I know it’s real because I’ve lived it. I support Warren for the nomination and have since she announced, but Yang is (now) a close second, maybe even 1a. The thing about Yang is that the first time you hear him speak or listen to his freedom dividend proposal, it’s easy to dismiss. But the more you listen and think through what he’s describing, you start to “get it.” I’ve taken to calling it “the three phases of Yang.”
Phase I: The first time I heard of Andrew Yang was at the Iowa Wing Ding in August, 2018. He was one of two announced candidates for President that spoke (along with Delaney, Tim Ryan, and Michael Avanetti). He gave a version of his basic stump speech about automation, opioid abuse, etc.) and described his UBI proposal (1k a month for every adult).
My reaction was I suspect very typical — tech bro dilettante, seems like a decent guy, UBI is a great idea, but he’s a novelty candidate. I dismissed him and thought something along the lines of “I really hope Warren throws her hat in the ring.” And that’s where I (and pretty much everyone it seems) left it for a solid 6 months.
Phase II: A friend of mine read his book and said it was amazing — side note, I haven’t read it. But the basic premise (according to my friend) was that millions of us are about to get kicked out of the labor market permanently and that will act as steroids for all of the social pathologies that we’re already seeing — mass shootings, addiction, poverty, homelessness, etc. And the only workable solution to that kind of disaster is to move economic resources quickly and directly into the hands of people.
Fine, and possibly even a true description of the future. But the key to phase two is that you start looking around and looking at your own lived experience and you realize IT’S ALREADY HAPPENING! Anyone who has lived the indignity of 1) working a job you hate and/or are being harassed or bullied in just to make rent knows it; 2) anyone who has lived the indignity of applying for means tested government benefits knows it; 3) anyone who has effectively aged out of the job market at age 40 or 45 or 50 knows it; 4) anybody who has walked through a downtown area with dozens of people panhandling knows it; 5) anybody who it cobbling together multiple gig economy jobs just to buy a new pair of shoes for their kid knows it. This it to say that EVERYBODY knows it.
When you start putting the pieces together, you start to realize that universal benefits are the only solution. Now, those universal benefits can take many forms — childcare, education, medical care (all great policies BTW), but one of the most needed universal benefits is just straight cash. And Yang is the ONLY democratic candidate that gets that.
Phase III: Phase III is when you realize that the truly amazing thing about UBI is that it doesn’t prevent any other policy. All of the Warren and Sanders universal benefits are completely compatible with UBI. A higher minimum wage is completely compatible with UBI. UBI is quite simply, the perfect public policy. It ameliorates desperation, it gives people confidence in the future, it enhances the ability of entrepreneurs to take risks, it revives rural communities that subsist solely on farm subsidies, Medicaid, and food stamps. It is 100% upside and 0% downside.
And if the worst of the jobless tech apocalypse comes to pass (I don’t buy that part of the story btw), it is the ultimate safety net.
Say what you want, but Yang’s message resonates, his support is real, and his ideas are great. He’s not a novelty candidate anymore and you should be savvy enough to see it.