There’s an old saying that goes: “If the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.” That was apparently what Democrat Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington was thinking as a guest during Thursday's MTP Daily on MSNBC.

Inslee has been in the news since last Friday for declaring an emergency over an outbreak of measles in the Evergreen State, and he attempted to use the same tactic against Howard Schultz, the former Starbucks CEO who has stated that he might join the 2020 presidential contest as an independent. Of course, liberals across the country have expressed their displeasure since it might siphon off enough Democratic votes to ensure a second term for President Trump.

CHUCK TODD: You I assume have spent a little bit of time talking to him” talking with Schultz before asking: “Did you think he was going to run as a Democrat or as an independent? JAY INSLEE: I have no idea with Howard Schultz. He doesn’t deign to talk to us mere public officials that often. TODD: Is that right? INSLEE: The governor then grumbled that Schultz “He has other things that he thinks about, and I think he needs to give thought to his legacy here. If he wants to run, he is welcome to run as a Democrat, welcome to the pool. Don't be afraid of running in a place that actually can help people make decisions. His candidacy is not just a distraction. It is a potential fatal disease, if you will -- TODD (mutters): Yeah -- INSLEE: -- infecting us with Donald Trump for another four years. We cannot have that. I just declared an emergency for measles in my state -- TODD (mutters): Yeah -- INSLEE: -- and this is an emergency as well. You shouldn’t run, Howard, and you’ll hear those voices tonight in Seattle.

Todd then just asked Inslee if he would boycott Starbucks. He didn't ask how you could compare the president to a fatal outbreak of measles. Now imagine Todd's reaction if a Republican compared Obama to an infectious disease! Todd only told the governor he should let him know if he throws his hat into the presidential ring.

As NewsBusters previously reported, Schultz’s candidacy was announced during a segment of the CBS program 60 Minutes last Sunday.

It didn’t take long for correspondent Scott Pelley to voice his fears by asking: “Do you worry that you're going to siphon votes away from the Democrats and, thereby, ensure that President Trump has a second term?”

Regarding Schultz’s liberalism, Pelley argued: “Why run as an independent? Your views have always aligned with the Democratic Party” on such topics as abortion, the Paris Climate Agreement and illegal immigration.

Since that interview, many liberals have openly criticized the billionaire, with Neera Tanden, president of the liberal Center for American Progress, tweeting:

Vanity projects that help destroy democracy are disgusting. If he enters the race, I will start a Starbucks boycott because I’m not giving a penny that will end up in the election coffers of a guy who will help Trump win.

On the following day, reporters for ABC, CBS and NBC treated Schultz as a threat to the Democrats’ chances of beating Trump in 2020.

Meanwhile, CBS has maintained a bizarre connection to the former CEO. On Tuesday, CBS This Morning used a clip of a heckler calling Schultz an “a**hole” to ask if he would reconsider the campaign.

That attitude was quite different from what CBS demonstrated on September 6, 2018, when Norah O’Donnell asked the former Starbucks CEO what was next for him and suggested he try his hand at politics.