My favorite thing about the Yang campaign is how it has revealed the subtle and not so subtle discrimination Asian-Americans have to deal with. If he was Andrew Kennedy instead Andrew Yang people I believe he has a smooth sailing path to the presidency.
3
I believe Yang’s Make America Think Harder slogan is the most hopeful thing I’ve heard since Barak Obama handed over the keys to the White House.
Do I think he can win the nomination? Doubtful but I would vote for him in a heartbeat. A Yang-Klobuchar/Klobuchar-Yang ticket is my dream team, but I’m afraid I’m just dreaming.
2
He’s got a sense of humor and is America’s dad.
3
UBI would be the program that finally cements the cradle-to-grave nanny state in place.
1
I think I just got Yanged.
3
Humanity First..that's the driver..and sadly u didn't include this simple slogn that separates him from the posers and hollow suits...but u did notice the right things about Yang's thoughtful responses..his clear and genuinely inclusive narrative to tackle this nation's exitential challenges..good u aboard..now pls tell everyone u know..then tell them again..good news is worth repeating..peace& luv, joe
2
Andrew Yang is the ONLY candidate showing a serious ability to cross the divide. For Democrats to win the White House, they need a candidate who can bring out the independents, Trump voters who rue their decision and need a better candidate to back and our young people. Andrew Yang has all of that a whole lot more. I don't care a whit that he lacks experience, he's demonstrated he knows how to motivate, energize and build teams.
As an upside bonus, his the only candidate talking about the REAL issues confronting our nation and especially in the future. Instead of pushing the tired old " I'm going to create jobs" he actually understands we need to completely overhaul how we prepare the next generation to succeed and help build our country for the future (hint: the answer isn't bring back coal).
I'm an old bat, but I'm putting my money behind Yang and bumper sticker on my car! Go Andrew!!!
8
I am very impressed with Yang. His ideas make sense, his compassion is evident and he's clearly not a tribalist. So I am faced with the same dilemma as 2016 when I failed to support Bernie because I didn't think he could win. If I were the only voter, if there were no hoard of brain dead magaheads or uber partisan Republicans I would very likely vote for Yang or Tom Steyer. But there are. I think the fundamental flaw with democracy is stupid people vote.
1
I'm not sold on this guy, but for the first time I am willing to enter the store and look around.
Part of the reason why I haven't supported Yang is because of his lack of experience. Then I realized the country put DJT into TWH with not only lack of experience, but lack of compassion, horrible advisors, nastiness, stupidity, and technology misuse.
Besides, I've been pushing a tax on financial transactions for years, and I'm glad to see both that and a carbon tax in his platform.
4
You can’t possibly be overly concerned about Yang’s lack of foreign experience considering the nightmare sociopath we currently have acting as commander-in-chief ...
4
One thing Trump did definitively is to demonstrate that an idiot with no experience can get things done. They're the wrong things, but he has gotten things done. Why? Because he has the Senate following in front of him.
Mr. Yang seems to be a terrific, bright, guy with vision and guts. Which Senate would provide Mr. Yang with the means to get anything actually done?
“Because we’re all broke we’re all like: ‘It’s immigrants! Yeah! Let’s build the wall!’” Mr. Peterson said. “But then you hear Andrew Yang talk and he’s like, ‘You know what? It’s not immigrants. It’s automation.’ You go into Walmart, you don’t see immigrants. You see self-serve checkouts. It’s like a light bulb goes off. Like, ‘Wow, this makes sense.’””
Make sense indeed.
I can vote for Andrew Yang, but Elizabeth Warren is my gal, so Elizabeth for President, Andrew Yang for Vice President....
Or the reverse? Doesn’t matter.
Just get Trump out...with the best qualified Democrat. That could be any of them.
Great article!! Yang2020!!
4
The Special Inspector General for TARP summary of the bailout says that the total commitment of government is $16.8 trillion dollars with the $4.6 trillion already paid out. On September 16, 2019, the Federal Reserve dump 56 billion each day into the big 4 banks. about 1 trillion dollars so far print it out to give Citi, Chase, Wells Fargo and Bank of America. Goldman Sachs.
Yes. we have the money for Yang's plan.
9
I discovered Andrew Yang when he appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher last June. I’ve been interested in UBI for years. UBI is tremendous and will change the world. I think Humanity First, Democracy Dollars, pardoning marijuana convictions, and changing incentives to lower health care costs are winning Yang policies too. Yang2020!
6
I was intrigued by Andrew Yang as much or more than any of the other candidates, back when there were over 20 of them.
The only book by any of them that I bought, read, enjoyed, learned from, and have talked up to others is Andrew Yang's.
He's right. There's more change coming than just climate crises. We can do something truly forward-thinking ... or remain stuck in the past, and very soon, going down the tubes.
Wow. When was the last time the US did something that showed the world some brilliance?
30
Giving Yang a VP post will 'suppress' him. Yang is built for presidency. Many Germans would love this President Yang, and if Americans don't want him as president, could we have him? Like Obama, Yang has inspired/inspires us. Yang is the kind of leader Germany could resonate with.
125
Sanders and other supposed woke democrats expend so much energy describing the problem (income inequality, lack of living wage...)
But their solutions are pie in the sky. Implementing a federal jobs guarantee requires making millions of useless fake jobs that will, in effect, make employees jump through hoops so that they're not just given their wages.
Instead, cut out the fat, the inefficiency and implement Yang's UBI.
Yang is the only candidate who is focused on solutions and what's looming in the very near horizon. His depictions of the increasing role of A.I. are not doomsday scenarios.
To all you Bernie supporters, I pose this question. What good does a $15 or $20 or even a $30 federal minimum wage do for all those who've already and are continuing to lose jobs because of the shrining retail sector?
Taxing robots may slow down technology for a short while, but legislation can't hold back the wheel of the march of technology.
Don't fear the UBI simply b/c it has received libertarian support in the past. It's an elegant solution. The article is the first decent one on Yang from the NYTimes.
The Editorial Board that endorsed Warren/Klobuchar then suggested that Yang run for City Council in NYC was cringeworthy. and very disrespectful. Here Yang has outperformed Senators and Governors, and a Times reporter tells him to give up and run for NYC City Council. Would they have had such audacity to put forth same advice to Corey Booker? or Kamala Harris?
Shameful.
43
If Mr. Yang were Mr. Young, or Youngblood, etc., he could/would have a much better chance of getting elected in November....
It is regrettable that right now, even in 2020, Mayor Pete and Senator Kurbachlor have a way better better chance of getting elected in November....
6
Great article, Bari! Andrew Yang and the incredible movement he’s inspired are just too important to pass up. We have to take this moment to unite the country towards a future we can all be proud of. Yang is the kind of leader that can get our government working for our well being, rather than corporate interests. The policy page on his website deserves America’s attention.
16
"Unlike the president, he never demonizes other Americans. "
That in itself is absolutely refreshing in this age of trump and his constant demeaning of anyone who isn't in thrall with him.
That said, I will vote Dem, no matter who, in the general. And I WILL vote.
27
82 years old and I wear my MATH button with pride!
30
A quick scan of the comments makes it plain that most, or all, of those dismissing him have not taken the time to listen to him speak and are just quoting sound bites. You have to try just a little harder as Yang gets little coverage in the mainstream press. The Rogan interview is a good start. It is worth an hour and fifty two minutes of your time. While there you can also listen to the Rogan Sanders interview and one or both Gabbard interviews. I also recommend the Matt Taibbi Katie Halper Yang interview. Expand your news horizons.
22
My sentiments exactly. Thank you for paying attention to Andrew Yang!! He has the best chance of bringing this country together, which is my biggest issue as a voter.
19
Upfront, I'm a Bernie supporter. Let me say that I'm really glad that Andrew Yang made the cut for the next debate. He manages to take the moderators' awful debate questions and give insightful responses that take the argument in unexpected directions. His sense of humor is often on display in the very best way, because he never sounds canned or cutting. He's refreshing and his ideas need to be aired, examined and publicly debated. I appreciate that Ms. Weiss found an interesting cross-section of his supporters to interview. I hope that, whoever the eventual nominee proves to be, they stay involved to keep Yang's ideas part of the platform of the Party.
22
A fine article which clearly presents Mr.Yang and his thought. However,it is not only the young who support him.I am 89 years old and have been talking him up for months ever since I first heard him present his ideas.I even have my "original Yang Gang card.
28
He probably needs to address social security. Social security is something that people have paid into all their working lives. Some people who get social security don't need any extra. Those for whom ss is their only income source are in trouble. Those who earned less, say minimum wage, get less social security. Giving the $1000 per month to those who are over a certain income level in retirement wouldn't make sense. However, for the elderly poor, it could supplement social security. Remember that this is something they paid into all their lives, on a low income, and now are hurting because they have no other source of income. Unlike people who are able to work, start their own businesses, etc to move beyond this level or to supplement it, many of the elderly don't have these options. So, selectively, some people on social security should receive the extra money. Their minimum wage jobs didn't provide a pension nor did they have the ability to invest in any 401Ks.
When you see a senior citizen greeter at your Walmart, it is unlikely they are doing that job to "get out more" despite the hype. They are probably doing it to supplement their social security. And still paying into social security with every minimum wage paycheck. And worrying what happens if they can no longer work. Plus, standing on concrete for hours is hard on you.
10
@Kathleen I wanted to add that the families of the elderly poor are also going to be greatly helped by this. If you have a grandmother who can barely afford food and you yourself are barely getting by, that is a huge worry. Or perhaps you have taken your grandma into your home because she gets sick and are caring for her. That could make all the difference.
7
@Kathleen
All SS recipients are eligible for the Freedom Dividend which stacks with SS. This would a be a huge break for seniors and those who wish to retire but cannot afford to.
11
@Daphne Thanks, Daphne. I saw an old podcast, but then saw another one that was more up to date. That's great!
5
Should Yang endorse another candidate once it looks like his own 2020 candidacy is sufficiently unlikely? Should he begin now to prepare his own supporters for the likely eventuality that they will need to vote for the Democratic nominee? Based on the comments from Yang supporters here, it looks like they might need a little convincing. Speaking of which, doesn't Yang have some responsibility to rein in some of the overexuberance his voters are prone to, e.g., the untrue claims that the other candidates are corrupt?
3
I started following Andrew about six months ago. It has been really refreshing to concentrate on someone positive instead of focusing on all the negativity in polotics.
100
A Yang + Williamson ticket would, quite literally, change the world.
21
@BN Yang has said that the VP would be someone with political experience. That's the only way he could possibly win. Probably someone from a swing state, too.
3
I have thought this many times! Yang and Williamson. I am so glad that both of them have had an opportunity to share their wisdom.
6
@BN We need Williamson as Sec of State. Values-based diplomacy is much more effective than one based on short-term interest that undermines long-term goals.
5
Typical New York Times editorial, ostensibly about Andrew Yang but in reality nothing but an attack on Bernie Sanders.
As someone who works in IT I find Andrew Yang to be interesting but he comes off as half-baked because he only has a few fresh ideas. The rest is nothing but warmed-over corporate establishment Democratic positions, which is why Yang appeals to the Times.
Sure some jobs were lost to automation but Yang seems to discount the fact that since Reagan many jobs were moved overseas by Republican business owners. GOP tax cuts for the rich have only led to increased income inequality, I don't hear Yang talking about that either.
While the measly $12K per year that Yang is proposing sounds good it is barely going to scratch the surface when it comes to addressing the rampant income inequality that exists here in the US. But it seems enough to wealthy Dave Chappelle, who sits on piles of cash while his "neighbors" suffer.
When it comes to economics Weiss is a lightweight, instead of the NY Times she should be writing articles in aimed at her fellow Millennials in Teen Vogue. That is not to say that she cannot learn more about economics but I doubt it given her penchant for lazily repeating so-called "conventional wisdom".
Like her assertion that Bernie's appeal is due to "class rage". I suggest Weiss do some research into social democracy before she embarrasses herself some more by repeating unsubstantiated and unsupported drivel as the truth.
#NotMeUs
4
“...could have been your chemistry teacher bouncing to Cardi B.”
Sorry, your teachers and Cardi B endorse Bernie.
2
What’s your point? Yang supports Bernie too! And obviously enjoys music like everyone else. We’re all trying to make our lives better! Nit picking unimportant information to try to discredit Yang does nothing for Bernie. Humanity First.
4
Secretary of Commerce? Cool.
President? Are you nuts?
3
Call me old fashion but why waste time with someone who is not going to be in the Oval Office this election cycle? Maybe a decade from now or better two decades when all the Millennials will be power and the non Hispanic White vote drops to a mere fifty Yang will take the oath of office. I don't know, he has so much energy he may not sit still for another White House vote or he will be considered yesterdays fad.
In any event, the situation at hand is beating Trump- now, this year, and nothing else matters at all.
4
Andrew Yang pulls the most cross-party support. You want Trump our? Vote Andrew Yang in the primaries.
16
People have to wake up and realize that Yang is the big show! UBI is the foundation that all of America can live on! All the other canidates are still living in DC ya digg??
I just bought a times subscription #YangGang
10
Andrew Yang gives me hope.
19
Thank you for this fair and timely piece. I support many Yang policies, and I particularly like the Freedom Dividend (UBI) because it will help parents with young children have a better work/life balance. Staying home with a new baby shouldn’t be just for high-income families.
14
I have been Yanged since May of 2019. My Yangism just keeps getting stronger/worse, especially reading stories like this about other Yang Gangers. Because I feel exactly what they do. I want SO bad for Yang to win. I don’t care that he is still polling under 10%. Can you see their faces in that photo and read their stories and can you feel how dedicated they are? I have voted in every election since I turned 18, but I have never contributed to a campaign or even put on bumper stickers until now. My whole family is Yanged and some of my siblings. My Facebook is full of Yang shares, I’ve been asked to cool it by an in-law. Yes I am obsessed, but I’m telling you it’s just going to keep growing and growing. It’s going to eventually get like the Beatles they will need arenas for rallies. And we are going to keep stealing supporters from Bernie and Benedict Donald.
12
What is sad is that for someone who flexes being good at math his UBI and VAT math do not add up (pun intended). The US adult population is ~250 Million. $1,000 a month to each one would require $3 Trillion dollars a year. According to the CBO a 10% VAT on the US would raise about $600 million. Only 1/5 or 20% of what would be needed. Where would the other 4/5 or 80% come from?
3
@J. Marti Yang himself explains it best. Here's a super-condensed version, but if you want more meat on the bones, there's the first question from the Iowa Press interview done in early January 2020, and tons more out there.
5
@J. Marti Yang himself explains it best. Here's a super-condensed version via YouTube if you look for "UBI FAQ - How do you pay for a universal basic income?."
If you want more meat on the bones, there's the first question from the Iowa Press interview done in early January 2020, and tons more out there.
2
If we can give a $1 trillion tax cut to the wealthiest few Americans in this country, we can give $3 trillion to everyone.
16
Yes!
I’ve been a “YangGanger” for 8 months!
I love his attitude, inclusivity, his solutions to varied problems.
I’m GenX and I realize we need someone young who can help propel our country into the future.
His campaign is the first I’ve ever donated to!
#yanggang
77
Yang is exactly what the country needs after the petty, cruel divisiveness of Trump. He's smart and thoughtful enough to surround himself with an experienced cabinet - and actually take their advice into consideration - so the "lack of executive experience" argument doesn't bother me. As the founder and CEO of a national nonprofit it could be argued that his experience is better than a lifetime in city or state politics, and he doesn't have the baggage that comes with that. The seemingly magical way he has of convincing conservatives like Tucker Carlson and Ben Shapiro to agree with his progressive views shows that he could accomplish much more in office than an Elizabeth Warren or a Bernie Sanders. He brings the "hope" that Barack Obama promised, but Yang could actually deliver on it in the current political climate, with his support from all over the political spectrum. The Times missed the chance to make a truly visionary endorsement this year.
12
I have no doubts Reps prefer Yang to Bernie or Warren. His UBI would be perfect cover to dismantle SS, Medicare, Medicaid and other social programs. What more -tge poor will pay for his program. Rep dream is coming true. Look at Alaska, they have dividend and second highest rate of uninsured children. Such a great future expects us with UBI.
2
@yulia Are you more concerned about preserving programs for the program's sake than actually helping people? Look at the UBI studies and outcomes out there. When people are given money to spend as they wish, most don't waste it. They spend it on the exact things they need to survived. Sometimes those things are not the exact things programs prescribe, whether it's specific food they must buy, or specific job classes they must take
Furthermore, if you visit the Yang website, he's not asking that UBI replace medical insurance programs. He's for Medicare for All. Instead, UBI would be a supplement to them.
https://www.yang2020.com/policies/medicare-for-all/
8
Good column
5
I like Yang. He isn't my top choice, but if the primary gets here and he's still in it I'm not ruling him out.
9
"His appeal is a powerful reminder that the animating political conflict of our era may not be left versus right, but establishment versus insurgency."
This quote really rang trueto me. I had never heard it put quite like this, but I am in full agreement. I think that the rise of trump, and now Yang shows how the political landscape is shifting.
There are so many of Yang's (many) policies that I agree with, and have agreed with far longer than I've known of Yang. UBI of course, but also ranked choice voting, abolishing the penny, and zoning reforms.
Additionally, he is truly how I imagined president's to be like when I was growing up. He is considerate, thoughtful, intelligent, and care about the well-being of all Americans, he brings out the Patriot in me and I truly believe that he can begin the process of tearing down the partisian divide that is eating our country.
27
I like Yang because he has a message better than 'blame them'. I like the dividend idea if it goes to all income classes and does not interfere with entitlements that Americans paid into their entire lives like SS and medicare.
There is a way to do it and get rid of other freebies, that is available to everyone. Also, there is a need since good paying jobs are going the way of the dinosaurs.
10
Personally I like the way Yang and Warren are problem solvers. Maybe that would be a good ticket.
9
I'm Gen X.
In November, I gave my first EVER donation to a political candidate. I donated it to Andrew Yang.
Yesterday, I gave my second one to him, too.
You can't solve new problems with old ideas.
24
This is possibly the most insightful article I've read on Yang yet. I'm not sure I agree with the $1K universal income, but it is a new approach that works elsewhere and deserves a hearing here. What other innovative ideas does Mr. Yang have?
14
@Barbara Ranked choice voting and creating a World Data Organization are two of my favorites. Yang2020.com has many more too. Have fun exploring!
9
If he gains traction, and I think this is likely, I'd like to see him address some other areas. I know he's addressing Medicare for all, and that's good. But he needs to go broader in order to win.
The tone of his campaign is amazing. It's optimistic. Considering that he's bringing up an issue that is very frightening (extreme structural change/job loss through AI) this is quite an achievement.
Listening to the linked podcasts I found myself awakened to things I never thought about. I now see some of the other candidates positions in a new light. The issue he discusses is the elephant in the room when it comes to the 2016 election of Trump, but we didn't see the elephant until someone flicked the light switch in the dark room.
11
Yang has a certain charm, but Bernie's message is far more compelling. Even the typical complaint--repeated in this article--is a genuine strength: "Bernie's been saying the same thing for decades." ...That's because he was right then and he's right now!
Silicon Valley "disrupters" are not producing the changes we need, and without a strong democratic check on their behavior, companies like Facebook and Uber have become the new Standard Oil. Platform capitalism exploits workers and exposes consumers to abuses, while the companies themselves escape accountability.
Yang understands this, but he's too much of a libertarian to truly fix it. While the Freedom Dividend sounds bold, but it's no different from the cash for oil policies in places like Alaska. It's effectively a bribe: let corporations continue to exploit you, and we'll throw some cash your way each month.
Social Democracy can implement policies and regulations to meet these challenges. We begin by putting the worker first at all levels of political and economic decision-making. We must write the rules of the economic game with the worker's right to a life of dignity at the center.
The philosophical defect in Yang's approach is that he starts with big business, and then attempts to accommodate the people. He's just too libertarian to seriously push back against the modern Robber Barrons.
7
@-brian That sounds great, except that's not what Bernie's policies do, that's actually one of the best arguments against Bernie and for Yang that I've ever heard.
What's Bernie's solution to the unemployed? Make those people work for the government in whatever capacity the government decides they'll work in.
What's Yang's solution? Create an environment where people are free to choose what they want to do with their lives. Give people the start up capital to start their own business, or to take a lower paying job that they love because their pay will be supplemented.
So when deciding who to vote for, you have to ask yourself, do you think the government knows what works best for you or do you think you know what's best for you. If you think it's the former, vote Bernie, if you think the latter, the clear choice is Yang.
12
He is honest and forthright in his campaign. I know he is a long shot but he has real heart and that means a lot.
Bloomberg is my "head" choice, Yang is my "heart" choice. I love the guy!
10
Yang isn't running on his identity? Even he wouldn't say that. Or he should stop mentioning that he's Asian every time he's on TV. Personality cults are what brought us Trump. It will take more than $1000 a month to change that. Citizenship is hard and there will never be an app for that.
4
I had never realized the importance of a national culture that embraces insurgent political movements until living in the US for grad school, and just now appreciate that the most important streets in Mexico City are not generic “Pennsylvania” or “Sunset” or “Broadway”, but “Reforma” (Reform) and “Insurgentes” (Insurgents).
2
OK, but can he pleaser wear a tie!
2
@Jake He will wear a tie at the convention, promise.
1
@Jake
What's so important about a completely meaningless symbol like a tie?
1
Bari Weiss has a lot of credibility with me because of her previous columns. As a result, I read this one regarding Andrew Yang, who I have paid no attention to and have had no interest in. I am glad I made that "leap of faith."
I am not about to become part of the Yang Gang, but several observations he makes, as expressed by Weiss, I think are extremely relevant to the Presidential campaign.
"[Yang] added, 'I think there’s a middle ground where you can’t just say America is nothing and everybody run off and do your own thing.” It’s important, he said, to have a “common cultural context and even — and this will be very controversial — a common language of expression.'”
"[he]is not running on his identity: 'You can be Asian-American, you can be black American, you can be Latino-American, but the common denominator is American. That’s who he is.'”
(These two attitudes formed a significant part of President Obama's campaign appeal.)
"Mr. Yang believes in talking to people he disagrees with. In April, he appeared on 'The Ben Shapiro Show,' a no-go zone for those who buy into the new politics of contamination — that to sit next to a conservative like Mr. Shapiro is to tacitly endorse his ideas. 'Thinking that I’m going to catch ideas from someone seems ludicrous to me,' he said."
"Yang asked why Harvard, a university with a $40 billion endowment, is 'opening locations in Shanghai but not Ohio or Michigan.'"
"One of his campaign slogans is “Not Left. Not Right. Forward.'”
20
Yeah, it's wild that a forward-thinking person should be president... it's almost un-American! Let's get back to work in those coal mines and KEEP AMERICA GREAT! (sarcasm for the uninitiated)
11
Bari writes how to fight anti Semitism. Maybe she can fight ageism by not using the word boomer as a description of an individual. This was so odd and jarring-what does a DJs age have to do with Yang?- I frankly didn’t care what else she had to say here.
5
Yang and Steyer have never held elective office. End of story.
3
@Alan Engel Don't vote on a candidate based on check boxes.
8
What the Donald Trump haven't the American people not learned that being President of the United States is not a job for an elected government political novice rookie dilettantes with a lots of Benjamins like Andrew Yang and Tom Steyer ?
Moreover' Asian American' is all about geography encompassing people who look and don't look like Andrew Yang. While 'people of color' is an inane deceptive euphemism because all human beings are colored. And Chinese American is a designation of national origin. Being Han is an ethnic definition. Taiwan which is Yang's parents immigrant origin home is a renegade Chinese province.
There is only one race aka human. And one national origin aka Earth.
Andrew Yang is not going to be the first Asian Chinese American Democratic Party nominee for President. Yang is not going to be President.
2
@Blackmamba I think if we evaluate the state of the union for the last half-century on the grounds of quality of life for the average American then established politicians have little to recommend themselves.
1
I believe that the way forward is not to aim a blowhard at the blowhard in chief, but to counter with a thoughtfulness, humor, and compassion.
11
Well, I doubt you were "yanged" if you're not sure whether you were or not.
This article is another desperate act of a desperate newspaper. Yes, Yang (and Tulsi Gabbard) is a legitimate grass-roots candidate. But the obvious populist running this time, again, is Bernie Sanders. These ommissions are beyond ridiculous.
The problem clearly is, if Bernie wins the professional class in America may have to share some of their privilege with poor people - and they don't want to do this (but they want to feel as if they do). In some ways they are worse than Republicans, who are at least honest with themselves about it.
4
@carl bumba We appreciate Bernie and your passion for left politics but, frankly, the capital flight that characterizes the 21st century isn't into the professional class... it's into the oligarchy (that thing!) and Bernie's policy's, though well-intentioned, are clumsy at getting hold of that big money we need to fix things. Not to mention they portend gargantuan procedures that will meet immense obstacles to implementation. As for any avowed hostility toward a broad segment of the population... I'm not sure that's necessary, or even helpful really.
7
We're currently living through the first administration in history of a man with zero government or military experience. It isn't going well. Why should we try that again, now?
Andrew Yang is good at math? Could he please give us a general outline of Perelman's proof of the Poincare conjecture in his next speech? That's math. The fact that you can wow a reporter with your "math" with very little beyond 2nd grade arithmetic doesn't make you a genius.
4
@ondelette Andrew Yang has used a pretty common sense approach, based first and foremost in his experience as a non-profit job creator in the United States' most embattled communities, to mathematically analyze both the corollary between the historic un-tethering of financial capital from human capital to declines in the human development index domestically, and also to demonstrate how federal dirigism can be adapted from traditional corporate capital infusion accompanied by the welfare state to citizen capital infusion as we enter this new phase of stakeholder capitalism.
He's getting to the fire just in time to put it out, and the savviest minds agree with him, but we don't want to wait too long because there is already much suffering and soon it might be too late.
7
Yang is quality individual. He speaks truth from his heart and possesses a mind that solves complex problems. I would accept Andrew Yang as President, my gosh we could use a dose of Yang's belief in the good of America after the evil that resides in the White House.
15
I just wish I could find an article in the NYT that understands the concerns and deep,deep frustrations of the working class.
Bernie does not fuel class rage, he is trying to help the working
class. We have been run over by both parties for decades. Bill Clinton with NAFTA and favored nation status for China have
rendered large swaths of this country to third world nation
status. You are a little late to the party Bari. But Bernie has been here the whole time. Ask Joe Rogan. I like Andrew Yang. I'm sure sure Bernie will give him an important role
in his administration. He understands as Bernie does the
desperate need to change this country. To have a working class body politic. Your little snipy remarks about Bernie
only show how small minded you and NYT are. I can hear you all now. Bernie's too old, Bernies too grumpy, Bernie doesn't have an app on his phone, he's too socialist. Well where you
when all the policies that brought us to this place were
being put through. Maybe you haven't had to suffer, but how
did you miss your countrymens pain? Where you waiting
for a cool guy like Andrew to point it out. How phony.
6
@Terri Monley Bernie does use class rage. It's why you like him. He tells you that the cause of your pain is the top 1%, and that punishing them will make all your pain go away.
There wasn't one policy that brought us here. You're trying to blame people in the past for having no idea Amazon would get invented and swallow up jobs.
You know how did have a front row seat to all those policies though? The guy who's been in politics for going on 60 years. Something to think about.
8
@Brian I like Bernie because he has been trying to help us. Help us. Unlike most Democrats
who have turned their back on the working class,
he voted against those trade agreements and the Wars that killed many of our brothers and sisters.
If we are angry, we have a right to be. I say this
as a lifelong Democrat. And trade agreements
are the bane of this problem. Meanwhile where has the NYT and Bari been. They still
don't understand the depth of the problem.
I think Bernie says that for all we do for the top 1%, they owe this nation. Don't tell me that
I like class rage . I want fairness and a party
that recognizes their role in destroying unions,
and contributing to a lousy healthcare system
an unaffordable education system and monopolistic companies that act with impunity.
You people just don't get why so many of our
fellow citizens voted for Trump. The country does not work for us , and it has taken 30 years to get here. Hence the role of the Clintons.
And for the record I voted for both of them. So they could trash us, I guess. You bet I'm mad.
2
I may have just been Yanged.
18
The only candidate that will win the blue AND red states. Wake up Democrat establishment, the 20th century is over!
18
What are his polls numbers against Trump?
2
@yulia Yang 54%, Trump 46%
1
"That night, the Yang Gang, as the candidate’s fans proudly call themselves, was a happy crowd of gamers, Asians, former goth girls, Burning Man enthusiasts, sci-fi geeks, students, coders and stoners." I am none of these but a 70 year old white guy, very vanilla and Yanged. You hit upon the key ingredient for me in a candidate, hope. Yang is like a breath of fresh air. The other contenders are stale. Go to his website, it's amazing.
18
Weiss briefly manages a good effort - her assessment of Yang is both intriguing and refreshing. She then reverts to form, however, with her ill-informed hatchet job on Warren and Sanders at the end. Shame.
6
Andrew Yang needs to speak more directly about the military to address a gaping hole in his campaign. He has all sorts of well thought out positions on domestic policy. But America still has a problem seeing an Asian man as tough, strong and able to lead the military. Andrew's pleasant, humorous style reinforces this stereotype. If he could get the public support of a retired general and appear on stage with him...that would allow him to break through to the next level of candidates.
1
Yang and Kobluchar?? Just saying... Maybe it's time for the President and the V.P. to fill in each others' gaps beyond just vote capturing. Be a real team and truly leverage both of their strengths. Yang gets where we are heading and sees clearly. Klobuchar understands how to navigate politics and governing bureaucracy. Both stay focused on positive change and not playing the blame/inflame game.
6
A vote for Andrew Yang is a vote for our future and our children's future. We can't afford to not listen to his message. How refreshing that he acts like a human being. Watching him interact with his wife and kids is a true pleasure. A singular bright light in today's political environment. Hoping he shocks everyone in Iowa and everywhere else this election season.
16
Yang is the antithesis of Trump. He uses research and facts to come up with concrete plans. Substance over rhetoric. It's really too bad he isn't doing better in the polls. This is the kind of person the primaries should feature every four years, in both political parties.
15
I heard him first on Joe Rogan and I was riveted. It's so refreshing to hear a democrat not obsessed with identity, guilt, gender, privilege etc. That stuff is so toxic and blatantly self-serving Trump can surf it right into a second term.
Yang blames no one and instead presents real ideas that all Americans can get behind.
18
Warren sounds ridiculous by emphasizing trans issues above all other issues BUT young people should be involved in the selection of their teachers, principals, and the Secretary of Education. Their voices are almost always included in the hiring processes at private schools. When you think about it, not involving young people in the selection process seems insane.
My favorite part of Yang's Universal Basic Income idea is how flying Unicorns will drop bags of money from the sky to pay for the $3 or $4 Trillion a year it's going to cost.
2
@Sparky I didn't realize Amazon/Uber/Facebook/Google were flying unicorns. My bad. If you seriously want an answer to this question, give Yang 10 minutes of your time and you'll at least get a genuine response that doesn't involve "flying unicorns."
11
"I worry about whether someone with zero foreign policy experience can be the commander in chief" That is not the point--we need a leader who is compassionate as well as visionary. #Yangang
Yes, I'll be at the caucus on Monday.
12
Is being savvy about how to use new media really the same as being prepared to be President of the United States?
Yang's level of arrogance and narcissism is unfathomable. Run for Congress, run for Governor even, but the notion that a moderately successful businessman with no political experience is ready to be President is laughable.
And so is the idea that increasing the Federal budget by $3 or 4 trillion a year is doable.
1
@Sparky
If I say it's laughable that a farmer without a college degree is qualified to vote, is the farmer arrogant and narcissistic, or am I?
There are certain legal requirements that must be met for someone to vote in the United States. Requiring anything more is voter suppression.
Similarly, there are only 3 legal requirements for a presidential candidate: a natural born citizen, a resident for 14 years, and 35 years of age or older.
The fact that a normal person like Andrew Yang, with nothing but grassroots support, has a legitimate chance to become the President of the United States is not something to be laughed at or feared. It's something to be celebrated.
It's shows that our political system has not been completely corrupted.
7
@Sparky Please cite example of arrogance and narcissism. I'd get you 10x of whatever your favorite candidate is. Yang is the most humble of all the candidates.
UBI will be paid by VAT. Go you on YouTube and find the details of his policies. Don't just debate the headlines.
2
I like Yang well enough. But watching the Liberals scramble to try to find anyone who will beat Sanders is really getting to be toooooo much.
And here's why Liberals love Yang. He's a Libertarian, whose UBI plan to shell out payments to "all" Americans is little more than a bait and switch to allow for the radical reduction of support for basic social networks. We'll pay you $1000 a month; but we're going to scrap those unemployment benefits.
So, no thanks. And frankly, I pay rent in New York. The price of my vote is considerably higher than $1000/month.
5
@Andrew Scrap unemployment benefits? Unemployment insurance is paid for by your employer. It has nothing to do w/ UBI.
11
I could see him tapped as a running mate for either Bernie or Warren should they get the nomination
Yang is not the candidate to defeat potus. His time may come eventually, but not now. The one goal for 2020 is to defeat potus using every means possible. Dems must put aside the niceties, get down and dirty like the GOP, and choose someone who can get the job done. It is not Yang.
2
@K McNabb Yang is so clearly the one who can defeat Trump. He's already peeling away former Trump voters every day that goes by, because he is the one who is focused on solving the problems that got Trump elected in the first place, not on Trump himself.
"The only thing I worry about is some total unknown that comes out of nowhere" - Donald Trump.
12
@K McNabb This is the wrong mentality and the math doesn't work out. The way to beat Trump is to take away his voters. As a side effect, it will unite the country.
Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.
2
Maybe the $1000/month is just the "McGuffin" of the Andrew Yang story while the real story is about being The Only 21st century candidate?
6
Yang has deceived. He touts Medicare for All and then says he doesn't want national healthcare. That isn't Medicare for All. He's being intentionally deceptive and I suspect many of his other policies go down the same route.
Smoke and mirrors.
3
@Pete Bernie has the trademark to M4A. It's either Bernie's way or the highway for M4A. Bernie's M4A is flawed, that's why Yang is shying away from calling his M4A as such. Yang is calling his Universal Healthcare.
Health care for everyone - whether through your employer, or Medicare.
8
Yang looks to be nice, smart, decent, innovative. Wonderful family, too. I hope he continues and his current trajectory and runs again in 10 years. I do wish he would stop playing to Asian-American stereotypes. Coming as we do from an Asian-American family. And it irks me to no end that he has sought out the endorsements of folks like Joe Rogan who are known for their bigotry and support of rightwing conspiracy theories. The Bernie bros also love the bigoted Rogan. No surprise there I guess. Finally, I wish he would stop downplaying the significance of the wrongdoing of the president. One thing that most Yang supporters like Weiss fail to internalize is that the enterprise for which he is famous has the numbers of a below average fast food franchise. He doesn't yet have the qualifications (that is, the experience and accomplishments) to run for mayor of a university town. But he will.
2
@Robert
Among other things we must make America smart again. Yang himself has made that notion central to his campaign. Ignoring experience, expertise, accomplishments is not making America smart again.
4
If Andrew Yang could get the Democratic nomination, he'd win. Maybe in a landslide. With coattails.
I don't think Donald Trump would have any comebacks worth a red cent against Andrew Yang in a Presidential debate. AY would school him.
16
Yang looks to be nice, smart, decent, innovative. Wonderful family, too. I hope he continues and his current trajectory and runs again in 10 years. I do wish he would stop playing to Asian-American stereotypes. Coming as we do from an Asian-American family. And it irks me to no end that he has sought out the endorsements of folks like Joe Rogan who are known for their bigotry and support of rightwing conspiracy theories. The Bernie bros also love the bigoted Rogan. No surprise there I guess. Finally, I wish he would stop downplaying the significance of the wrongdoing of the president. One thing that most Yang supporters like Weiss fail to internalize is that the enterprise for which he is famous has the numbers of a below average fast food franchise. He doesn't yet have the qualifications (that is, the experience and accomplishments) to run for mayor of a university town. But he will.
1
What are his thoughts on foreign policy, on healthcare, on the environment? His appeal is interesting but...
1
@penney albany He had 150+ policies listed in detail on his website including a 50-page climate change plan.
8
"florescent-lit"
Those must have been some radiant floral arrangements.
But seriously: Warren/Yang? Biden/Yang? Klobuchar/Yang? I could get behind any of those.
My heads with Bernie but my hearts with yang.
2
A year ago, nobody ever heard of Andrew Yang. And now, he is polling fourth or fifth nationally and continuing to surge at the right time while having mainstreamed the idea of Universal Basic Income. Even his detractors must acknowledge that what he has done thus far in such a short time is arguably unprecedented.
To me, Andrew Yang is the most unifying candidate of my lifetime. I loathe this partisan nightmare we find ourselves in, and as a parent of young children, I am very concerned about the freight train headed our way that is automation. He appears to be the only one with an eye on the future, and I his vision of harnessing the power of automation so that it improves the lives of all Americans, not just the handful few who own the "robots" and prosper while the rest of us descend into a dystopian hellhole.
Yang's message resonates with me, and I know that I am not alone. It is so readily apparent that he is Trump's kryptonite and that if the Democrats get behind him, the general election will be a cakewalk. I mean, Trump himself literally said, "the only thing I worry about is some total unknown that nobody ever heard of." There's a reason he is the only candidate Trump has not insulted.
I predict Yang leaves Iowa with at least one delegate, shocking the establishment. From there? Yangmania officially commences. Hang on tight. We are about to witness the most meteoric rise in modern US political history.
16
I don't know why he didn't run for Congress first.
I find it really annoying (as much as I like him) that people arrogantly go for the presidency on their first go round.
The 37 year old mayor is the most annoying of all. Try to win a statewide race first, kid. God, the hubris of this small town mayor.
I see a bright future for Yang, though. Positive, funny, excellent ideas, Gen X...He should run for governor or Congress after this.
4
Count me #YangGang too. It was the Joe Rogan Experience podcast way back when which made me fascinated with him. He's like the only person in politics who doesn't denigrate anyone else. Seriously, did we run Hillary Clinton as the Democrat after she called a whole big segment of Americans deplorable? Yes, I've felt all along that it's a losing battle, but I don't mind losing battles. I mean, after all, I voted for Ross Perot, twice. I wish he had caught on in the same way I wish Andrew Yang would catch on. Andrew Yang is what's up.
9
Whichever Democrat gets elected president needs to hire Andrew Yang for some important post, and listen to what he says.
7
Find this podcast on Freakonomics: Why Is This Man Running for President. Came out a year ago, my already-aroused fear for our country sat up straighter to listen, and I'm still listening. So here's a 70-something midwestern woman who has been Yanged. One way or another, we need this fella influencing our future; a better future.
16
That was my introduction to Andrew Yang, too. I then read The War on Normal People and listened to other podcasts with him. I’ve never been so enthusiastic about a candidate.
10
If you got Yanged, you believe this:
Not left, not right - but forward.
“Here’s looking at you, kid!” What bliss…
Yang is like Humphrey Bogart.
Both had not chance but still upbeat.
Humphrey in Casablanca.
Both willing to withstand the heat.
Andrew in Minnetonka.
Kidding and rhyming put aside,
Yang has a clear-eyed vision.
Feet on the ground. No slip and slide.
Not bad on television.
The voters, numb as always, will
bypass this brilliant man.
Watching Andrew is a thrill.
I’m Yanged. It’s good he ran.
10
"You go into Walmart, you don’t see immigrants. You see self-serve checkouts. It’s like a light bulb goes off. Like, ‘Wow, this makes sense.’”
Welcome, Mr. Peterson. Bravo. And likewise all the other decent, hard working people that were conned by the Don.
Enough light bulbs going off could just make our future brighter.l
11
For some time I have thought that a Democrat running against Trump in the general election should NOT debate Trump because a debate cannot be worthwhile when one side makes up facts, lies and argues ad hominem. Andrew Yang seems like he would go farther down this road by not engaging with Trump at all - just focus on selling his vision to the voters and let Trump bluster and blather to his supporters.
4
Trump has ruined EVERYTHING!
Even in the case with Mr. Yang, I hate the fact that instead of voting for the person that I would really love as president, I must vote for the person that has the best chances to kick Trump out of office.
Sad commentary on our so called democracy.
@Warcraft Yang destroys Trump if the Democrats wise up and make him the nominee. He's already converting MAGA supporters to MATH hats day by day. The reason is because he is the only one focused on solving the problems that got Trump elected to begin with.
8
Well, Bari Weiss, your column Yanged me. I had already been impressed by him the few times I heard him, but you brought me all the way.
I implore other old geezers like me to Yang Up to their responsibilities to their grandkids. If you are over 60 and decided to read all the way through Weiss' article, you know he's got a clearer view of where America is going, and how to steer it closer to a more safe and prosperous future for all Americans.
Join me and help him along with some support.
17
Automation didn't kill those manufacturing jobs, outsourcing did.
5
@David it was both. But politicians prefer to employ arguments that direct blame on other politicians.
6
I wonder how Andrew Yang would convince Mitch McConnel to pass a bill creating universal basic income. Did anyone ask him that?
28
@Richie by
By the sheer number of American voters who will want to receive the Freedom Dividend. Any politicians who stand in the way will have answer to their constituents of why not.
Considering a family of 4 with 2 parents and 2 children 18 or older. That amounts to $4,000 a month, no question asked.
KISS. Not a complicated form of tax rebate, or if deferred benefits towards decades later, not a complicated government program tied to some other conditions that ends up spending more resources on the government to implement.
$4,000 a month, every month, right now.
Multiple this family’s request by the countless more all over the heartlands of America. That’s how.
27
@Richie In the 1970s, Universal basic income passed the House of Representatives twice with bipartisam support 243 against 154 votes as "Nixon's Basic Income plan" and with 90% popular support. The bill ultimately did not pass due to back and forth disagreement between the House and Senate, with Democrats arguing that the amount provided was not enough money - but everyone across both isles all agreed that a UBI was needed.
That's because universal basic income is fundamentally a bipartisan policy. The idea of a universal dividend is not new. Founding Father Thomas Paine, civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr, economist Milton Friedman, 100 other economists, have all called for a universal basic income. Even Greg Mankiw, who you've probably learned economics from his textbooks if you were educated in the US, endorses Yang's economic plan.
Alaska has provided its citizens a dividend for over 40 years, funded by oil revenues and is a deeply red state. Automation is the oil of the 21st century, and the Freedom Dividend allows all citizens to benefit from it.
Unlike other partisan issues such as healthcare, universal basic income would not have the same legislative problems in getting passed under a Yang administration
29
@Richie by
He's been asked this many times and walks through the scenario and rationale:
1) By making UBI the centerpiece of his campaign, if he were to win the Presidency it would be very clearly a mandate from the people that they would want UBI. It wouldn't be because he won due to vague platitudes, it would mean that the majority of Americans want this to happen.
2) The nature of UBI is that it crosses a lot of ideologies and impacts almost everyone in the country directly in a positive way. While the Republicans would mount criticism of it, it is a really hard argument to make to their constituents. "It's bad for you to get $1000 a month!" is not the best message to send to people. Yang has mentioned how he can stand outside Congressional offices and just wait for lawmakers to emerge and ask them why they want to withhold this aid to their constituents. It's quite the cudgel for the bully pulpit.
3) If the Republicans can hold back under the pressure of a $1k a month mandate and bully pulpit, there are the mid terms of 2022. Yang can just keep pounding on them over this singular issue and make a compelling argument that if people in any state want to get their $1000 a month, they should consider voting Dem in 2022. It's a potent wedge issue to pound away at.
McConnel has shown clearly that he will not work with any Dem President. Biden and Klobuchar, who both argue this as their strength are not going to get much done. Yang has a hammer with UBI.
31
Another example of Yang being very authentic and comfortable with his ideas is when he says America is "deeply misogynist." His policies and plans for his administration are some of the most pro-women of all the candidates. More pro-women than the female candidates - Andrew, Steyer, and Bernie are the only ones who support more than 12 weeks of paid family leave! He talks about the freedom dividend empowering women in abusive relationships to leave. He's committed to women holding top positions in his administration. He's done the math on the benefits of having more women in business leadership positions and supports policies to that end. He's a feminist!
12
He's the smartest, most accepting, and most energetic with some novel ideas, so he'll probably lose as America has lost all of those traits. I'd prefer a negative income tax to a UBI to everyone for practical reasons (most people are not so poor as to need $1000/month from government redistribution that seems to set up both dependency and the crash when the next administration destroys it like the ACA).
2
Terrific article, and I like Yang a lot. The elephant in the room with Yang, however, is : How will he combat the predictable, effective attack that he is the "hand everyone a thousand a month, free money socialist menace" that works so well for the Republicans and scares voters off?
Unfortunately, that isn't addressed in this column. Until he can convincingly answer that 64 trillion dollar question, he's not a viable candidate.
2
@mivogo what appeals to conservatives and libertarians is the notion of bypassing additional government programs by simply putting money directly into people's hands, giving them the freedom to help themselves.
6
How about a universal basic income coupled with mandatory civil service? There are millions of tasks that will never happen in our current economic/social structure because they will not generate profit. For example, the current answer to urban blight is redevelopment, where degraded but inexpensive residential neighborhoods are upgraded, resulting in displacement as rising prices drive out current residents. Free labor and universal basic income could enable these residents to upgrade their homes and keep their neighborhoods intact.
4
Promising free stuff is always in style...except to those of us taxpayers who have to pay for it
25
@Fred Just like the GOP promises free(er) income through less taxes. Except that only has a real beneficial impact on folks making good money. There are many ways to distribute money in a society. Why not choose a method that raises all boats, so that the society is better off as a whole, economically and holistically?
44
@Fred I ask you to take a closer look at the Freedom Dividend. Some variation of Universal Basic Income has been championed by both MLK and Milton Friedman. The Freedom Dividend increases the bargaining power of all but the top 8% of the country and will be paid for in part by a 10% VAT (with certain essentials waived and certain luxury expenses such as Yachts having more of a VAT%). Andrew Yang is a far better messenger than I am, and if you can just give him ten minutes of your time to lay out his arguments, I think you will be more open to what he has to say.
35
@Fred Unless you are really rich, you'll get more in the UBI than you pay in taxes. That said, Milton Friedman's negative income tax is smarter and doesn't require sending $1000/month to the vast majority of Americans who aren't poor.
8
So would Yang's $1,000. a month increase with the rate of inflation? Would everybody get the money or would there be some cut-off point for the more affluent? Would it work like pre- social security? My inquiring mind would like to know more about this dividend. Is Yang a really good administrator or is he just another crazy rich Asian? I fear that hanging his campaign on this issue obscures the rest of the questions and his answers to them; for example climate change, foreign relations, middle east concerns, Afghanistan war, nuclear proliferation and Iran etc. Will the next debate have the answers to any of my concerns or will questions be asked of other candidates rather than Yang?
My worry is that Trump will lie his way to another 4 years just as he did in 2016. I want someone who can beat him in every state of the union not only those weighted heavily in the electoral college. I want someone to take back America from Donald J. Trump.
2
Admirable, but he needs more of a program than free money (and the taxes to pay for it).
@Jonathan Katz
What was Trump’s ‘program?’
Did the program materialize?
3
@Jonathan Katz he has over 150 policy proposals on his website.
8
I'm close enough to being a septuagenarian, and emphatically don't want one in the White House, regardless of party or policy. It's time for a change in our political trajectory, and to stop clinging to the past. Mr. Yang thinks, and acts, like a President should, and is exactly the type of leader that America needs right now. Forward thinking and not mired in the past.
18
“my life and my humanity depends on more than whether some institution decides to stamp my hand.”
Yang values his humanity above his alma mater. That's more rare nowadays when some parents are preparing their preschoolers to check all the boxes for their application to Harvard.
I've liked him more than the other candidates for a while, when I first gleaned flashes of his humanity in brief times given him in debates.
15
The Freedom Dividend would be the easiest and quickest way to get help to those that need it the most. I believe the great majority of Americans will spend that money very quickly and will immediately be reinvested in the American economy at places like grocery stores, restaurants and gas stations. He is the only candidate that appears to understand the 21st C challenges.
9
I haven't gotten yanged.
Instead, I'm feeling the Bern.
If elected, Bernie's Democratic socialism will help move the needle back toward fairness for all - not just a few.
He would be considered relatively centrist in Europe.
As he so often says, "It's not me, it's us".
Just Bernie's age, and having lived in Burlington in the 1970s,
I've watched his consistency over time.
Sanders for President, I say.
3
I am voting for Yang in the Colorado Primary. The universal income is key to dispersing the wealth being hoarded by the 10%. from globalization and automation, this is what our government should do as well as tax corporations for roads , education, public transportation, healthcare, etc. Yang said our data collected every moment and sold is more valuable than oil , and we never get a check. For example, sales persons make $450,000/year commissions selling data, Facebook, Google billions from data sales. This the how our country can pay for universal healthcare and income vs. our putative welfare programs. Listen to Reverend William Barber, leader of the Poor Peoples Campaign to understand the depth and causes of the vast poverty in the ISA. I am a 71 year old white woman.
11
Read the comments here, and compare them to the comments attached to articles profiling Biden, Sanders, Warren, Buttigieg, Klobuchar and even Steyer.
What I read here and in YouTube comment sections under Yang town hall videos that I don't see anywhere else are statements such as:
"I never donated to a political campaign before donating to Yang"
"I'm a conservative but I registered as a Democrat to vote for Yang in the primaries"
"I voted for Trump in 2016, but Yang has my vote in 2020"
"I'm a libertarian and I never thought I'd vote for a Democrat until Yang"
I don't know how representative these comments are of the actual electorate, but I don't see much from the other candidates that would suggest that any of them have a better chance than Yang of garnering enough support from the types of people that typically swing the swing states. And that's how you beat Trump.
15
My old man self said this is just another crazy redistribution of wealth scheme. And then the light went on. How much of our time, energy and emotion is devoured to just survive, to stave off the wolf at the door? How much of our society is driven by the fear of starvation and homelessness?
And here comes a guy thinking harder who comes up with a cure for desperation. No programs, no bureaucracy, no hoops. Here's your survival kit. Now get out there and make a life.
19
@Concerned Citizen
It’s enough to pay my mortgage. Ending the possibility of homelessness, that’s a pretty big deal for ME, anyway....
6
This column taught me a different way of thinking.i watched Andrew Yang in the Debates liked him but thought that he was impractical.I have been enlightened by your column explaining what he is about.I agree that Automation and big Corporations care only about the bottom line.He is not a gimmick.He has analyzed the problems and has come up with a realistic way where America can truly be a great Country to live in and be a Role Model for the rest of the World.
15
Actually, Bari, the presidential candidate who gets Yanged the most wins the nomination.
I think this was Andrew Yang’s original goal - to make some candidates adopt his ideas like UBI and ‘democracy dollars’ that put ‘humanity first’ and not politics first into the campaign. He was crystal clear on seeing Trump as a symptom of a deeper problem. If he was a politician, he would never see that.
To me, that’s what ‘getting Yanged’ means.
7
This article was so well done. It beautifully captures the diversity in backgrounds and "yanging" stories I've heard from others.
I too remember the exact moment I got Yanged. It was during the first Democratic debate while listening Mr. Joe Biden speak. I couldn't believe that Mr. Biden was the front runner, because in that moment I knew that Mr. Biden wasn't the way forward.
That disappointment led me to researching each candidate -- and when I came across Andrew's website with a list of "problems to be solved" and "solutions", I knew that I was on to something.
From there, I listened the Shapiro and Rogan podcasts, bought the "War on Normal People" and became energized about Andrew's proposed path forward after confirming for myself that the MATH could work. I'm totally #YangGang!
16
I always liked Yang but was initially skeptical of his chances in the general. However, the more I hear from him, the more I am convinced that he has his finger on the pulse of America and is the only Democrat who would crush Trump. His obvious intelligence, honest but optimistic vision, and energy would contrast so well against Trump in a debate. Yang is strongest with young voters, black voters, and independents. If all those groups turn out the Democrats will win, and Yang can mobilize progressives without alienating moderates, something neither Biden or Bernie can say. He is the only one who seems to have learned from 2016, and I hope he can continue snowballing all the way to the Whitehouse.
28
I like some Yang's ideas. However, it seems there is a policy in the NY Times to knock Sanders. It seems like it's "anybody but Sanders" a la 2016. This, despite his polling numbers and lack of conventional media positive coverage. Regarding 2016, to dismiss Russian interference, etc. and the fact that the electoral college enabled a candidate to become President despite nearly three million Americans voting for his opponent is NOT good math. Yes, she should have campaigned more in the rust belt states. To me the truth is that Bernie's and Warren's ideas are far from radical. It's just that the American mindset seems to be so heavily weighted to the right.
6
This is someone who made his fortune on the privatization of our educational system, grifting struggling parents whose public schools failed their kids, and we're supposed to be inspired?
5
I love Andrew Yang. His ideas are fresh, relevant and, in most cases, practical common sense solutions to seemingly intractable problems. His insight into the impact of automation is the kind of clear-eyed observation that makes you stop and realize just how obviously right he is.
But, Andrew Yang is that really great program on PBS, superbly written and brilliantly acted, that gets cancelled after one season because it can't compete with The Masked Singer.
We want change. We are ready for change. We are terrified of change.
13
The technological utopian vision around automation and AI is that robots (who don’t need healthcare, sick days, vacation, holidays, sleep, HR departments, company culture, etc.) will do the work for us and that will free up humans to do human things like make art or pursue different passions. This is happening with visible robots as well as algorithms or marketing and sales automation. Very few jobs aren’t at risk of being automated. It isn’t just low paid work- it is just showing up there first because there are more low paid workers. Google if you don’t believe me.
The only economic proposal that has been put forward for years to address this (Yang got the idea from here) is some form of UBI so that al the humans benefit from the work of the robots. Yang is just a champion for the idea because he cares. And that seems genuine.
As it stands now, companies are automating away because their job is to stay competitive - robots are cheaper and more reliable. They don’t need to feel good, or inspired to do work. Humans are being left out and will become increasingly dependent on already stressed government programs while businesses are flush with cash to pay a small number of people to run them. What a recipe for disaster.
UBI may not be perfect, but it isn’t like we won’t have to spend the money anyway just to deal with the shanty towns created by climate change and automation.
12
Thanks, Yang understands this below:
Americans are living shorter, unhealthier lives. At the same time, the United States outspends other wealthy nations when it comes to health care, according to a new report from Commonwealth Fund researchers Roosa Tikkanen and Melinda Abrams.
The analysis, which compares the U.S. to 10 other high-income nations on health care spending, outcomes, risk factors, and quality, also finds the U.S. has the highest suicide rate. And while the U.S. spends approximately double what many other countries spend on health care, Americans’ average life expectancy is a two full years below that in similar nations. Contributing to this disparity is the comparatively high rate of premature deaths in the U.S. from conditions that are treatable with timely health care.
7
"The only thing I worry about is some total unknown that comes out of nowhere." - Donald Trump
Well, guess what? A total unknown who nobody ever heard of a year ago is now polling fifth nationally and surging at the right time. What Andrew Yang has already done is unfathomable, and he's just getting started. He is the most unifying candidate of my lifetime, and he is the one who will defeat Trump. There's a reason he is the only candidate Trump hasn't mentioned by name.
The establishment will be shocked when Andrew Yang leaves Iowa with delegates, and Yangmania will officially commence in what will be hailed as the most meteoric rise in US history.
18
Andrew Yang has fatal flaws in his campaign. Firstly, for someone selling their intelligence his UBI proposal is riddled with holes. From the fact that $1,000 is a vastly different sum of money across the country and no geographical modifiers are in his proposals to the fact that there are no need-based considerations for inclusion except for the independently wealthy to "opt-out".
Second, he used an astro-turfing platform called NationBuilder to not only pump up his online presence with inauthentic support but to unethically scrub Facebook for metadata just like Cambridge Analytica did, a practice that should be illegal and called out regardless of the party.
Finally, we need to address healthcare. Period. It's the problem of our day, and there is no effort by Republicans to address it in any way. Future solutions to future problems are great, but let's fix our problems of today first!
5
Yes, he's the most likable candidate for the great majority of Americans that don't live their lives on the front lines of culture wars or as shock troops for the Trump or anti-Trump camps.
I'll make two predictions with 100% confidence: he won't win the nomination; he will support the Democratic nominee.
I have two hopes for the eventual nominee: she (or he) adopt some of Yang's casual outsider observational skills and humor; they follow Yang's digital strategy—it's a generation ahead of Trump.
The Democrats have the "big tent" party. "Yanging" is one of several methods of uniting that diversity against the Trumpian monoculture. The math could be on our side.
11
The "populism" that supported Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump had one thing in common: despair for the current situation in America and no trust that the institutions could fix it. This populism was made up of numerous branches including "nativism" among predominately white and native-born Americans that resented new immigrants (legal and illegal) because they believed they got "benefits" that they didn't have and were getting better jobs than the native-born. Many of these people responded to the Trump message and symbols of racism (but they didn't think of themselves as racists) and his solution of a strong man taking charge over the broken institutions, not to fix them, but to smash them. The authoritarian-style offered by Trump gave them hope that somebody would by-pass the "do-nothing Congress", "drain the swamp", withdraw our money and soldiers from foreign countries after generations of wars, occupations, and support of overseas military installations that seemed to not benefit ordinary Americans. Yang offers a counter-solution of to nativist populism. His populists are more diverse, believe in the value of education, science and facts. They are less likely to believe in "fate" or have closed religious views of the world. They like Yang as a disruptor who is not anti-science nor racist. This is promising to me but I worry he may not have the political skills to be President. I hope whoever wins will put Yang in a VP or give him a major cabinet post .
8
I agree with many of the commenters that Yang's support goes beyond broke Millennials. I'm in my 50s, have a similar educational background to Peter Buttegieg, once worked at the same law firm that Andrew Yang and Kirsten Gillibrand worked at, and earn in the upper six figures. I am fond of a number of the Democratic candidates but my heart is with Yang.
I am not entirely sure I agree with his dystopian view of the future, but I think the universal basic income is an idea whose time has come. What I see in the opposition to the UBI is a whole knotted, unexamined set of beliefs about worth, merit, work, individuality and community that it's time to disentangle. Poor and working-class people can handle money as well as rich people, so let's give them the chance to do so.
29
So he has appeal and good ideas. Super, but it’s not enough. In the current hyper-polarized, toxic political culture that have divided this country - from national politicians down to families - I would love to hear how he will bridge that divide. Realistically, of course. Not the “here is what I will do” that all candidates say, but the “here is how I will do it,” understanding that the Republicans will have, say Mitch McConnell running the Senate.
3
@Michigan Michael He is already converting disaffected '16 Trump supporters by the droves. He will never get that diehard 20-30% of MAGA that we see at Trump rallies, but he is the one who defeat Trump. His biggest obstacle is his own party. Trump himself literally said, "the only thing I worry about is some total unknown who comes out of nowhere."
11
@Michigan Michael The latest Emerson national poll has Yang backed by 30.4% of Trump voters, non-voters, and third party voters, and his name recognition is still only half of the other candidates!
He has done what no politician has ever done, which was to pull money from his campaign chest and help strangers, including supporters of campaign rivals, because they are American and deserve a Dividend.
With the Dividend passed, followed by Democracy Dollars, he'll change the political calculus behind campaign finance and finally open the door for systemic reforms like healthcare, education, all things tied in knots due to corporate influence.
9
@Dan
Sure, Dan. Trump is afraid of an unknown, but got himself impeached trying to manufacture dirt on Biden, and there is a big push in Iowa by the Republicans to attack Biden.
And then there's the Russians.
When it comes to deciding who is the biggest threat to Trump, I put my money on the political operatives who got him elected in the first place.
Just sayin'.
"Hardcore Yang voters are not cool."
Being 'cool' is not cool with people who have jobs - that is, the old-fashioned definition of a job: a job of work.
We who have jobs don't have time to be cool. We have to work.
7
I don't think your description of who attended that rally is as representative as you make it out to be. It perpetuates the idea that Andrew can't be taken seriously.
I went to one of his rallies in Iowa, and it wasn't the same crowd you saw. There were the young and nerdishly hip, but there were a great many of the same types of people you'd see at a Bernie or Pete rally. The older woman standing next to me said she had not become this inspired to become part of a campaign since she knocked on doors for Jimmy Carter. I saw only a single Asian in the overflow crowd.
I'm a relatively boring middle aged white Ivy league male grad -- and I (and my 14 year old son who insisted on standing in a long line to get a Yang selfie) are enthusiastically in the Yang Gang.
28
Yang's central campaign promise, the Universal Basic Income, is the ultimate in Trojan Horse political ideas from far-right libertarians, tailor made to sound appealing to far-left liberals.
After all, it sounds great, doesn't it? The government simply gives you a check for $1000 a month, and you have the freedom to spend it however you want, on whatever you need.
Here's the catch that no one, especially in the Yang Gang, ever wants to admit: the flipside of this coin. If the government is supplying every American with $1000 a month, no questions asked, then it becomes much more politically feasible to ask the question "well, if we're doing this, then why are we still using taxpayer money to pay for food stamps? Or CHIP? Or Medicare? Or Medicaid? Or Social Security?"
"Can't people just use their $1000 a month to pay for these things?"
See? It's a recipe for absolutely gutting the extremely popular social programs that the left has been championing for over half a century. Any true liberal should, in fact, be appalled at the idea, especially since Yang has never coupled his promise of a UBI with a firm promise to never cut domestic social programs.
9
@Ex-pat please do some research. Dividend stacks with Medicare, Social Security, Veterans Disability, and Housing Subsidies.
It does not stack with means-tested cash equivalent programs, which pay much less than $1K and keep people in poverty by penalizing any income.
Yang has said time and again that he is not going to cut any social programs. He gets asked that every other interview and it is still true no matter how many times they ask.
17
@Ex-pat ironically, it's the liberal governments in Canada that typically support UBI pilot programs, it was the far-left Green Party candidate for Prime Minister who included UBI in her platform, and it was the Conservative Premier of Ontario who shut the pilot programs in Lindsay and Thunder Bay down.
@FLRepublican A self-professed Republican telling me to "do my research". Classic. If you actually did what you prescribe about the GOP, you wouldn't be a Republican if you had even a sliver of morality within you.
But I digress. The point of my argument was the political reality that enacting a UBI would generate. And if you honestly believe that Congress, the GOP in particular, would not use UBI as an excuse to justify cutting social programs in the name of justifying tax cuts, you aren't just dreaming. In fact, you aren't even living on another planet. You're living on another planet in a distant galaxy that probably also exists in another dimension.
I have tremendous respect for Mr. Yang, and appreciate that he sees the big picture, not just a few of the small snapshots in the montage. Although I believe he deserves serious consideration, I would love to see him be part of the next Democratic president's cabinet, preferably starting in January 2021, but if he is our candidate, he has my enthusiastic vote. Good luck to him.
4
Yang and Sanders both see issues with unfettered capitalism and globalism. I think Yang is right that automation is one long term issue facing employees, and I think that the questions he prompts about its effects on society are real.
I do find it amusing that Yang simplifies Sanders' long list of proposals for social justice and economic equality down to "stick it to billionaires" when his signature proposal is "Give everyone $1000 and take away many existing programs".
3
I have been impressed in exactly the same way as the author. I was very impressed with his interview with the NYTimes as well. His thinking on several issues leaves the other candidates in the dust. But I was also very very impressed with how he presented on the debates. He was kind, fair and smart. I know he does not have a chance, but I sure hope if a Democrat wins the election, someone harnesses what he offers by giving him a powerful position.
16
“Much of a chance” might be a better way to put it, though your sentiment is understood.
One of the things I most appreciate about Mr. Yang is his acknowledgment and understanding of “technological unemployment,” a growing phenomenon that the republican establishment seems to largely ignore.
Having listened to the NYT podcast series, “The Choice,” many of the candidates who do not attain the nomination would make excellent members of a democratic administration.
5
I'm loathe to share this thought as an atheist, but to listen to Andrew Yang is to hear a modernized version of the Sermon on the Mount. He's quietly 'christian' in the small 'c' sense of the word. Endlessly compassionate, unafraid to show emotion, kindly, humanistic; Yang models a good natured, thoughtful, morally cognizant view of the world that is the exact antithesis to what we have now in the Oval Office.
I genuinely appreciate his sacrifice and the sacrifice of his wife and children for allowing him to campaign and for sharing him with us.
Godspeed, Andrew Yang.
39
I question if the president of the United States can be someone, anyone, with zero experience in elected office? No constituency in Congress, no previous interaction with other world leaders (much less other politicians in a working environment of governance). This is not only the most powerful position in the world, it might well be the most complicated as well. We discount what it takes at our peril (as we've found out once already, which is not to say Yang is the same as Trump).
3
I like Yang, but I am not sure that a VAT - value added tax - on all purchases is a good idea, given the dramatic economic disparity in the US. Additional taxes on needed commodities will be a burden to poor and middle income earners that even the annual “freedom dividend” may not offset.
1
@Lisa Calef here's a list of items that are VAT exempt in Canada (we call our VAT a "goods and services tax"):
basic grocery items (not soft drinks or junk food)
prescription drugs
medical devices
educational services
financial services
daycare services
diapers
and the list goes on.
I believe Mr Yang has made statements that would suggest that similar exemptions will be made for his VAT.
7
@Lisa Calef VAT will be on non-essential goods, so exempting food, clothing, and diapers (maybe others). It will also be higher on yachts, mansions, spaceships, and other luxury goods, so that money will be mostly raised from the top 6% of high spenders.
Everyone will pay in at least a bit, though, and it will void the argument that the "poor pay zero taxes".
Also, keep in mind that the Dividend if tax-free, and increments with inflation.
6
Yang is the only candidate who gets that we're being torn apart by algorithms, not each other. He's right to say we literally need to rewrite the Big Tech codes that bank on perpetual division.
7
I'm an educated voter, white, veteran, 40s, married, Midwestern, middle class, no official party affiliation.
I voted for Trump in 2016, since Sanders was off the table. Many of my Sanders-supporting peers (which were by far the majority) did likewise.
I will solidly support Wang if he gets the nomination....
...which will never happen. I don't know what to do in that case. And FYI, my peers seem to be in the same again. Trump is Trump but Wang is the antidote. Lateral thinking.
3
@Gideon Strazewski : Yang.
2
man! how do people not see the wisdom of the Freedom Dividend? but you could look at it from a negative perspective. what else is there to solve the problem of automation and inequality? even Dr. King championed this idea.
is it a perfect idea? no. of course not. is it the best idea we have so far? absolutely. let's start with UBI and then build up from there. i'm sure we can at least do better than what we're doing now. and UBI is a bi-partisan idea. it can actually get passed.
someone give me a better idea. seriously, what else is out there?
9
I think Yang is generally correct about his assessment of what went wrong, but I'd amend it a bit. Automation was not the original villain. It played a part, but overall it was globalization, a political environment that became increasingly hostile to organized labor, and lax enforcement of labor laws, including the employment of illegal immigrants. But I can see why he thinks it's more productive to focus on the current and future threat, instead of dwelling on a past that can't be changed. All those things I listed are why the good jobs went away. Automation is the reason they will never return. It's also the reason those jobs that can only be done by someone physically present in the U.S. will never pay as much as the lost jobs did. Workers have no leverage.
7
UBI is nothing but a band-aid. It does nothing to really address the systemic issues that brutalize the working class. Poor people in this country are dying because private insurance companies prioritize profit over people, and a more "humane" version of this will not stop this.
The issues with these insurance companies goes beyond the high cost of prescription drugs, as Yang suggests. It's also the astronomical deductibles, high co-pays and their refusal to cover basic procedures. Suggestions such as more telehealth and value-based payments outlined in Yang's plan, won't come close to fixing the deep problems with our healthcare system.
It's disingenuous for an successful entrepreneur and famous, wealthy comedian to suggest that working people need to choose between affording groceries and healthcare (as Chapelle said in another clip.
2
@Steve Did you watch the video of the Dividend Pilot recipients? Was it a bandaid for them? Was that why they cried?
You and I might not need $1K a month, but too many people are living on the edge about to fall over.
You talk about healthcare, even Sanders admits his plan would need 4 years to implement. How many of these people will you leave to die in the mean time?
Yang's health plans aim to cut costs on Medicare. What do you think would happen once people on Medicare pay half as much as now? Do you think any politician could hold back the tide of people wanting to sign on? It's a much better path to M4A than to outlaw private insurance and shuffle people into a new bureaucracy.
3
@Robert If you’re saying that to merit serious consideration a presidential candidate must have held political office, prepare for the possibility of being left out in the cold along with the other 63 million of us who were confident in the unelectability of an escalator-riding con man. Translation: any candidate with a following merits consideration, Yang included.
4
This has been one of the most inspirational and uplifting articles I've read about our Democratic candidates so far. Andrew Yang seems to be left out of so many stories about the race for presidency. If more Americans had the opportunity to read what the article has presented to us about the Yang campaign, proposals, and diverse following he has, I truly believe the sense of hope that I feel right now would be shared by many more. I haven't given up on a unified America - at least not while Andrew Yang is still in the running. Thanks for restoring my faith in the political establishment - let's get it overhauled by addressing the issues that matter to ALL Americans. I will be voting Yang.
15
Count me in. I am ready to publicly announce my support for Andrew Yang’s candidacy. I don’t know if he is non-toxic, but he is the least toxic of any candidate. Every story and video I see convinces me more of the intelligence and humanity of his approach.
12
NYT should have been considering Yang and his original ideas months or weeks ago, not three days before the Iowa caucus! This is pure politics from NYT - clearly a desperate attempt to undermine Bernie, the main populist candidate who would reform economic opportunity in America in ways they don't want to see (but like to pretend otherwise).
With this said, my main concerns about Yang is his reliance on the marketplace, private enterprise and capitalism to solve our problems, combined oddly with a willingness to socially engineer society (albeit for the common good). In fact, his $1,000 dividend idea is much like the "social credit", as envisioned by CH Douglas in the 20's (who was literally an engineer). The history of social engineering is not a particularly good one. IMO, a great amount of analysis, deliberation and debate is needed before we start tweaking parameters.
3
As a life-long lit major who barely survived ninth-grade algebra, I proudly where my blue MATH hat. Welcome to the gang Ms. Weiss!! Great article too!!
5
As a Trump supporter, Yang is the only Dem I’d vote for.
Or maybe Bloomberg if Trump did something particularly offensive the week before the election.
7
@Robert - 2016 Access Hollywood was the last thing I can remember but that actually happened decades ago.
Ultra liberals obviously define offensive differently than the swing voters like me who actually matter.
Technology has been the driver of the loss of millions of American jobs. The ensuing economic insecurity underlies many of today's issues and resulted in President Trump. Only Yang really gets this reality.
8
Dear Bari,
The best thing that happened to Yang was your article.Personally, I would follow you anywhere, & I will give Mr. Yang my attention.
9
I got a fortune cookie one time that read: "you are the center, and you can hold"
In a post-Christian America, we have a strange identity crisis about what it means to love our neighbors and what it means to be one common people. Tribal societies are very (you are in or you are out) which in NYC you have to wear these specific shoes to be invited to your High School reunion -- talk about tribal pressure toward social conformity that defies the essence of what it means to be an free individual and the liberation that came to the world with the light of the Christian message.
Thank you Bari for helping explain the appeal of Andrew Yang. His slogan 'not right, not left, forward' really nails it. I like Warren and Sanders, but I like Yang even more. I will be voting for him in the Ca. primary next month. He is a good dose of the both of them, minus the political baggage. The UBI concept is more than a gimmick, and I hope it is picked up on by the eventual dem. nominee, should it not be Mr. Yang.
14
Yang put his finger on the pulse of the problem of now and the future - an economy where productivity by humans cannot compete with productivity of computers.
The angst of 2016 and today is that we know can't trust our government and economy to value people unless we "produce". We also know we can't even trust elected officials to understand the problem because prior to Andrew Yang forcing the issue, they weren't even discussing it.
But the truth is a future of automation, when responded to by a government that operates from a human-centered philosophy, can liberate us. If the wealth created by the superior productivity of automation flows to benefit us all, the future can be brighter than than the past.
UBI is a signal of how to get there.
What I hear most detractors argue is that UBI is something this country can't afford or will never get through Congress. To that, I submit to you the $681 billion dollar military budget. A budget so excessive it funds a thousand consultants who literally do nothing more than take a cut off of the employees that work underneath them. These useless barnacles on the ship of wasteful military spending take millions and no one bats an eye.
A lot can be done, we just have to have the courage to elect people, like Andrew Yang, who are willing to speak a new reality into existence.
15
Serious question - What has Andrew Yang done that's not basically motivational speaking/self-promotion?
According to his Wikipedia entry (which he and his campaign undoubtedly watch closely and edit to cast him in the best possible light), the answer is: Nothing, really.
This all feels like a brand-building exercise for Yang.
And it reminds me of someone else with no record of prior government service who recently decided the first public office he'd seek would be President of the United States.
3
@JR Interesting that you view founding Venture for America as a motivational speaking exercise. It's a non-profit aimed to create businesses in towns that have been hit hard. Have you ever heard Andrew speak in a long form interview? I think he has a lot of insight into America as it is right now and how to fix it - he's put a lot on the line, including being away from his family for 2 years.
6
@JR He has mentored hundreds of budding entrepreneurs and now they are all going to bat for him. Yang is like the cool teacher that actually invests time and money (through the non-profit seed fund) in his students. You can see them showing up in different townhalls and ads.
5
@EM
Please take a look at Andrew Yang's tax returns and Venture for America's financials.
https://www.yang2020.com/tax-returns/
https://ventureforamerica.org/about-us/financials/
Substantially all of Yang's recent "employment" income has come from public speaking. And VfA's annual budget is only @$6M (of which @$3M goes to salaries and employee compensation). What's left to spend is trivial in relation to a $20T national GDP.
These are not "accomplishments" that qualify Yang to become President of the United States.
otoh - it is very likely that Yang's candidacy will increase the speaking fees he commands in the future.
That seems to me to make this an extended brand-building exercise for Yang.
Yang wears a pin that reads "MATH," but he apparently isn't very good at it. Neither are his supporters.
The over-18 population of the U.S. is 310,000,000
Pay all those $1K a month, and that costs 3.72 TRILLION a year.
Yang wants to pay for this with a Value Added tax that would hit every Amazon sale, every Google search, every Facebook ad.
Amazon has only $232 billion in annual revenue
Google's revenue is $110 billion.
Facebook's revenue is $69 billion.
Apple's revenue is $265 billion.
All of these combined don't come close to the revenue needed to pay every American $1K a month...muchless pay for schools, roads, transforming our power grid.
It is staggeringly bad math.
It also ignores the fundamental problem that every company will know that you have $1K you can blow on higher cell bills, higher Netflix, Amazon Prime, internet, Disney+, whatever they determine you won't live without.
But if he's siphoning off Trump and Bernie supporters, Godspeed Mr. Bad At Math.
2
@JWC - Have you noticed that your smartphone tracks your every move? That your computer knows what you research, what you're thinking of buying and then targets you with ads for those very same things? Your data, our data, everybody's data and very thoughts, are being surveilled, bought and sold, many times over. That information is worth more than oil and that's what he's planning on taxing, along with helping a few billionaires and almost-trillionaires to spend down their fortunes wisely and with compassion. The alternative to a Yangian economy is too awful to contemplate, although we're almost there.
7
I like Mr. Yang, but a $1,000 a month - with no work - doesn't sound like a real plan & it doesn't sound good for people either. There is lots of work that needs doing - by actual people. If corporate loopholes were closed and money raised the Federal Government could put out contracts to fix our failing infrastructure as just one example. Work can give dignity and purpose to a life. How about a $1,000 a month - if - you clean up a park or help the elderly or do something to make the country a better place. "Ask not" and all that.
3
I would encourage you to look into the proposal a little bit more. I thought the same thing, I believe, as you do—that it would discourage productive work, and was not feasible. But then I read a bit more about it; it’s a well-studied idea. It’s also been around, in some form or fashion, for quite a while. The data is consistent: time and again, universal income programs are more effective than almost any other similar social welfare program in improving quality-of-life, and lead to only minor drops in job-seekers, chiefly among families with children where one spouse chooses to stay at home with the kids. I would suggest this would be a good thing for the country, and I hope the idea is given a serious look. If I’m wrong about any of these claims, somebody feel free to let me know.
I don’t want to discount potentially innovative policy just because it’s counterintuitive, do you?
8
@Mr. Jones The fact is people are generating value every day, when their data is monetized by Google or Facebook, when they take care of family members, when they offer coaching advice to neighbor's kids.
Do we want government minders watching and ticking off who did what? That's going the route of Sanders' Federal Job Guarantee. Instead, the Dividend puts trust in the individual, to invest, to save, or to spend. Some will go to "waste" like investing in startups, but then some of those startups may become trillion dollar companies, so what is waste mean anyway?
Ultimately how ever it is used, Dividend generates healthy capital flows, eliminates poverty, and facilitates creativity. Pretty good considering.
3
@David Dunham
I mostly agree with you, but if required as a able bodied person to plant trees in my community 10 hours a month for the $1,000.00 I would do it and fee better about myself for working & helping fight climate change. I thinking of FDR and JFK, not a hand out, but a hand up.
1
When I first heard of Yang’s idea of $1000 per month for everyone in the US, I was intrigued as it sounded like a way to help the poor while possibly inducing the middle class to spend it wisely like on home improvements, new cars, and other things that would impact the economy. Then I looked on his website to see how Yang planned to pay for it, I found it was a nuanced version of a value added tax on the entire US economy.
Has Yang found another way to pay for his $1000 a month payment to the citizens?
Also, has Yang clarified whether that $1000 is per adult, per household, per citizen including minors, or per citizen and legal residents? That specificity has never been stated clearly.
2
He has clarified it. Every citizen age 18 and over.
1
I hope Yang will become President. I suspect that can happen in 8-12 years. Would vote for him enthusiastically in 2020, but suspect his role will be in the Cabinet. He can succeed in managing a large, public bureaucracy or as President. He is smart, resilient and responds to facts. I like his policies, his thinking, his honesty and kindness. I like that he identifies and addresses strategies to navigate the core problems- change, technology, income distribution in a shifting economy. I think his ideas lend themselves to being implemented incrementally using the existing infrastructure of taxes and subsidies.
I suspect foreign powers/leaders– other than the Trump despots– would rush to welcome and work with him.
His idealism is smart, appealing and has it all over Warren and Bernie's pointing at poplulist enemies and offering the solution "We need a revolutio.." As if the Dakotas and southern states had no senators to contend with.
Like a breath of clear mountain air to imagine a good and honest person as President.
15
Love Yang and your thoughtful comments echoes who l think he is as well. He also has the best slogan. Not Left, Right...but FORWARD! Works for me!
1
There's an excellent hour-long interview with Yang in a recent Freakonomics podcast. He made a very good impression on me. It is not just his policy proposals, which are intriguing and interesting. It's that he refuses to be driven by political ideology PLUS he's a real thinker PLUS he really cares about America and people in general. He's more interested in solving problems for society as a whole, and he's really thought this stuff through far more than anyone else running for either party. His achilles heel is his political inexperience and, possibly, lack of political skills. How well is he going to be able to operate in the public political sphere, and how is he going to persuade ideologically people who stubbornly refuse to listen to anyone except themselves? Most people seem to be driven more by fear than hope, and that's a tough thing to overcome.
17
Yang certainly has a fresh insight into the current political fray - even if his main idea/gimmick (U.B.I.) has roots at least as far back as Daniel Patrick Moynihan's work in the Nixon Administration...
1
From PBS:
"Pomerlau ran the numbers on VAT and Yang’s universal basic income proposal in July. He found that Yang’s current proposal — which would be funded by VAT, as well as by lifting the cap on maximum earnings subject to social security taxes, creating a financial transactions tax, imposing a carbon tax and changing the tax rates on capital gains and carried interest — would not add up.
He estimated the tax increases Yang is proposing would raise $1.3 trillion total, of which more than $950 billion would come from a 10 percent VAT.
That would not be enough to pay for the $2.8 trillion that Yang’s proposed universal basic income would cost each year, according to the analysis."
Now I also remember Paul Ryan proposing a VAT tax along with a flat income tax soon after Trump took office. A VAT tax is a form of a consumption tax, which seem to be the only taxes that R's (at the local level) support to raise revenue - after all, there's only so much stuff one needs when you're wealthy.
3
So glad to see Bari Weiss's writing back front and center. I never know what view she's going to take or what she'll be writing about, but it's always intelligent, well-expressed, and thought-provoking.
Less predictable team sport columns and more Weiss, please.
3
Yang misses the impact of AI to key sectors. It's not the Truck Drivers - it's a much bigger sector - Government.
Next time you are in the DMV line up - for filling out a simple form - think how an AI would eliminate this, and what kind of job these people are qualified for?
The implications are huge - from union push backs to pension collapse - with the tax payer (truck drivers) on the hook.
1
Sounds like a populist in the shape of Emmanuel Macron. People like someone who is socially progressive and fiscally conservative. Giving $1000 per month to everyone sounds pretty social, but it's a hell of a lot simpler/cheaper than running hundreds of niche programs like SNAP, school lunches, housing vouchers, etc.
9
@Zack
Simpler but not more effective.
1
"If there is a typical Yang voter it is a former Bernie Sanders supporter who feels that Mr. Yang understands the challenges of the 21st century better than a 78-year-old socialist without a single app on his phone."
######## I am a 71 year old USA-British dual citizen and I do not own a mobile phone. I too qualify as 'appless.' You people have been duped by Ma Bell and other telecoms companies into thinking you can not function without a mobile phone. What a load of rubbish.
2
@Dave Steffe ok boomer.
2
Conventional wisdom would also have said that trump could never be elected.
Make America do Math Again
205
@UH
Make America Think Again! MATH.
If not now, when, how are we going to face the next century when China comes to become even more powerful!? America, THINK!
4
@Joanna I wouldn't worry so much about China given that their population is now tanking, but they might well create something dangerous with AI without international cooperation and oversight. Same goes with all the US firms competing with each other over AI.
Only takes one SkyNet
"His appeal is a powerful reminder that the animating political conflict of our era may not be left versus right, but establishment versus insurgency."
An interesting thought with some truth, I suspect. But the main face-off remains between Democrats and Republicans....And particularly now when Fox News, doing the oligarch's work, has the rapt and undivided attention of Trumpists...
Without a clue who is taking advantage of them--- or don't care! their hate and fear so deep that rural people would actually vote for this most repulsive of con-men City Slickers with the hilarious hair.
As I recall, Solomon Burke, and then Otis Redding, sang the R&B number "That's How Strong My Love Is." Well, this 40 per cent of America is singing "That's How Strong My Hate Is.
4
The more I hear from the other candidates... the more I'm Yang or bust!
5
Thank you for one of the most balanced articles I have read about Yang in the NYT. Let's hope that he surprises us all by taking 15 or more percent in Iowa....and then goes on and up from there, taking us all with him.
11
Andrew Yang’s campaign gives everyday Americans hope and a New Way Forward.
5
Bari neglected to mention that oddsmakers show only Yang beating Trump one-on-one in November, and it's not close.
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More Bari Weiss, please, NYT!
She is alive and engaging on every subject. Her pieces are filled with immediacy and vigor and- hope.
3
I'm 62, not broke, and totally committed to Yang from the first time I heard him speak.
He speaks from a clear-eyed assessment of the horrific trouble our society is in, while grounded in hope and faith in possibilities - a true visionary. He clearly operates from a set of core values (not personal ambition/ego) and humanitarian principles that drive his proposals. (Read his website) His commitment is obviously to all people's well-being - not dividing people into Trump supporters and not-Trump supporters.
He's the only candidate speaking into the future from a practical analysis of the problems generated by the very structure of the economy. It's not just about taxing the rich anymore.
And he's got a sense of humor! What's not to love?! The only political bumper sticker I've ever put on my car: Humanity First! Yang2020
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I think he’s really smart with a sense of humor and blah blah blah. However, $12K for every adult is ridiculous. First, it’s not enough if you’re unemployed. Second, if the robots are taking over, the US needs a massive government effort a la FDR to integrate our population into the new reality.
3
@Doug Lowenthal $12,000 is not supposed to be enough. It is enough for people to make rational financial decisions and have job. If they decide to keep the need based benefits their payment will be reduced. The need to integrate our population into the new reality is necessary. UBI is a bridge to get us there. I was laid off during the last crisis and used my severance and time to retrain myself.
3
You have to admire Yang, but what is he really offering? “I’m different” doesn’t always age well. If he got together with say Tulsi Gabbard and put together a movement it might be different.
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@Michael Livingston’s
He’s offering $1000/month for all Americans starting at age 18 till the day you die. It would instantly make millions of lives better. It would lower stress, promote entrepreneurship, lower crime, increase health and more.
These are some of the things that naturally happen when you remove the mindset of scarcity and replace it with a mindset of abundance.
It also makes tackling climate change easier. Most Americans right now can’t afford an unexpected $500 bill. Climate change is further down most people’s list unfortunately because they have more immediate things in their lives to worry about. $1000/month would help relieve that and help people see things more broadly.
His whole campaign is not just different, it’s revolutionary.
6
Yang is brilliant and he has his eyes on the prize on how to make America very special. his wife is impressive as she spoke at the Woman's March abut her own OBGYN abuse.
The media did not learn anything from the last elections about coverage. The talking heads think that the suffering of people is ok and I am talking about you NYT.
Are the writers to young that they dont have a big view of the world and the impact of world policies. Just the other day a young writer from the Washington Post wrote about how Kobe was involved in a sexual assault case hours after he had passed away. Is everyone looking for their fifteen minutes of fame and the political ideas, thoughts that the media should be promoting doesn't matter anymore?
Yang will be a godsend even if he cant get to the White House, however he would be a wonderful addition to anyone's cabinet and we need brilliance.
Whether you liked President Obama or not, his administration was not engulfed in this madness and his staff did not go to jail.
Yang is the breath of fresh air we need to be in Washington
10
If Bari Weiss is giving a good word to Andrew Yang then he is doing something horribly wrong.
This reader got Bari Weissed from reading this column, and not for the first time. Her youthful plain spoken yet highly intelligent voice makes her a natural as a columnist. As for Yang, he comes across as even sharper than Mayor Pete and his idea that cops should all get their purple belts in jujitsu, like a lot of Yang's ideas, given a little thought, begins to seem like a no brainer.
7
Andrew has gone through a lot of media blackouts from getting his name wrong to blatantly ignoring his presence. This is a good opportunity for you to correct that by using a clear image of him especially in the caption of the story! I perceive this as another form of blacking him out. Show his face, clearly. Let your readers know who he is. That’s the way to give a candidate a fair opportunity.
5
I think Yang is more authentic than Pete.
Pete is a born politician who is working his
way up the ladder, very careful with his words,
modifying his views to appeal to more people.
Perhaps Iowa will end up
Bernie
Biden
Warren
Yang
Peter
Amy K
2
Thanks for this article Bari ... except for your out-of-context Yang-based quotations or biased opinions of Bernie Sanders. Just highlighting the several Yangsters who supported Sanders in 2016 and now support Yang in 2020 as defectors or as evidence that Sanders appeal is narrowing is completely off-base and shallow.
Obviously I'm a Sanders supporter. And, at the same time, I like just about every policy idea Yang puts forth. I have nothing negative to say about him. But, your inference throughout this piece that Yang... and solely Yang ... is putting forth game-changing ideas regarding American society and its economy is simply wrong.
Do you not recall what Sanders did in 2016? The ideas he brought to the table? The people he brought into the political process? The upending of the status quo? For god's sake, he had NPR journalists Mara Liasson and Tamara Kieth taking potshots against him and then completely ignoring him when his campaign became a threat to HRC. Then there was jeff Bezos' new plaything , the Washington Post, ripping him almost weekly with a hit piece .
I'll go as far to say that Sanders 2016 is what made a Yang candidacy even have a shred of plausibility. I feel like I want to say that Sanders and Yang uniquely share the attribute of authenticity rarely seen in politicians. Perhaps generationally different kinds of authenticity. I'm hoping that's Yang's draw, because that should mean they'll migrate back to Bernie and not flock to "Mayor" Pete.
Amazing! You just described how this Arab American felt when he first heard Yang speak. I really wish more Americans give him a listen.
6
Only because Bari Weiss has a lot of credibility with me as a result of her previous columns did I read this one on a subject, politics, she does not write much about, a column regarding Andrew Yang, who I have paid no attention to. I am glad I made that "leap of faith." Thank you Bari!
I am not about to become part of the Yang Gang, but several observations he makes, as expressed by Weiss, I think are extremely relevant to the Presidential campaign.
"[Yang] added, 'I think there’s a middle ground where you can’t just say America is nothing and everybody run off and do your own thing.” It’s important, he said, to have a “common cultural context and even — and this will be very controversial — a common language of expression.'”
"[he]is not running on his identity: 'You can be Asian-American, you can be black American, you can be Latino-American, but the common denominator is American. That’s who he is.'”
"Mr. Yang believes in talking to people he disagrees with. In April, he appeared on 'The Ben Shapiro Show,' a no-go zone for those who buy into the new politics of contamination — that to sit next to a conservative like Mr. Shapiro is to tacitly endorse his ideas. 'Thinking that I’m going to catch ideas from someone seems ludicrous to me,' he said."
"Yang asked why Harvard, a university with a $40 billion endowment, is 'opening locations in Shanghai but not Ohio or Michigan.'"
(Some of Yang's attitudes form a significant part of President Obama's campaign appeal.)
2
Not sure you want someone to be commander in chief who has “zero foreign policy” experience?
Kindly I say to you, dear author, “good morning, Don J Trump, failed casino magnate/reality TV/steak salesman/vodka hawker is currently commanding our armed forces.”
At the very least Andrew Yang would bring empathy to the Oval Office, perhaps the best trait to bear when conducting conflict resolution.
8
I was Yanged two weeks ago
I watched the New Yorker video of him doing “How to Write a New Yorker Cartoon Caption.”
Anyone who has ever attempted doing it understands the level of difficulty as well how long it takes to just do one, he did six captions in five minutes.
He confidently and extemporaneously worked through each cartoon with self depreciating humor and wit. At the same time, demonstrating great problem solving strategies.
We need clarity in our national discourse and Andrew Yang delivers.
Impressed?.....You bet I was
Yanged?..........Fo’sure
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Only because Bari Weiss has a lot of credibility with me as a result of her other columns did I read this one on a subject, politics, she does not write much about, a column regarding Andrew Yang, who I have paid no attention to. I am glad I made that "leap of faith." Thank you Bari.
I am not about to become part of the Yang Gang, but several observations he makes, as expressed by Weiss, I think are extremely important.
"[Yang] added, 'I think there’s a middle ground where you can’t just say America is nothing and everybody run off and do your own thing.” It’s important, he said, to have a “common cultural context and even — and this will be very controversial — a common language of expression.'”
"[he]is not running on his identity: 'You can be Asian-American, you can be black American, you can be Latino-American, but the common denominator is American. That’s who he is.'” (I would note that that attitude was a significant part of President Obama's appeal.)
"Mr. Yang believes in talking to people he disagrees with. In April, he appeared on 'The Ben Shapiro Show,' a no-go zone for those who buy into the new politics of contamination — that to sit next to a conservative like Mr. Shapiro is to tacitly endorse his ideas. 'Thinking that I’m going to catch ideas from someone seems ludicrous to me,' he said."
"Yang asked why Harvard, a university with a $40 billion endowment, is 'opening locations in Shanghai but not Ohio or Michigan.'"
Forward this column to anyone you know in Iowa and New Hampshire. Ask them to reflect carefully on what they read.
1
search "biden plagiarism" to see the video that sank any chance of a Biden Presidency the first time he ran. This time Republicans will show that and then say the word "Hunter" and no swing voter will vote for him.
The only question I have for Yang, will he unequivocally support whoever is the Dem candidate?
He has answered this numerous times. The answer is yes. Also, he will not run as a third party candidate.
2
At the very least, Secretary of Labor.
Not left, not right. Forward. Yang will change America for the better and moves us beyond the identity politics, political correctness and polarization that characterizes our politics today. Yang offers new solutions that apply to problems of this era, instead of refighting twenty century problems with nineteenth century politics. Yang had an empathetic and inclusive outlook matched with a human vision for our community and nation. The freedom divided (universal basic income) is only one solution out of over one hundred policy positions that are clear and aimed at solving the problems we face, namely an economy that has stopped working for us and a society that is under threat of drastic change due to automation. Google Joe Rogan Andrew Yang and watch the most compelling interview of the primary season. #yanggang
1
We’re doomed if the people who are essentially electing Presidents, the swing voters like the Petersens, are basing their vote on simplistic, ridiculous and often racist or xenophobic arguments like immigrants or automation at Wal Mart taking away jobs. You don’t want the jobs that a machine can do nor can you live on a Wal Mart salary.
1
I love Bari Weiss. It is so refreshing to read an opinion that is fully her own, and not be bludgeoned by the Left thing to say, as is the case in so many NYT columns.
I have never voted for a Democrat, much less contributed to their campaign. I have donated to Yang. He is what we need.
If Yang wins the nomination, I will vote for him. If it is Sanders or Warren, I will either sit out the general election or I will -- OMG, I can't believe I'm saying this -- vote for The Orange One.
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Certainly not what Yang would urge you to do!
Yang 2020: Do the Math!
You can have that one, Mr. Yang
Telling a Lord of The Rings joke and having it understood is , in fact, very cool. Just saying.
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@Molly Martin I'd go so far as to say that thinking it was an inside joke of some sort says more about the author than the joke teller or audience,who are among some 100s of millions of movie goers. Still, for Yang to make the reference says something.
3
One way to limit the negative impact of automation would be to tax machines / robots like human workers.
Every company that uses automation over a certain (tight) limit should pay additional taxes which could be used for either universal income, restoring Social Security, or any other public need.
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@S You have it completely right. A VAT is a start, but robots and algorithms should be taxed at a rate similar to what a human would be taxed at inclusive of SS and Medicare. Companies still save a ton of money in getting reliable workers that never need a break, and the public benefits from automation.
1
Andrew Yang gives us all a lot to think about in ways we're not used to. Keep on Making America Think Harder, Mr. Yang!
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@Chris
Andrew Yang gives us a New Way Forward!
6
Andrew Yang is a good person with good ideas. Is he ready to be an effective president yet? I don't think so. But I want his voice in the campaign conversations, and I hope he'll get a place in the next president's cabinet. My hopes are on Bloomberg, who would bring a solid mix of experience, ethical pragmatism, and humanity to the job. No candidate is without flaws, but the focus should be on strengths. Are his/her qualities what we need to help us overcome the legacy of that unmitigated disaster who now sits in the White House?
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@Boxplayer hmm, the Dividend would represent a radical restructuring of capital flows away from Wall Street and directly into Main Street. No longer would Big Banking be Too Big To Fail. Stimulus spending would no longer depend on bankers distributing loans trickling down to small business.
Do you really think Bloomberg, who continues to make his billions through Wall Street, would care to make the Dividend a reality? I am skeptical considering his record as mayor of NYC during which millions in tax breaks were showered on Wall Street while public infrastructure continued to deteriorate.
8
Bloomberg ethical? Don’t make me laugh. He’s the guy who finagled a third term as NYC mayor notwithstanding the 2-term limit that had been imposed by the voters.
@Boxplayer Assuming Bloomberg wins, a big assumption for sure considering he's not as well liked as the NYTimes comment section would have you believe, I just dont think hed get a single law of consequence passed.
Solid mix of experience: The last 3 presidents with executive experience brought us to the state we're at now. Obama, who had two years as a senator, has publicly stated no experience gets you ready for the job of president. Its more important to this voter to know up front what you SPECIFICALLY want to do to change America for the better.
ethical pragmatism, and humanity to the job: I dont know where you pulled this from. Bloomberg's most famous program was stop and frisk - a policy found to be unconstitutional due to the inherent racism involved. He now admits its a bad policy now that hes running as a democrat. As mayor, most of NYC's poorest constituents aren't any better, they just live in more gentrified neighborhoods.
He would be another line of presidents who talk about some problems and will continue the decline.
With all the destruction that Washington and even the country has a whole has undergone over the last three years, I’m looking for someone who can bring institutional memory to the office. A number of candidates can provide that, some are obvious, but I include Klobuchar among them, who might not seem obvious at first. Others, with no government experience, could bow out as far as I’m concerned.
But Yang should be in any new government, in some important capacity. He’s asking questions that need to be asked and we need to identify the problems before we propose the solutions.
1
A presidential candidate with the courage to support the metric system? Where do I sign up?
2
Ms Weiss does a great job of capturing the appeal of Yang's message, but it would be misleading to suggest that his supporters are mostly broke.
I was as skeptical as any upper-middle-class suburban professional about the feasibility and wisdom of sending a monthly thousand-dollar check to every American 18 and older. But when you consider how our economy has become top-heavy and is teetering on collapse, you see his signature proposal as an elegant solution to an urgent problem.
The alternative would be far more costly, especially to those who have the most to lose.
Uncle Sam has gotten into the nasty habit of printing a trillion or more dollars a year to cushion big banks in hopes that will trickle growth down to main street. It simply hasn't been working, and it's a dangerously weak lever for controlling an economy that is losing steam and hollowing out the entire center of America.
Yang's solutions would not only strengthen our capitalist system but restore faith in our democracy by hollowing out corporate lobbyists instead of our heartland!
Go YangGang! I do believe you will shock America come February.
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@Cal Law
Andrew Yang still has it backward: instead of "sending everyone a thousand dollars a month," their bills should be monetarily reduced a thousand dollars a month.
I don't know, but were he really hip, he'd be wanting to limit automation, certainly AI and so-called technical advance. It's an embellished fact: 20 men digging a ditch is better for everyone than one machine doing so.
The only thing wrong with ditch digging is that is doesn't pay well. A true visionary would say these things.
6
@Nelly Giving $1000 is a much more efficient way to improve people's lives than reducing their bills on a person to person basis. I get what you're saying, that we should look at the core of the problems, but people are the best at solving their own problems, since the problems are different for each person. The freedom dividend aides people in their 'pursuit of happiness' more than any other government program. Also, isn't it better to have a machine dig a ditch, as long as all 20 people get the money from it anyway?
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@Nelly it's not just about the money, it's also about collective injecting economic buying power in communities, rural areas, cities that have all lost much enterprising business due to automation and generally online retail. That buying power goes such a long way to rejuvinate those areas that have been left behind.
40
It's hard to dislike a candidate who seems to love America and have her best interests at heart. Regarding the automation replacement of jobs, he's right on target. This will continue to happen, so we don't need more people in the US. We are already overpopulated with unskilled labor. We need smaller families and better birth control education.
1
What kind of future Yang envisions? Is it the one where 1% owns the world while others are surviving on 12K per year?
1
I understand Yang's vision of America and our future far better than that of any other candidate, or any other Democrat. It's not as dopamine inducing as the Bernie harangue, the Warren scold, the Biden all-is-well-we-just-need-me, or the AOC panic that we're dying in 12 years. But frankly, I'm sick of dopamine. It doesn't last.
3
The last time I here'd HOPE used in a campaign it turned out quite well. HOPE and CHANGE are wonderful things to believe in!!
2
So basically most of the people Ms. Weiss met don't live in NH, drove "25 hours" to be present, can't vote in the primary there, and think it's better to sit it out than support anyone else? How very special. But they met cute, whatever that means.
@Neal Voters being enthusiastic for a candidate is a bad thing? If youre driving across the country, its likely theyre staying there to canvass for the candidate.
Furthermore, we need more than just the solid democrats to win the election. Having Trump supporters and nonvoters is a great thing and shows if hes the nominee, he would beat trump considering by the polls, hes taking more trump supporters than any other candidate. Winning the election AND unifying our partisan politics while also preparing for a tilde wave of automation are three benefits of Yang.
I am dreaming of a Warren-Yang ticket. That ticket would unite our country, slap some reason into an adequate number of ex-Trump voters, and—dare I dream it?—put our country and its institutions back on their feet again.
@Me I think a Yang/Warren ticket would be possible, but probably not the reverse. As you probably noticed, Yang is incredibly strong in his data-driven convictions and his stance on automation and VAT would preclude subordinating himself to Warren's automation-denial/wealth tax if she is the nominee. If he is the nominee, however, he has stated preference for a woman VP and someone with strong Congressional connections, and Warren meets both criteria.
Right on, Andrew! A normal American pushing ideas and calling out the basic responsibility of the elite and the common person to lift all of America.
3
The even bigger idea that he has championed is the $100 per voter given out to fund campaigns. Although it sounds too good to be true, could you imagine the political funding power of ~150 million Americans at $100? Overnight the lobbyists and massive current widespread political corruption rendered impotent by "Democracy Dollars". NOT RIGHT NOT LEFT BUT FORWARD!!!
5
I’ve been donating to his campaign every month since last June, as first timer. What’s different about him is that you can see his solutions actually could really work in our current political system! It’s not just wishful “hope”. He wants to put resources and agency back to us. He clearly identified the divergence of market value vs human value in our society today, and proposed a way forward. I want to live in a world of his vision!
3
Dear Ms. Weiss,
"His appeal is a powerful reminder that the animating political conflict of our era may not be left versus right, but establishment versus insurgency."
Good grief!
Please read his book.
The "animating political conflict" he points out is that, in the 250+ year struggle between capital and labor, capital has achieved near total victory.
Please see:
"Wage Stagnation in Nine Charts"
https://www.epi.org/publication/charting-wage-stagnation/
Cheers
1
Yang is the best! he will shock the world and win!
1
What I love about Yang is the fact he actually knows money trickles up, not down.
You give rich people big tax breaks, it’s a surplus they never needed; they sock it away. Hence the growing wealth disparity in this country because we’ve been giving the rich tax breaks ever since Reagan.
But, you give poor people money, they spend most of it. Not because they’re irresponsible, but because they really needed the money; it’s not surplus wealth for them.
And it’s the spending that keeps the economy moving, not the hoarding.
But no, that’s not the America we’re going to get. We get the America where everyone works all the time, lives under crushing debt, and where student loan debts triple as young people try and figure out how to survive like this.
Then, you get old, or sick, or both, and you go bankrupt. But, surprise! You still get to keep your student loan debt.
MAGA people.
6
I trust Yang's 'foreign policy experience' vastly more than I trust you-know-who's. It's because any policy, at foundation, rests on the leader's character, intelligence, and integrity.
8
“Foreign policy experience” I would be grateful for an optimistic, intelligent young person. He is thoughtful, charismatic, and seems to be a man who harbors no hatred. What a refreshing change!
3
Demonize no one. Seemingly zero interest in culture wars. How much more refreshing can a candidate be?
His endorsement will be golden for whoever gets it and he would be a devastatingly good VP pick.
1
Yang is a fun guy and often a funny guy. But this election isn't a laughing matter -- it's life and death for the United States. In that context, Yang is a bad joke. If he's serious at all (a dubious proposition) he should drop out and throw his support to a Democrat who can win.
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@Forrest Chisman
I agree. A Sanders-Yang ticket would be a formidable team. The yin and yang of a future model of progressive economic policy. Of course, that would rule out the Democratic Party as its home court. Not a problem though as the next generations write off both of the current parties as archaic and dysfunctional.
@Forrest Chisman that's funny, since Yang has the highest cross-over appeal of any Democrat to Trump voters, non-voters, and third-party voters at 30.4% according to the latest Emerson Poll.
And, Yang just won the Iowa Youth Straw Poll, over both Bernie and Biden.
Better look again to see who should drop out!
2
@Forrest Chisman In national polls hes beating the serious candidate Klobachar whos been propped up by media orgs like the nytimes. In two recent polls, hes beating Pete nationally.
Interesting that I had to read this column to learn of Mr. Yang's relationship with Mr. Rogan. When Rogan merely mentioned Sanders, it unleashed a wave of Bernie bashing that went on for days.
@thebigmancat Listen to Rogan's interview with Yang. It is really interesting and informative.
Awesome article! Finally a long NYT article on Yang that I enjoyed reading.
3
Yang is the most forward-thinking candidate of either party that we've had in recent memory.
It is shameful that this newspaper has been so dismissive of him in the past, and so steadfastly in favor of the establishment.
We're living in an era of society-destabilizing change. We're already overwhelmed by it's pace, as a glance at the news headlines on any given day will attest, and things are about to get exponentially worse in the coming decade of the 2020's.
Adapting to this new reality requires a radical change in thinking in order to conquer the profound challenges at every level of society that these changes will create. This is the most important and defining issue of our time, and Yang understands that, better than any other candidate, by a mile.
Yang is on the right side of history.
The New York Times is not.
Again.
6
I have loved Warren since 2016 and said I'd campaign for her. That said, Yang has been a huge delight - I first heard him on Freakonomics radio and he's wow'd me with his humor, smarts and a sense of integrity and normalcy. Humility. In a world of crazy that had crazy win in 2016, I would be elated if Yang won. My hope is the ticket is Warren & Yang
1
@Ari I think a Yang/Warren ticket would be possible, but probably not the reverse. As you probably noticed, Yang is incredibly strong in his data-driven convictions and his stance on automation and VAT would preclude subordinating himself to Warren's automation-denial/wealth tax if she is the nominee. If he is the nominee, however, he has stated preference for a woman VP and someone with strong Congressional connections, and Warren meets both criteria.
1
Yang will be America's best pick for president, he's incredibly smart, genuine and humble. This man is a diamond in the rough. I was only surprised by the media ignoring/ vilifying him for being an outsider. Arendt says that even power could be contained by the intermediaries of weapons through violence- but power, she says, could never originate from the weapon itself in 'Macht und Gewalt.' And Yang has that spark. He does not need MSM in the spread of his campaign, he did it without MSM. his 'strength' comes from him, and this is power. Yang Gang is the most wholesome group out there campaigning for him. I am rooting for Yang...America, don't let this one get away, he's the one. Democrat's best candidate who could to beat Trump. And Yang is the real deal.
5
Words don't really do his movement justice. It's become about more than Yang. He's the perfect conduit as our happy warrior but his ideas will live on. He's also done more for the Asian American community than the woke asian critics.
He's been my personal hero for the past year. I feel more inspired by this man's absolute laser focused dedication to get the problems solved. He's a one man wrecking crew - an absolute force. This country needs to elevate the working class by hiring an actual working class citizen. He's accomplished the American Dream and have seen only a few cross the finish line with him. He's not celebrating till everyone makes it over. Go Yang. We need you!!
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@Mike I agree with you, but then I though Obama winning was awesome until I saw the backlash of ignorant America, which appears to be in the 80% range no matter where you live, to then rally around hatred and divisiveness. But it would be awesome to see him get legs over the mostly bad ideas of socialist dems and those who are just GOP-light as the GOP also doesn't care about equal protection under the law and liberty and solving big issues that face us.
@Mike Running on a "woke" agenda is a loser in a national election. But his ideas do wake you up in a very different way. I just heard the podcasts. A light bulb went on about the structural changes occurring in our economy right now and proposing ways we may begin to address these changes.
The future looks very different with many unknowns. But addressing what we do know, yes!
7
@David I voted for Obama mostly by party but also his personality. I had no delusions about what exactly he would achieve, especially after we los both houses of Congress. Yang has personality and specific policies and it’s mostly the latter that is winning people over and that will make him a successful president.
5
I like Andrew. I'll pay more attention to him after he's been, say, mayor of a small midwestern city for a few years.
63
@Robert Well sir, I think you'll either get the pleasure of having Andrew as your president for a few years, or spend the same period wishing he were your president.
Look at the BetOnline odds. Yang in heavily favored -150 to Trump’s +110. Bernie and Trump are even with a betting line of -120. Trump beats all the other Dem candidates.
Better choose carefully.
17
@Robert
I agree that Yang's lack of experience in government is a concern, but he is unquestionably the smartest among all of the candidates and far and away the most creative thinker. I have no doubt if by some miracle he became the candidate and won the election he would learn everything he needs to know about administration , foreign policy, etc. by the time he moved into the oval office. Most important would be his ability to repair the incredible damage Trump has wrought on the U.S. and make democracy in American functional again would surpass any of the other candidates.
27
@Robert Yang has explained in numerous interviews (look on YT and take your pick) that there is no time to waste - our economy and job market will be shredded by 2030 and heading that way much sooner. He has big ideas and they're way too important to waste his talent and vision on a mayoral position. He's also a breath of fresh air and kindness, something that will be needed to re-integrate the warring factions of Trump's America. He's literally the only one who can do it; every other candidate is lacking in something absolutely necessary to accomplish a healing and reinvigoration for all of us.
21
Yes, Yang is not an experienced politician. He is a self-made man, father and husband, who cares deeply about his country and its future. My son (who is 18) got me excited about Yang and shortly after looking at his positions and policies, I too was "Yanged." Above all of his pragmatism, he seems like the only candidate who wants to begin to bridge the the ever increasing cleft in our great country.
He clearly sees that at the core, the divide we are seeing is economical. If families are not making ends meet and they are losing their jobs, they panic. They close ranks and look to place blame. Understandable. We need leaders who are visionaries and who speak to all Americans. I believe Andrew Yang is that person and I hope more and more people start to listen to him and hear his message.
Yes please Mr. Yang ... Forward!
9
Ms. Weiss, you made me laugh out loud at least six times. The piece was excellent in that I had never really thought of Yang as a truly serious candidate but now I am intrigued. Well done.
9
Trump's presidency should have taught us at least one thing, that electing someone who has had no elective experience is risky. You don't know how they will behave once in office.
As to Yang - another plutocrat with zero political experience: he's certainly got interesting ideas but how about running for lesser office first?
Start by challenging Andrew Cuomo for the NY governorship. I'm betting Yang would have a serious chance of winning.
2
Love the MATH acronym. He get's the megatrends and has innovative solutions. That said, I think the universal basic income concept makes sense and a good policy position could be to evolve there, starting with a minimum wage increase that requires healthcare coverage for all. Loved him on Bill Maher recently - energy, wit, and optimism. His best line which I think he uses often "I've been told many times that an Asian can't win the Presidency. And the person that told me that was my mother."
7
Great article, Ms. Weiss. I was already impressed by Yang; now I am even more interested. He may not win, but he has both feet firmly planted in the future, more so than any other candidate.
3
@MK :) Yang just won the Iowa Youth Straw Poll, beating Sanders, so don't count him out!
He's doing 5-6 events a DAY for 18 days straight while the septuagenarians are lounging in DC. Monday will be interesting.
Compared to Elizabeth Warren, Andrew Yang seems so superficial. Also, do we really need to prove for the second time in a row that electing a very rich businessman (emphasis on "man") with no political experience is not the wisest way to get an effective president, granted that Mr. Yang seems to be much saner than the Stable Genius.
4
@Stephen Merritt One, Yang is worth much less than Liz, so please don't paint him with "very rich" unless the same applies to her, x12. As an entrepreneur and a non-profit leader Yang promoted a female majority leadership team, and a hand-picked successor who was a working mother.
Yang might not have legislative experience, but he is a Columbia trained lawyer with an open mind to learn from experts. His honesty and moral integrity shines through when you compare the two when surprised with the same question on the campaign trail.
"Will members of your administration be allowed to have a relative sit on the board of a foreign company?"
Liz: "No...I don't know...I'll have to look at what the plan says"
Yang: "No. I don't think they should sit on the board of any company, foreign, or domestic."
3
Bari, let me try to crack the door on convincing you about the wisdom of Yang’s universal basic income (UBI) plan. The two principles components of his plan are time tested. A value-added tax (VAT) has been used with success in Europe for years. It’s more or less a known quantity. The mechanism for distributed payments has also been used with success for years in a variety of places. It’s even been used here in America. For example, in Alaska.
On the flip side, what has been shown not to work for economic redistribution is a wealth tax. It’s not that the idea is inherently bad, but it’s costly and difficult, if not impossible, to implement effectively. The chief problem being, how does one quantify wealth when there are so many ways to hide it or when the market value of assets are hard to ascertain? This is a bigger problem than it might seem at first and it’s why many countries that have tried a wealth tax like those being proposed have ultimately abandoned it.
Harvard economist Greg Mankiw has endorsed the essence of Yang’s UBI plan for these above reasons. It’s past time to start considering it as the viable economic redistribution mechanism that it is.
But don’t take my word for it, start looking into it yourself. You might just come away with a changed view. I know I did.
17
@Nathan Define the success. Surely, to get taxes from the poor is much easier than from the rich, and VAT is the regressive tax, meaning that the poor are paying higher percentage of their salaries to cover VAT. It is offset in Europe by extensive safety net, that doesn't exist in the US. On the other side, many countries and even in the US many state have the form of wealth tax that is called property tax, that is the important part of the budget. Alaska pays its dividends from revenue, rather than through the tax, and although dividends decreased crushing poverty, it also increased calls for cut in social programs, making lives of poor more difficult.
@yulia, as you've indicated, it's really about how the VAT is implemented, and what kind of offsets are baked in, that influences whether or not it's regressive overall. Carve outs for basic necessities like food have also been proposed as a way to address the added stress that a consumption tax would place on low-income households. Indeed, there are ways to make a VAT net progressive through a combination of carve outs and offsets. And this is exactly what Yang is proposing.
Also, to your well-intentioned point about property taxes, just because the most visible form of wealth asset has been taxed effectively doesn't mean that all of the less visible forms of wealth assets will be taxed effectively. On this, I will trust the experts, economists, and the historical record that has together shown the difficulty of taxing wealth assets beyond just property holdings.
If you want to talk more about the pros and cons of each of the proposed plans, please do take a deeper look at each of them first and then feel free to debate their relative strengths and weaknesses. But without that holistic understanding of what is actually being put forth by the candidates, then how can we as voters have the truly productive dialogues that are sorely needed?
1
@Nathan Again if you exempt some things from VAT, you will have less money to pay for UBI. And no matter how easier it could be collected, it is regressive tax, that is offset in Europe by strong safety net that is absence in the US, and Yang doesn't propose how to strengthen such net. And allow VAT is a part of revenue (around 20-30%), but only a part, clearly showing that other taxes generate more revenue
This is a particularly well-done story -- too many others like it turn into mini-hagiographies -- and I read it with great interest.
I think Mr. Yang's views on automation (at least as spoken out loud, who knows what complexities are in his head) are oversimplified. I certainly don't want to lower the voting age. In other words, I think he's wrong about a number of things.
But, as P.J. O'Rourke said when he voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, he's "wrong within normal parameters." It's much more important now to have a smart, decent person in the White House than to have one who punches every box on my philosophical sandwich card.
So take note, Democratic voters: This right-leaning, anti-Trump, swing-state independent will leave the presidential line on the ballot empty if Warren or Sanders is on it. But, along with Buttigieg, Yang is someone I could vote for.
And to Ms. Weiss: Along with kudos for a great piece, please think again about expressing surprise that "living in New York" keeps you from experiencing "politically diverse group(s) of people." Srsly.
14
@Jim asserts "This right-leaning, anti-Trump, swing-state independent will leave the presidential line on the ballot empty if Warren or Sanders is on it."
I recommend you heed the aphorism "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." No vote is a vote for Trump.
9
@Jim Please remember also that a president cannot pass legislation alone. The Congress is necessary, and unless Trump entirely destroys the balance of power baked into our democratic republic, a Warren or Sanders cannot transform the country simply by advocating solutions that you find too left leaning. Warren, at least, has the optimism and energy of a Yang with a mountains of experience and policy expertise. Please do not refuse to vote. That is how Trump won the first time around.
1
@Jim have you seen the YouTube video of the 6 year old girl that eviscerated the wealth tax while asking Yang a question in a townhall? I would give that girl a vote. Blew away ALL the adults in the room.
Then there was the 16 year old campaign volunteer that went on camera and trended #PollThePeople at #1 when the DNC polling drought kept Yang from the Jan "dud" debate
Wisdom and intelligence come in all sizes
Love this article. It frames the power of Yang's campaign so fairly. While I tend to agree with more of Yang's policy ideas, I too was sold on him not purely by his policies, but how he arrived at them and plans to bring America along and unite us to improve our daily lives.
10
I am a 71 year old white Democrat, married with 3 adult children and 5 very young grandchildren.Like all people my age, we have lived through the Korean conflict, the Vietnam war, the Cold War, the Gulf war, the Iraq war, the Afghanistan war, 9/11, terrorism, racism, globalism, rampant capitalism, climate change, social mediaism and Trumpism. The paradigms of endless wars and inhumane treatment of the human species must shift immediately and as Andrew says, we must "human up". He is the serious minded, visionary that we so sorely need to uplift us from the downward spiral of our times. I want to see my 5 grandkids thrive in an ever expanding humanist society and country, but have little doubt they will not, unless and until leaders like Mr. Yang are elected at all levels of government. Please join the Yang movement.
28
Once again Ms. Weiss captures how many of us feel. Time to Human Up.
10
At first I thought Yang and the UBI was ridiculous. But then I saw Yang in the debates and got curious about him. After watching a bunch of videos and listening to the Rogan show, I'm impressed.
Generally I don't believe that business people (especially businessmen) should run government--they are NOT the same.
But for Yang, I could make an exception to my rule. He's raising the questions we should be asking, and getting past the "hot button" issues into things that will affect our lives.
I hope he does well in Iowa. And if he's not elected president, he needs to be in somebody's cabinet in 2021.
26
Hopefully after New Hampshire it is the last we see of him - if he really wants to help the Democratic money he should spend his money on voter registration and to help elect Senators to help flip the Senate.
3
@E This is a very ill-informed comment. Yang publicly disclosed his tax returns and based on his income he is one of the poorest candidates running for president. His income ranged from $150k to $400k as a household and he regularly donates $30k per year to charities (check his website). Bernie Sanders, the champion for the working man, filed only $10k in charitable donations on $1million in income in 2016 KNOWING he would re-run for president.
Yang lives in the most expensive city in the world in NYC and his wife was a former L'Oréal executive. Instead of focusing on wealth, his wife turned down 6 figure salary to stay at home with the kids. Yang could be monopolizing his immense talents for financial gains, but he turned his first opportunity for vast wealth selling Manhattan Prep for $6 million into a national non-profit organization. Do you know what it takes to run an national non-profit and the financial sacrifices an Ivy-league educated CEO is giving up to do so over 7 years?
Yang is a model human being. He's brilliant, educated, witty, and a once-in-a-generation talent. I have never even thought of politics as place to propose real solutions for the problems of every day Americans. Money and voter registration will mean nothing if electorate remains uninspired. If the last democratic debate is a model of the level of enthusiasm that the democrats plan to bring to this country, there will be no flipping of any congressional seats. We all need more Yang.
1
this is an article about Andrew not Steyer/Bloomberg. he took in $180k last year... not billions.
@E He has less money than any other candidate besides Pete.
Most pundits write off Yang and dismiss his candidacy with a baffled shrug. Bari Weiss gets it. Joe Rogan gets it. Most, though remain too focused on the outrage du jour to pay attention to the voice of one who understands the future.
Artificial Intelligence and robotics pose a dilemma as new technologies and applications are rolled out. Efficient, relentless, and expanding in quantum leaps, both displace workers who cannot compete and at far less cost as the expenses are amortized. Yang understands the impact on the lives of the displaced workers and ultimately of businesses that cannot afford or distrust to invest.
Pondering policies to implement in the face of a national and global emergency is not a terrific campaign strategy but people understand their own jobs could be next and then what?
So count this aging boomer in as a member of the gang. It's not the $1,000 a month, it's my acknowledgement that it's time to pass the torch from the generation who saw a calamity coming right at us - and did virtually nothing to combat it, climate change.
18
I like Yang for his authenticity. But I think he is a bit too quirky to ever gain anything like the support he would need to become President. And he seems clueless about the real world of government—a huge, bureaucratic ship that operates like an Agatha Christie mystery with untrustworthy people and backstabbed around every corner.
1
@ehillesum On the contrary, Yang was a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship with Obama, and as a non-profit leader worked with various government agencies national and local.
He has said himself that he'd look for a VP with deep DC knowledge and connections, in conjunction with bipartisan thought leaders and science/technology leaders for Cabinet.
Definitely not the "run government as a business" approach that Trump takes.
10
@FLRepublican thanks, I didn't know that as I am a budding Yang-ite. Overall someone who actually uses their brain, the resources available and looks for solutions rather than talking points is kind of what we as a country need. As President one can call on the top minds in every field for counsel - why hasn't this one - he whose name I am loath to mention- done that? (rhetorical question )
I know people think Iowa and New Hampshire have too much say in who becomes the candidate, but the downside of that is that we have a huge responsibility that is really daunting.
Although Yang is very likable and seems to have the clearest (if darkest) vision of what lies ahead for us, I haven't seriously considered voting for him. After talking to the Yang volunteers who came to my door yesterday and reading this article, though, I'm thinking perhaps I should. I haven't seen him in person yet, but I will try to.
Deciding who to vote for in the last few primaries was relatively easy for me. This year I have no idea what to do. Maybe because defeating Trump has made the stakes so high, or maybe because the vision of the future for the U.S. (and the world) is exceedingly dark even if we do acknowledge the problems we face that Yang has pointed out, my vote -- everyone's vote-- has taken on a greater importance than ever before.
What I hope is that Yang and all the candidates, even if they don't win, will not merely say they will back the eventual candidate, but will have the support of the DNC to have their voices continue to be heard so that their supporters don't feel left behind. C'mom DNC, recruit them all to keep on speaking so that their supporters can understand that while they differ on many policies, their basic philosophies align. Allot some money for that. We need to do this together. United we stand.
21
Yang is the candidate we need now. He's not over 70, he has policies that appeal to lefties and libertarians alike, he addresses the problems we have but remains optimistic, he has his eyes focused on the future, he is a transformational candidate.
Why can't the Democratic establishment or the media get that and support it? If you want to know who's electable, it's Yang.
33
@Js27
I suspect that he is as unelectable as Buttigieg, Klobuchar, or Warren - I don't believe that the folks needed to vote Trump out of office - the marginalized fly-overs - are quite ready for an Asian president, a white female president, or a young, white, male but openly-gay president.
Yang’s interview with Ezra Klein (on his podcast “The Ezra Klein Show”) is also very compelling. Listening to that one afternoon, unexpectedly, was my first introduction to Andrew Yang, and I donated to him immediately upon finishing the listen. He is a positive, clever, but also semi-somber individual who truly wants nothing but to be a civil servant for our nation... honestly, perhaps like a modern-day Abraham Lincoln. Perhaps exactly what we need to keep this Union together.
34
Andrew Yang helpfully moves the Overton window on potentially helpful programs like universal basic income. Unfortunately, Yang's "freedom dividend" (sigh, groan) is not universal, and is perhaps among the worst ways you could implement such a program. Forcing people to choose between Yang Bucks and SSDI or SNAP or any other benefit means you're comforting the relatively comfortable while using non-universal UBI to gouge social programs.
There are plenty of potential issues with UBI, but the #YangGang has a poor approach to start with.
5
@Chris I would argue that the Dividend is as universal as Medicare.
6% of eligible Medicare recipients opts out in favor of private insurance, so it is perfectly reasonable for eligible Dividend recipients to choose between the Dividend and certain welfare programs (note that paid-in SSDI or social security stacks with Dividend).
SNAP as a program punishes recipients by withdrawing support with gains in income or disposable assets, with only 62.1% households reporting that the supplement covered grocery needs. What's...not great, yes?
non-paid-in SDI (supplemental disability insurance) tops out at $771 a month, and maybe withdrawn if the recipient earns any income or even volunteers(!)
I have not met any current recipients of SNAP or SDI that would not find the Dividend preferable in terms of access, reporting burden, or basic dignity. Are you on these programs and could explain why you would prefer SNAP and/or SDI over Dividend?
4
Yes, it is true that you can not use certain programs, if you earn higher income, but on the other hands it will be non-issue, if due to automation a lot of people will have no job, in this case 12 K will be just not enough to pay for food and shelter, especially if prices will go up due to VAT.
1
@Chris Let's say I'm rich and you and get $300 a month from government assistance. If the government raises your benefits to $1,000 a month, I think we can both agree, you'd be better off. Now here is where we diverge, you seem to think that if the government then gives me $1,000 too your situation is somehow worse than it was when you were getting $300 a month.
The gap in wealth isn't the problem, and we shouldn't try to put a cap on how high people can climb, that is the antithesis of the American Dream. Instead, we should be raising the floor and making sure everyone has the gear they need to make the climb. That's what the Freedom Dividend does.
While I disagree with Andrew Yang on his signature idea, he is among the most thoughtful and interesting candidate running as a Democrat. You can’t pigeon hole him. Unlike so many of the other candidates, he appears to not be in bed with the ruling elites. Nor does it appear that he has taken advantage of his position to enrich himself and his family much as Biden, Warren and Sanders have done over the years. All that being said, he will not became a so called first tier candidate unless Biden, Warren and Sanders all exit the race, which will likely not occur.
11
What position of Yang are you talking about? And how Sanders and Warren enriched themselves? By writing books? Or working as a lawyer or professor of University? Why is earning money this way less respectable than way Yang gets his money?
He's my first choice, even though I've some issues with some of his policy ideas.
12
I think Andrew Yang is great! I certainly don’t fit the typical profile of the supporters in the article. He’s smart, he’s able to look at issues from different angles and he communicates well. I am glad he will be back on the debates stage. The best to hope for is for when (please god!) a democratic administration is in the White House, that fresh and forward looking ideas, and people like him are welcome into the fold.
22
I appreciate Mr. Yang's analysis of Ms. Clinton's failure in 2016. He "sees" the struggles and suffering of a lot of people who Clinton and even Obama did not want to fully acknowledge. This suffering perhaps didn't compute with the technocrats because it didn't match with the booming economic numbers. Yang recognizes this, which is very appealing. The thing I don't trust about him is his faith in enterprise to correct itself, especially when it comes to healthcare. As good as he claims to be about math, he doesn't properly account for the way that healthcare functions, for who it leaves out and for who it's milking for all they're worth. I like him because he understands the need for a people-centered politics, but I don't think he has the economic vision to back it up.
10
@Jeremiah Crotser I would recommend taking a look at the Singapore universal healthcare system, which costs 2.5% of GDP and delivers first-class service. This is achieved not through single-payer, but rather through private competition. All citizens choose an standard base health insurance package mandated by the government but offered by all the insurance companies, so you compare apples to apples on cost. The government has oversight over services and drug price negotiation.
Yang's health plan doesn't count on companies to correct themselves. He would use Medicare to drive down costs, so private insurance must also lower costs to compete. Collective drug negotiations, telemedicine, all these measures can be passed with bipartisan support. When people on Medicare are paying half as much as now, it would be much easier to open eligibility for everyone than to force a legal mandate outlawing private insurance in favor of a new bureaucracy.
8
@FLRepublican This was the original intent of the Affordable Care Act but the public option was never allowed. Medicare for All includes private insurance and would allow the US to get to the Singapore style plan. There are significant cultural differences between the two nations, in compliance and heterogeneity, but a model where private insurance is an option already is used in many other countries, including France and Switzerland.
2
@Roberta I supported the ACA as a necessary step towards universal healthcare, even though it was obvious critical cost-saving measures had been cut out. The public exchanges in particular served to expose the underlying cost which used to be hidden from most people.
Yang is a much tougher negotiator and operator than Obama, less cerebral and more mission-focused. I would encourage everyone to check out his first Nerds for Yang interview. Be forewarned that there is some profanity.
1
So much of Andrew Yang's agenda makes sense and appeals to our basic need to rebalance a system dramatically biased toward the wealthy.
One of his points aligns with something that I have observed many times before. As Americans we all have more in common than in contention but we have been herded into opposing camps by self serving politicians. Someone who can bring that back to the front and unite this country could actually save it. Mr. Yang is really the only potential candidate speaking that truth today and thus has earned my support.
21
If we all get $1,000 a month and there's more money in circulation, won't the cost of things like food, transportation, healthcare all go up as well? So there's nothing to save at the end of the day just like there's nothing to save (for me) at the end of the day right now? Won't forty percent of us still be living check to check just like we are now?
4
@A Stor mo Chroi Supply and demand drive prices, not income. With automation in transport and agriculture, we can have more food, faster, and cheaper because of decreasing human labor costs. Demand stays stable. So what happens when someone gets greedy and wants to charge $10 for a loaf of bread, people with their $1000 have the money to put gas in their cars and drive to another store. Landlords increase the rent? A couple now has $24,000 more a year to move to a new city with a lower cost of living or a downpayment on a house of their own.
9
@A Stor mo Chroi First, the Fed has been printing $75 bn a DAY since Sep '19 to give to big banks for free to cover Wall Street gambling debts. Have you seen any inflation? nope, and Dividend involves $0 printed, all with money already in circulation
Second, market prices are determined by supply and demand, so as demand for goods increase with more cash in hand, prices will go up briefly, but then supply picks up bringing prices back to original price at equilibrium over time for all competitive market goods.
Third, historically, Dividend was implemented in Alaska in 1981. Starting in 1982, and in every year since, Alaskan inflation in CPI has been LOWER than that of the other states. Competition and mobility apparently works in practice.
4
Andrew is not proposing to print new money. He wants to tax big tech. therefore inflation is not an issue. your concerns here are moot
Bernie/Warren see Capitalism as evil, subscribe to grievance politics where one's life is defined by the failures of the system, prejudice, etc and there is little personal accountability. It is the left's version of Trump-blame politics. Yang is an American not an Asian American. He sees an optimistic future but one based on a balance between personal responsibility and eliminating structural economic problems. I happen to completely disagree with the basic income concept. But his sensibilities are correct.
14
I'll be 77 next week, and I hope people listen to, and read about, what Yang has to say. If he is the Democratic nominee, I'll be at the front of the line to vote for him on November 3, 2020.
39
Increase taxes on those who actually pay them and give free money back to everyone? Try a higher minimum wage and higher taxes on investment income and the very wealthy. Technology is replacing workers and undermining the economy? Come on. There is a huge need for labor in this country. What we lack are skilled, well-adjusted people to do the work, and wages for low end jobs that allow a person to function in society. Any candidate can point out the obvious: those in the upper 1-2% are gorging themselves on wealth while the bottom 30% can barely exist. If only someone could address this problem while acknowledging that it will always be possible for some people to fail at life due to their own choices. Instead most Democratic candidates can't stop talking about race, gender, free stuff, and the evils of America in the world.
5
@Teal Hey guy. Remember, really poor people or even lower-middle-class people, won't be paying much VAT tax because it is focused on manufactured consumer goods at a high level. The reason VAT makes sense is all will get a cut when Google buys its next corporate jet; all of us will get some when someone buys a yacht, a limo, a luxury vehicle, etc. The reason this makes sense is that it picks the rich's pocket in a way that income tax cannot. Taxing investment income is not good for the growth of jobs and investment, and that is not good for people. Recommend Rogan's conversation with Yang, he explains it all there in detail. Average Americans have no clue how many billions are spent by the super-wealthy on luxury manufactured items. It is a guaranteed, no evasion way to get the cash we need.
17
@Teal Small business is condemned by a 15 min wage, and wealth taxes are not sustainable in the least. they actually encourage buying 5 yachts and partying instead of saving to colonize other planets or eradicate polio completely. plus wealth is usually liquid untaxable and the tax would get less and less each time.
@Teal Looking forward to your Presidential run!
“I worry about whether someone with zero foreign policy experience can be the commander in chief.”
It seems you had an opportunity to ask him specific questions. Did you ask what were his views on foreign policy or on Israel or endless war or Russia or China, anything?
Yang:
“Over the past several decades, we have engaged in conflicts that have cost us trillions of dollars and thousands of American lives. These misadventures have destabilized parts of the world, made enemies of allies, and resulted in untold human suffering, both for our brave soldiers and civilians of other countries.
While an unfathomable amount of money has been spent on military engagements that have accomplished little, our infrastructure has started to collapse, and our people are living paycheck to paycheck and falling prey to ills like drug abuse. We need to make sure we are strong at home if we are going to successfully project our values abroad.”
Yang’s foreign policy views — based on ceasing endless wars such as the war on Iraq which you personally favored — are pretty much the same as those of Sanders, whom you dismiss as “selling class rage”. I suspect that the reason you didn’t engage Yang on foreign policy, obviously an area which concerns you a great deal, is that you know he can’t win, so why bother with it and spoil your column.
11
@FB *cough* Yang just beat Sanders to win the Iowa Youth Straw Poll. Yang tied Sanders in the Mock Caucus. Please wait and see actual votes before drawing conclusions on who can win
@FB
Really wonder? so the con man draft dodger has been doing a wonderful job enriching himself at the expense of foreign policy.
How about Pompeo he is a boy wonder.
I trust Yang over the stooges in the White House now. A brilliant man who cares ,loves this country not the fool who are running the show now.
Andrew Yang. Andrew who? It doesn’t matter. I’m a senior who believes our social political time is gone. After all, we haven’t done such a good job as members of a constituency.
We should step aside and support the youth of this country; give them the opportunity to decide their own destiny.
27
@Cira
I've thinking the same thing of late and remembering back to when I was a clear-eyed youngster between 16 and 20 and not afraid to believe in what I felt.
Back then I had a sense for who should be the next president...just an intuitive feel. That's how I react to Yang. I wonder...is this something I should pay attention to or ignore?
Age (and experience) has made choice more difficult not simpler. So maybe it is time to step aside and let the youth decide what's best for their future while they still have an 'intuitive' feel. That's what caught my ehye about your comment.
12
@Cira Please, there is no need to step aside, but rather simply keep an open mind. We need your wisdom and your collective memory to help guide us in these turbulent times.
The Dividend that Andrew Yang is fighting for is a re-casting of Nixon's Family Assistance Plan and MLK's Guaranteed Income. For the first time since MLK's assassination, a movement towards greater wealth equity and eradication of poverty through a universal basic income is taking shape. Many senior citizens in Iowa are signing on to help complete the legacy of the Civil Rights era. Please consider lending your support as well!
8
@Cira Is there a reason people with experience and maybe wisdom should step aside? I teach high school and while I love the energy of my students, I also know them as impulsive, pleasure-driven, solipsistic and utterly lacking experience.
If I let me teenage kids pick what they want for dinner we would have chips, Dunkin Donuts and Monster drink every night.
If people understood the nature of our economy, which is basically driven 70% by consumption of goods and services, then the idea of giving everyone a universal basic income of $1000 per month absolutely makes sense. For folks of means that money will likely just sit in a savings account and do nothing. But for the vast majority it will be used immediately and grow the economy by being spent on food, rent, childcare, education and the ability to work one job instead of two or three to support families. The idea certainly has more merit than tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations which have given us nothing but the higher burden of national debt and annual deficits being past to generations to come.
65
While I could support an income floor, the idea of giving every adult in the country $1000/mo seems absurd to me. Of course, there is a far reach between a campaign and actually passing it through the Congress. I'd bet my money on 'not going to happen.'
Yang's assertion that work as we know it is going away is interesting. Does he mean to suggest that future folks won't work? He does not seem to put emphasis on re-training the work force, further education or preparation for the workplace of the future.
2
it should be obvious that work is going away. Every technological breakthrough from the printing press to the spreadsheet has decreased the amount of work needed. what we are mostly left with is the "work" of waiting on and serving the rich and upper class.
18
@Anne-Marie Hislop Please read his book, the War on Normal People, or listen to the podcast on YouTube.
It can happen, and it will, if we fight for it!
Half the country is now in favor of the Dividend in the latest poll and it is a bipartisan idea shared by Milton Friedman and MLK.
13
@Anne-Marie Hislop giving the money to everyone actually saves money by not requiring an immense bureaucracy to sort out who gets what. There's not that many millionaires and billionaires relative to lower, working and middle class. Also the universality prevents major opposition from forming against it, like for example the public attitude towards medicaid vs medicare.
What he means by changing the nature of work is this: Does taking care of a parent or child count as work? Right now it doesn't when we measure GDP. Many "jobs" people do are not only unpaid, but doesnt allow them to get paid, such as staying at home with a family member. Furthermore, about the changing career landscape, If you do a task thats repetitive, whether it's in manufacturing or white collar/professional work (legal work, some medical procedures), your job could and almmost certainly will be automated. Our history of retraining has been terrible - the jobs arent available to most of those who get the retraining, requires people with no resources to move across the country to work a job that pays a fraction of the salary. Finally, you have your facts wrong: he promotes vocational schooling more than college for careers that dont appear to be subject to automation (plumbing). At heart, NOONE knows the jobs of the future, if there will even be any. So we can train for some things that dont appear to be automated, but giving people the money would allow people to survive the transition.
2
I like him a lot, can't imagine he'll be the nominee but I'd love to support him if he is.
12
if you like him, please imagine him as the nominee! stranger things have happened!
2
Some things, regardless of how doable and logical they are, like a $1,000 a month minimum salary, don't connect with the American myth of 'anyone can make it to the top if they work hard'. What needs to be illustrated over and over and clearer and clearer is that it's not that there is no money for this or that but that it is misappropriated. Americans pay, per capita, twice as much as the three dozen countries that have higher qualities of health care, per capita. The reason is that health care in these better functioning systems is seen as a service to be done efficiently. In the US health care is a commodity to be sold to the highest bidder. It's a case of charging what the market can bear. If Americans pay twice as much for a second rate system; couldn't they get at the very least a higher level of health care for the same amount? The money's there, being forked out every month, trillions a year. What it will cost should be less than now. The down side is that a million irritating parasitical people will be out of work. That's why Obama couldn't make the full switch. Unemployment was over 9%. Now, at less than 4%, America can absorb the layoffs and make the change. Then there are the billions of dollars paid to the politicians by the health care industry. These realities need to be pounded into the public conscience repeatedly. We are paying more now for less is the answer to how will we pay for it.
18
@Issac Basonkavich
You said it all in the first sentence. The 'American myth' is just that.
Yang is entertaining and likeable, but his focus on a universal guaranteed income and robotics replacing workers is simplistic. Climate change, income inequality, criminal justice reform, affordable health insurance, and international alliances are all complex issues that require a president with the ability to operate within the political system we have. It's hard to see how Yang could be effective against the likes of Mitch McConnell, et al.
3
@Dave P
He talks about all those issues and has proposals.
25
@Dave P Every single one of those issues is discussed by Yang on his website, far more in depth than most other candidates.
3
@Dave P I actually think Yang will be more effective dealing with the likes of Mitch McConnell. The current political climate is vary adversarial. Democrats blame Republicans for all the countries ills and vice versa. Yang doesn't care who's fault it is, he doesn't want to play the blame game, he just wants to solve problems, and is willing to at least listen to anyone who thinks they have a solution.
Bill Clinton has been, arguably, the most effective president in our recent history, ethical issues aside. He was effective because of his willingness to compromise and negotiate.
I may not agree with all of his policies, but his overall leadership philosophy, and decision making process is second to none.
I saw him on Bill Maher. Now reading this, I’m on my way to being Yanged. I’m a 69 year old white Texas Democrat. Running Biden or Sanders or Warren is a straight line to defeat against trump. Klobuchar represents solid mid western progressivism. Yang represents the future. That’s a solid ticket. Who should be on top? I’ve got until March to figure that out. But it will be either Amy or Yang.
59
I've liked Mr. Yang and especially so after his appearance on Bill Maher. When the traditional politicians talk, its like a boot hitting your ear. I felt like Mr. Yang understands we're all exhausted by the usual political talking points that just go in circles. He should spend some time focusing on seniors trying to get by on meager Social security payments, who no longer are able to increase their income through work. $1000 a month can literally be life or death. And they vote.
27
@RogerJ I would recommend taking a look at the latest Emerson poll on which candidates pull the highest percentage of non-voters, Trump voters, plus third-party voters. Yang was #1 with 30.4%, Amy was #10 with 0%.
14
How about Prez Amy and Veep Yang?
Bernie really feels, and channels, the anger and despair of the “broke-folk”. Elizabeth Warren has been working overtime developing detailed plans to help them. But Andrew Yang is the only candidate that truly gets that the underlying problem is rooted in our exponentially advancing technology and our accelerating use of automation and smart machines. If only Mr. Spock could facilitate a three-way mind-meld between Sanders, Warren, and Yang then we'd have an ideal leadership team that could lead us peacefully through the times in the near future when the jobs dry up.
30
Thanks for covering Yang. I've been impressed with him from the start, and I'm a near seventy year old retiree. His opening a dialog about a guaranteed basic income is an important contribution, unfortunately one whose time has not yet come. Yang's challenge isn't Yang, as he's obviously plenty smart, and comes across as sincere. His challenge is a country that is too easily manipulated, and mostly in denial about its situation and what the future holds if we don't change direction. But I will watch him with keen interest, as much for what it says about our country as anything else.
38
@Michael There are hundreds of us on the ground canvasing sir, rain and snow! I just spent 2 hours phone banking today.
You can check us out on YouTube and support if you can!
1
A question. Mr. Yang wants to give $1,000 to everyone per month. The U.S. population is currently about 330 million. $12,000 a year for 330 million people is about $4 trillion a year.
Total spending of the federal government in FY 2020 is projected to be $4.746 trillion, based on $3.645 trillion in tax revenue (leaving about a $1 trillion deficit).
So, if I understand Mr. Yang's policy proposal, the cost of the UBI will equal almost all of current federal spending every year, leaving money for little else. How will this be financed and what of the country's other needs?
2
@Incredible He has explained this at length in many, many interviews. In short...
18 or older, US Citizen. So not the whole population, and thus lower price tag.
Opt-in for cash like welfare benefits
10% VAT tax across the nation
Carbon tax
Long term savings due to people not using other public services.
Economic stimulus grows economy and some money recycles into more taxes.
There could be other points I’m missing. Yang is worth watching in a long form interview where he can explain his policies in detail.
53
@Incredible Please checkout his interview with Joe Rogan on YouTube where he goes over the calculations, but in essence the Dividend is paid for through a combination of increasing revenue (VAT on non-essential goods, carbon tax, financial transactions tax, second order tax base growth) and lowering expenses (existing welfare offset, incarceration savings, improved health savings).
Also, please consider that the Fed is currently printing $75 bn a DAY in new money to cover recent Wall Street gambling losses in Sept. Cost of Dividend without ANY new revenue would be $5 bn a day. So less than 1/10 of the money currently being printed for bankers would be needed to put $1K a month in the hands of citizens.
10
@Incredible The federal government doesn't need to raise money through taxes. It can just print and spend it. As long as the economy isn't at full productivity, no need to worry about inflation..... Modern Monetary Theory 101
A billionaire with no political experience? What could possibly go wrong? Automation isn’t going away and so how are you going to harness it to enrich everyone, not just a small group of very rich & powerful investors? How will Mr Yang inspire people who actually vote to vote for him? Will he enthusiastically support whoever becomes the eventual nominee and will he campaign for that nominee? I do agree with Ms Weiss that an alternate perspective such as Mr Yang’s would be a useful addition to someone else’s cabinet. Just want to ensure that the current occupant of the White house gets replaced. That is job #1.
8
@mlevanda It frustrates me to no end that there are these misconceptions of him, like he is a billionaire. His net worth is estimated to be around a million dollars, the 2nd lowest. You can check out his tax returns if you don't believe me - he started a non profit after selling a business, which he got some several millions for but also gave a lot of the profits to his employees. I really encourage you to check out any of his long form interviews on YouTube and I think you could understand why people support him and are incredibly inspired by him.
21
@mlevanda
- He’s not a billionaire, he’s a low millionaire like everyone else on the stage, sans billionaires.
- You harness the wealth of automation with a VAT tax which corporations can’t get out of paying, the distribute to everyone as a dividend.
- Yang inspires plenty of people already through his ideas, keeping to the data, and his non-divisive approach.
- Yang has already said many times the most important thing is Trump getting out of office and he’ll support whoever is the nominee.
- Yang provides a clear vision of where we can go in this country that appeals across party lines. He can win with that kind of vision.
3
@mlevanda
Yang has the third from lowest net worth of all the Democratic candidates. About 1 million which less than 1/10 of Warren's or Biden's. His ideas are the most considered, innovative, and practical by far.
It's good that the media seems to have dropped the "tech entrepreneur" descriptor for Yang. From what I can tell, neither part of that is accurate.
7
@Joe C not the "tech" part, but the entrepreneur part is true. Yang personally founded one company, joined several others, then founded the non-profit Venture for America that helped young people create hundreds of companies
Maybe "social entrepreneur" is most appropriate.
7
Yang's no more of a magic bullet than any other of the contenders with internet armies who think that their candidate can win over this group or that group that's going to be critical in November.
Sorry, folks, but the most important people today are the ones who are out there REGISTERING voters in the swing states who will vote for ANY Democratic candidate, no matter how much writers like Weiss disparage all the candidates but her current mancrush.
And though they're miles apart ideologically, the only three candidates with a record of helping Democrats get elected all over the country are Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, and Mike Bloomberg, who's vowed to throw his millions behind the eventual nominee, no matter who it is.
Yang's an interesting and likeable guy with an engaging sense of humor, but like the BernieBots, his followers seem far more like a cult than a real world political movement. I only hope that the "Yang Gang" doesn't just throw up their hands and sulk when the primaries are over and Yang remains in single digits. We've already got too many "My Way or the Highway" voters as it is, and we don't need another group of them poisoning the internet with their negativity against the nominee.
13
@A. Moursund Yangs supporters arent straight down the line democrats. Many of them are either young, Trump supporters or nonvoters. Many definitely wont vote for other candidates because those candidates arent trying to reach them. Also, these people dont show up in polls where its discussing "Lkely democratic voters" using information from the previous elections.
Yang set up a huge apparatus in Iowa and New Hampshire. He is registering the people I said above. Furthermore, Bloomberg spending billions of dollars to register people is great news. But that has literally zero to do with why anyone should vote for him for presidency. Elizabeth Warren is falling in polls and as someone whos respected her for more than a decade, I like many others were speechless with her actions the last few months. Biden doesn't have the mental capabilities to speak one full sentence without losing focus.
@Virologist J I'd gladly vote for Yang if he should pull a rabbit out of his hat and get the nomination, but the nasty tone of your comment directed against two of the three leading candidates only reinforces my thought that Yang represents more of a cult than a lasting political movement, bright and interesting as Yang himself may be.
I don’t agree with Mr. Yang on a lot on his platform. But he has my respect on how he leads his campaign, listens and acts toward others. His supporters are the polar opposite of the Bernie Bro’s, they are polite, respectful and explain their ideas without shouting. He may not make intro president but I would love to see I’m in some capacity helping Americans.
32
So tired of this Bernie Bro trope. Supporting Bernie has not magically transformed my anatomy; still female, last I checked.
A thought experiment: If Yang had served a term in the House then the criticism of a lack of experience would have melted away. Instead of the often mentioned media line that he’s “survived longer than governors and senators” wouldn’t be used. He would get more in depth media spots on national broadcasts. He has yet to be on WBURs On Point, but William Bennet was on not that long ago.
With all of that, what would serving two years in the House do that would really prepare him for the Presidency? Is it necessary to see first hand the sausage making of legislation to really be effective as a President?
I’d imagine someone might argue that he would better be able to navigate the world of Washington. I can see this argument in another era in which negotiation was a viable route to accomplishing things. We do not live in those times anymore, we have over a decade of hyper partisanship from the Republicans.
No Democratic candidate, including Biden, is going to be able and wheel and deal with the Republicans to get significant legislation to their desk as President. If we want something to happen then you need a big vision of what is possible and Yang provides that.
We need a vision to have the people coalesce around. One where the Senate can be flipped, which means policies that are broad, popular, and relevant to everyone. UBI, Democracy Dollars, and American Sore Card all fit into a vision the majority of Americans would desire and vote in people who support it.
14
Yang won't win, but whoever does must find a role for him. The universal income idea is interesting, but it's not what Yang is essentially about. Urging America to face up to the challenges posed by an ever-rising tide of artificially intelligent bots is Yang's true value.
11
@Tim C Here's another thought experiment: What has Andrew Yang done to help any Democrat other than himself?
Democratic candidates all over the country can tell you how Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden have helped them. And Mike Bloomberg's promised millions in the fall elections are going to be a godsend to candidates from the top to the bottom of the ticket.
What has Yang ever done like that? I might also direct the same question towards the followers of Sanders, Mayor Pete and Amy Klobuchar. All of those candidates would make fine presidents, but they can't do it by themselves.
1
@A. Moursund You're keeping tribalism alive and well. This is what got Trump elected in the first place.
I don't focus on what people have done for my tribe, I focus on what candidates will do for the country, because you're right presidents can't do it alone, they need all the tribes.
@Brian If by "tribalism" you mean I care more about electing Democrats than WHICH Democrat gets elected, I plead guilty as charged.
Warren and Biden have spent countless time and energy supporting Democrats all over the country, whether or not you're aware of that fact. And Bloomberg has promised to do the same in the general election.
What has Yang ever done that's remotely comparable to that?
My son turned me on to Andrew Yang. Despite just starting a new job he has maxed out his donation limit. I am giving as well. And the reason I support Yang is not because I need $1,000 per month; my wife and I live quite comfortably. The reason is that I fear for America's future and my grandchildren's future. Yang's book "The War on Normal People" makes persuasive arguments and proposes solutions. Let's give him a fair chance by discussing his proposals.
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Populism is real. The stakeholders over shareholders movement is real. A lot of the "good" movements are real and are in response to a rigged game. They will eventually result in change that matters, but like civil rights it takes way, way, way too long for the system to come around and concede the right thing.
I'll believe Trump is a populist when he lets normal people freely mix in with all his elite friends at all his hoity toity properties. You better believe he's reaching for the hand sanitizer as soon as possible after mixing with the normal people. He's a con man and always has been. Like Ann Coulter said he picked up the $1000 bill of populism laying on the ground when no one else would. To the relief of the powerful, he's dribbling out some of the cultural populist stuff to the normal people, while fortifying the moat of the powerful.
Even Steve Bannon said he would support a progressive populist if need be. Recognize who the enemy is. You are being manipulated, metric-ed, and squeezed relentlessly so, eventually, there will be nowhere to run and live a good normal life.
At the very least, fight the consumerism manipulation and shiny stuff they keep putting in front of you. Focus on what matters. Avoid debt like the plague, unless you're investing to grow wealth. It's super hard these days because debt and financing are what they're ultimately selling. And get some equity in the rigged game: low cost index funds, property, or a small business. Good luck out there.
7
Mr. Yang may be dismissed by older Americans because he has no previous political experience and no military experience. However, he seems to be the only clear-eyed futurist in the bunch. Also, V-P choice, Cabinet Appointments and Staffing Hires are a better way to widen your experience. Yang seems like someone who could select a great team to surround himself with and intelligent enough to debate strategy and course of action. He understands best the New World we live in. And that World needs a sane, pro-civilization leader.
26
Well, I'd like to respectively disagree. Set aside the "self-financing factor." You know, the uncomfortable one person, one vote thing, political equality, what the Dems are supposed to stand for. The Dems are supposed to be the ones against gerrymandering, Citizens United, etc. etc. Right?
So what of Yang's obsession with math as some sort of panacea? If Yang were higher in the polls, he would be subject to greater scrutiny. He would be challenged, asked less superficial questions, such as if elected, how he would govern? By relying exclusively math: STEM without STEAM gave us Bernie Madoff. Unless you consider the human factor and advocate for a humanistic component in education (e.g. ethics, foreign languages that allow you access into a diverse forma mentis, necessary in a global economy unless you want to colonize the world) you run the risk of advocating technocratic analysis as the best tool available for governance. Sorry, we aren’t robots and it just doesn’t work that way.
You see, we get “yanged” when we don’t pay close attention, but get caught up in emotions. It happens when our unpredictable, non-mathematical human side comes into play.
3
@Joe While it is understandable that you think Yang’s slogan, “MATH” refers to mathematics, it actually is an abbreviation for “make America think again.” Every time I see the abbreviation on one of his baseball caps, I cringe precisely because it is so easily misunderstood. Really bad marketing on Yang’s part.
@Joe "Superficial questions"? He's been interviewed by Ben Shapiro, Tucker Carlson and Chris Wallace, name another Democrat that's walked into such hostile waters. He's done several long form interviews where he was probed in depth about his policies.
I should also mention his slogans of "Humanity First" and "Human-centered Capitalism"
I have a millenial son that supports Yang's ideas. What I just can't get my head around is how if we give every adult a $1000 a month how that wouldn't cause a rapid rise in inflation.
Sure I would love for my wife and I to have an added $2k a month, but if all my neighbors get it too how will businesses not start raising prices because so many people are now flush with extra money to spend.
2
@A P If people have more money, they can buy more things. It's more beneficial for businesses to leave their prices the same and sell more than to raise the prices and sell less or the same amount of things. On the other hand, raising the minimum wage (which should also happen, in my opinion) is more likely to raise prices because it raises costs of production.
8
@A P First, the Fed has been printing $75 bn a DAY since Sep '19 to give to big banks for free to cover Wall Street gambling debts. Have you seen any inflation? nope, and Dividend involves $0 printed, all with money already in circulation
Second, market prices are determined by supply and demand, so as demand for goods increase with more cash in hand, prices will go up briefly, but then supply picks up bringing prices back to original price at equilibrium over time for all competitive market goods.
Third, historically, Dividend was implemented in Alaska in 1981. Starting in 1982, and in every year since, Alaskan inflation in CPI has been LOWER than that of the other states. Competition and mobility apparently works in practice.
10
@A P There are two factors to consider for this. First, inflation is caused by an increase in the monetary supply, which the Federal Reserve controls. The Freedoms Dividend wouldn't actually increase the money supply, but rather it would redistribute it so that even the poorest American starts just about at the poverty line.
Second, businesses wouldn't raise prices because we are still price sensitive. If Starbucks decided to raise price of coffee by $2 but Dunkin didn't, people would stop going to Starbucks and go to Dunkin instead. In the famous words of Jeff Bezos, "their margin is my opportunity."
Hopefully that helps!
6
The youg person who characterized Bernie's consistency as a liability instead of an asset is spot on. We can't meet the challenge a robotic revolution with a leader who robotically recites 1960s revolutionary propaganda.
Here's the Trump campaign ad: just stitch together footage of Bernie saying the same thing year after year, getting older and more curmudgeonly in every clip, and throw in some way-off-base statements about the Soviet Union and Castro's Cuba to round it out. Set it to the right music and get some reaction shots of fellow Senators rolling their eyes.
Andrew Yang won't be president, but he's an ideal cabinet member for Joe Biden, and he has a bright political future.
17
@Patrick Only one in the candidate line-up that can defeat Bernie, is Yang.
Yang just beat Bernie in the Iowa Youth Straw Poll, while Biden was way lower. In the Mock Caucus, Biden failed to gain viability, so Yang tied Bernie. This Monday is going to up-end a lot of expectations.
2
@Patrick Yang just won the Iowa Youth Straw Poll! Over Bernie and Biden!
Yang will need an older Congressional connection VP to get stuff passed. Joe is the perfect proven VP and team player, and is on good terms with Yang. He just needs some adult supervision, like to stop him from voting for wars and stuff. No one can stop the gaffes of course, but in a VP that's just fine eh?
A $1 trillion budget deficit due to lower corporate tax rates to allow for more corporate share buybacks is the wrong direction for this country.
A $1,000 Freedom Dividend to invest in each American to carry the United States forward into the future seems to be the right direction for this country.
The Freedom Dividend is not a hand out but rather an investment. This needs to be communicated to the country. This is no different than the government subsidizing corporations for years with some success, but mostly failure and corruption. Time to put that investment into the hands of each American and see what innovation is created by that investment.
Yang is the person to help us go in the right direction!
18
Such a negative tax might be interesting. Why not do it and measure results? Call it a strange experiment on your economy!
3
@M. C. Major It might be different from a negative tax – which I believe might be zero when beyond some threshold of revenues.
1
@M. C. Major The best is due for his campaign. I wish him the best!
2
@M. C. Major we've been running a Dividend experiment in Alaska for 40 years
- lower poverty
- lower wealth disparity
- lower inflation
- better health
- more jobs
4
Well, I sure hope Yang catches fire. He's the only one who seems to know where we're at and where we need to go. The others, not so much. And Trump is driving us straight from the frying pan into the fire.
18
In the '80s, I tried to engage friends and acquaintances in conversations about what was going to happen to people when jobs performed by humans were taken by robots. I had come to my conclusions via a steady diet of SF in my youth and by my success in investing in Japanese robot maker Fanuc which at that time (early '80s) had just built a factory in which robots were building robots. Human presence in that factory was minimal.
Virtually no one was interested in these ideas, but I realized that if there weren't a national conversation and action that followed, a disaster was looming. Thirty years later, we are on the verge of that disaster, and many are still blaming offshoring as the villain while ignoring the root of the problem.
Andrew Yang is the only person in the field of candidates who understands the problem and what needs to be done, if only temporarily. The US and the world will ignore this problem at their peril, and if past experience is an indicator, it will be ignored unless there are persons in leadership positions who will address it and try to solve it. So far, only Yang has exhibited these qualities.
21
If Mike Bloomberg or Biden became the candidate and asked Mr. Yang to be VP along with the commitment to implement the universal basic income policy, there would be a landslide over Trump that would be almost comical to see. Mr. Yang should be the nominee but they cannot take him seriously in the establishment, however, as a VP with a goal of establishing the freedom dividend, it would transform this country and assure real change for hard working Americans. The FED prints Trillions of dollars to prop up the stock markets while the people go hungry or homeless. It is time for that wealth to reach the people that need it most not those who need a 4th or 5th car or 3rd home!
27
@James hmm, the Dividend would represent a radical restructuring of capital flows away from Wall Street and directly into Main Street. No longer would Big Banking be Too Big To Fail. Stimulus spending would no longer depend on bankers distributing loans trickling down to small business.
Do you really think Bloomberg would continues to make his billions through Wall Street would care to make the Dividend a reality? I am skeptical considering his record as mayor of NYC during which millions in tax breaks were showered on Wall Street while public infrastructure continued to deteriorate.
4
Unfortunately, Yang is ahead of his time. Fortunately, More than a handful of Americans are beginning to catch up by catching on. Hopefully, their numbers will increase exponentially. Zigging while the rest of America continues to zag is refreshing to observe with a purity and maturity rarely found anymore. Buttigieg comes closest thus far. Yang is challenging us without frightening us and transcending traditional politics. Ironically, he's a threat to Trump
that the Republicans could learn to support as well. Now that would truly be The Big Yang Theory.
21
Yang is a very likable and affable guy but I think most of the people who support him just want $1000 a month and could not care less about the rest of his ideas.
5
@Joe I completely disagree. I've been out canvassing since October. It's certainly the hook. But in general the money can be a turn off for most folks until you engage in deeper conversation about the future of work.
13
@Joe I don't there's anything wild or disengenuous about voting in your own best interest, no? Aside from that, it's a valid intuitive reaction but I think if you look a little closer and read what his supporters are saying you will find the opposite is true for many of them. I hear a surprising amount about his Democracy Dollars idea, designed to flush corporate money out of politics. It's an intriguing idea but gives me some pause so it's not my favorite. While the extra 1k means a lot to many people, myself included, I am much more interested in his idea for the American Scorecard (moving us past only caring about GDP to measure our country) and ranked choice voting. He has a lot in there focusing on bolstering democracy in this country, which is imperative in my estimation.
8
I am impressed by Mr. Yang's intellect, most evident to me through his extemporaneous speaking skills on a wide range of subjects.
As regards the UBI: Consider the essentially 100% reinvestment back into the U.S. economy which would occur, then contrast that with the huge corporate tax cuts delivered by Trump, which added over $1 trillion to the U.S. federal deficit, and resulted primarily in stock buybacks.
47
@Alan R Brock Yes, and let's do the math. UBI would cost about $2T per year (based on 160 million U.S. households - HHs).
About 50 million of the uber rich HHs could be exempted (adjusted for cost-of-living in some states), so that gets us down to ~ $1.3T which is far less than 1/3 of the federal budget... and easily less than waste, fraud, abuse therein (heck, probably $.5T could be found just in the Spentagone alone ;-).
Let's do this!
1
He never seems to be indignant or baited easily. The man has got a compassionate forgiving heart. He often shed tears upon hearing the story of personal hardship on the trail. Yet, he is very rational about discussing policies. The best candidate by far. He deserves more credit for what he achieved - bringing attention to the real issue of the states such as the suicide epidemic, opioid crisis, and underappreciated role of carers and mothers.
60
I have to say that I really like Yang's personality, his humor, and his refusal to attack others. I am not too sure about all of his ideas, especially universal income, but I recognize that he is smart and that he thinks outside of the box. He might be a real contender in the future.
22
@Sophie If you have some time, I would really invite you to listen to his interview with Joe Rogan here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTsEzmFamZ8
I wasn't convinced about the UBI before, but listening to him and making my own research afterwards convinced me. Regardless, it is a really interesting discussion with fact based arguments between reasonable and intelligent people, and one of my best 2 hours I spent in 2019.
Good day to you and your loved ones, Thomas
"I am pro civilization." Lol! I love his energy. Even if he doesn't win the nomination there should be a spot for him in a democrats administration. We will need his sense of humor and positive energy to clean up Trumps mess.
43
I like Yang. He has a refreshing personality, humorous. I'm middle-aged and make $16 per hour working as an aide in a public school. I've got health insurance, with a $5,000 deductible. Basically it's catastrophic insurance, should I get cancer or hit by a bus. So I could really use $1,000 per month. I'd get dental work done and a colonoscopy. Try to put a little away for retirement. Join a gym.
But Yang isn't going to win. So I'm sticking with Bernie.
11
Yang isn’t going to win because of people thinking the way you are. Vote for Yang in the primary and if he doesn’t make it out then vote for Bernie in the general. No need to play it safe with our futures in the line.
27
@Tim No, I like Bernie better than Yang still even if he isn't as chill as Yang. Most of what I'd spend the $1,000 on would be healthcare and if we had Medicare for All that would be covered.
I'm also voting for Bernie because he has the strongest climate action plan.
I'm wary of nuclear energy which is a part of Yang's plan.
1
@A Stor mo Chroi Ughh, you do know Yang just beat Bernie in the Iowa Youth Straw Poll right? Yang tied Bernie on Mock Caucus night, so Monday might be a shocker for you!
In any case, gotta fight for your Freedom Dividend or you might just end up with the min wage hike, to $15. Big bill approach to M4A with mandatory signups and taxes for a new bureaucracy only has 30% support so that's unlikely too.
Andrew Yang is a bit like the Donald Trump of 2020. He gets attention because he's completely different.
3
Think hard on that thought. The only commonality I see is no previous elected experience. He isn’t buying his way to the primary (as Trump did), he doesn’t personally attack his competition, he has a truly viable option for addressing poverty and the new jobs market that offers young and old alike hope for the future, and he truly understands how our diversity does make us stronger (and I admire any person in the public eye that is proud and willing to share parenting of a child with special needs).
16
From a foreigner's point of view who really follows US news and the campaign, Andrew Yang is by far the one candidate I wish would win the primary.
Beyond being a force of progress in the US, I think he would be the spark the world needs to finally tackle the existential problems that we all need to address. Global warming, GAFA taxation, data protection, curbs on AI development.
Anyone I convinced to invest time into googling it was blown away. By the fact based logic, by the lack of populist rhetorics, by the clarity he answers every question, no matter how loaded, biased or tough.
Above all, Andrew Yang seems like a genuine nice human, who got into the race not because he wants power, but because he felt he had to, because no other candidate understands that the 4th industrial revolution is going to obliterate our society if we do not adequately prepare for it.
This is the very first time in my life I truly wish I was a US citizen, just because I would like to vote for him and help him win.
168
@thomasbw :) you can make campaign phone calls on his behalf, all online, linked on his website
down to the wire and I just spent 2 hours to convince 5 Iowans. It's fun and an exercise in P2P persuasion
3
I'm Bernie supporter but I like that Yang is willing to take risks and experiment with policy. I hope if he doesn't win someone finds a place for him because we need people willing to try and fail if we're to figure out our problems. Also nice subtle reference that Sanders people are all Bernie bros. real classy.
8
@Aaron I was for Bernie in 2016. Gone too Big Government for me this time. So no, not all Sanders people are angry commies. :) Most free-thinkers have jumped on the Yang Yacht though.
We're going to win this, just like the Iowa Youth Straw Poll!
Bernie is a fighter. Yang is a uniter. United, we will ALL win.
"Conventional wisdom would say that Andrew Yang should be nowhere this close to the American presidency."??
The same "conventional wisdom" that discounted governors Ventura, Schwarzenegger, Ross Perot's chances in 1992, or the rise of Trump?
"Conventional wisdom," it seems, presumes (against massive evidence of recent years), a functioning two-party system.
22
If I'm mistaken his proposal is to give the $1,000 to everyone, not just the poor, billionaires included. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Senor Yang's progressive plan to give every poor person $1,000 a month is brilliant. Such is easily affordable by our growing cadre of billionaires and would boost business enormously.
28
The Yang Gang has been upbeat and optimistic on the whole.
Thank you. Well done.
If or when Andrew bows out, the Sanders tent flap is always open. You'd be welcomed with open arms.
NotMeUs
5
@Dobbys sock :) No thanks. We prefer the younger, more tech savvy, more cheerful, and more innovative candidate.
Bernie will be welcome to the VP slot though. He is, after all, the #2 choice of Iowa Youth Straw Poll, after Yang.
27
@Dobbys sock Thanks! I like Bernie on principle but think he would ultimately be bad for democracy. He has not shown willingness to adapt to change or learn from mistakes or listen to others. It seems it's his way or no way and I don't like the cult of personality that's formed around him. That's not his fault but I don't think it's good. And frankly I'm concerned that he has been so quick to jump to executive action when asked how he would pass things (in more recent interviews). That to me is a bad precedent Trump is leaving us with and I'm not convinced Bernie would reverse that. He is a good man and has pushed the conversation positively. I supported him in 2016 but cannot in good conscience do so now. Would still vote for him in the general though!
4
@FLRepublican
Then you'll understand that a candidate can't be all knowledgeable and all seeing. That's what staff and advisers are for. Sanders is chockfull of younger, tech savvy, cheerful and innovative supporters. Bern having the largest online presence short of maybe DT's, you already know this.
All good.
When/if you guys need a place to land, please give the Revolution a look once more. Most of you know us already.
@Daniela
Sorry, we disagree on Bern's willingness to adapt, much less learn. For an example, when Sanders heard (and listened to) Unions HC concerns with M4A he and his advisors sat down and revised it to better fit our Union Sisters and Brothers. Bern has advanced on his gun stance as his constituents have in VT.
He was told he need a more inclusive POC outreach despite his working for ALL Americans. This primary has been a large shift in who and where and why in his outreach and learning/listening to POC and women.
As for his followers...they aren't Bernie. But again, most of you guys know this already.
As the YG has found out this campaign, the blackouts, and black Ops are true and virulent. When one goes against the establishment and are in position to fight back, much less win, all kinds of machinations, shenanigan's, dirty tricks and out right lies and cheats will take place. Please keep this in mind when you denigrate and accuse Sanders supporters of being a cult and "mean". We all know multi-millions were are spent do falsify a movement.
1
I've been Yang curious since the very beginning and like everything about him.
I think he's still a long shot for the nomination but I'll make one bold prediction - if he is the nominee, he'll receive more votes than any presidential candidate in history, thanks to his ability to attract voters from across the political spectrum, and his general likeability.
102
I would rather listen to Andrew Yang talk and relate to an audience, than any other candidate. Very very smart. Very very personable.
Even if not president, I hope he does something nationally to improve our political culture, and our sense of public responsibility to citizens.
84
Won’t it be cool if getting “yanged” came to mean getting ahead? Like Mayor Pete, he is more than capable of doing the job but he lacks the appeal required in a time of fear. At this point, the early primary voters don’t seem to think he can win. As good as he is, the Democratic electorate of 2020 lacks the required imagination to pick Yang. It’s another sad truth in this sad time.
17
@Lee Eils Yang just won the Iowa Youth Straw Poll! Hundreds of volunteers are walking through snow to knock on doors. I just spent 2 hours phone banking. WE can get him there!
2
@FLRepublican So did Trump
Unfortunately, the U.S. has been "McConnelled," meaning that the agenda of the uber-wealthy and minority States dominates the country today. The Senate, which represents about 18% of the population, has become an unassailable barrier to anything progressives or liberals propose. This includes real reform of health care, investments in infrastructure and education. It won't be long before the social safety nets are vigorously attacked. For the wealthy, this is great. I don't think most Americans realize that life is going to get even harder in the future.
33
@mrfreeze6 Please checkout Yang's Democracy Dollar proposal on his website. It is literally the key to citizens taking control of our democracy.
What McCain couldn't accomplish in a lifetime, we can do make happen 2021!
A note on this article to non-American readers who are citizens of other democracies: in the US "populism" means "democracy". In your country you're probably used to politicians campaigning on how they will improve or "promote" the general welfare. In the US it's just suggested that that's what its politicians should do in its constitution. There further progressive taxation to promote the general welfare is controversial. It's "sticking it to billionaires". It's "class rage".
It didn't always used to be this way, but for decades now in the US, democracy has meant attracting the votes of people by appealing to their particular identity when campaigning, relating to their particular hurt and prejudices, then when elected declining to provide for them through government such things as you enjoy and take for granted, like universal healthcare and paid parental leave - but for all other Americans too. Real nice and "democratic" - see?
Andrew Yang's style represents a refreshing change from this. It's authentic democracy - I mean "populism" - but "healthy populism" because he's planning to give every American $1000 dollars per month regardless of their particular identity - even billionaires - without "sticking it to billionaires". God only knows how he expects to pay for it. That's not important. What's important is that he's optimistic. He conveys hope.
22
Watched the entirety of one of his campaign speeches on C-SPAN. Didn’t identify one issue and a proposed solution. He sounded more like a hackneyed stand up comic trying to get the most laughs. Very disappointing. Vacuous is the best word to describe his speech.
4
@Shamrock what speech did you watch, and have you checked out his website? He's got more policies than any other candidate -- 160+. Many of us know his stump speech by heart and he absolutely speaks about automation, the issues that got DT elected in the first place, the Freedom Dividend, more recently term limits, democracy dollars, etc, but then he usually takes questions so he can answer the concerns of the actual people in the room in lieu of assuming what they want to hear about. You should watch his long-form interview with Joe Rogan or a Town Hall.
22
@Shamrock I'm not sure you watched the correct Yang. He calls out many problems, and has many policy proposals and ideas. I'd recommend trying to find another video or two or checking out the policies on his website. The assertion that Andrew doesn't propose solutions is wildly inaccurate. Cheers!
14
@Shamrock you should check out his book, where he lays out all of the statistics. it's called "The War On Normal People" and there is an audio version on youtube. alternatively, you can check out any of his long form interviews. the speeches are for people who are curious, there is infinite depth beyond those.
his core issue is the future of work and human value in the face of artificial intelligence.
Yang is in about the same position Sanders was in 4 years ago. He lacked name recognition. The people that got nominated in both political parties last time also had the most name recognition. Lack of name recognition caused Sanders to lose the south to Hillary who in turn lost the MidWest to Trump.
The median wage has been flat for 48+ years despite the GNP growing 150% during that time w/ 90% of those gains flowing to the <1%. There’s an enormous amount of repair work required that we need to do and it’s going to take at least 4 administrations to reverse and fix the problem.
I’m hoping for a Bernie miracle this time around and for instant relief of student debt. Medicare for all will be tougher & might take 4 or 5 years, maybe an infrastructure deal that maps to the green new deal can be done early. Those measures alone will boost people’s lives immensely.
During this time I hope Yang’s prominently placed so he get’s name recognition and exposure, to come in behind Sanders perhaps in his administration maybe even his VP. As soon as we have M4A, canceled student debt, free university education, infrarstructure/green new deal in place it will be time for Yang’s ideas. In the Star Trek series money was never the issue. The purpose of life was self improvement.
6
@Tim Kane Hi Tim, I'm sorry to say though that Bernie's M4A as I understand it: single payer, no private health insurance is going to be impossible to get through.
If you are a doctor working in private practise and charging consultation fees of say $250 for the first visit and $180 for subsequent visits, how is Bernie's plan going to pay for that? Or will Bernie have to tell the doctor, you get paid $160.00 in the first visit and all subsequent visits being the standard M4A fee and your patient has to pay the balance $90 or $20 out of his own pocket. And because the patient cannot get private health insurance anymore, he can't take out top up health cover.
Now I may be wrong in how I see Bernie's Single Payer system being implemented so help me here. Am I correct?
If I am correct, then I see many people pushing back on this. And the doctors too. Some doctors may think that $160 is too low because of their experience, specialised knowledge and bedside manner. You cannot make the doctors charge only $160 and no more as you are restricting his basic human right to charge whatever his customer is willing to pay for.
On the other hand, there will be many citizens who will be upset that they have to fork out $90 if they want to to see their own doctor. And if they want to stay in a private room rather than shared room in hospital etc etc..
4
You can, just because the Government covers ALL population. Of course, the doctor can charge more than the Government agree to pay, but in this case he will have very few patients, and therefore, his income will be quite low despite the higher price. That's why many doctors accept Medicare. Medicare for All will have even higher bargaining power.
3
@Tim Kane Looking that Bernie's numbers in the latest Monmouth Poll, you can see his net favor-ability is around -11%, right up against Trump's -12%. Yang is +4%, the ONLY candidate that is not negative.
If Bernie goes up, it'll be a toss up at best. If Yang, then we will have a landslide.
Lets put up the best candidate to win, then have Bernie be the VP. It'll be like Obama/Biden except a lot more Progressive and given Yang's cheerful mission-focused personality, a lot more productive.
8
I'm so glad to see this article about Andrew Yang, I've been supporting/following him for months now. I'm not part of his demographic- 62 years old, white liberal. I love how he is so clear, brings all people together and reminds us that we are all Americans. If you read his website he has a deep understanding of all the issues and brings a fresh 21st century prospective to what's troubling our country. I hope he gets more attention going forward and at least that his ideas permeate the political sphere just as Bernie's did in 2016.
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I am down for the universal basic income. It reminds me of John Maynard Keynes short book Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren. Written 1930! UBI would help so many Americans, myself included. I am going into my second year as a vegetable farmer, leaving a much more lucrative gig, and UBI would REALLY help me make ends meet. It is difficult to keep up with rising land and housing costs. I am still a Bernie supporter (I don't personally identify him with a sense of rage as the author suggested, although I can see it), but I wish Yang all the best and would love to see him more in public life as President, Vice President or elsewhere.
16
@Ben I respect Bernie a lot. But I think his ideas are somewhat out of date. It's not left or right but FORWARD!
Wealth taxes don't work. How do you even begin to value antiques and art work? Stocks and bonds unless they are sold (average cost? average market price?) What about off shore wealth? Units trust investment in China and India? And then again, how are they valued.
Federal Jobs Guarantee - does not help someone who cannot work because of care taking responsibilities. Children and elderly parents, especially those with disabilities. Or if I live in an area which does not have a federal job for me. Do I have to travel to the job? What if it takes me 1.5 hours travel time each way (3 hours in total) and I still have to take care of 2 children of 8 and 10 years of age and I'm a single mother. How do I juggle that?
Single payer M4A without private health insurance. I've already talked about this. Don't see why I should be denied my Private Health Insurance if i'm able to pay for it and if my job gives it to me.
12
We already have the wealth tax, it is called property tax. We don't sell our houses every year, there is assessors who estimate our houses and we pay taxes on our property according to these estimations. I don't see any problem to apply same method to other items of wealth. Beside the guaranteed job, there is also program for the affordable childcare, and earn income credit. And I doubt that many people want to live with two children in 12k.
5
@yulia heh, would the government assessors being going through your jewelry? how about using a metal detector on your yard for buried gold? what's the value of Rihanna's song collection or the worth of a small business?
you take a 6% cut every year then what, you would have to sell stuff to generate liquidity
Lawsuit if you disagree on valuation?
I agree. I'd love to see him be the Democratic nominee. I didn't expect to feel that way, but reading his responses to the Editorial Board interview really compelled me.
44
Anything to block Bernie. It isn't working (watch the interchange between the author and Joe Rogan to get an idea of where this is coming from). Would we be reading this if Yang were as close to actually winning as Sanders is? Does it say anything that Yang (who is fantastic and whose day, I hope, will come) has nodded to Sanders in the Iowa caucuses?
I don't understand why, as in this article, we keep reading about "the 78 year old" senator from Vermont. Why don't we see more of "the 77 year old Biden" or "the 77 year old Bloomberg"? Is twelve months or so decisive?
11
@Craige Champion
Anything to block Bernie? Yang supported Sanders in 2016. Sanders just might pick Yang for VP if he gets the nod. Hope so.
4
@Craige Champion To me, the reason why we emphasise Sanders age is because he has had heart problems and at his age, it can be very debilitating. That's all.
7
@Craige Champion Huh??
This is NOT about Bernie. This article is about Yang. The author made one comment about Bernies age and it is not unreasonable, as the age issue applies to Biden and Bloomberg as well. The Bernie comparison just happened because Yang and Sanders are BOTH anti-establishment candidates.
Being a former Berner myself, I totally understand your position, but please dont make an article about Yang another Bernie issue. Cause its not.
11
In an outraged world, Yang's imperturbability is a huge asset. His non-ideological, practical/pragmatic approach presents us with a way forward, a bridge across the chasm that seems to be dividing people everywhere, not just in the USA. His is a 21st century to 21st century issues raised by automation and AI. Compared to him, even the most progressive of the other candidates seem trapped in a time warp. Every one of the debate moderators switches quickly away from the issues he raises, after giving him a polite hearing of a minute or two. Clearly they are out of their depth. The more honest response might be to seek further explanation rather than dropping his ideas like the hot potatoes they quite clearly are to them. Even to someone raised in the mid-twentieth century, on another continent, & computer illiterate, his ideas make eminent sense. I was Yanged about a year ago... Go Yang!
66
@Angela Koreth This is not a criticism of Yang but he is not getting away from ideology in politics. This is not possible.
His emphasis on technical solutions to social problems, for example, is very ideological.
Overall though, he is one of the candidates who makes one happy for the way the field has opened up to people outside government. However, he needs more experience in government before entering national politics at this level. I hope he will run for something and marry his innovating ideas to greater experience.
1
@McQueen I agree that ideology underlies every assumption we make. So, yes. No one is non-ideological; even fence sitters. To clarify my earlier observation: Yang's responses are thoughtful and he doesn't immediately crouch into a readily identifiable 'political' i.e. 'party ' posture; hence his appeal to cross-over voters such as the folk interviewed in the article. And always, he puts individual well-being at the core: it is that, apart from his under-stated humorous style that enlarges his appeal.
4
I am both a Sanders and Yang supporter and contribute to both campaigns monthly. I hope if Sanders ends up the nominee, he will pick Yang.
Yang is not only super=smart and rational, he's also funny, able to distill issues down to their core immediately for the general public, and - like Bernie -- appeal to a very diverse group of people. I'm occasionally on Youtube and he's the only politician where people with a variety of political backgrounds can agree on his views and actually not disparage each other.
I used to think his universal basic income idea was weird until I did some research and found out that both conservative and liberal economists have supported the same idea for decades. Also, studies show that such a plan -- although seemingly expensive initially -- actually cuts costs in the long run and helps people across a number of outcomes whether it's health, housing, employment, stopping substance abuse, etc.
59
@ms I doubt Sanders would pick Yang as VP man. He is too wedded to his big government policies, else he would have co-opted the Dividend and be crushing the election.
Yang might pick Sanders as VP though, as the Congressional expert and grouchy old whip.
1
I'm wary of extreme promises coming from an array of candidates, e.g.$1K/mo; free college for all; Medicare for all. Such promises may draw wishful enthusiasm, but they may also go the way of outlandish Trump promises (e.g. the Wall). We need a pragmatic idealist (or an idealistic pragmatist?). I'm increasingly impressed by Steyer and Bloomberg ads in terms of style and content. As an octogenarian who has never missed an election, and one who decries with disgust all that Trump has proved to be, I'm afraid he may not be defeated by some Democrats for whom the country may not be ready. Although any one of them would be better for the country than he is in terms of integrity and intelligence!
3
@my2sense2018 I would advise you to read historian Rutger Breman's book "Utopia for Realists", specifically the chapter on universal basic income. You can also watch his TED talk.
https://www.ted.com/talks/rutger_bregman_poverty_isn_t_a_lack_of_character_it_s_a_lack_of_cash?language=en
Breman is not affiliated with Yang. He wrote his book pre-Yang and was a skeptic when it came to UBI. So was I. But after reading his book and doing some research on my own, UBI made a lot of sense. Instead of making assumptions, look at the data.
Contrary to what people may think, the great majority of people who receive UBI actually do the right thing with it, whether that's paying off bills, visiting their doctor, buying food for their kids, or taking classes to get a better job. If you want a quick example of UBI, Canada essentially has a version of UBI for all families with children under 18. Some families get more while others get less. (I can confirm this as my relatives are Canadian.) Their child-related poverty rates and outcomes are nothing like ours. Meanwhile the child poverty rate in the US is 1 in 5 children.
The US is and continues to be a wealthy country. Don''t buy into the idea we can't afford healthcare, reasonable college fees, etc. After all, we manage to spend billions-trillions annually on warfare, more than the next 7 countries combined.
34
@my2sense2018 Sir, as someone on the other side of the aisle, I'll say Yang is a moral leader and problem solver that Republicans can and will support. He doesn't need the deep pockets of billionaires to buy votes. The Dividend is a much better solution than the Wall, proven to work in Alaska and eradicates poverty without Big Government.
Let's do this together, and win for all our children!
27
The problem with Yang's proposal that it gives 1k to every family, and is going to pay for that through VAT that increases prices. Extra 1k for everybody is invitation of inflation. And although it is nice to have 1k, it will not solve the problems or replace need for the safety net. Although if he offers 5k per month it could.
4
I don’t understand why I’m reading this article and my tears are welling up.
I’ve been listening to Mr. Yang since April last year. Not even Obama’s “hope” can compare to this hope Yang inspires. ‘Infiltrates’ is more like it.
60
While some people will only come out to vote because they are enthusiastic about a candidate, there are others who are primarily motivated to vote in order to get rid of Trump. To defeat him in 2020, Democrats will have to maximize their support from both groups. The one question I would like to see asked of every candidate at the next debate is, "If you are not the Democratic nominee for President, will you enthusiastically and without reservation not only endorse but actively campaign for whoever the nominee is and ask your supporters to do the same?"
7
@Steve Fankuchen Yang has been asked this many times and repeatedly affirmed his loyalty to the Democratic ticket. Unless the nominee adopts the Dividend and Democracy Dollar policies though, many will fall back into apathy.
We have a chance at a landslide election with Andrew as the nominee. Please give him consideration, and we can ALL win!
24
Yang is right on the diagnosis. The automation of jobs will require us to run a society with 40% less job according to some estimates within a decade. Fewer jobs and inequality will require two different economies. The consumption-based model will need to be transformed into a circular economy. Yang's plan is too simple for the enormity of the problem. However, he is still the only one who is discussing the challenge and offering something for the real problem facing the new generation of voters.
33
@OpEd I would agree the problem is too complex for one solution. Yang says this too. The Dividend is the first step, a floor to build on. Others of his policies are aimed at creating a creative, entrepreneurial society that we can all be proud of.
19
I’m a moderate Democrat, Andrew Yang is the best candidate in the field. He is nothing like Senator Sanders in my view, because he tries to convince rather than shout and engage all Americans with his campaign. He is unique, not left, not right but forward.
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@Paul Bern
That’s a great policy. Forward. I saw him say that hackneyed phrase three times in 14 minutes. He doesn’t appear to be a man of substance.
I like Andrew Yang. I also like Amy Klobuchar. My donations are with these two. Admittedly I donated to Mayor Pete earlier but I need to support a candidate that actually has a chance. It probably won't be Yang. But he needs to be on the next debate. I'm all in for Amy.
10
@Leading Cynic Amy is tough and smart, but she is an inside operator. Remember when Yang called out Russian interference and Amy accused him of making "moral equivalence" between American interference in other countries and that of Russia, and pretended the US never did such things?
I would suggest that an honest, visionary leader who isn't afraid of acknowledging our own flawed past is best to lead us into the future.
18
@Leading Cynic you're in luck! Yang has in fact already qualified for the next debate! I'm looking forward to the debate as well.
There are some good people in the Democratic field with good ideas and good hearts. Unfortunately, we have a very complex society and governmental structure that need a basic level of familiarity with it before stepping in as the 'leader'.
Another negative with these original thinkers is that the age group with the greatest voting percentage is the older more conservative group that is understandably skeptical about many of the policy propositions being advocated.
I would like to see the younger people get more governing experience before getting to the top spot. The extra time will also ascertain that many of the old geezers will kick the bucket and no longer be an obstacle.
3
In hear you, but this assumes we’ll have several more years. If Trump wins this election, there might never be another. Or at least another we can possibly trust. Whoever the Dem nominee is, regardless of age, I’d suggest that’s who to vote for.
7
@kirk I haven’t seen any evidence in my lifetime that governing experience makes for a better president. Trump is not a good president but that is not because of his lack of governing experience.
5
@kirk
Yang is the one, he's inspired so many even in Germany. No one has set this precedent since Obama. 2020, is build for Yang's time to be president, his message is so on par on what is coming. Germany will fall in love with President Yang.
2
Yang’s universal basic income funded by taxes on wealth is a redistribution of income that appeals to working people. In national debates, rallies, and interviews, he comes off as genuine and honest, dedicated to UBI, empathetic to average Americans, and he’s an outsider with no support from the Democratic establishment.
UBI would help people, but for the vast majority of Americans, the $1,000 cash per month would be eaten up in paying bills—it doesn’t change the American system that keeps people economically trapped and politically powerless. American working people want jobs they can be proud of to support their families, not handouts, and a say in political decisions, empowerment. Yang means well, proposes a partial solution that is radical to the Democratic Party establishment and mainstream media, and his rise sends a message that the American working people want major change.
18
@Bruce Shigeura You're right that $1,000 a month is not meant to replace people's incomes or let them live in the lap of luxury but that's not the point of UBI. And $1K is not arbitrarily pulled out of nowhere but based on research.
You talk about bills. Do you truly know what that means for someone struggling on the edge? With $1k a month, many people might be able to avoid getting evicted, pay for meds to keep themselves healthy and continually employed, fix that car so they can get to their job, start paying off credit card bills that pile up, avoid jail time for really minor, nonviolent offenses, etc. In contrast, without that, many Americans may start off owing a small amount, be unable to pay if off, have to take out a loan, and watch the amount they need to pay back balloon to an amount they can NEVER pay off. That is what keeps them trapped and impoverished. Go watch some John Oliver on Youtube.
Something like 60% of American don't have $1k in savings even. For many readers of the NY Times (myself included), $1K a month may not seem like a lot but to others, it is a life saver.
Alternatively, other than paying bills, it might mean they have a bit of extra to start taking classes, investing in a business, etc. A UBI experiment in the Netherlands involving chronically homeless people found that giving them small amount monthly was enough to help many --by their own volition - stop drinking/ taking drugs, find a job, take a class etc.
38
The genius of the plan is that it provides a floor on which individuals can build and not a ceiling like welfare. And by making it universal it can really power philanthropy and community building i.e. it frees up resources and time for essential volunteer and care-based activities. It also removes the stigma of a ‘handout’ - it is your right as a valued member of the most affluent and powerful society ever.
36
@Bruce Shigeura Not sure why you call it a redistribution of wealth. Every American citizen gets the 1000 dollars. It’s not means tested.
He doesn’t tax the wealthy. He taxes everyone the same across the board. VAT is universal across the board and doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor you will be taxed if you buy something. If the rich don’t want to be taxed as much, then they can just not spend. Warren Buffet probably will pay as much VAT as the next “normal” citizen since he doesn’t have any extravagant tastes.
If anyone that is left out, it’s really the immigrants both legal and illegal. Giving everyone 1000/month except immigrants can be seen from the angle that we are putting immigrants at disadvantage every month by a 1000 dollars. They pay the VAT like everyone else but they don’t get the Freedom dividend. I find it fair as it’s the dividend for being a citizen. Like Yang says it will incentivize immigrants to become citizens.
12
I like a few of the ideas by several of the Democrat candidates. But Yang is the only person running that, if elected, could truly live up to the title, "Leader". He has ridden tot he top of the hill and looked over to the other side. And, from there, is telling us which way we should send the caravan. Having said that, I'm not sure of his electability. But, in a perfect world, he's the guy that would bring the best set of ideas and prescriptions for getting us to the year 2050 intact.
42
I like your comment but why so negative about his electability? I will assume you are a Democrat. My position, which I think should be everyone’s position, is we need to vote for the best possible candidate in the primary. If he/she doesn’t make it, vote for whoever the Dem nominee is… But please don’t question Mr. Yang’s electability! If you believe in Humanity First, give him his best shot!
I don't think the author got to the $1000 a month dividend payment, financed by a Value Added Tax until the end of the article. I would vote for him just for that. It is a fair and just way to take the sting out of class division. And it meets the constitutional call for government to look out "for the general welfare."
People go homeless because they get evicted over $600.00. A monthly stipend will alleviate a lot of stress and that will reduce medical expenses. It is a universal good and it is a measure of Andrew Yang's compassion for people. He also recognizes the need for a Green New Deal; and he has a thousand other great ideas.
We'll see how he does in Iowa and then New Hampshire.
Finally, he is a fresh face, and that can be worth a lot in a presidential race.
84
What is the fairness in UBI funded through VAT? The millionaires will get their millions plus 1k per month. The poor will get 1k per month, and everybody will get higher prices, although it will affect mostly poor who either would be consigned to limited choice of products or will have to pay higher percentage of their income to pay for goods.
3
@yulia Essential goods like food, clothing, and diapers will all be exempt, so the less well off are the least affected. Yachts, mansions, spaceships, will have higher VAT, so the vast majority of the funds will be from the top 6% of high spenders.
Finally, Alaskan Dividend proved that overall inflation after implementation became LOWER than all other states, as competition and mobility reined in price hikes.
19
@yulia 78% of Americans live pay check to pay check. I would suggest that another 80% of the those 12% of 78% to 90% live with varying amounts of savings and spare cash.
Also, VAT can be calibrated to exclude essentials. In the UK< Books, Food and diaper are not subject to any VAT. Handbags, shoes, cars, pedicures and manicures all are.
The poor don't change cars every year and a 2nd hand cars need not be subject to VAT.
So all in all, a VAT which is COUPLED with UBI can be extremely progressive.
If you are a young couple with 2 kids, the family gets $24k a year. It's hard to believe that for a young couple, that inflation would eat up the whole $24k and it would not improve their lives.
15
A great piece but one I wish appeared before the last debates, so that it might have stirred moderators to direct more questions towards Yang—who unfailingly offers thoughtful and thought-provoking ideas, and who is a thoroughly refreshing figure on the greater political stage.
If elections are really about ideas, Dave Chappelle is absolutely right: Yang’s are worth checking out.
112
@Daphne -- Don't worry, Yang has qualified for the next debate! You'd never know it by the polling chart the Times has yet to update (like the fundraising chart).
2
The one question I would like to see asked of every candidate at the next "debate" is, "If you are not the Democratic nominee for President, will you enthusiastically and without reservation not only endorse but actively campaign for whomever the nominee is and ask your supporters to do the same?"
16
I love the tone of his campaign. Any of the people you've written about are people I'd like to be in the same room with. Comfortable despite a range of differences from me and from one another.
I love that he's a math guy and understands tech differently. I like that he's gone on those different podcasts, even ones I disagree with and that he disagrees with in many ways. I like to look at ideas I disagree with because it is clarifying.
I still don't have a good sense of him, but plan to watch those podcasts. Of course everyone would like that $1000, which seemed a bit gimmicky at first, but if it worked it would provide a great foundation for people. But that's not the main consideration. The main thing is whether he can win.
Still, anything can happen and learning as much as I can about all the candidates is a good idea. It certainly is an interesting field overall. Although Democrats are accused of being in disarray, you can't say this party is boring with so many differences and good candidates. In one way a person could see it as a wealth of talent. In its own way remarkable!
46
The "best actors to improve people's lives is 'not our government, it's us."
Great idea if people were angels and based their actions on what was best for the general good not just themselves. However, this isn't the real world and it's frightening to me that someone who is supposed to be taken seriously believes that.
As to that Yang supporter who complains about Sanders having the same policy positions for decades. Maybe that would you give you a pretty good idea what he would do as president. You can disagree with those positions but he hasn't had to twist himself in a pretzel like Biden and Warren to explain how their current selves disagree with the positions they previously held for years.
6
If you don't trust people then I'm sorry to inform you that government is run by the same people you seem to distrust. I personally trust the people can and will buy food and shelter if given the resources to do so.
Also the other point about Bernie's same policy positions. Its great that he's been on the right side of history and has been consistent in his message, but there are things that he has no clue about. As a 78 year old, he is just enough equipped to handle the challenges of the 21st century - things like how to handle tech companies, strengthening cyber security, handling automation/AI & job displacement as a result, social media usage and its impact on children, etc.
24
@Steve "Great idea if people were angels and based their actions on what was best for the general good not just themselves. " - so it makes sense to give more power to the government and place the lives of millions more in the hands of "good politicians"?
Yang's ideas are just as old as Bernie's. They just happen to fit our time better. Being fixed in your ideology is not something to brag about. Yang has had his position changed throughout the year because he's received more thoughtful arguments to the contrary. That is the type of leader we need - a humble intellect.
1
@Vincent
Good thing Bern's got a young savvy staff and advisors that he listens to and implements. That is what the cabinet and administration are for. No Pres. has command of all issues and situations. But he does have is decades of experience, history, receipts and the scars to prove it. He knows better than many how the sausage is made, the game is played and where the levers are.
https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/04/what-would-a-left-cabinet-look-like
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2019/12/16/bernie-sanders-first-100-days-president-white-house-administration-084447
https://inthesetimes.com/article/18806/this-1983-profile-of-bernie-sanders-shows-how-his-success-in-burlington-mir
Hopefully those YG's know the Sanders tent is always open and they'd be more than welcome to lend a shoulder to the wheel if they find themselves looking for a place to land.
1
Well, Ms. Weiss, you finally made some substantive observations, but man, did it take some digging.
Yang deserves better than character pieces. He's running on his own intellectual steam rather than ideological dogma, and his ideas are genuinely thought-provoking. There are other thinkers in this race, but Yang's come across as unbranded and well-meant. I'm not fond of commenting on politicians' communicative powers - we should focus on issues - but Yang does have a gift with engaging people. And honestly, if he's conning us, he has me fooled.
Yang isn't the anti-Sanders, and he's not a spoiler candidate to pin conservative hopes on. I think if he was running as the sole outsider challenger to Biden, as Obama did to Hillary, he'd likely prevail. In such a crowded field, who knows?
The best reasons to consider Yang that I've heard are: 1. His genuine appeal across party lines and 2. His supporters argue his U.B.I. could actually get passed, even with a Republican Senate. And while U.B.I. wouldn't solve anything completely, it could help everything.
I'm waiting to see what happens in Iowa. Sanders, Warren, and Yang all have my attention. They all have plans to tackle our corrupt campaign financing status quo. Biden and Buttigieg are running courtesy of that status quo PAC funding, and they're last on my list. We can't fix anything until politicians represent the people who voted for them, not the people who funded them.
126
Fair enough. I do hope whoever wins the nomination, you’ll consider voting for them.
6
I am pretty sure that Reps will love the UBI idea that will help them to dismantle Medicare, Medicaid and SS, especially if UBI is funded through VAT. In this case, the rich will become richer, while poor will have to find their own ways to help themselves.
4
Really nicely put Chris. He’s getting a lot of attention overseas too, as his platform and character are unlike anything we’ve seen before in our respective countries.
11
I think Yang has the right ideas here. Whenever I see candidates, politicians, or economists say that people just need educational opportunities I have to laugh. Sure, an education is better than none and the right education can still help an individual, but it is getting harder and harder, even among the educated, to do well today. The truth is that automation and the gig economy are decreasing the number of people needed to do a job and decreasing the pay of those who are still needed. Good paying jobs are now requiring people who can move further and further to the right of the skills bell curve, whether that is intelligence, salesmanship, artistic ability, sports, etc. That leaves more and more people at the left end of the curve to suffer with no or low paying jobs. As more automation and AI kicks in, this will only get worse. At some point we will have to change our economic system to recognize this. Yang sounds like he is already thinking in this way. As a result, he is probably the best candidate for 2020.
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@L osservatore At the same time, almost half of college graduates are underemployed (do not have a job that requires a degree) while being loaded with school debt. Labor participation rate is at multi-decade low (slight uptick only the past 2-3 years), new business formation rate at multi-decade low, moving a crossing state at multi-decade low - these are all indicators for economic dynamism that underpins sustainable, long term growth. What’s at record high: stress, anxiety, suicides, drug overdoses, deaths of despair. What’s also at multi-decade low: life expectancy and new births. These are all long term trends that are beyond the usual notion of business cycles.
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@L osservatore
Workers' pay is rising at a faster rate because we are finally mobilizing, and, as a result, multiple states have passed laws that increase the minimum wage.
Regulations work.
14
@Todd Johnson I'm someone well educated (2 degrees), have worked for the public and private sector, stayed home for the kids and worked the gig economy for a while. Now running my own business.
Yep, I'm a Yang Ganger for all the reasons you mention even though I'm doing alright. My business is in the business of reducing the number of workers by relying on technology. Even as I believe in the economic sense of my business, I think we must help those who have lost their jobs thanks to applying technologies of the 21st century as my business has done.
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I forgot to add due to word count that I think this is a great follow up to your discussion with Joe Rogan. This seems like a very nice and thoughtful piece. It is right to be published as an op-ed, but this is legitimate journalism. You actually took the time on the ground to speak to Andrew Yang supporters and experience their enthusiasm and reported what you observed and experienced. This shows a lot more curiosity and investigation than I tend to see from the news industry at the moment.
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How true! My 15 year old educated me about Andrew Yang and advocated that I vote for him in the primary. I will listen to my son this time around since in a few short years, it's his world.
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@Linus Well said, I hope more parents consider what their children say. It used to be hard to get young people to care about politics and if a young person is that passionate about something, it's definitely worth listening.
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@Linus Just the opposite for me...I'm 65 and I got my 24 year old interested...
15
24 year-old people these days have seen so much they’re already cynics. Good on you for getting the critical thinking rebooted.
6
Great article Bari! I'm going to be voting for Andrew Yang in the SC Primary. Politics has always been the distorted shadow of economic reality, and the boundaries of economics have always been expanded by technological innovation. Yang says that we are in the 4th industrial revolution. I think he's right. However, it's not simply robots that we should be concerned about (R2D2 won't be delivering the mail anytime soon). Disintermediation is the source of the real problems caused by technological advancement. Technology is what allows humans to find the shortest route between labor and productivity. It could be a robot, or it could be an app that connects people who need a ride with drivers willing to provide the service. Or a massive conglomerate of retail suppliers connected with everyone's home address. Technology takes out the middleman. Things that once appeared inexorable, (taxi medallions, small town storefronts) become devalued towards a vanishing point. Yet, GDP keeps going up due to these increasing market efficiencies. It's easy to see the shocking number of job categories that are currently vulnerable to technological disintermediation; and it's hard to imagine what forms of human labor will eventually replace those lost jobs. UBI in the form of Yang's $1,000 a month Freedom Dividend is the economic breathing room our citizens need to figure out what the future holds. That future is coming at us too fast for capitalism to remain at a standstill.
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I'm a white, upper middle class, late 40s libertarian who leans towards the right.
Last month, I made my first ever political donation to Andrew Yang. #YangGang
Great article Bari!
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@Will
Your endorsement is exactly why I can’t take AY seriously. Not an attack but it crystallizes our differences.
7
You can’t take Yang seriously because he appeals to people with different political views? How do you plan to build a winning coalition?
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@DRM Wouldn’t you like to see people across all political spectrum uniting under the vision of the nominee/president whoever that might be?
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I haven't read though the whole article yet, but I read some of it. My favorite candidates of the campaign are Bernie Sanders and Andrew Yang. Honorable mention for Tulsi Gabbard. Guess what they all have in common, they all appeared on Joe Rogan. I literally found out about Andrew Yang through Joe Rogan podcast. I think I'm a Joe Rogan Democrat.
Overall, I'm looking for a candidate who wants to class warfare against the rich and who offers optimism. Or more simply, I want a future. I think we have an economy that's badly messed up, with major concerns being wealth inequality and the robots. It's not whether we are in a recession or booming economy. It's that we let certain industries like Wall Street and Big Tech get out of control, to the point we had the 2008 recession and major concerns about privacy, amongst other things. We've created an economy where the upper middle class are workaholics and the working class struggle to find decent work. Giving all our money to the rich via tax cuts or giving all working class jobs to robots only will make things worse. I don't want normalcy. Even under Obama our current normal wasn't working.
I want a political revolution. I want optimism. I want authenticity, which Sanders and Yang have in spades. I want someone who travels the country like Yang did and who represents the people.
Yang is the sort of candidate I wanted even before I knew such candidates still existed.
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@James Agreed, though I would say where Sanders is the boxer, Yang is like a wrestler. Sanders has endured but never been much for winning. Yang goes on Fox News with a smile and uses arguments thrown against him to force agreement.
He wins and the opponent even feels good about it!
Yang can re-balance the economy through the Dividend without forcing class warfare. The ultra-rich will pay, and feel good doing it.
10
@FLRepublican Sanders has at least won elections before. Trump win without having been elected before, but he was already a worldwide celebrity. Yang doesn't have that type of support or fame needed to win a presidential election. His only hope is to play spoiler in a Democratic primary by attracting disaffected Republicans (who will likely vote for Trump in the general). Yang wouldn't even be getting this much traction if the RNC hadn't canceled their primaries to protect Trump from any challengers within his own party.
3
@wb7378a I liked Bernie in 2016. Donated. Then he lost, became a millionaire, and bought his third home. Now he is older, more pro-big government, and just had a heart attack.
Yang just won the Iowa Youth Straw Poll over both Sanders and Biden! Guy's working hard for us, 5-6 events a day for 18 days straight now. Could Bernie still put in that kind of fight? Or will he continue to be coddled by the campaign?
1
Andrew Yang’s gallows humor and ability to unite groups of varying ideologies is the perfect antidote to solving the problems our country is currently facing. Tribalism has commandeered our society, and as each side is yelling at and blaming one another, Andrew Yang is listening to people’s concerns and highlighting the common humanity that connects each one of us. We can no longer cling to our archaic notions of a meritocracy; Walmart will continue to replace people with self-checkouts, Tesla will continue to develop autonomous vehicles, MGM will continue to replace its bartenders with novel robot cocktail shakers, and as these economic shifts keep occurring, more and more people will get left behind.
$1000 a month isn’t meant to be the perfect answer to all of our problems, but it is the easiest/most straight forward way to ease the tensions, anxieties & stress of the 78% of Americans living paycheck-to-paycheck. When nearly 50% of Americans can’t afford an unexpected $500 bill, how can we expect people to be concerned about the macro issues of the world?
We need an economy that recognizes our human values, our stay at home parents, our volunteers, our care-givers, our artists; all of the things that bring our communities closer together. We need to find our way back to valuing the vibrancy/uniqueness of the individual.
Andrew Yang is anything but the ego that wants the limelight. He elevates everyone around him by genuinely caring about the well being of us all.
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@Erik He is polling at a couple percent, so perhaps his ability to unite diverse groups is not quite what you think it is.
@Sparky
Hey Sparky,
I’m speaking about his ability to garner support from disaffected Trump voters, Independents, Libertarians and people who have previously been divorced/disinterested in politics. I’m not merely talking about registered Democrats with landlines that get polled. Polling a minuscule subset of registered Democrats and extrapolating that to the entire country is a mistake, with which we’ve already seen when Trump was running against Hillary.
Favorability rankings amongst candidates are better indicators of who will come out to vote.
Feel free to read this article detailing flaws with polls and modern approaches to gauging electability.
https://medium.com/@benamy.yashar/a-data-scientists-take-on-electability-and-the-democratic-candidates-77426ea3f97
4
@Sparky I would counter that by asking you, how diverse do you think the groups of people generally being polled are? Is that an actual representation of the diverseness of personality, situation, and thought of most Americans?
5
He's got some great ideas.
Everyone who wants to succeed needs to work on their weaknesses and Yang's is public speaking.
Sometimes he sounds hectoring and scolding like some of the much older candidates.
But Yang is a young man and has plenty of time to smooth out his delivery.
He has a future.
14
With Yang, US politics feels hopeful. He's not a dystopian fear mongering, rage endorsing candidate and that's something the country really needs. Yang pinpoints the pain of those left behind by our current economy and talks about it in a way that no other democrat would. As a well-educated, well off millennial who has benefitted tremendously from tech and innovation in this country, the economy has never felt like it's been rigged against me. However, I can tell you that I and many others like me know that something is not right with our economy and country. As Yang would summarize it, the system is rigged against normal people on all sides of the political spectrum. His ability to inspire people from everywhere to reflect on our humanity is why I'm voting for him this election cycle. I love Yang's policies, but I also love his politics and his humanity.
106
Sadly Mr. Yang will never gain any traction in the big show. I believe he should, but the machine of politics has no place for the fresh ideas with real thinkers behind them. There are other countries on the planet that would welcome Mr. Yang and his forward thinking....The USA isn't one of them. Mr. Yang is too good for this country. Mr. Yang makes too much sense for a country who would elect the loser we have had as president for the last 3 years and change. We don't deserve Mr. Yang. We don't deserve Elizabeth Warren either.
19
Andrew Yang, as you learned, has a lot of appealing attributes, including a slant, grasp, or perspective on the immense problem of "the end of work" that perhaps no other candidate has.
It is, nevertheless, very difficult to imagine him as president, and the enthusiasts you interviewed are less than persuasive, by word and example.
Recall what it says, in the book The Best and the Brightest, about the Robert McNamara/McGeorge Bundy types who bear considerable responsibility for the Vietnam War fiasco: they and the rest of us might have been better off if they'd run for sheriff, or some other office, first.
Although Donald Trump is a unique case--thank God!--he nevertheless shows what it's like to have a president with no political experience whatsoever, We would do well not to repeat that experience.
12
Voting for any or inexperienced president (however you articulate that) needs to consider the candidate’s choices for cabinet and other members critical to the governing process.
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@Scott But how can we know their choices for cabinet ahead of time? Presidential candidates rarely announce such choices during their campaigns, and maybe that's not such a bad thing
2
@Just Ben
two responses:
If you look into Yang's recorded credentials, he's what the normal citizen would call, a highly intelligent. Yang is a different guy compared to the current self-proclaimed unrecorded 'stable genius' in the WH.
Second, the familiar politician preference to be president does not guarantee this person will make a good president.
A debate between an actual genius and Trump would be something l look forward to.
9
I agree that automation is coming and no form of government intervention will stop that. That said, there is no reason that the companies that become more profitable through automation should not also pay more in taxes for the privilege of operating in a country where a percentage of the people need to be supported through government programs.
Why can't we create a 21st century public works program? We need infrastructure. We need art. We need educators.
Of all the candidates only Yang seems to truly understand the truly unprecedented nature of the cause of our problems. And understanding the problem is the first step to solving it.
Yang as Biden's VP works for me. Get him on the inside and see what he can do.
29
@JohnFred Yang is for public works and increasing teacher pay (his startup paid teachers 10x market wages!), and creating a creative economy through the Dividend.
:) I think Biden would pick a young female running mate. Yang, on the other hand, is friendly with Joe and has declared the need for a partner with deep Congressional connections. Joe was a great VP, he should be that again.
1
@JohnFred
Biden is not electable. Neither is Warren (tendency to fib), Bloomberg or raging Sanders.
Sorry but It's time all the three-four-five (?) millionaire fossils retire.
3
@JohnFred
Yeah, To me, that's a winning combination, Biden and Yang. Biden already supports Yang's concerns about automation and the 4th industrial revolution.
Biden gives Yang the experience of a life time of working in the beltway and then retires after 1 term, letting Yang run the show for another 2 terms. By then, it's a done deal.
2
Thank you for this piece on Mr Yang.
I have been avoiding the debates and only recently watched the NYT videos of the candidates answering questions. I've purposely put off following every news cycle as it feels oppressive and frenetic and overwhelming.
I was impressed with Mr Yang. I think he brings a refreshing and current view of the world around us. He has weaknesses that others have pointed out, but strengths that others don't seem to have.
My greatest wish is that when the votes fly and flurry is over, we can all unite, enthusiastically and sincerely, behind one individual who isn't going to be that many people's first choice.
And rather than turn aside from the current candidates, that the eventual candidate will choose a running partner and (fingers crossed) cabinet and administrative officials from this group. Recognizing that within this group lies the true scope, depth and breadth, of the heart of Americans.
22
I would urge anyone curious about Yang to look up interviews with him on Youtube. There you can see how thoughtful and genuine his positions are. This article does a really great job of describing the Yang gang, but where he really shines is innovative policy positions and explanations of issues in a refreshing and pragmatic way. I know the Freedom Dividend and some of his other proposals are disconcertingly unorthodox, but I would really just suggest listening to the man for a few minutes.
75
Andrew Yang on Joe Rogan's podcast stands out as one of the better things in 21st century America: an engaging candidate speaking without commercial interruption and at a leisurely pace with a host that enjoys good conversation with a wide spectrum of people.
Like you I took away a positive impression of Yang and feel he has the temperament needed to start to turn our country a little left where the day to day worry is lessened by doing more for the average American. I agree totally that if we just continue with business as usual we are going to be in a very bad place: this crazy inequality trend has to be reversed.
63
I have been flip flopping on for whom to vote. But this article gave me a new way to think about it. And all of the comments also - they have a hopefulness and optimism that is the solution I dare say to the cynicism in the white house and the anger in the democratic party itself. As the saying goes, you can't fight fire with fire. So let's try a gentler approach, and even sharper intellectually... I may have just been converted to the Yang Gang myself by this read alone. It feels like I don't have time or energy to follow too much more of this race yet I know, in a way, that it is, quite literally, the fight of our lives. So in the times we are living in, it does seem time to give someone like this the chance not to be an actor but a player.
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@Alias
Please check out the Joe Rogan interview. Andrew Yang talks fully about his ideas and there is a coherence to his views. Truly.
1
Andrew Yang is a refreshing voice in the campaign. He looks at today's problems with fresh eyes instead of set-in-stone doctrine. And he backs up his policy ideas with facts and figures instead of stereotypes. I've seen him on television and he never seems to be stumped for an answer to any questions. While I have some concerns about his lack of foreign policy experience, I believe he could be a wonderful president for domestic issues especially with regard to the future of work in our country.
49
Yang won't win, but he is in touch with some serious issues that are being overlook by others. Especially in regards to automation and other glaring issues that aren't mainstream in regards to attention. I feel like he needs to be tap for either a cabinet role, or a prominent role within the DNC or getting involved in a congressional level.
13
@Patrick -- No, that would kill him. AS IF the DNC would accept him into the inner circle of their ossified leadership, the embodiment of the status quo. The DNC is doing everything it can to marginalize all the creative, disruptive candidates. They won't abide anyone but a Clinton clone. As for running for Congress, Yang needs to be in a leadership position, not one of several hundred legislators who get nothing done; Congress is where innovative ideas go to die. The NYT editorial similarly suggested he get involved in NY politics. The machine would grind him up. The fact that Yang has not been part of government is precisely WHY he has his innovative ideas. To use the language of many of his supporters, his inexperience is not a bug, it's a feature.
25
@Patrick Saying anybody won't win at this juncture is counterproductive and ill-informed. Yang offers a vision, intellect, and temperament that uniquely positions him as one of the most liked presidential candidates of our time. Liberals, progressives, moderates, conservatives, Trumpers, young, old, disengaged, tech "nerds" highlight his diverse coalition. This article makes that glaringly clear. Every other candidate alienates a major portion of the electorate (Warren/Sanders) or fails to bring enthusiasm (Biden/Klobuchar) needed for a movement strong enough to overcome Trump.
Yang may not be your candidate but dismiss him at your own peril. He's the only one presenting a pragmatic case on how to beat Trump, not just superficial rhetoric on uniting the country.
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@PL
Love it. His inexperience is NOT a bug it is FEATURE!
This seems too much like worshipping at the alter of the "disruptor". Mr. Yang seems incredibly intelligent, tremendously sincere and in many ways the kind of visionary needed to deal with many of today's issues. But discounting experience as a prerequisite for the office of the presidency goes beyond foolish. This isn't a Silicon Valley start up, the Executive Branch is not an industry in need of unicorns.
Some people are mentioning the vice presidency. I don't see him holding many of the skill sets that takes either but fair enough. There are plenty of ways for him to make America far better than it is today, short of pretending one person holds every talent required to turn our country around.
I wish him the best, and much success in what I hope is a long and happy life, but maybe at least one stepping stone before the Oval Office would be of benefit to us all.
8
@trudds But the President doesn't work alone. Far from it. I trust Yang's judgment (including in picking advisors) and his humility (to listen and learn).
31
@trudds I agree that experience matters, but disagree on the type of experience necessary. The best presidents have been those with the capacity for deep thinking (Jefferson), decisive action (FDR), and ability to build coalitions (LBJ).
Upon reading Yang's book, I can attest to his mental clarity and insight. His outstanding debate performance demonstrate his quick decisive temperament in the face of unexpected challenges. His broad coalition of Republicans/Independents/Democrats attest to his leadership.
Can we say the same of any other candidate?
3
@bess At no point would I question Mr. Yang's many positive attributes, some of which you've mentioned. Knowing who would read this, I expected most here would disagree, but judgement is not just an innate talent. It is a skill honed and strengthened like most. In times of the greatest crisis, only one person ultimately makes the decision and bears the responsibility. For people who believe, having never been near these types of situations a supremely well-intentioned and educated individual can walk up and make that happen with or without amazing advice, I cannot disagree more strongly. This doesn't infer, every situation is a crisis, that Mr. Yang isn't capable of the vast majority of the job, and definitely which candidate(s) may be ready. But the learning curve for mistakes there is steeper than anyone outside those halls normally understands. Good luck and God bless.
Yang is thoughtful, intelligent, willing to do the work, humble, inspiring and can bring morale authority back to the presidency. What he lacks in experience, he makes up with a willingness to listen, innovative problem solving and the ability to surround himself with great people who believe in him. Electing an Asian American and a son of immigrants will show the world that the American dream is still alive.
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@Andy I agree that Yang, unlike trump, would surround himself with experts and would certainly listen to and learn from them, especially concerning areas with which he is not practically familiar, such as foreign policy. He's so smart, so capable, and, frankly, so kind.
I hope that at the very least he is in the cabinet of whoever wins - and I would be proud to call him my president if he wins.
4
Yang understands that automation is not bad in of itself (just as industrialization was not bad in of itself), but the way that it’s handled makes all the difference. Are we going to have demagogues that use people’s pain like gasoline to fuel false narratives, or leaders that accurately explain to people what’s going on? Are we going to use 20th-century style solutions like job guarantees, or recognize that in the 21st century if anything people should be able to work less while still maintaining a healthy standard of living? Whether or not Yang wins this election, he’s already done a great service to the country by bringing some of these ideas into the mainstream.
63
Yang better have a good answer if Trump says he'll give everyone $2000 a month if he gets re-elected.
12
@Ed He does, and he explains it in several of his popular long-form interviews on YouTube. Basically, $1k a month brings everyone out of poverty, and it is affordable given America's economy. In time, adjusting for inflation, it will likely rise to $2k.
7
But 2k will increase the quality of people's lives better than 1k . And 3k will be even better. I guess the candidates could set up the auction for the President post - who offer more of free money, paid by higher prices.
3
@yulia no, the 1K is also carefully structured so as not to disincentivize work, as it is right BELOW the poverty line
It is also fully paid for with VAT + carbon tax + financial transactions tax. 2K would go into deficit spending mode and lose support from fiscal conservatives.
Besides, does anyone trust Trump to give 2K Dividend? He'd give himself a trillion bonus, $1 to everyone else, and blame Democrats
5
Andrew reminds me of the Dutch people—incredibly bright yet modest as well as sensibly, solution-oriented realists. Good ideas usually transcend politics, so naturally he doesn’t tow a party line, however it disconcerts many when they feel like they can’t peg someone.
His lacking political office experience (i.e., being a seasoned co-conspirator for what’s given us the status quo), is a frequent point of dismissal. His detractors also cast him as a one-trick pony for his flagship policy despite having 160+ policies and Hillary Clinton’s campaign platform in 2016 almost being UBI, and even Pres. Obama suggesting the idea, (check YouTube)—seems too convenient.
Whatever the reason(s) of his detractors, surely they can hope that America will experience a political era without mudslinging or rhetorical turmoil. That the eventual nominee will make Democrats, Independents, Republicans and Libertarians the LEAST bit annoyed if they are not their top candidate.
Problem is, who else aside from Yang can muster such a task?
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@Daniel
If elected, he would have the good sense to take the advice that Mike Bloomberg gave to Trump when he was elected: Appoint plenty of people who are smarter than you. We are all now living with someone who did not take Bloomberg's advice.
@cl Unlikely to have a Yang/Bloomberg or Bloomberg/Yang ticket. This would be really interesting, though. Not at all practical in appealing to different sectors of the electorate. I'm not proposing it, iow.
Both are familiar with tech, but in different ways. Both have done philanthropic works that line up with their values. One young, one old (with plenty of experience in politics). In different ways, I think both are willing to step outside the box with fresh ideas.
1
One of the top Andrew Yang articles I have read. Incredible job embodying the message and vibe and momentum of his campaign thus far.
95
Great article! What he lacks in experience he more than makes up for with his willingness to listen and capacity to learn. And what a wonderful personality! 💙
102
I think the trouble with Yang is absence of any meaningful program to address the problems. $1k per month is nice, but it could not replace the lost due to automatization income. Add to that the increased prices, because VAT is the way to pay for $1k to everybody, and 1k seems like much smaller. Good personality and optimism could not make up for absence of the valuable ideas. "We are the solution, not the Government" is not a program, it is a slogan, deceitful one, considering that $1k is coming from the Government. Talking about divorce from reality.
5
Listen more closely. He explains that the benefit is certainly means tested and has other criteria. More important, he discusses consequences of his policies refreshingly thoughtful and original in this politic.
19
@yulia Yang has said multiple times UBI is the foundation that you can build a functioning society on top of. There are needs for certain programs, but there can't be a government program for every problem. Once you get past big issues like healthcare, social security, medicare, disability and a few others, you get increasingly inefficient at solving problems. The core competency of the federal government is its ability to fund and send a large number of checks out every month.
The universality of the dividend allows people to use the money on the things they need, instead of needing the government to pass a bill and then set up bureaucracy to administer the program.
I would say the slogan is accurate, its about empowering people with a little bit of cash to solve their own problems, rather than trying to use the federal government to prescribe solutions for millions of different people. Crowdsource the individual decision making and fund it through the government.
The 1K a month on its own doesn't replace the lost income from a middle class factory worker, you are right. But it would put millions or billions of dollars of buying power into their local community. How many new businesses open up there? That person now has some cash to get by on and gives them a chance to do something like start a hobby shop or develop a new skill. Maybe they see some hope for themselves and their kids and they stop killing themselves at record levels.
38
I did listen carefully, and I haven't heard anything that would make me think that his solution is a right one. It seems like the "mean test" is a different VAT for different products, but that has internal contradiction: if you have low VAT, you have no money to fund UBI. If you increase VAT, the real UBI will go down. If you increase the VAT too much for some products, while keeping VAT for other products low, fewer people will buy the high VAT products, again decreasing fund for UBI.
3
Even though Buttigieg is still my preferred candidate, I have become increasingly impressed with Andrew Yang. His positivity and civil tone have not gone unnoticed. As a fellow Asian- American, I am also impressed at his efforts to stick his neck out and do something (Asians, for all their successes, are politically apathetic and probably the least well represented in government).
The presidency will be a long shot. But our country is fortunate to have people like Andrew Yang and I hope he gets a prominent position on the next presidential cabinet.
243
@SYJ Pete and Andrew are both smart people. The key difference to me is "values". Pete went to Harvard and McKinsey and shortest path to Presidential run through the DC-connected wine caves. Yang earned his million then quit to start a non-profit(?) before running a small donor campaign with just ideas and no establishment backing.
I was personally interested in Pete until the whole South Bend shooting, which made me look into his claim of having "reduced Black poverty by more than half" but which in fact was only 6%, during a regional recovery. Yang seems the much more trustworthy and admirable candidate, especially for those of us who are looking for a unifying figure?
19
@SYJ My preferred candidate is Pete Buttigieg as well. I do like Andrew Yang and would vote for him if he is the nominee. But I would appreciate it if Yang's supporters gave Pete the same respect we show Andrew's ...the yang gang commentary does not help.
2
@in-the weeds
That's an unrealistic expectation. Pete's supporters are all democrats. Yang has a wide variety of supporters from across the political spectrum, some of which aren't going to be so nice to the other dem candidates. Don't worry about what they say - just worry about what Andrew says.
5
Earnest, agile, smart as a whip, quite progressive *and* fiscally responsible, humane, and honest — this guy would make the ideal veep. Let’s be real: he’s not gonna get the top spot this time. But it would be great if he gets a place in the room where it happens.
I’m voting for him.
140
I do not adhere to a single political ideology myself and am behind Yang all the way. The Rogan interview is a must see. You cannot come away from it without gaining great respect for Yang and his vision. He is the real deal.
184
@Daphne YES! There are pieces of both spectrum of the political ideology that are valid. To say only one is correct, is naive. It's not left. It's not right. it's forward!
Yang probably won’t win the nomination, but whoever the nominee is ignores Yang’s message at their peril.
73
Yang was my first ever political donation. I'm a young millennial and this is truly the first time in my entire life where I felt motivated to be a part of this nation's political process. The "Yang Gang" is more akin to a big, welcoming family than a political movement...
On top of that, Yang is not a politician, and he seems to have a better grasp and understanding of the root cause issues that plague this country than any politician out there. His proposals for a Universal Basic Income, as well as "Democracy Dollars," are probably two of the most important policies to be put on the table by any presidential candidate in many, many years, and could do wonders for our democracy.
I truly think Yang is the best candidate to beat Trump as he is likely the only one who can garner significant support from both sides of the political aisle. He is the candidate who can actually mend the deep wounds of division in our country, and the data backs that up by showing his support from liberals, disaffected Trump voters, and independents alike.
He has my vote.
277
@Scott
Thanks for supporting Yang!
I'm closer to the other end of the embodiment arc, and Yang is the best I've ever seen. I'm excited to see the Freedom Dividend and Democracy Dollars rejuvenate the nation's cultural, economic, and political systems.
I don't know what will happen on Monday, or over the next Months, but I, like you, and so glad to have become a part of the Yang Gang!
16
@Scott
>Yang was my first ever political donation.
Mine too. And he's not even my favorite candidate. But his ideas and way of thinking about problems are so unique and refreshing, I just wanted to help keep him on the debate stages.
(Actually, my first ever donation was to Booker, also because I wanted him to remain in the debates, but it was rejected because I live overseas. Yang takes donations from expats.)
My biggest concern is that according to the numbers, the Yang Gang is the least likely to vote for the eventual nominee should it not be Yang.
8
@Bill in Yokohama
Yes, I have no doubt that his Dem supporters, like me, will VoteBlueNoMatterWho. But his Big Tent appeal has attracted many disaffected voters with no intrinsic loyalty to the DNC and, significantly, flipped many Trump supporters to vote blue for the first time in their lives.
What worries me is that that is our margin of victory in 2020, but it is not reflected in polls of exclusively Democrat voters.
1
Yang makes a better running mate for Sanders. Their views are far more in line with each other's. But my view is that the Dem VP candidate won't come from the pool of failed presidential hopefuls. It might be Abrams. It might be Michelle Obama. It might be Cuomo. Or it might be someone that the media hasn't latched onto yet as a darling.
3
@Roger T Practically speaking, VP will probably be someone from a swing state that will help deliver that state or even region.
1
@Roger T
It won't Cuomo. He's got his hands full and no a small amount of baggage.
Earlier last year, I was getting emotionally tired of all the focus on Donald Trump. I think Trump is a terrible president, but it's not motivating to know that what is happening in Washington are pointless battles going on in congress and in the media.
When I heard Andrew speak for the first time, it was eye opening. He talked so clearly about the problems the country is facing and about his vision for the country. He doesn't blame Trump in his stump speech and instead calls him a symptom of a larger set of problems he hopes to solve.
His vision, his clarity, his focus on solving those problems are so bright, optimistic, and hopeful that you can't help but feel excited for it.
I have felt that Donald Trump should not be president and that any democrat would be better. So I can understand the idea of voting for the candidate that can beat Trump.
But now I realize if you want to defeat Donald Trump at the ballot box, you have to pick the candidate that you would feel excited for regardless of Donald Trump.
Right now the candidates are betting on Democrats feeling angry at Trump to come out and vote. If they are not angry, they will not turn out.
If you choose a candidate that you are excited for, a vision that excites you, you will turn out regardless of Trump. To beat Trump, you have to pick a candidate that excites Americans, Democrats, Republicans, Conservatives and Independents so much they forget about Donald Trump.
And the best one to do that is Andrew Yang.
502
@George
George, you are eloquently half right. While some people will only come out to vote because they are enthusiastic about a candidate, there are others who are primarily motivated to vote to get rid of Trump. In order to defeat Trump in 2020, Democrats will have to maximize their support from both groups. The one question I would like to see asked of every candidate at the next debate is, "If you are not the Democratic nominee for President, will you enthusiastically and without reservation not only endorse but actively campaign for whoever the nominee is and ask your supporters to do the same?"
23
@George
Which is why Andrew Yang says: everytime we talk about dump, we are losing.
that the democratic candidates should be presenting an alternative vision for American citizens which they are excited about and want to see happen.
That's another reason why Andrew Yang is the one to vote for.
25
@Steve Fankuchen You speak for millions who make yes or no answers to litmus test questions the preferred basis of political engagement; I believe you sweep along a good many others who really haven't given it that much thought.
2
He's the greatest. I hope Biden picks Yang as his running mate. He says things we all need to hear about the future of automation, how American factories have abandoned US workers and his idea of a universal basic income is brilliant.
85
@Sasha Stone Joe would pick a younger woman as VP. Yang, on the other hand, needs an older Congressional connection VP to get stuff passed. Joe is the perfect proven VP and team player, and is on good terms with Yang.
Got to back Yang to make that happen though!
3
@Sasha Stone I don't agree with that statement because #yanggang is going in all the way my friend
1
I hope Warren lucks Yang!