Andrew Yang is one of now 10 Democratic Party presidential candidates to return to the debate stage in Houston on Sep. 12.
Although Yang barely met the debate requirements to qualify, he still made it in, which is enough to keep his ideas and messages going through the debate season in a crowded field of contestants.
Yang has shown strong promise in the last two Democratic debates, but he certainly has a long road ahead.
Once considered an outlier, Yang has managed to work and campaign his way past several headlining candidates through strong and sound policy ideas.
As is tradition, healthcare has been a keystone issue on the debate trail thus far. Yang is a supporter of Medicare For All, but wants it to be funded by the government rather than private insurance companies.
Many Americans are concerned about the quality of care under a Medicare For All system, but Yang still believes this is the best way forward regarding healthcare. “If we channel our existing resources and negotiate lower drug prices, and lower rates, we can get the access up and the rates down,” Yang said at a CNN town hall event.
Immigration, another hot-button issue this election season, has been a major talking point in the debates.
Yang promotes a streamlined pathway to citizenship, as he believes it is a waste of resources for agencies to “round up and deport people,” as stated on his campaign website. He has also been stated saying he will sign the DREAM act into law if he becomes president.
Climate change is not only an important global issue but an important election topic and Yang has some of the strongest climate change policies among the candidates thus far.
He supports government investment into various technologies that help in slowing down the pace of climate change. He would end federal government subsidies and tax breaks for fossil fuel companies, which might be his strongest position regarding the issue.
Our current system is not sustainable, and because of that, investment into new technology is critical.
Andrew Yang’s background in business and philanthropy makes him an appealing candidate for president. Although he has been a very popular and successful entrepreneur by most people’s standards, voters should be wary about the short-sightedness of some entrepreneurs and businessmen.
Not to group them all together, but if the past tells us anything, profit can sometimes get in the way of strong and sound logic.
Being a businessman won’t necessarily hurt him through this debate season, but when Yang announced his plan to give $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18, the country nearly falleth over in their collective rocking chairs. Myself included.
Yang wants to fine companies that harass people with robocalls, and create technology so people can vote with their cellphones, so the $1,000 a month parallels with his other peculiar ideas.
If there’s anything that will hurt Yang throughout the debate season, it’s his pie-in-the-sky ideas. Although many of his ideas seem to be grounded in reality, Americans may not tag along for the ride.
Yang needs a serious increase in charisma on the debate stage if he wants the voters to stay with him through these ideas.
We’ve learned that charisma goes a very long way when supporting ideas that may seem ridiculous. See — the 2016 election. President Trump, probably one of the most unconventional candidates this country has ever seen, largely won and riled up his base through his award-winning charisma.
If Yang takes his ideas he’s been running on, states them with the utmost conviction, and gets the electorate excited about his ideas, he’s got a realistic chance at getting the primary.
