Andrew Yang 2020 presidential campaign

Andrew Yang 2020 presidential campaign
File:Andrew Yang 2020 logo.png
Campaign	2020 United States presidential election (Democratic Party primaries)
Candidate	Andrew Yang
Affiliation	Democratic Party
Status	Announced November 6, 2017
Headquarters	New York City, New York
Slogan	Humanity First Make America Think Harder (Math) Not Left, Not Right, Forward
Website
www.yang2020.com

The 2020 presidential campaign of Andrew Yang, an entrepreneur and the founder of Venture for America, began on November 6, 2017, when Yang filed with the Federal Election Commission to participate in the Democratic primaries. Yang's unorthodox campaign strategy and platform have attracted attention, especially for his heavy reliance upon Internet-based campaigning and his idea of a "Freedom Dividend", which is a form of Universal Basic Income.

Campaign

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Yang campaigning in New Hampshire in January 2018

File:Nationwide opinion polling for the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries by candidate (Yang).svg

Nationwide opinion polling for the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries for Andrew Yang

Yang's candidacy began on November 6, 2017. His campaign has been called a "longshot" by many in the media, such as Fox News and Vox. He is running on the slogan "Humanity First".

In a press release on April 19, 2018, Andrew Yang announced that he would be personally giving one resident of New Hampshire $1,000/month in 2019 to show the effectiveness of his Universal Basic Income policy, the "Freedom Dividend". He announced that he will be doing the same thing in Iowa in 2019. On August 10, 2018, Yang was a keynote speaker at the largest Democratic fundraiser in Iowa, the Iowa Democratic Wing Ding. In 2018, he made seven trips to Iowa and six trips to New Hampshire, the first two states to vote in the primaries.

Initially viewed by many in the media as a longshot candidate with little chance of gaining significant traction, Yang's campaign began to increase in visibility in early 2019, as Yang appeared on noted outlets such as The Joe Rogan Experience, The Breakfast Club and Tucker Carlson Tonight. Several media sources have also attributed Yang's rise in notability to his large group of online supporters, who informally refer to themselves as the "Yang Gang" and have made a large number of memes about Yang and his campaign.

According to the media, Yang has a large following on /pol/, a forum on 4chan that is notorious for its alt-right politics, though Yang himself has denounced any support from the alt-right. Yang said that he is “getting support from quarters (he) wouldn’t have expected” in a March 2019 interview with The New York Times; regarding support from the alt-right in particular, he said “It’s uncomfortable. They’re antithetical to everything I stand for.”

On March 11, Yang announced on Twitter that he surpassed the fundraising threshold of 65,000 donors, which qualified him to participate in the first round of Democratic primary debates. The Democratic National Committee randomly determined that Yang will participate in the second debate, which is set to take place on June 27.

Policies

Yang's platform is based around three major concepts: Universal Basic Income, Medicare for All, and "Human-Centered Capitalism". His platform also includes numerous other proposals, however; over one hundred policies are listed on his campaign website.

Economics

Yang's signature policy is a $1,000/month "Freedom Dividend" to all U.S. citizens over the age of 18, which is a form of Universal Basic Income, as a response to hypothetical future mass unemployment caused by technological automation. His website states that "Every U.S. citizen over the age of 18 would receive $1,000 a month, regardless of income or employment status, free and clear." It does not give a cutoff date. On the topic of whether the dividend should include the wealthiest citizens, Yang stated that "You want to universalize it so it’s seen as a true right of citizenship, instead of a transfer from rich to poor." Yang does not support raising the federal minimum wage, citing his belief that the Freedom Dividend renders a minimum wage less necessary.

Yang has emphasized the need for a value added tax to combat tax avoidance by American technology companies. Yang opposes the deregulation of Wall Street, supports regulating social media as a public utility, and promotes a ban on robocalls. One of Yang's ideas is a new type of credit system designed to incentivize traditionally unpaid caregiving contributions. Yang has criticized several commonly cited economic metrics as misleading; for instance, he prefers labor force participation rate to the unemployment rate and believes that median income and life expectancy are more accurate at measuring the health of the economy than GDP.

Healthcare

In addition to Universal Basic Income, support for single-payer healthcare is a fundamental aspect of Yang's platform. Yang believes that such an approach will make holistic and preventive care more feasible. Yang's support for free healthcare goes beyond conventional physical care; for example, he supports free marriage counseling. He has stated that the doctor shortage can be attributed to inadequate investment in patient care technology and an overemphasis on medical careers that require individuals to go through medical school.

Yang says that he opposes circumcision and that history will show the intactivist movement to have been right. However, he would not try to ban the procedure and believes that the decision should ultimately be up to the parents, including for cultural or religious reasons.

Climate change

Yang supports a Green New Deal and favors a reduction in carbon emissions with an emphasis on climate engineering. In addition to revitalizing the Environmental Protection Agency, his platform calls for a Global Geoengineering Institute to form inter-governmental partnerships. Yang is a proponent of a carbon tax and bringing the United States back into the Paris Climate Agreement.

Corruption and bureaucracy

In a New York Times article about his campaign, several of Yang's policies about corruption and the federal bureaucracy are detailed, such as the creation of a "Department of the Attention Economy" that would focus on regulating the addictive nature of social media, the hiring of a White House Psychologist to focus on mental health issues, making Tax Day a national holiday, and, to stem corruption, increasing the salaries of federal regulators but limiting their private work after they leave public service.

Crime

Yang supports the legalization of cannabis and the decriminalization of opioids (including heroin) for personal use, but he does not support legalizing or decriminalizing cocaine. He cited the drug policy of Portugal as evidence of the potential effectiveness of his own drug policy.

Yang's campaign website contains a detailed explanation of his gun control plan. He supports the creation of a stringent, three-tiered licensing system for gun ownership, the restriction of the ability of people with a history of violence, domestic abuse, or violent mental illness to acquire firearms, and the grandfathering of current gun owners and the offering of a one-time "Good Gun Owner" tax credit. He also supports the prohibition of the manufacture and sale of bump stocks, suppressors, incendiary and explosive ammunition, and grenade launcher attachments, the implementation of a federal buyback program, the promotion of technology that would make firearms harder to fire for people who do not own the gun, and the creation of a federal, bipartisan panel to determine when technological innovations are advanced and reliable enough to be included in manufacturing safety requirements. He has proposed increasing funding for the suicide prevention efforts of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the Department of Veterans Affairs. He supports the creation and funding of mindfulness programs in schools and correctional facilities and the promotion of law enforcement training that emphasizes the de-escalation of situations involving firearms.

Electoral reform

On April 3, 2019, Yang came out in favor of lowering the national voting age to 16. While other candidates have expressed openness towards the idea, Yang was the first to make it an official part of his platform.

Yang supports ranked-choice voting.

Foreign policy

Yang supports American international alliances such as NATO. He has pledged to return the power to declare war to Congress if elected. He would also create a position for secretary of cybersecurity.

Immigration

Yang is a supporter of the DREAM Act, a bill that would protect migrants who entered the United States illegally as minors. He would create a new category of residency that would allow undocumented migrants to gain citizenship after 18 years in the country. He would implement new technology to increase the security of the Mexico–United States border as well as increase financial support for ports of entry.

Historical significance

Yang is at least the fourth Asian American to run for President of the United States, after Hiram Fong, Patsy Mink, and Bobby Jindal. If nominated, he would become the first Asian American to serve as any major party's presidential candidate, and if elected, he would become the first Asian American president.

Endorsements

Main article: Endorsements in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries § Andrew Yang

External links

• Official website