Governor Gretchen Whitmer posted a video to announce a new proposal for Michiganders that will expand free tuition for some community college students.

Here’s the thing. The video is really cringey because the governor is talking to a potato. A potato. It’s like something out of Sesame Street though the information is aimed at adults. The video is a little creepy, too, because the potato not only has a mouth to speak to Whitmer but teeth, too. It’s just not right. The potato has a name – Professor Potato.

Professor Potato and I are teaming up to share some news that will revolutionize higher education in Michigan.

This isn't just small potatoes, it's a game-changer! pic.twitter.com/AhIDBqjMrB

— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) January 23, 2024

Professor Potato and I are teaming up to share some news that will revolutionize higher education in Michigan.

This isn’t just small potatoes, it’s a game-changer!

Why does Whitmer’s staff hate her? Who thought this was a good idea? Not only is the video amateurish-looking but she’s treating adults like children. Yeah, I get that all kinds of dad joke level puns are being used for entertainment value but this just doesn’t land well. She’s trying to get the attention of adults with a talking potato. That’s what I kept going back to as I watched the video.

She teased the proposal for tuition-free community college for Michigan high school graduates on the eve of delivering her sixth State of the State address. Nothing screams “take me seriously” like talking to a potato.

“Michiganders will save an average of $4,000 as they earn their associates degree, setting them up to earn a bachelors or start working and earn a bigger paycheck,” Whitmer said.

Because of financial aid, most who attend community college can already do so for low costs, but Whitmer and lawmakers have rolled out numerous assistance programs that combine state and federal money to lower or eliminate tuition.

Last year, Michigan invested $70 million to expand Whitmer’s Michigan Reconnect program that pays for community college, lowering the minimum age for free tuition from 25 to 21 years old.

She promotes higher education for Michigan’s workforce and that’s fine. The cost to taxpayers isn’t mentioned but apparently the State Budget Office will provide financial details in the governor’s executive budget recommendation next month. The Michigan Association of State Universities is concerned that free community college may cause regional public university enrollment. I think competition is good. Let state colleges step up and offer programs to compete with community colleges.

Whoever convinced Whitmer to do this bit with the potato should know by now that the governor is being made a laughingstock in social media. Even her progressive supporters noted that it wasn’t a good move.

Totally agree… It’s the teeth for me. This is def great news but anytime I go to make myself a baked potato this is going to be embedded in my mind.

— Angela D (@capricablu) January 24, 2024

The teeth. The teeth are creepy.

There were references to Brian Stelter, the former CNN employee who was highly partisan and nicknamed Potato by conservatives. Heh.

@brianstelter congrats on the new gig!

— Ma’s Mafia Account (@NotYourJewishMa) January 23, 2024

And, on a more serious note, Michiganders have not forgotten that Governor Whitmer enthusiastically embraced her inner authoritarian during the pandemic and denied the state’s residents access to seeds for their gardens. Using produce in her political ad brought that piece of her record out.

Hey remember when you prevented people from growing their own food pic.twitter.com/FsnocWDaNw

— David Roome 🪐 (@DavidRoomeAuth) January 23, 2024

Oh well.

This nonsense comes out at a time that a new book claims that Whitmer was Joe Biden’s first choice for vice president. Blame Barack Obama for the rise of Kamala Harris.

Biden chose Harris days before that year’s virtual Democratic National Convention after promising to select a woman and after pro-Harris lobbying from former President Barack Obama, veteran Washington journalist Charlie Spiering writes in his book “Amateur Hour: Kamala Harris in the White House.”

While the 59-year-old Harris is just “a brain stroke away from the presidency,” her “many struggles and mistakes during her first years in office were top of mind” for the now-81-year-old president heading into his re-election campaign, Spiering writes.

It’s been Obama’s third term all along, hasn’t it? Too bad we have a demented old man who isn’t even strong enough to make his own decision about a running mate. Whitmer is a woman but she’s not the right color. Checking identity boxes is the top priority, not merit. It’s why we are in the mess we’re in as a country now. Obama’s the puppet master in Biden’s America.