I didn't know you were such a social justice warrior. He might get in trouble, though, if he started paying some guy in Armenia for promoting him on Twitter. Might be considered accepting foreign aid in a US election.
It was a natural phenomenon, like the term "Bernie Bro", only it's a term of endearment and not cynical misandry.
The more I think about it, the more I'm starting to understand what Yang did last night. At the start of the debates he was less than 1K donations away from qualifying for the Sept-Oct debates. Essentially he knows he will be on the stage at least three more times after tonight, so he decided to play conservatively and wait for his moment rather than go manufacture one. This is in stark contrast to pretty much everyone outside of the top 5-6 candidates, some of whom are barely over the qualifying apron for last night's debates. You could sense the dire urgency from several candidates who knew if they didn't land a solid zinger or get plenty of face time they would not be invited back. Edit: apparently Andrew spoke to a group of supporters in Miami and said that his mic was muted at several points during the debate. Wow.
I wonder how big a deal him or his supporters will make of the mic thing -- it could come off as an excuse that veers into conspiracy theory territory, even though it might be true. Regardless, even in spite of the possibly strategy you've outlined, I think he could have stood to be more assertive. There's was a lot of daylight between how he acted (or didn't act) and how Gillibrand constantly interjected herself. Fortunately, it appears he'll have some additional opportunities to show improvement in this regard.
It is very much in character for the way NBC has treated Yang thus far (they've given him literally the least amount of mentions and airtime of all networks). They won't be able to put their thumb on the scale in July because CNN is hosting, then ABC after that.
/Yang does terrible in the debate "Ahh, you see he did it on purpose!!" He didn't look the part, he didn't sound the part -- next.
I would have hit the mic furiously and once it's on, said thank you, for a moment I thought you guys were trying to freeze me out.
Is there a consensus as to a reason NBC would want to freeze him out? It's not immediately apparent why they would care about him as opposed to the other candidates.
Bernie Bros 2.0, I'm sure Trump will run with it. Actually not a good thing for dems if Yang is also appealing to a similar demographic that switched from Bernie to Trump.
NBC has been pushing the Biden/Centrist/Status-Quo noticeably harder than other networks. Given that Yang is the biggest change agent in the race, it stands to reason he would be on the inverse of their attention magnifying glass.
In the 2019 world in which we live, the debates are not as important as yesteryear in gaining traction in the polls. Candidates like Yang and Buttigieg can grow their campaigns via social networks and youtube, and do not need make a splash in a national debate. Nevertheless, Yang looked like a political newb in the debate. This is his first rodeo, while the others not so much. Yang needs to learn and prepare better for the next. Either he will or he won't. I suspect that Yang will make the first cut. IIRC the third debate should force off stage quite a few of the weaker candidates. BTW I did not hear a single other candidate speak to what to do about automation killing jobs. The candidates that can speak to this can beat Trump in the Rust Belt belt states, where the election will be decided.
When I say that Yang "didn't want to manufacture his moment", I say that honestly -- he said as such at the fundraiser. He said he didn't want to force it. Granted he also said he had no problem butting in to a crowded discussion, but he was very clear that he felt canned one-liners were cringey AF and he had no plan to do that. He has the luxury of a big cushion that the rest of the Tier 3 candidates do not. So, while he can afford to play it conservatively and wait for the best opportunity, as a fanboy I want to hear my guy speak dammit
I could see this as plausible even though they gave quite a bit of time to Warren (although she is a sitting senator with a high profile so maybe apples to oranges). He will still need to be a more active participant in the future imo. I am still somewhat hesitant about whether he himself would make a good head of state -- I would worry about him with respect to foreign policy and how other leaders would perceive him. Still, I like plenty of his ideas and hope they get much more air time and a fair hearing among the people.
It's a legit concern. He is the most calm, calculated, pragmatic person in the race. He is definitely more of a CEO and not a cheerleader or figurehead. To that end, he is quite the contrast to Donald Trump. As much as I like Yang, I like his ideas even more, and so I'm cheering for those to gain traction. Yang could drop out tomorrow and I wouldn't be that bummed as long as his 3 key principles were adopted by one of the big dogs.
If you like his ideas, but aren't as concerned about him winning (he won't), then his stay-on-the-sidelines debate strategy was 100% the wrong one. He should be injecting his ideas into every discussion and forcing the other candidates to talk about them on his terms. Basically, he should be acting like Bernie did in 2016 and forcing himself into the mix. As it is, "waiting for his moment" is likely just going to cause him to fade into irrelevance, if he's not there already. The only people he'll speak to are his supporters; the rest of the country and candidates will just ignore him. The reason that Harris is getting good reviews is not really about the content of her answers - it's that she commanded the stage and took control of the discussions. It's that she made herself stand out on a stage of 10 people.
