Andrew Yang has exceeded expectations. Now he wants to be taken seriously.

[redqueen]

...

Yang’s private sector experience revealed to him a rapidly approaching world in which truck drivers and Ubers are replaced by driverless vehicles, clerical assistants and desk workers are switched out for cloud-based artificial intelligence and bartenders and store workers are supplanted by self-service kiosks.

MGM’s hotel and casino in Las Vegas has already begun replacing bartenders with automated cocktail machines in an effort to shred hundreds of millions of dollars in labor costs. Handing over money to the masses, Yang’s theory goes, would first provide stability during this economic convulsion but also allow for the freedom to pursue work that is more valuable and personally fulfilling.

...

As far as political strategy, Yang said he’s genuinely torn on the best path forward. His announcement of the UBI pilot program at the September debate raised $1 million and netted 500,000 new email addresses. But he appears inclined to attempt to broaden his message. The conclusion may be born out of necessity, given what he sees as an ongoing battle to attract mainstream media coverage.

In the van ride over to the Rio, he notices #YangMediaBlackout trending on Twitter, a result of his supporters’ outrage at MSNBC for leaving him off a polling graphic showing the latest result in Iowa. Data shows that Yang consistently yields the least amount of television coverage of any candidate. And at Wednesday’s Democratic debate in Atlanta, he received the least amount of speaking time of any candidate — about half of what the frontrunners were allotted, according to a New York Times tracker. (Yang is currently one poll short of qualifying for the next debate in December.)

“It’s quite confusing man,” he tells me, seemingly exasperated as he scrolled through his iPhone. “It definitely is (on purpose.) It happens really consistently.”

...

https://amp.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/election/article237624999.html

[EveHammond13]

1. I have a problem with billionaires thinking they should be president

[redqueen]

2. He is barely a millionaire.

He has less money than Sanders

[EveHammond13]

3. try school board first

[crazytown]

5. how sweet

by the lovin' spoonful

[EveHammond13]

6. if he's too lazy to work his way up.... that says something

[crazytown]

7. 'work his way up"

i.e. Wait your turn vs The fierce urgency of now.

[redqueen]

10. Lazy? Wow. Gonna just leave that one alone

We don't have time to wait. It's as simple as that.

[Blue_true]

21. If I remember correctly, he worked in the Obama White House as a special assistant.

So, that gives him a pigeon's eye view of how the big game should be played.

[iamthebandfanman]

24. damn dude

you got somebody mad.. cause they reported you. lol :p

[TidalWave46]

8. He isn't all that wealthy.

You aren't the only one who thinks he is. Many people think he is worth a serious boatload of money.

[SaschaHM]

22. Heck, he's still worth less than Joe, Warren, and Kamala if you go by the largest estimate.

[Normanart]

4. It happens consistently

While it’s true Yang gets the short straw in MSM coverage, he is a star on alternative media and YouTube. The younger the demographic, the more support he has. He is a voice of the future. Our children and grandchildren have the most to lose if we don’t address the coming issues. I sincerely hope the young people of this country will realize that the only power they hold is the power of the vote.

[redqueen]

13. I think we have a real shot

if we can convince enough people that maybe the M$M manufacturing consent is a bad thing and not something to believe in and follow along with.

[ancianita]

9. I can't take his lack of governance experience and foreign relations experience seriously.

I'm with others who say they can't trust billionaires who've never previously been elected.

[redqueen]

11. For the trillionth time, he's one of the least wealthy candidates

Most Americans don't vote. Most Americans don't trust politicians.

We can nominate a career politician and hope that enough voters on our side will convince enough swing voters and independents to go vote for our candidate.

Or, we can nominate someone who is an outsider, who engages people on issues that affect them, and get the same kind of youth vote + new voters surge that Obama had.

I for one cannot wait till March 4.

[ancianita]

15. I hear you. Even as you're factually right about him, the billions from Silicon Valley still wait

to back him, along with corporate money of other sectors.

I don't dislike Yang at all. I really like him and his love of family, etc. I'm no technophobe, either; 2 of my 3 kids are IT people. I just haven't heard enough about him to be assured that he has priorities this country's next president must have to strengthen against corporate control, climate, etc., etc. I want a wider range of governing experience for the next president, familiar with both authentic and fake issues that await their arrival. The transition team will determine the level of success of the next Democratic president.

I get your logic about career politicians. I go for enthusiasm, too. I enthusiastically went for Inslee, after all. Right now, given the wreck made of government, we need a rebuilder president who will judiciously combine new youthful experts and experienced professionals from both parties to restructure the current hollowed out cabinet. No one knew Inslee well enough, either, to trust that he could do that.

Think, also, how that same logic can be used with an "outsider" or "insurgent" youth candidate, and hope that enough voters on our side will convince enough establishment-stability voters and independents to vote for that candidate.

I'm with you on March 4.

[redqueen]

17. Inslee was one of my early favorites

Climate change. Nuff said.

[jalan48]

12. I thought Yang did a great job last night. nt

[redqueen]

14. You're not alone

[ancianita]

16. He did. I learned a lot more about him.

[Doremus]

18. I did too. He's one of the few I am hoping has a chance to go further in his campaign.

We need his perspective on the issues facing our kids and grandkids.

[emmaverybo]

19. We can have his perspective without making him the leader of a superpower. He is in no way

presidential material no matter how refreshing his ideas are,

[redqueen]

20. Some think people with fading communication skills are in no way fit to be leading a superpower

Guess we'll see how it shakes out once the voting starts

[emmaverybo]

23. Biden has a communication gift. He connects with people as audiences and individuals. That gift

was notable in his recent town hall. His Iowa speech after El Paso was the most stirring and it was well delivered. His FP credentials are unmatched by any other in the field.

Other candidates have served in the senate so they know how to navigate there. They have been committed to their policies for years and faced political competition. They are knowledgeable about political realms as Yang is not,

As with any other profession, politics is an art and a career. Reagan for all his drawbacks had been a governor.

Yang could well contribute to another candidate’s campaign, one who has at least minimal qualifications and a chance to win.