact he was born a Bush," Russell said. "Just what we need another president with a problematic birth certificate. … I don’t know who Bush’s running mate would be. Does Dick Cheney have a brother?”
Secretly, Russell hopes the rumors bear truth and Mitt Romney runs again.
“Then I can do my (Steven) Spielberg joke," he said. "Spielberg writes a movie about Romney called ‘Saving Private Equity’. You see where my priorities are.”
