“We can’t afford to be politically correct anymore.” -Donald Trump

“Yes, if you are too dangerous to get on a plane, you are too dangerous to buy a gun in America.” -Hillary Clinton

“Love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love, cannot be killed or swept aside, now fill the world with music, love, and pride.” -Lin-Manuel Miranda

Reprinted above are statements on the recent tragedy in Orlando, Florida. The two former individuals are running for president. The latter is not running for president, but he damn well should be.

Lin-Manuel Miranda is the genius behind the groundbreaking Broadway musical, Hamilton. Using hip-hop music to tell the story of the United States’ first Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton made history last month when it was nominated for a record-setting sixteen Tony awards. This past Sunday, Miranda and crew walked home with eleven Tony’s, including Best Musical.

It was inevitable Hamilton would clear the board. It is a unique and powerful School of Rock for today’s generation.

Of course, all masterpieces begin with an idea.

Seven years ago, Miranda performed an improvised rap at a White House ceremony with Barrack and Michelle Obama in presence. Miranda received some chuckles from the audience when he explained how he was developing a hip-hop musical about an important Revolutionary War hero. “You laugh!” He told them when he declared Hamilton embodied hip-hop. “But it’s true!”

Well, he proved everyone wrong when his little idea became a cultural phenomenon. And now, nearly a year after Hamilton opened with Miranda as the title character, Miranda will be taking his final curtain call on July 9^th . He will be pursuing new projects, but promises he will come back frequently.

Since Miranda will be less busy right now, I sincerely believe he should take a break from writing the soundtrack to Disney’s Moana and filming the 2018 remake of Mary Poppins and consider running for president.

You laugh! But it’s true!

Here is an in-depth list as to why Miranda ought to live in the White House and run the country as only he can. Naturally, I have written eleven reasons; one for each Tony Hamilton has won.

• He has a beautiful mind. To say nothing of Hamilton winning the Pulitzer Prize for drama last year, Miranda is a brilliant individual. He graduated from an elite public high school in New York City, then went on to graduate from Wesleyan University in 2002. Additionally, Miranda has won a plethora of awards, including the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, from Yeshiva University (the youngest recipient in the University’s history). He is also a 2015 recipient of the MacArthur “Genius” award.
• He sees our country for what it is. When Hamilton took the stage last year, critics were surprised to see a melting pot of races rapping about our country’s founding fathers. That’s because Miranda knows America has changed, and there is no clear-cut definition of an American’s physical appearance. Of connecting Hamilton to the immigration narrative of the States, Miranda told Rolling Stone, “The fact that immigrants have to work twice as hard just to get here, but that also, at some point, it’s going to be thrown in your face as negative. In Hamilton’s case, it was Jefferson and Madison writing basically the same things you would hear about Obama during election cycles: ‘How do we really know where he’s from’?”
• He comes from a solid political background. Miranda’s father has worked in politics, once serving as a liaison to former New York City Mayor Ed Koch. Despite admitting getting tired of hearing about politics from his father day in and day out, Miranda has his father to thank for shaping the way he views our country and its history.
• He understands the mess America is in. Miranda sees history is repeating itself in this year’s run for the White House. “This election is no more bizarre than the one in 1800,” he told Rolling Stone. “Jefferson accused Adams of being a hermaphrodite.” Furthermore, Miranda believes Donald Trump’s campaign platform is cliché: “…Trump’s politics about building a wall, that’s old…such a malignant form of a very common electoral disease, which is, ‘Point at the newest people here and say they’re the reason you’re broke.’ That’s as old as time itself.”
• He cares about our nation’s children. The attention span of today’s generation is quite small, and Miranda knows the best way to communicate with students is to communicate with them in a language they understand. Here is his lesson plan: teach millions of Americans the history of a founding father through the modern language of hip-hop. Furthermore, Miranda worked as an English professor in his former high school and has done work on popular children’s shows such as Sesame Street and The Electric Company. Let’s not forget his iconic rap about habitats on the Street: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb3KcQQZ_fc
• He thinks on his feet. We want a leader who is prepared for anything, and we should look no further than this man right here. Lin-Manuel Miranda has proved himself to be an incredible improviser, from freestyle-rapping in the White House Rose Garden to delivering a moving sonnet on Tony awards night: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FnAvhvZXdo
• He knows when it’s time to ask for help. Lin-Manuel Miranda hails from Puerto Rico. He is proud of his heritage, and recognizes the current debt crisis they are facing. As a Puerto Rican myself, it’s troubling to see the residents living in a place where the opportunities for success are dwindling. Miranda is also deeply saddened by this problem, and feels no shame in asking the bigwigs for assistance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=repZGV3vSc8
• He has a clean record. Donald Trump has uttered countless racist slurs against immigrants in the U.S., particularly Mexicans. This led to the Univision Television Network opting not to air the Miss U.S.A. Pageant, which Trump owned. Trump responded by suing for breach of contract and defamation. Hillary Clinton used her personal email account—not the official State Department email accounts maintained on federal servers—for official communications. These messages were previously marked classified when they were sent. Clinton had written 104 of the 2,100 emails and her aides wrote hundreds more. And what has Lin-Manuel Miranda been guilty of? Redefining the definition of the Broadway musical. That’s all.
• He knows a bad guy when he sees one. It’s no secret our country is facing major problems. While this problem may be minor, it is nonetheless a problem to be solved. I’m talking about “Ticket Bots”, special automated software developed by third-party brokers to connect at a rapid pace to consume the maximum number of hot tickets that will be delivered at legal ticket sites like StubHub. These tickets aren’t just for musicals; these are for sporting events, concerts, and festivals. In proposing a solution, Miranda is quoted as saying, “I want theatergoers to be able to purchase tickets at face value at our box office and our website, rather than on a resale platform. And if you do go to a resale platform for tickets, I want the markup you must pay to be clearly displayed.” This is a response to a semi-major problem; let’s see him take on the major-major problems.
• He delivers exceptional speeches. He acts, raps, comments, writes, sings—and can hold the attention of an audience consisting of some thousand people. Miranda recently spoke at the commencement ceremony of Penn State University. Unlike the 2016 presidential candidates, Miranda didn’t begin with an explanation of why he was the best; he didn’t challenge someone’s ideas; he apologized for making the mistake of failing to include Philadelphia in his magnum opus, Hamilton. Miranda’s speech was moving, honest, and downright positive. It can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewHcsFlolz4 We need a candidate who can inspire us, not a candidate who can terrify us.
• He connects to people. Lin-Manuel Miranda is now one of the most watched people on the planet. Despite the countless interviews, awards, and television appearances, he has remained remarkably humble. In a recent interview with Fast Company magazine, Miranda made it clear he wants to educate everyone—not just the rare rich folk who are lucky enough to afford a ticket. Which is why he made an effective business strategy whilst producing Hamilton’s cast recording album: writing twenty-three annotations to the lyrics for Genius.com+ having the album being sold at a reasonable twenty dollars= people can afford Miranda’s genius. Lin cares about Americans, and he wants to see them happy and smart.

In short, this is a man who is a radical and spontaneous thinker who remains strong in all circumstances.

I have not seen Hamilton, but there’s always a possibility. Lin-Manuel Miranda isn’t running for president, but that’s another possibility. The point I’m trying to make here is that just because something seems crazy doesn’t mean it can’t happen. Lin-Manuel Miranda would make an excellent president if he wanted to be one, and I’m not just saying that because he knows a lot about U.S. history. I hope this list has convinced you of the qualities a good leader should possess, and if you’re still skeptical, do yourself a favor and watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtLKdQW40Xo

Believe me when I say: We can win with Lin!