Former Dem presidential candidate and lifelong liberal Democrat Andrew Yang has announced that he is leaving the Democratic Party in an October 4th blog post. After 25 years being a Democrat, Yang is now an Independent, according to his post.
Why I’m leaving the Democratic Party https://t.co/nrStxjrLfF
— Andrew Yang🧢⬆️🇺🇸 (@AndrewYang) October 4, 2021
In the post, which had the title “Breaking Up With the Democratic Party,” he talks about his choice to distance himself from the Democrats. Yang says he is “confident that not being a Democrat is the correct thing.” He says there was always a “weird fit” between himself and the Democrats, saying “I’m not very ideological. I am practical.” Yang says that he wants to ensure an impact rather than hold an elected office, stating that “breaking up with the Democrats feels like the right thing because I think I can have a greater impact by doing this.”
However, Yang warns against the change for Democrats thinking about a break from the party, saying that “doing so might disenfranchise you if you live in the 83% of the nation that is either very red or very blue.”
Yang then talks about his history as a member of the Democratic party since 1995. Yang says he voted for various DNC presidential candidates, including former President Clinton, Obama and 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. He also spoke about his fundraising efforts for Democratic candidates like former Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry and Democratic Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff of Georgia.
This move comes after Yang’s June decision to concede defeat, ending his NY City mayoral campaign with a message that reads: “I’m not going to be the next mayor of NY City based upon the numbers.” Following this loss on top of his failed presidential campaign, some reports seem to point to Yang wanting to create his own political party.
Yang is famous for his promise to give universal basic income (UBI) during his presidential campaign. This was a pledge that made him popular among a range of political leanings, including some blue collar conservatives. Yang believes that with the rise of A.I and automation technologies, more of these kinds of workers will be put out of the job. He says this will trigger a need for UBI for most of the population.
Author: Steven Sinclaire
