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The 2016 election cycle has done something to me. While up until this year I’ve only felt qualified to write opinion pieces on subjects related to arts & entertainment, the fact that the former host of a reality television show might actually become president of the United States is more than enough to convince me that I’m qualified to write about politics. Anything goes.
Make no mistake, I’ve kept up with the debates, the news, and the commentary of the 2016 presidential race. To be fair I’ve held a recording device to both former Memphis mayor AC Wharton and Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein. Still, my heart lies with arts & entertainment and musicians more than it ever will with political candidates. I’ve come to the conclusion that the best way to share my thoughts on who should be president of this country (and who should definitely not be) is to share the songs that have shaped my views just as much as the candidates themselves. The following are lyrical excerpts from my 2016 Spotify presidential playlist:
“Fortunate Son†by Creedence Clearwater Revival
“Some folks are born silver spoon in hand
Lord don't they help themselves, oh
But when the taxman comes to the door
Lord, the house looks like a rummage sail, yes
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no millionaire's son, no
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no.â€
Listen Trump supporters, I get it. You feel that Donald is someone outside of the establishment that represents the common folk. What I don’t get is why you feel this way. Someone who received “a small loan†of a million dollars from their father to start a business is someone “born with a silver spoon in hand,†my friends. Furthermore, when the taxman “comes to the door†Donald usually decides to avoid paying those taxes, as The New York Times uncovered.
And side note: despite what Trump says about the Times, every Journalist and Journalism professor worth their salt recognizes it as the standard for print news. Donald would probably be happier with you watching only Alex Jones, but we’ll get to that later.
“Nowhere Man†by The Beatles
“He's a real nowhere man
Sitting in his nowhere land
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody
Doesn't have a point of view
Knows not where he's going to
Isn't he a bit like you and me?
Nowhere Man, please listen
You don't know what you're missing
Nowhere Man, the world is at your command.â€
Honestly, in my eyes, what first disqualified former “Apprenticeâ€-host Donald Trump from becoming president is the simple fact that he has never held any sort of political office ever. Period. He’s a “nowhere man.†I know, Trump supporters, he’s “different,†he’s “outside the establishment,†and “he’ll have someone advise him,†but ask yourself: Would you send a tennis player to the Super Bowl? I’ve interviewed politicians and I’ve interviewed businessmen: It’s just a different ballgame.
Furthermore, when this man is pressed one-on-one by interviewers he dances around questions and never uses support from facts or historical evidence to support his answers. He throws blanket terms on the end of his sentences using catchphrases like “We’re going to make America great again†and “Trust me, believe me,†but I don’t. These seem like “nowhere plans†for “nobody,†and he’s running for the highest political office in the land. If we’re not careful someone who doesn’t know what they are doing will have the world at his command. “Isn’t he a bit like you and me?†A bit too much. Â
“Waiting on the World to Change†by John Mayer
“Me and all my friends
We're all misunderstood
They say we stand for nothing and
There's no way we ever could
Now we see everything that's going wrong
With the world and those who lead it
We just feel like we don't have the means
To rise above and beat it.â€
I tried. I really tried to not follow the army of hipster millenials who thought senator Bernie Sanders was the best thing since vegan bread. Alas, every political quiz I took matched me to Sanders upwards of 98 percent. So I caved a little. Go ahead and call me “crazy†Trump supporters, but as someone who works two jobs, why wouldn’t I believe in a $15 minimum wage as a long-term goal? How great would it be for people (like friends of mine who are definitely smart enough) to have easier access to higher education?
Look, Bernie had the balls to say that Black Lives Matter at the Democratic debates adding that we need to combat institutional racism “from top-to-bottom,†and we do. Sanders seemed to “see everything that's going wrong with the world and those who lead it,†but he definitely did not “have the means to rise above and beat it.â€
But here’s the thing- I never kidded myself that my candidate was a super hero. Politicians aren’t super heroes. They’re supposed to be public servants (see: Leslie Knope.) When Bernie dropped out and endorsed Hillary Clinton I wasn’t especially surprised or crushed. It’s politics.Â
“Ain’t No Rest For the Wicked†by Cage The Elephant
“You know there ain't no rest for the wicked
Money don't grow on trees
We got bills to pay we got mouths to feed ain't nothing in this world for free
We can't slow down, we can't hold back though you know we wish we could
You know there ain't no rest for the wicked, until we close our eyes for good.â€
If Clinton is “crooked†for using a private email server for government business, then “crooked†Donald is just as corrupt, if not more. He’s hidden his tax returns, lied about the amount of success he’s had as a businessman, bragged about making sexual advances without consent, and encouraged socially dividing behavior at his rallies with racist-friendly rhetoric. There’s been an enormous amount of campaign-smearing from both sides and while it’s difficult to wade through the conspiracy theories to find hard evidence, the proof of Trump’s corruption is almost always on tape.  Â
I’m not saying Hillary is the candidate most of us wanted, but as a public- we’ve got to look at news stories and and ask ourselves what the sources are. Anything from OccupyDemocrats.com is going to swing information in favor of the left. Anything from infowars.com is going to support alt-right views, without question. Trump can bash “the mainstream media†all he wants, but he has consistently given them headlines with his own words and actions.Â
Listen, if you’re going to call Hillary Clinton “crooked,†cite facts from news sources that aren’t by definition against the left 100 percent of the time. And vice versa. You’re priming yourself with only one source by doing that. Don’t believe every conspiracy theory Youtube video and don’t just assume that all of the professional media is against Trump because he says so. As a fantastic Memphian Journalist put it:
“Never point to the folks covering your campaign at your rallies and call them out as the ‘enemy’ and urge your supporters to attack and demonize them. They might just put a little more effort into fact-checking your daily stream-of-consciousness horse puckey.â€
But I guess Hillary is colluding with Bruce VanWyngarden of The Memphis Flyer too, huh? She’s totally behind everything.    Â
Perhaps the short answer is that all successful politicians are somewhat corrupt. Bernie Sanders and Jill Stein won’t make it to the White House without help from Super PACS because the sad truth is that “money don’t grow on trees.†There’s a reason Stephen Colbert has dubbed the 2016 presidential bid the “Hungry for Power Games.â€
If we’re picking between the lesser of two evils, at this point, it might just be to elect a necessary one. One with a platform that is socially inclusive and an economic plan that actually aims to help the common folk. Trump represents neither. “We can't slow down, we can't hold back though you know we wish we could. You know there ain't no rest for the wicked, until we close our eyes for good.â€
“Let’s Work Together†by Canned Heat
“Together we stand, divided we fall,
Come on now people, let's get on the ball and work together,
Come on, come on let's work together, now now people,
'Cause together we will stand every, every girl and a man...
Before when things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
And the road that you travel, it stays all uphill,
Let's work together, come on, come on, let's work together,
Now now people, you know together we will stand,
Every boy, girl, woman and a man …â€Â
This election cycle has been the most divisive one many of us, especially students, have seen in our lifetimes. I remember John McCain and “Joe the plumber†but I don’t recall Obama calling Palin a “nasty woman†or any candidate threatening to put their opponent in jail. I contend that the 2016 presidential race will just be one of those decade-defining phenomenon that everyone living through it will have to explain to their children after watching one of the movies or TV shows that are sure to be based off of it.
Tensions are high. I’m shocked every time I learn that a friend or co-worker has decided to vote for Donald Trump, but this is America and people are allowed to choose their candidate. If you choose to vote third-party to help Greens or Libertarians reach five percent of the vote and gain more funding (for an arguably less-polarized future), I think that you’re entitled to that as well. No matter who wins, we will all have to “work together†in the future.
“When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,†we will all still be Americans. I’d like to think that rioting will be kept to a minimum following election results and that we can “get on the ball and work together,†but it’s likely that many of us will need to let off some steam. I’ve found that listening to music is pretty good for that.
Honorable mentions:
“Everybody Wants to Rule the World†by Tears For Fears,“Higher Ground†by Stevie Wonder, “Keep Your American Dream†by Beartooth, “Voices†by Our Last Night, “Jesus Walks†by Kanye West, “American Trash†by Innerpartysystem, “War Pigs†by Black Sabbath as covered by Cake, “Icky Thump†by The White Stripes and the entire “American Idiot†album by Green Day.Â