Luke Russert

MRC's Notable Quotables: Leave Influencing Elections to Us Biased Journalists
By Rich Noyes | January 12, 2015 | 9:44 AM EST

Now online: the January 12 edition of Notable Quotables, MRC’s bi-weekly compilation of the latest outrageous quotes in the liberal media. This week, ABC's Barbara Walters pushes conservative philanthropist David Koch to stay out of politics: “Do you think it’s fair that just because you have billions of dollars, you can influence elections?”

At the same time, NBC congressional reporter Luke Russert mocks conservatives on Twitter: “The Kamikaze Caucus is alive & barking,” while The Daily Beast's Eleanor Clift says in 2015 she'll treat the GOP candidates with respect, “even though I think most of them probably belong in the clown car.”

2015: Will GOP Congress Cooperate with Obama? 2007: Democrats Should Impeach Bush!
By Geoffrey Dickens | January 8, 2015 | 9:56 AM EST

This week the media greeted the new GOP Congress with fears about a conservative “kamikaze caucus,” pushing “confrontation with Obama,” and stressed that if Republicans were to be successful they needed to look less “scary,” as they pointed out the 114th Congress was “80 percent white, 80 percent male and 92 percent of its members are Christian.” But in 2007, when Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats took over the House, the tone from the liberal media was very different.

Luke Russert: Boehner Survived Challenge from GOP's 'Barking' 'Kamikaze Caucus'
By Tom Blumer | January 6, 2015 | 3:58 PM EST

Longtime journalist Tim Russert, who among many other things hosted NBC's Meet the Press for over 17 years, passed away suddenly in June 2008.

His son Luke now works for NBC, and among other things is a Meet the Press panelist. Based on some of his more recent output, Luke is perhaps better described not a journalist, but as the network's desginated childish, mean-spirited namecaller. After House Speaker John Boehner survived a fairly strong challenge from Republicans frustrated with his leadership, particularly the "cromnibus" legislation passed late last year on his watch, Luke took to Twitter and hauled out an insulting, ethnically charged epithet to describe those who opposed the Speaker's reelection (HT Twitchy):

NYT Writer Defends Gruber on MSNBC; Voter Expectations on Health Care Are ‘Completely Incoherent’
By Curtis Houck | November 12, 2014 | 6:24 PM EST

During a discussion on MSNBC’s The Cycle about the disparaging comments ObamaCare architect Jonathan Gruber made about the law’s passage and the “stupidity” of voters, New York Times writer and substitute Cycle co-host Josh Barro sought to defend him by blasting the expectations that Americans have about health care as “completely incoherent” and lying was the only solution to make them happy. Barro told fellow panelists and guest Lauren Fox of National Journal that “what drives me crazy about this story” was that: “Jonathan Gruber was right. Public opinion on health care policy is just completely incoherent.” 

MSNBC Touts 'Rather Extreme' Joni Ernst; CNN Predicts One Term For Her
By Matthew Balan | November 5, 2014 | 12:12 PM EST

MSNBC and CNN zeroed in on the supposed radical right-wing views of Senator-elect Joni Ernst during their live election night coverage. Just after 2 am Eastern on Wednesday, MSNBC's Luke Russert played up how Ernst was "able to have these rather extreme Tea Party views; and then, moderate them closer to the election." Just over two hours earlier, CNN's Dana Bash gave the Iowa Republican a similar label, and predicted she might serve just one term.

'Meet The Press' Complains About Money In Politics: It’s ’Like The Cold War’
By Jeffrey Meyer | October 26, 2014 | 1:59 PM EDT

 

Liberals love to complain that there’s far too much money in politics and on Sunday’s Meet the Press, the entire panel predictably fretted that political spending could spell the demise of American democracy. NBC’s Luke Russert introduced the segment by lamenting how “there's real concern about the role money is playing in our politics with some even going as far to argue our democracy is being bought and sold.” 

On MSNBC, Luke Russert Dismisses Benghazi Hearing as Repetitive, Expensive
By Laura Flint | September 18, 2014 | 9:23 PM EDT

MSNBC host Jose Diaz-Balart managed to carve out two full minutes of his program on Wednesday for NBC’s Luke Russert to blast the hearing for being partisan and expensive. Russert made sure to describe the committee from the Democratic point of view, explaining their misgivings over the lack of a “long-term strategy” and “planning in terms of the rules of the committee.”

Russert ended his left-wing report by blasting the hearing for “com(ing) in a tune…of $3.3 million cost to taxpayers.” Apparently MSNBC’s big government liberals only care about cost when conservatives are spending the money.

'Right-Leaning' Joe Scarborough, Tim Russert's Son Added As 'Meet the Press' Panelists
By Randy Hall | September 4, 2014 | 9:19 PM EDT

In an effort to reverse the perpetual and disastrous ratings slide Meet the Press experienced during David Gregory's tenure as anchor of the Sunday morning program, NBC is going all out and bringing in Joe Scarborough, the co-host of MSNBC's Morning Joe program, to provide a “right-leaning voice” during panel discussions, and the son of the late -- and still beloved -- former host Tim Russert.

These changes will take effect on Sunday, the first edition under the guidance of the show's 11th moderator, Chuck Todd, who was formerly the chief White House correspondent for the network and host of The Daily Rundown on MSNBC.

NBC's Luke Russert : NFL Teams Slow to Sign Michael Sam After Release ‘Because He's Gay'
By Curtis Houck | September 4, 2014 | 8:30 AM EDT

Filling in for Alex Wagner on her MSNBC show Wednesday, Luke Russert had a segment on NFL player and defensive end Michael Sam, who was signed earlier in the day to the Dallas Cowboys after being released by the St. Louis Rams on Saturday. Russert opined that the reason there was a delay before Sam was signed by another team was not because of any media “distractions" or that he was not a good enough player, but it was “probably because he’s gay.”

In the first portion of the over five-minute-long segment, Russert cited reports from anonymous NFL general managers to two sports media outlets that teams wanted to sign Sam, but “fear[ed] the media attention” and “the circus coming to town” in additional media. [See video below]

Before Catching Himself, Luke Russert Speaks of the 'Murder' of Michael Brown
By Mark Finkelstein | August 15, 2014 | 3:58 PM EDT

Was it a simple mistake, or more deeply revealing of how Luke Russert regards events in Ferguson, MO?  With Chuck Todd on his way to Meet The Press, Russert hosted MSNBC's Daily Rundown today.

Speaking with NBC reporter Ron Allen, on the scene in Ferguson, Russert said: "the big news this morning is we expect to hear for the first time the name of the officer who was involved in the murder of Michael Brown -- or the killing of Michael Brown."  H/t reader Charles B. View the video after the jump.

NBC's Russert Wishes Americans Had 'Mindset' That Soda and Chips Are as Bad as Cigarettes
By Ken Shepherd | June 2, 2014 | 6:25 PM EDT

NBC News's Luke Russert is a self-described former "addict to carbohydrates" who lost a lot of weight when he cut back heavily on added sugars in his diet. Now, apparently, he thinks his epiphany about junk food needs to take root all across the fruited plain.

"I now look at one of those supersize Cokes and a bag of chips like I would cigarettes, so that mindset needs to be all around America,"  Russert enthused on the June 2 MSNBC program The Cycle. The substitute co-host made the pronouncement as he thanked his guest Ellen Gustafson, a self-described "sustainable food system activist," for coming on the program to promote her book "We the Eaters: If We Change Dinner, We Can Change the World." [Listen to MP3 audio here; watch the video below]

Luke Russert: Will GOP Nominate Cruz or Paul and Have a 'Barry Goldwater Moment?'
By Scott Whitlock | March 6, 2014 | 6:04 PM EST

MSNBC journalist Luke Russert on Thursday reported on the 2014 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and dismissed two potential presidential candidates. Russert wondered if the Republican Party might nominate a "pragmatic governor" like Chris Christie. 

He added, "Or are we going Ted Cruz? Are we going Rand Paul and the GOP is going to have their 2016 Barry Goldwater moment?" [See video below. MP3 audio here.] Barry Goldwater lost the 1964 presidential election in a massive landslide, winning only six states.