Thank You, Mr. Yang

Courtesy of The Washington Post

By Chris Carey

Looking out on a crowd of believers in Manchester, New Hampshire, former presidential hopeful Andrew Yang delivered some hard truth following poor showings in the Iowa and New Hampshire Democratic competitions.

“You know, I am the math guy,” Yang said. “And it is clear tonight from the numbers that we are not going to win this race.”

Sadness, disappointment, disbelief. Just like the supporters in that Manchester, New Hampshire gathering place, the news that the man we had put our trust in for so long had suspended his campaign gave my heart a subtle, dull pain. Shortly after, sarcastic or not, the condolence texts came rolling in. 

After all, my support for Yang over the past eight months was no mystery. I went from “Yang-Curious” following the first time I met him at his inaugural CNN Town Hall, to full on “Yang Gang” as I learned more about him, his message, and his vision of hope for the American people.

Yang’s message of fighting against large corporations, utilizing data for the everyman, taxing the wealthy through a value added tax, decriminalizing drugs, reforming prisons, performing outreach through veteran programs, and sure, distributing $1,000 a month swiftly grabbed the attention of many across the nation – myself included.

His new age approach to politics brought people from all sides. His camp included 2016 Trump supporters, former “Bernie Bros,” and many more who had never entered the political world before. I met all of them and more on New Years’ Eve, as my best friend and I made the trek to Manchester, New Hampshire on a cold, snowy night in late December. Like many of my friends, she had heard of Yang from me, and like many others, his message of hope and decency won through.

As Yang spoke to the crowd that night, hidden in the back of a local mill-turned-brewery, two distinct points stuck with me. 

Firstly, Yang wanted us to know that when he saw need for change in the country, his initial instinct was not to run for president. He went to Congress. Yang described how for two years he had met with congressional leaders about the automation problems soon to come, big data, and many other issues that would come to the forefront during his campaign.

With a sense of frustration, the 45-year old father of two recounted how many members of Congress claimed that there was nothing to be done, there was not enough research, and there was no true concern.

Naturally, Yang took the next logical step and announced his campaign for the presidency.

Secondly, Yang did not want to vilify the opposition. As he said time and time again, “Trump is not the problem, he is a side effect of the greater problem facing America.” Only too often do we hear of how Donald Trump has single handedly destroyed our democracy, and that as soon as he is out of office, all will be right in the world.

Rather, Yang offered a viewpoint of cautious optimism. He understood, unlike many of the career politicians still on the debate stage, that the problems permitting Trump’s candidacy and victory will refuse to leave with the man himself. 

Now, at the end of his run, the “Yang Gang” can only offer its sincerest thanks to the man who changed the dialogue, who understood mindless politics and business as usual have no place in our homes, and who spoke to us about the dangers of automation.

He put “Humanity First” and managed to “Make America Think Harder” all while taking on the Washington elites.

Most of all, he gave us the rarest of commodities in as grim a year as 2020. He gave us hope.