Jen at MSNBC, and Joe in his media shell

NEWS AND OPINION:

The Republican Party has taken a close look at current White House dynamics and come up with an interesting scenario for what’s next on President Biden’s schedule.

Well, let’s see. We all know that former White House press secretary Jen Psaki has left her post to become a correspondent at MSNBC. Mr. Biden, in the meantime, has not offered a formal press interview in 96 days, as of Monday.

Now what?

“After a year of promising to circle back and leaving more questions than answers, Jen Psaki will no longer put spin on Biden’s record of failure from the White House podium — her new employer encourages it daily,” points out Republican National Committee national press secretary Emma Vaughn.

“Perhaps Joe Biden’s first press interview in more than 90 days will be with Jen at MSNBC,” she said.

Bingo.

Mr. Biden’s last press interview was on Feb. 10. Surely he will be willing to participate in an amiable sit-down with Ms. Psaki — the kind of exchange that could easily turn into a regular feature on MSNBC, which is still trying to catch up with Fox News in the ratings.

Yes, well. The most recent Nielsen Media findings in that arena revealed that during the week of May 2-8, Fox News remained the top cable news network with 2.3 million prime-time viewers, compared to MSNBC with 996,000.

FOR THE LEXICON

“Super Tuesday-ish.”

Here’s a handy new term from Morning Consult, which explains why the public should pay a little attention to the dreaded world of politics in the next 24 hours.

“Americans in five states — Idaho, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oregon and Pennsylvania — will vote in primary elections on Tuesday,” the news organization noted.

THE TUESDAY EFFECT

Republican voters are eager and energized judging from an election which took place only last week.

“Tuesday’s primary elections in Nebraska and West Virginia show that Republican enthusiasm is strong, from the deepest of blue states to the deepest of red. In Nebraska, Republican enthusiasm heading into this midterm season exceeded 2018 and approached presidential turnout. On the other hand, Democrats are stagnant, significantly trailing Republicans in enthusiasm,” reported the Republican National Committee upon examining voter turnout from the two bouts.  

“Comparing the 2018 midterms versus 2022 midterms: Republicans saw over 100,000 more votes last week — a 34% increase in voting. With lackluster enthusiasm, Democrats essentially tied their 2018 turnout numbers. In West Virginia, Republican turnout was 5.6% higher than turnout in 2018,” the committee said in a report.

It revealed some striking evidence of this trend in West Virginia’s 2nd District, where turnout in the GOP primary was 114.7% higher than the Democrats’ primary turnout.

“Bottom Line: Americans reject [President] Biden’s historic inflation, gas hike, and crisis at our southern border — and will vote Republican up and down the ballot,” the report advised.

NOW THERE’S A THOUGHT

One veteran Republican presence says he has a panacea for the problems that arise from the woke politics of those who embrace leftist ideas.

“I have a very simple solution. The press should get back to reporting. Teachers should get back to teaching the basics. Corporations should get back to making money and increasing shareholder value. Disney should get back to entertaining. If corporations and various institutions want to engage in politics, let their individual members engage, demonstrate, vote. These institutions, be they corporations, schools or others should get back to neutral when it comes to politics,” advises Saul Anuzis, former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party and now a commentator and consultant.

“In politics and therefore government, we look for consensus in setting public policy. But when it comes to corporations and various institutions, you have true mob rule, rather than respecting the interests and will of the minority (and sometimes majority) depending on who is in charge,” Mr. Anuzis writes in a short essay shared with Inside the Beltway.

HILLARY, THE TV SERIES

It seems like we’re going back to 2012. Or 2008, maybe.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is about to enter public radar once again.

Casting and production plans are now underway for “Rodham,” a new TV series based on the 2020 novel of the same title written by Curtis Sittenfeld — which offered a different take on the former first lady.

In the book, she chooses not to marry Bill Clinton.

“In Sittenfeld’s powerfully imagined tour-de-force of fiction, Hillary takes a different road. Feeling doubt about the prospective marriage, she endures their devastating breakup and leaves Arkansas. Over the next four decades, she blazes her own trail—one that unfolds in public as well as in private, that involves crossing paths again (and again) with Bill Clinton, that raises questions about the tradeoffs all of us must make in building a life,” publisher Random House said when the book was released.

Now comes the TV series.

Claire Danes and Dakota Fanning have been cast to play Mrs. Clinton at different stages in her life.

Some observers detect an agenda, though.

“The attempts to get Hillary Clinton back in the news are starting to ramp up with 2024 not far off, whether people are asking for it or not. If Hillary does end up running, a series is apparently attempting an image rehab — that is, if there are any takers,” noted Twitchy.com.

So far, no  major broadcast or cable providers have stepped up to air the series once it is finished, according to Variety magazine, which has also tracked the book version of the story.

“‘Rodham’ — published in May 2020, and a New York Times bestseller — imagined an alternative universe in which Hillary Rodham Clinton met and dated Bill Clinton at Yale Law School, but never married him,” summarized Variety, which also noted that Hulu has already passed on the project.

AND SPEAKING OF HOLLYWOOD

Medical or recreational marijuana is legal in many states. Close observers, however, are monitoring the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act which has passed in the House and is now headed to the Senate.

The legislation would remove cannabis from the federal list of controlled substances. Marijuana is legal for recreational use in 18 states, including California.

A certain thespian is taking advantage of this phenomenon.

“Actor and cannabis legalization activist Woody Harrelson opened a new business in West Hollywood, California, on Friday, May 13: a legal cannabis dispensary that will also include a consumption lounge located in a backyard garden,” the Hollywood Reporter noted.

Politicians did not shy away. Both Lauren Meister, the mayor of West Hollywood, and Genevieve Morrill, president and CEO of the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, were in attendance.

“It’s the greatest day that I’ve had in a long time,” Mr. Harrelson said.

And “consumption lounge,” by the way, is a common industry-wide term in this business.

POLL DU JOUR

• 79% of U.S. adults say the nation is now “on the wrong track.”

• 77% disapprove of the job the U.S. Congress is doing.

• 57% disapprove of the job President Biden is doing.

• 36% say they would rather see Republicans in control of Congress; 34% would prefer the Democrats be in charge.

• 29% say it doesn’t matter who is in control of Congress.

SOURCE: A Monmouth University poll of 807 U.S. adults conducted May 5-9.

• Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com.