The Yang Gang

[lewisnotmiller]

So, I think choice for voters is great, and I find Andrew Yang worthy of a listen (without necessarily subscribing to his views).

But I also fear he's going to split off some Dem votes above and beyond any ability to mobilize 'new' voters or gather centrist Republicans.

So...on balance...do you think his plans to form a third party and run will help or hinder American democracy??

(To be clear, I have no doubt a mature, multi-partied process would be good, and this is a required first step, but...
With the US system the way it is, this seems more like a one or two election splash that leads nowhere apart from helping the Republicans by dividing votes against them)

Bonus question...
If Yang grabs votes, can he use this to strengthen Democrat candidates (or...selected candidates, I should say)

I believe not, which is a key reason behind my hesitancy. Totally different here, with a preferential system.

 

[Nakosis]

Who would you prefer? Biden, Harris or Yang?

 

[We Never Know]

So, I think choice for voters is great, and I find Andrew Yang worthy of a listen (without necessarily subscribing to his views).

But I also fear he's going to split off some Dem votes above and beyond any ability to mobilize 'new' voters or gather centrist Republicans.

So...on balance...do you think his plans to form a third party and run will help or hinder American democracy??

(To be clear, I have no doubt a mature, multi-partied process would be good, and this is a required first step, but...
With the US system the way it is, this seems more like a one or two election splash that leads nowhere apart from helping the Republicans by dividing votes against them)

Bonus question...
If Yang grabs votes, can he use this to strengthen Democrat candidates (or...selected candidates, I should say)

I believe not, which is a key reason behind my hesitancy. Totally different here, with a preferential system.

My first question is..who is Andrew Yang?
My second question is what influence does he have in politics or in general?

 

[Suave]

Who would you prefer? Biden, Harris or Yang?

So, I think choice for voters is great, and I find Andrew Yang worthy of a listen (without necessarily subscribing to his views).

But I also fear he's going to split off some Dem votes above and beyond any ability to mobilize 'new' voters or gather centrist Republicans.

So...on balance...do you think his plans to form a third party and run will help or hinder American democracy??

(To be clear, I have no doubt a mature, multi-partied process would be good, and this is a required first step, but...
With the US system the way it is, this seems more like a one or two election splash that leads nowhere apart from helping the Republicans by dividing votes against them)

Bonus question...
If Yang grabs votes, can he use this to strengthen Democrat candidates (or...selected candidates, I should say)

I believe not, which is a key reason behind my hesitancy. Totally different here, with a preferential system.

I agree with Andrew Yang 's plan to have universal basic income ( U.B.I.) implemented by the U.S. federal government. Andrew Yang calls his universal basic income plan the Freedom Dividend. I'd like universal basic income ( U.B.I.) as a broad social safety net going directly to everybody with very little administrative costs. There'd be no means testing, since this benefit would be applicable to each person at an equal amount, nobody would be gaming the system in order to receive benefits as might be the case for targeted welfare programs or conditional based charity cases. Nobody would have to refuse employment in order that he/she could become or remain eligible for welfare benefits Universal basic income would offer many people some financial freedom to move away from an abusive situation. Also, there'd be some financial support for families to help take care of their children, elderly, or disabled. The stigma of being a welfare case or charity case is removed by universal basic income, such a broad scale social safety net would significantly reduce poverty.

I'd like Andrew Yang to run as a Green Party Candidate. My first time voting for U.S. President, I voted for the Green Party nominated U.S. presidential candidate who at the time was Ralph Nader. I'd consider leaving the Democrat party in favor of the Green Party if there were a viable Green Party U.S. Presidential candidate like Andrew Yang. Most voters should know by now, the Republicans support policies favoring the most wealthy of Americans at the expense of our environment as well as at the expense of working class Americans, so I doubt the Republicans will attract more than some few million votes out of more than one hundred million votes for either the Democrats or the Green Party with Andrew Yang as the Green Party's political leader.

(Edit) *I realize now Andrew Yang is considering forming a new political party, the "Forward Party", However, I'd rather Andrew Yang become a political leader of an already established third party like the Green Party, which advocates universal basic income.*

 

[Stevicus]

So, I think choice for voters is great, and I find Andrew Yang worthy of a listen (without necessarily subscribing to his views).

But I also fear he's going to split off some Dem votes above and beyond any ability to mobilize 'new' voters or gather centrist Republicans.

So...on balance...do you think his plans to form a third party and run will help or hinder American democracy??

(To be clear, I have no doubt a mature, multi-partied process would be good, and this is a required first step, but...
With the US system the way it is, this seems more like a one or two election splash that leads nowhere apart from helping the Republicans by dividing votes against them)

Bonus question...
If Yang grabs votes, can he use this to strengthen Democrat candidates (or...selected candidates, I should say)

I believe not, which is a key reason behind my hesitancy. Totally different here, with a preferential system.

He'll need to be able to recite the Ee'd Plebnista.

 

[Suave]

My first question is..who is Andrew Yang?
My second question is what influence does he have in politics or in general?

Per Wikipedia, "Andrew Yang (born January 13, 1975) is an American businessman, attorney, and politician. Yang is best known for being a candidate in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries and the 2021 New York City Democratic mayoral primary.

The son of immigrants from Taiwan, Yang was born and raised in New York State. He attended Brown University and Columbia Law School. Yang unexpectedly became a prominent candidate in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries. His signature policy was a universal basic income (UBI) of $1,000 a month as a response to job displacement by automation. Yang has been credited with popularizing the idea of universal basic income through his candidacy and activism.

News outlets described Yang as the most surprising candidate of the 2020 election cycle, going from a relative unknown to a major competitor in the race.,Yang qualified for and participated in seven of the first eight Democratic debates. His supporters, informally known as the "Yang Gang", included several high-profile celebrities. Yang suspended his campaign on February 11, 2020, shortly after the New Hampshire primary.[9] After his campaign ended, Yang joined CNN as a political commentator, announced the creation of the political nonprofit organization Humanity Forward, and ran in the 2021 New York City Democratic mayoral primary. Yang conceded the race shortly after the initial ranked choice votes were released, which placed him fourth.

On October 4, 2021, Andrew Yang announced that he was leaving the Democratic Party to become an independent,[14] faulting what he characterized as a system stuck in increasing polarization and saying that he is "more comfortable trying to fix the system than being a part of it". On October 5, Yang founded the Forward Party, a political action committee that seeks to form a political party that will alleviate political polarization and reform the U.S. political and economic systems."

 

[Suave]

Who would you prefer? Biden, Harris or Yang?

Yang, but as a Green Party candidate, I don't know why he would be opposed to the Green Party, which is a well established U.S. political third-party advocating for universal basic income.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

My first question is..who is Andrew Yang?
My second question is what influence does he have in politics or in general?

Heh...
Others have linked to info on him, so hopefully that helps. I figured any with enough interest in politics to respond to this would already know him, so apologies on not providing a link to some basic information.

He's previously run in Dem primaries and for NYC Mayor. He's now looking to form a third party.
Andrew Yang’s Third-Party Aspirations

https://www.forwardparty.com/

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Yang, but as a Green Party candidate, I don't know why he would be opposed to the Green Party, which is a well established U.S. political third-party advocating for universal basic income.

I suspect he's trying to avoid left vs right dichotomies, and run as an economic progressive more than a social progressive.

Just my guess from a long way away.

 

[We Never Know]

Heh...
Others have linked to info on him, so hopefully that helps. I figured any with enough interest in politics to respond to this would already know him, so apologies on not providing a link to some basic information.

He's previously run in Dem primaries and for NYC Mayor. He's now looking to form a third party.
Andrew Yang’s Third-Party Aspirations

https://www.forwardparty.com/

So his philosophy may be...If what you are trying isn't working out, try something different and see how that goes.