Make it so that we can look at our kids in the eyes and say it, and believe it: that your country loves you, your country believes in you, and you will be all right.
– Andrew Yang, during his closing statement
Tonight, America saw that the #YangMediaBlackOut is real. During MSNBC and The Washington Post’s debate, Yang was not asked a question until the 32-minute mark. MSNBC gave significantly more time to candidates polling lower than Yang. This follows repeated instances of MSNBC leaving out Yang from polling and fundraising graphics, and even calling him by the wrong name.
“Andrew is consistently a top six candidate and deserves to be treated as such. Honest journalism is not an unreasonable ask from one of our nation’s largest news outlets,” said Campaign Manager Zach Graumann.
Despite being given the least amount of speaking time tonight, Andrew Yang delivered the strongest message and proved why he should be the Democratic nominee.
Americans tuned in tonight hoping to hear how the candidates were going to address the problems they face in their daily lives. Instead, they were forced to watch moderators pit Democratic candidates against each other.
When Yang was finally called upon, he answered with a message of hope and vision for this country. Yang spoke about the need for smart foreign policy that keeps America safe, economically prosperous, and secure in its democracy.
Instead of offering platitudes and vague statements, Yang showed an understanding of how to leverage our position as a world leader to get adversaries to the table:
“I want to propose a new world data organization, like a WTO for data because right now unfortunately we’re living in a world where data is the new oil and we don’t have our arms around it … [This will let us] actually get Russia to the table and make it so that they have to join the international community and stop resisting appeals to the world order.”
On the domestic front, Yang promised to prioritize paid family leave. As president, Yang will require employers to offer at least 9 months of paid family leave, distributed between parents however they see fit, or 6 months of paid leave for a single parent.
In addition, Yang is the only candidate who wants to help families with a Freedom Dividend of $1,000 a month that would help care for children.
When asked what he would do about the pressing issue of white supremacist violence in the United States, Yang emphasized America’s need to “designate white supremacist terrorism as domestic terrorism.”
He closed that answer by stating that we need to find a way to address the roots of this epidemic of violence:
“We have to as a country start finding ways to turn our boys into healthy, strong young men who do not hate but instead feel like they have paths forward in today’s economy.”
Yang’s impact on the presidential race has been remarkable. He is leading the conversation about the economy, technology, and the future of work. Yang is exceeding all expectations in polling and fundraising. His vision is strong enough to break through to voters, no matter how little time he’s given by MSNBC.