Owls hear Mark Russell's scathing take on this year's election

The National Press Club's Silver Owls crowded into the ballroom May 3 to hear political satirist Mark’s Russell’s scathing take on this year’s presidential election.

With the crowd made up mostly of Owls, who have been members for more than 25 years, Russell called the gathering “The post-White House Correspondents Dinner for those who were in bed by 10 p.m. last Saturday night.”

Russell, who has been a mainstay of political satire in Washington since the early 1960s, was presented with an honorary Club membership as a thank you for all he has done to entertain members at presidential inaugurals, Silver Owls events and other special events.

A total of 31 new Silver Owls were inaugurated into the group for crossing their 25th membership anniversary, while 10 were honored as Golden Owls for 50 years and another seven as Platinum Owls for 60 years.

Russell lampooned without mercy Donald Trump, Hilary Clinton, Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders, as he played his signature parody songs on the grand piano.

“Today’s issues are so touchy, so sensitive and too hot to handle,” Russell quipped. “There are so many of them that I have to double up on them to save time. So how do I do that? Bill Cosby and Donald Trump walk into a bar …”

And with that, he was off and running.