Yang Gang

Around this time next year, voters will be getting ready to head to the polls for the 59th quadrennial U.S. presidential election. For many Americans this election holds hope for a positive step in the right direction, as opposed to the past couple years where outlandish behavior has become our norm. A quick search online will show you there are nearly 20 Democratic candidates, and only four Republican candidates. Of those 20 Democratic candidates there is a man who has been steadily gaining popularity through social media, and his detailed policy proposals. Andrew Yang is first, and foremost not a politician, he is an entrepreneur who understands the economy. The one thing he's most known for is his Freedom Dividend policy, which is a universal basic income (UBI) for every American over the age of 18. This would give each adult $1,000 a month, no strings attached, paid for by a new tax on the companies benefiting most from automation. This is a forward thinking idea most Americans are in support of. 

Yang has gained most of his popularity through social media, especially Twitter. With his followers, and supporters calling themselves the "Yang Gang," who couldn't help but wonder, who is in charge of this gang? His internet followers have plastered Mr. Yang into memes and produced songs and music videos about his candidacy. They have also created a hashtag slogan, #securethebag out of his signature campaign policy proposal; Freedom Dividend. As it stands in national polls Yang's support among democrats has registered between 0 and 1 percent. However, his viral popularity on social media feels reminiscent of the “meme army” that helped lift President Trump to victory in 2016. Yang even took his campaigning to the podcast circuit, where he had a two hour long interview with Joe Rogan, who's podcast reaches many millions of people. 

Andrew Yang is a candidate who I would like to see keep moving up in the Democratic polls over the next year. His policies, and the way he presents himself is something I could get behind.