TGIF 2/28/20

Want to make a list with me? Let's give it a whirl!

Mick Mulvaney, the president's acting Chief of Staff, has suggested that the media should be talking about the president's  relationship with his youngest son, instead of talking about the COVID-19 outbreak. Seriously.

Criticizing the media for wanting Trump "to be this terrible monster," Mulvany provided some  info about the president checking in with Barron by phone, and said the media would never show that side of him. And he's right.

There's little about Barron in the media - by design. It's because the legitimate media know that president's kids are off limits, and because they know that the mere mention of the name Barron - nothing about the child himself, mind you, but simply using the homophones Barron and baron in a sentence - caused an uproar on the Trump News Network. Mulvaney better have his bags packed.

And of course, when I say the "legitimate media" know better, that doesn't include Medal of Freedom honoree Rush Limbaugh, and his comments about a certain 'dog' in the White House. However, sometimes a 'dog' has its day.

Here's a recent tweet from Chelsea Clinton, referencing Limbaugh.

Where else can we go to add to this week's list? Let's see... 

Papa Joe picked up some endorsements for his presidential bid, including from SC Rep. Jim Clyburn, the highest-ranking African-American in the House, and Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, who was Hillary Clinton's running mate in '16. That Guy From Vermont got a big one this week, too: former presidential candidate Marianne Williamson. And, so did Bloomy, getting the Clint Eastwood nod in a Wall Street Journal interview last week that I just stumbled upon. Here's the relevant part of the interview: 

As for the domestic political scene, Mr. Eastwood seems disheartened. “The politics has gotten so ornery,” he says, hunching his shoulders in resignation. He approves of “certain things that Trump’s done” but wishes the president would act “in a more genteel way, without tweeting and calling people names. I would personally like for him to not bring himself to that level.” As he drives me back to my hotel, he expresses an affinity for another former mayor: “The best thing we could do is just get Mike Bloomberg in there.”

Kudos to the givers and receivers there.

Speaking of Bloomy, he had to spend a bit of time defending himself in a PBS NewsHour interview with Judy Woodruff, on Muslim surveillance practices in NYC after 9/11. I half expected the Rs to be supporting him on this, given how readily they fell in line with Trump's travel ban, but I haven't seen much support for him.

Closer to home, NY's Sonofa Gov Andrew Cuomo is planning to follow what's left of the Grateful Dead across the country on his 'Marijuana Tour' - or, at least, that's the first thing I thought of when I saw these headlines: Where Cuomo could go on his cross-country weed tour; Cuomo Plans Marijuana Tour; Checking out the joint; and Cuomo Takes a Weed Tour, just a nickel bag of headlines that are out there.

But what he's really doing is trying to learn from states that have legalized pot to figure out how we can legalize it here, even though three years ago he said it was a gateway drug. And, he said,

You don't want New York competing with New Jersey, you don't want New York competing with Connecticut. You don't want people driving to New Jersey, because they can get more in New Jersey, or a higher percentage in New Jersey, or they have a different age in New Jersey, or a lower tax rate. So, it's regional coordination.

Riiight. Because the last thing we would want is to literally hemorrhage potheads to a neighboring state.

TGIF, everyone  - and, remember, don't bogart that joint.