TLC Shockingly Reverse 'No Scrubs' Policy, Endorse Tom Steyer

TLC's most enduring song is arguably "No Scrubs," one of the best R&B singles of the past 30 years and the no. 2 song of 1999 according to the Billboard charts. On that track, the members of TLC define a scrub, "also known as a buster," thusly: 1) "a guy that thinks he's fly"; 2) he's "always talkin' about what he wants / and just sits on his broke ass"; 3) he can be found "hangin' out the passenger side of his best friend's ride / trying to holla at [members of TLC and other women]"; 4) needless to say, his "game is kinda weak" and he's inevitably "looking like trash"; and 6), he's "a deadbeat ass" who probably doesn't have a car and "lives at home with [his] momma."

According to the above criteria and to the remaining living members of the iconic R&B group (Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes died in a car accident in 2002), Tom Steyer is not a scrub. In fact, the billionaire businessman is Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins' and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas' preferred 2020 candidate in the Democratic primary.

This is a shocking endorsement on one level. But, although Steyer definitely is "talkin' about what he wants" (clearly, to be president), he owns a car and is absolutely not "a broke-ass."

However, his numbers in the polls are extremely scrubby in their lack of desirability. Right now, the 62-year-old hedge fund manager and Democratic Party fundraiser is currently polling at 2% nationally, and he couldn't even qualify for yesterday's Nevada debate. He also has no pledged delegates next to Senator Bernie Sanders, former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former Vice President Joe Biden, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

Also, most people barely know who he is. His most notable moment of the primary so far probably came when Sanders awkwardly said, "Yeah, good, OK" to him after a tense post-debate moment with Warren. But despite the odds, T-Boz and Chilli are out on the campaign trail endorsing the less-controversial billionaire currently aiming for the Democratic nomination for President.

As Stereogum points out, TLC are even set to perform at a Steyer campaign event called "The Battle Ready Rally" on Friday in Las Vegas. In light of his recent poor performances in Iowa and New Hampshire (especially considering how much he's spending on ads), Steyer is actually doing quite well in Nevada. A recent Beacon Research poll pegs him at 18% in the state, just behind Biden and frontrunner Sanders.

Though TLC, who are scheduled to perform at the Lovers & Friends fest in May, will be sure to bring out voters for him, Steyer has a lot of catching up to do with Sanders, who is easily taking the lion's share of musician campaign surrogates. Sanders' game: not so weak.