The Andrew Yang Interview
I discuss how Andrew Yang inspired me to get involved in politics, and discuss his new political party, the Forward Party with him.
Back in June 2019, I was watching the first of the Democratic Primary Presidential Debates. There was a near record number of candidates, featuring established political figures such as (then) Vice President Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris. That debate was certainly interesting, entertaining and eventful. A memory that may stand out in your mind from the debate is Kamala Harris’s powerful “that little girl was me” moment. It certainly garnered a lot of media attention.
When I was watching the debate however, my attention was drawn to someone I’d never heard of before. Little did I know that this person would ignite a passion for politics within me and inspire me to strongly support causes such as a Universal Basic Income (UBI). This person was Andrew Yang. If you’re reading this, I’m sure you already know who Andrew is. I’ve written about his work many times, and always seem to manage to work either him or the Forward Party into my other articles. Here is one of my favourite videos about his campaign, which I feel perfectly encapsulates the positivity surrounding it.
His Presidential campaign upset all the odds; he outlasted multiple sitting US Senators such as current Vice President Kamala Harris and Cory Booker. He also mainstreamed policies such as UBI, and I believe that Americans wouldn’t have gotten their stimulus cheques over the pandemic if it weren’t for his campaign. Although he didn’t win the election, I genuinely believe that it tangibly helped every American thanks to those stimulus cheques it was responsible for. I don’t think the same can be said for any other campaign (except for Biden’s of course).
In 2021, he ran for Mayor of New York City and it took a full-scale media smear campaign to stop him from winning. He has also done countless other great things such as found Humanity Forward, run his podcast Forward with his former campaign manager Zach Graumann as well as campaign to help secure the Senate for Democrats, helping out both Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.
He has recently co-founded the Forward Party. I’ve written about the Forward Party before and how they plan to break up the duopoly, that is plaguing American democracy. The party has recently merged with the Renew America Movement and the Serve America Movement. These parties will unite under the name ‘Forward’.
The party is fighting to enrich democracy by campaigning for things like Ranked-Choice Voting. Check out some of my previous pieces on the party, or their website to learn more.
As aforementioned, I’ve written about Andrew and the Forward Party many times. The last few times I’ve done so however, I noticed I was receiving barrages of hateful messages and comments for expressing my support for the party. I’ve written about my experiences of this before and have argued that the online hate I was subject to make the case for the Forward Party even stronger.
More specifically, after my last article about the Forward Party, I received lots of hateful comments yet again. Granted the title was somewhat provocative, but unfortunately that is what is sometimes needed for a student journalist with no institutional backing. Otherwise, no one reads. I also, for the record fully stand behind the article itself.
I put out a tweet raising the hate I’ve received, saying that it was becoming mentally draining.
In all honesty, I was frankly blown away by the amount support I received from all types of people, especially the #YangGang. It is easy to focus on the negative comments, but the sheer amount of positive and kind ones made them impossible to dismiss! I am incredibly grateful for all the support.
Although I am very grateful for all of the support, one message of support stood out to me. It was from Andrew Yang,
Not only did Andrew share this message, but he also took the time to send me a message of support privately. It was a surreal full circle moment. Going from the inspired viewer to someone who was now being supported by the inspiration was a monumental moment for me personally. I am very grateful to Andrew for his kindness. I believe it is a testament to his character. There was no need for him to do anything, but he both tweets out support and sends me a message of support. It was incredibly kind and has only strengthened my already strong belief that he is just the man America needs as the Forward Party begin to fight for these reforms that will enrich our democracy.
The story doesn’t end there, however. I messaged Andrew asking if he could comment as to why the Forward Party is so important, especially so in the light of the naysayers who are frozen in a state of partisan paralysis. He very kindly agreed to help out. Andrew said:
“Close your eyes and think about the future. Do you feel good about it or concerned about it? And what would it take for you to feel good about it? The changes we need to make require a very different approach to politics than we are going to get from a two-party system that is devolving before our eyes. There needs to be an overhaul born of a positive popular movement of Americans who want better lives for ourselves and our families. That transcends current ideological boundaries to form whole new coalitions of people on the outside looking in, which at this point includes the vast majority of the country”.
Not only does him taking the time to comment strengthen my previous argument, it also highlights how he cares about independent, student journalism and I am very grateful for his time. I also think his explanation as to why the Forward Party is so important is exemplary. We need real change, including, very importantly, change to the system that continuously lets people down.
Remember the good that Andrew and the party are fighting for. I am guilty of letting the negativity get to me, but I have been reenergised thanks to all of the support. We must use it as a sign that they are afraid of the meaningful change we are working to bring about.
I would also like to thank Andrew for making a student journalists dream come true and for all the good he is fighting for. I’ll certainly be here to help in any way I can.
Congrats Kit, you deserve it! A nice moment of humanity first.
We're lucky to have you in the gang Kit. Keep writing!!