Andrew Yang – the DNC Has Discarded You

Now is not the time for yet more of the same for American politics. It’s time to move on – on a seismic scale. No more like Trump, Biden, Pelosi, Pence, Schumer, McConnell and so on. So, cometh the moment, cometh the man. And in this case, the man is very much Andrew Yang.

Yang ran a Democratic Presidential candidate campaign that more than surpassed expectation. He actually ran longer than now VP pick Kamala Harris for the top spot. Just let that sink in. That’s because Yang is a genuine visionary for the future of this country.

Despite his Presidential run failing to materialize, Yang’s voice for political and socio-economic change is a loud one, and rightly so. His prescient take on Universal Basic Income (UBI) has been echoed in the recent Trump Coronavirus stimulus plan. That argument for UBI only gains ever more traction as the economy inevitably becomes more and more automated. Take away the spending power of the “average” American, and no amount of Keynesian, trickle-down or any other economic solution is actually going to work.

Yang is also a vocal advocate for the federal legalization of cannabis – something that the country is crying out for. He is also in favor of pardoning all non-violent drug-offenders, something that would mean the release of millions of predominantly young, black males who have been unnecessarily incarcerated. Despite the impetus that Yang developed throughout the whole Democratic nomination process, he was given very short-shrift by the DNC when it came to convention time. So bad that at the outset he wasn’t even invited to speak! It took Yang’s social media protestations, and a popular outcry, to have him added to the speakers list at the last minute.

What does this tell us? Well, first and foremost is that the DNC is, and always will be, an organization of vested interest. While the Republicans are outright brazen in their contempt for “middle America” and black lives, yet so too are the majority of Democrats. They are just less rowdy about it.

Second, this also tells us that the likes of Andrew Yang will never be a natural fit for the DNC. Despite his forward-thinking appeal, he was an afterthought for the DNC. He only gained a slot to speak following a personal and popular outcry. As ever, the DNC has defaulted back to what it knows best, bland, ineffective mediocrity. Hence Joe Biden as their 2020 Presidential pick. How many more electoral defeats will the DNC subject themselves too before they accept that the American electorate is becoming not only ever more diverse, but younger too. Yang has been a hit with many younger Americans – increasingly a key demographic in American electoral strategy. By initially excluding Yang from the extension, the DNC are effectively snubbing those key voters. Yang is undoubtedly a razor-sharp individual – his resume of past success absolutely confirms that. So, despite the last-minute U- turn by the DNC to have him on the convention schedule to speak, Yang will be under no illusions. He will fully recognize that as far as the DNC are concerned, the Yang ship and all that he stands for, has now long sailed. That is, of course, ridiculous. Yang has foresight that can be measured in decades.

Biden’s speech really didn’t focus on much more than day one of his potential Presidency – we got rid of Trump, now for more of the same. Yang would do well to now look to take his inspirational ideas elsewhere, sever his ties with the DNC and look to lead another party that is way more in tune with him. Yang’s platform and that of Biden’s are simply light years apart. If anything, his initial exclusion from the convention is then a blessing in disguise. If Yang were to head up a new party, one that shares the same sort of vision that he does, that could forever re-shape American politics and become the death knell for the stale American two-party system that is clearly not fit for purpose.

Let the Democrats continue to ape the Republicans and court the big-money interests of Wall Street and corporate America. They will never change, but Andrew Yang most certainly can. It’s time for him to choose a new party and to come home to NYC where he can flourish and be recognized for the leader that he is.