The people’s champ, Sen. Bernie Sanders, isn’t a stranger to rap; he’s name-checked Jay-Z and kicks it with Run the Jewels rapper-turned-unlikely National Rifle Association pitchman Killer Mike. And now the liberal politician has retweeted the empress of now and snatcher of hip-hop fitteds: Cardi B.
Sanders endorsed Cardi B’s statement about former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in which she praised Roosevelt for starting Social Security, Roll Call reports. (I’m also willing to bet that this is the first time the Capitol Hill paper has ever reported on Cardi B.)
“He’s the real ‘Make America Great Again,’ because if it wasn’t for him, old people wouldn’t even get Social Security,” Cardi B said in a recent GQ interview.
Cardi B’s quote from said interview was promoted by Social Security Works, an organization that is focused on preserving Social Security. That statement somehow caught the attention of Sanders, who not only retweeted it but added that “Cardi B is right.”
On first glance, it might seem that the 76-year-old senator from Vermont and the Bronx, N.Y., rapper have little in common, but that would be a shortsighted view. First off, Cardi B endorsed Sanders during his run for the White House, telling her followers to “vote for daddy Bernie.”
Second, Sanders’ charm has always been that he is a man of the people; whether grabbing breakfast with Al Sharpton at Sylvia’s in Harlem or his regular-guy garb, one has always gotten the impression that Sanders is just a middle-class grandpa who happens to have some great ideas about how to run the country.
Cardi B is that same way. Since she’s jumped off the pole and into our hearts with her infectious laugh and catchy catchphrases, it’s been easy to get the impression that Cardi B isn’t so much a rapper but more a friend with some punch lines who wanted to spit.
Sanders and Cardi B are connected in their transparency and their refusal to act the parts of politician or ego-driven rap-tress. They’re both just here for us to consume and appreciate, and they both seem to be just as starstruck as their admirers.
In fact, Cardi B took to her Instagram to repost Sanders’ tweet with the caption: “Oooooommmmmmggggg😱😱😱😰😰BERNIE SANDERS!!!”