Day 50: “President Carter” – Tha Carter IV , 2011
And lo, as election day arrived, there were 50 days of the Year of Lil Wayne and 50 states in this great union. An omen? A sign? Or merely another coincidence in this unpredictable and illogical election season of ours?
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The last, obviously. But anyway, here’s a song Lil Wayne made about being president, which works well because we actually had a President Carter and for basically no other reason, conceptually speaking. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not entertaining, on a musical level, to hear Wayne rap about “smoking weed, getting head in the Oval Office” and “drowning in the political soup.” Wayne, as we’ve discussed over the past few days, is hardly a political visionary, even if he is, as he suggests, “much more than a good speech.”
However, he does have one line that I hope you take with you to the polls today as you decide on a president other than President Carter, which is, “the future is born, put the past in a casket.” One candidate has used this election to talk about making America “great again,” imagining a less enlightened way of life in which women aren’t equal to men, white supremacy is condoned, and entire religions are excluded from living in a country founded on the principle of religious freedom. This isn’t just the past—it’s a dystopian version of it—but it’s certainly not anything we should want to go back to. Meanwhile, the future could include things like more affordable college and healthcare, actual action on climate change, and criminal justice reform. So, while Wayne is generally a political nonfactor, I think his advice here is sound. Put the past in a casket and go vote for the future today. Here’s hoping for a happy tomorrow.
To find out where your polling place is to vote today and what’s on your ballot, click here.
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