11/15/24: Andrew Yang GOES OFF On Democrats After Landslide Loss

Summary

Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar
Episode: 11/15/24: Andrew Yang GOES OFF On Democrats After Landslide Loss
Date: November 15, 2024

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar, hosts Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti engage in a candid and incisive conversation with former presidential candidate and co-chair of the Forward Party, Andrew Yang. The discussion centers around the recent Democratic landslide loss, analyzing the internal dynamics and strategic missteps that contributed to the election outcome. Yang offers a critical examination of the Democratic Party's approach, the role of primary elections, and the potential for third-party movements in reshaping American politics.

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The Democratic Primaries and Strategic Missteps

Krystal Ball opens the dialogue by highlighting the Democratic Party's failure to produce a competitive primary candidate, specifically praising Dean Phillips for his bold stance against maintaining Joe Biden in the race purely for incumbency reasons.

Krystal Ball [02:16]: "You're one of those people who's in a position to say, hey, I told you so because you got behind Dean Phillips who was out there saying, listen guys, Biden is too old."

Andrew Yang responds by critiquing the Democratic leadership for sidelining Phillips and failing to present a viable alternative, which he argues directly led to Biden's loss.

Andrew Yang [02:38]: "Joe Biden essentially delivered the White House back to Donald Trump by not getting out of the way in January... They were more offended that someone was actually cutting the line than making the right case for the country."

Yang emphasizes that the party's focus on internal power dynamics over effective candidacy was detrimental.

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Internal Party Dynamics and Careerism

Delving deeper, Krystal Ball questions the Democratic leadership's behind-the-scenes decision-making processes, particularly their reluctance to confront Biden's perceived weaknesses publicly.

Krystal Ball [03:34]: "Were they in denial? They just thought that they could cover it up. What was the thought process behind the scenes to the best of your knowledge?"

Andrew Yang criticizes the Democratic rank-and-file officials for prioritizing their political careers over the party's success, highlighting a systemic issue of self-preservation over national interest.

Andrew Yang [04:15]: "The rank and file Dem office holder cared more about their place in the totem pole than whether the party was on track to win in November."

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The Role of High-Profile Leaders and Career Ambition

The conversation shifts to the absence of prominent Democratic figures like Gretchen Whitmer and Gavin Newsom in the primary discourse. Krystal Ball suggests that their decision to avoid entering the primary weakened the party’s position.

Krystal Ball [07:26]: "...they just literally canceled the primary and blocked Marion and Dean and Cenk and anyone else from getting on the ballot."

Andrew Yang rebukes this strategy as unpresidential and indicative of a larger problem within the party—a culture that punishes courage and rewards conformity.

Andrew Yang [07:31]: "It's not very presidential to just be like, maybe I'll just wait."

He praises Dean Phillips for his integrity and willingness to risk his career for the party's betterment.

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Critique of the Democratic National Committee and Suggestions for Reform

Yang offers specific critiques and actionable recommendations for the Democratic Party. He expressed frustration that his suggestions, such as appointing Dean Phillips as DNC chair and apologizing to Bernie Sanders for past treatment, are likely to be ignored by the party establishment.

Andrew Yang [05:04]: "I made a list of recommendations for the Democratic Party in Politico a few days ago that I say in the piece they will totally ignore these."

He underscores the necessity for structural changes to foster a more competitive and dynamic political environment.

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The Potential of Third Parties and Forward Movement

Exploring alternatives to the entrenched two-party system, Yang advocates for the Forward Party and the role of third parties in creating competitive political landscapes.

Andrew Yang [14:22]: "If you are someone who wants any kind of real competition and dynamism and for our country to be able to solve some of these problems, you're going to need a different approach to politics."

He cites examples of successful third-party candidacies, such as Dan Osborne in Nebraska and Evan McMullen in Utah, illustrating how third parties can influence major party strategies and outcomes.

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Intersection with Independent Media and Pop Culture

The conversation briefly touches on the intersection between mainstream politics and alternative media platforms. Saagar Enjeti references Yang's appearances on platforms like the Joe Rogan podcast, critiquing the Democratic Party’s avoidance of such venues.

Saagar Enjeti [10:19]: "What does that say about the Democratic loss that led to Donald Trump?"

Andrew Yang suggests that embracing diverse media channels could have provided Democrats with broader outreach and resonance with voters outside the traditional party base.

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Looking Forward: Building a Viable Third Party

Yang concludes by outlining the Forward Party’s initiatives and its role in the evolving political landscape, emphasizing the importance of offering voters genuine alternatives beyond Democrats and Republicans.

Andrew Yang [15:59]: "We're building it... We're the biggest third party in the country by resources."

He encourages listeners to engage with the Forward Party’s platforms and follow his ongoing efforts to create a more inclusive and effective political system.

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Notable Quotes

• Andrew Yang [02:38]: "They were more offended that someone was actually cutting the line than making the right case for the country."

• Andrew Yang [04:15]: "What happens to the country? What happens to the people, families, communities? A distant, distant, secondary or tertiary consideration."

• Andrew Yang [07:31]: "It's not very presidential to just be like, maybe I'll just wait."

• Andrew Yang [14:22]: "If you are someone who wants any kind of real competition and dynamism and for our country to be able to solve some of these problems, you're going to need a different approach to politics."

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Conclusion

This episode of Breaking Points provides a thorough and critical analysis of the Democratic Party's shortcomings leading to their recent electoral defeat. Andrew Yang offers valuable insights into the systemic issues of careerism and conformity that hindered the party's ability to present a strong and unified front. His advocacy for third-party movements and structural reforms underscores a growing demand for political innovation and accountability. For listeners seeking an in-depth understanding of the current political climate and potential paths forward, this episode delivers a rich and engaging exploration of the challenges and opportunities ahead.

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Follow Andrew Yang:

• Website: forwardparty.com
• Social Media: Search for @AndrewYang on major platforms

Stay Connected with Breaking Points:

• Website: BreakingPoints.tv
• Podcast Platforms: Available on YouTube, iHeartRadio, and all major podcast services.

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Disclaimer: This summary is based on the provided transcript and intended to encapsulate the key discussions and viewpoints presented in the episode.

Transcript

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[Crystal Ball]

Hey guys, ready or not, 2024 is here and we here at Breaking Points are already thinking of ways we can up our game for this critical election.

[Sagar Enjeti]

We rely on our premium subs to expand coverage, upgrade the studio, add staff, give you guys the best independent coverage that is possible. If you like what we're all about, it just means the absolute world to have your support. But enough with that. Let's get to the show.

[Crystal Ball]

Very lucky this morning to be joined by the one and only Andrew Yang man who scarcely needs an introduction. But for those who are not, of course, yeah, former presidential candidate, of course, co chair of the Forward Party. It's always great to see you, Andrew.

[Sagar Enjeti]

Good to see you, man.

[Andrew Yang]

It's great to be here. Wish it was under different circumstances. I take it we're going to be debriefing the Trump landslide.

[Crystal Ball]

Yeah, well, I mean, you're one of those people who's in a position to say, hey, I told you so because you got behind Dean Phillips who was out there saying, listen guys, Biden is too old. Like, it doesn't have to be me. Just do something other than Joe Biden. How critical do you think it was that Biden stayed in the race for as long as he did.

[Andrew Yang]

Joe Biden essentially delivered the White House back to Donald Trump by not getting out of the way in January. And full credit to Dean for risking his career. The Dems, in true demi fashion, decided to malign him, primary him, get him out of the picture, because they were more offended that someone was actually cutting the line than making the right case for the country. He was correct. Then Joe Biden ends up dropping out less than six months later and it was a train wreck. If they'd had a primary in January, you could have seen a very, very competitive ticket emerge. Let's call it Josh Shapiro and Gretchen Whitmer. You then have two of the three crucial swing states, probably in your column. You win Wisconsin and you win the whole thing. But we'll never know because instead it was Joe Jojo all the way. And if you can sense some emotion in my voice, we should all be ticked off, particularly Dean Phillips, because Dean Phillips was right all along.

[Crystal Ball]

Can I ask you just a little bit more about that, Andrew? Because there's been reporting that came out after Biden had that disastrous debate that was like, yeah, donors had seen this was really not good. He had some meeting with congressional leaders, like a long time ago where he couldn't finish his sentences. Nancy Pelosi had to jump in and then they just stopped having those meetings altogether. So this had all happened before Dean jumped in and was saying, guys, come on, I'm pulling the alarm bell, like, you have to do something. So I just wanna know behind the scenes, like, what was going on? Were they in denial? They just thought that they could cover it up. What was the thought process behind the scenes to the best of your knowledge?

[Andrew Yang]

Oh, yeah, it was common knowledge. And there were people saying to Dean, I agree with you, I'm glad you're doing this. But then they would be mum in public. And the truth is that the rank and file Dem office holder cared more about their place in the totem pole than whether the party was on track to win in November. That's the disease of this current system, is that, look, I've got my career progression, I've got my entire jam. What happens to the country? What happens to the people, families, communities? A distant, distant, secondary or tertiary consideration.

[Crystal Ball]

That is absolutely devastating.

[Sagar Enjeti]

That is really. Andrew, I wanted to talk to you more about this loss and kind of where things go from here. What is your, like, what is your theory of some of the different ways that the Democrats got it wrong?

[Andrew Yang]

You know, I was Joking that instead of calling themselves the Democrats, they should start calling themselves the selectors, because if you'd actually had a real competitive primary, you're not in this mess. They still even had a chance to have a hurried primary when Joe dropped out in July. And instead, it was just the elevation of Kamala. I made a list of recommendations for the Democratic Party in Politico a few days ago that I say in the piece they will totally ignore these. One of them is to make Dean Phillips the chair of the DNC as the only person who had the integrity to stake his career on what was right for the country. Another is apologize to Bernie Sanders for sandbagging him in 2016. In my opinion, if Bernie is the nominee, then Trump never becomes president in 2016. So there are a bunch of things that you'd hope that they would take from this, but you don't actually have any optimism that they will, because the dynamic I described before is that there are now various people jockeying to be the party's nominee in 28. And again, it's about them and their place in the party and not necessarily preventing this loss. It was a landslide loss that, as my friend Dean Phillips said, was both predictable and preventable.

[Crystal Ball]

Yeah, absolutely. I think there's a few things I want to pick up on there from your comments. I want to come back to your assessment that Bernie would have won in 2016, because you and Bernie don't have exactly the same ideology. So I'm curious about your analysis there, which of course, I agree with, but I want to hear your perspective on that. But the one thing I wanted to ask you about first is, you know, it's also a real indictment of Gretchen Whitmer, Gavin Newsom, these people who, you know, could have jumped into a Democratic primary and really forced the issue. And, yeah, they would have been. It would have been tough, and people would have been mad at them and whatever. But if you've got the governor of California, the governor of Michigan, some actual heavy hitters in the Democratic primary, it makes it much more difficult to just effectively cancel the primary, which is what they truly did. Obviously, they had no debates, and on certain states, they just literally canceled the primary and blocked Marion and Dean and Cenk and anyone else from getting on the ballot. So how much of an indictment do you see this as? The people who are supposed to be the big star players coming up in the Democratic Party and their own career ambition and cowardice when it came down to it?

[Andrew Yang]

Yeah, it's not very presidential to just be like, maybe I'll just wait.

[Crystal Ball]

I'll wait my turn until I have.

[Andrew Yang]

The blessing of the powers that be. And certainly Gavin Newsom and J.B. pritzker are well known to have had campaigns in waiting. But as someone who ran for president, guys, if you wait for the right time, there may never be a right time. You know, the right time is the right time for the freaking country, not necessarily your professional prospects. Again, it's one reason why Dean Phillips has my eternal admiration, because he clearly did not have his professional his political future and his career has been ended as a result. Politically, though, you guys think that he could easily rise like a Phoenix, which he could, because everyone now knows that.

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[Andrew Yang]

Thing, but that's unusual in American politics. We have a system that rewards cowardice and conformity and careerism and will punish courage. And that's one reason we're in this mess.

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Yeah.

[Sagar Enjeti]

And Andrew, one of the things that you were originally One of the ways a lot of people heard about you was from the Joe Rogan podcast. There's been a lot of Rogan discourse around this. I know you' said that Kamala should have gone on Joe Rogan but what do you think that the shunning of Rogan, not even just necessarily by the party, but even by Kamala Harris herself. What does that say about the Democratic loss that led to Donald Trump?

[Andrew Yang]

No, when she didn't go on Rogan, I thought to myself, either they have a really big lead, their private polling, or this is a massive mistake. And one of the reasons why, in my view, the Democrats lost this race is that there has been this attack of people that on people that are outside of their orthodoxy. And certainly Joe Rogan has been mercilessly attacked. I've taken a couple of slings and arrows, like, who knows, they might even have hit you guys just for fun, pretty much anyone who's outside of the machine. And it turns out that most of us are outside of the machine. But that doesn't mean that, you know, like, to me, Joe Rogan would have been completely fair and inquisitive and open minded if Kamala and Tim Walls had come on, it would have been a massive boost for their campaign. And the fact that they didn't come on to me again speaks to the careerism and the risk aversion. You know, it's like you look at it and you think objectively, okay, if we're trying to win, you should do this, but let's not make any mistakes. Don't want anyone to look bad. That's a great way to lose.

[Crystal Ball]

Yeah. Although, I mean, to be honest with you, the more devastating point is that they may have actually made the right decision. Because I'm not sure that she does hold up well over the course of a two, three hour conversation, when she had her weakest moments was actually when she was being asked just to talk about herself. Like, hey, who are you gonna do today? What are your values? It was like, oh, I didn't study for this one. So I'm not sure they actually made the wrong decision.

[Andrew Yang]

That's why you have a primary.

[Crystal Ball]

Bingo. That's a real core. But just to get back lastly to your analysis that you think Bernie would have defeated Trump in 2016. The DNC shouldn't have moved heaven and earth to block him from ascending the Democratic nomination. I have my analysis of why that could be the case, and of course, we'll never know for sure. But I am curious your thought process that leads you to that analysis.

[Andrew Yang]

One of the interesting things about having been a candidate in this context, Crystal, is there are times when a person and a campaign meets the moment. And Bernie was the person of the moment in 2016. He just had A ton of popular energy. I donated to him. I heard him speak and I was like, oh, my gosh, this guy's spot on. I can't not donate. So I donated to Bernie's campaign in 16. He just had the will of the people behind him and standing against him was Clinton machine. And by the way, if you think about the 16 primary, it's like, why was it just Bernie and Hillary? It was because the word went out among the Dems.

[Crystal Ball]

That's right.

[Andrew Yang]

If you run against Hillary, we're gonna shiv you. It's a career ender. You run against Joe, it's a career and we're gonna shiv you like so. So Bernie was the only person, again, with the courage and patriotism and principle and said, hang it, you guys can't intimidate me out of this. I'm gonna run. And he had the will of the people. And then if you'd had him become the Democratic nominee, in my opinion, by the way, there are a lot of folks who migrated from Bernie to Trump over the last number of years.

[Sagar Enjeti]

Yes, quite a few.

[Andrew Yang]

In large part because the energy is like, look, you're not an establishment tool. I'm into it. By the way, there were a bunch of Trumpers who supported me because everyone knows you would never send the magical Asian man from the future if you were of the machine. It's like, like pretty much, if you're not of the machine, we'll take a look at you. If you're a rank and file working class voter in this country and Bernie had that.

[Sagar Enjeti]

Yeah, I remember doing monologues at the time about how much crossover support that you had amongst Trump's story. I remember not even like 40% at one point. So as somebody who actually was able to get some Trump support, and clearly that didn't work out so well for the Democrats this time at a structural level, not just with Dean, with the dnc, the consultants and all of that, what do you think should happen? They should be clean house and we should elect new leaders. Is it a primary process or is it even deeper? You've talked about third parties.

[Andrew Yang]

Oh, I think it's deeper. And if you look at the numbers as the math guy, the Democrats will probably not have any chance to be competitive in the US Senate in terms of holding the majority for the foreseeable future. Just there are more red states than blue states. If you look at each map, it's tough. So if you are someone who wants any kind of real competition and dynamism and for our country to be able to solve some of these problems, you're going to need a different approach to politics. You had someone like Dan Osborne who I hope you guys had on.

[Crystal Ball]

Oh, we did.

[Andrew Yang]

Dan Osborne put deep red Nebraska in play and ran 14 points ahead of Kamala in the state. You know, Evan McMullen did something similar in Utah. The fact is there are many, many races around the country where people will not vote for either the Democrat or the Republican. And so you need a different approach. And that's what the Ford party is making happen by backing independents and reform minded people in each party. But this blue red thing ends in acrimony, tears, problems not being solved, et cetera. And that's the math.

[Crystal Ball]

Well, I love the idea of you getting behind future like Dan Osborne style candidates because even though he came up a little short, I mean to put Nebraska in.

[Sagar Enjeti]

Yeah, that's wild. He forced McConnell to spend millions.

[Crystal Ball]

That's right. And he actually may have ended up saving Jackie Rosen for example. That force Republicans to have to take that race seriously and come in with a bunch of cash, etc. So I think that's a really exciting and interesting model for the future. Andrew, just tell people where they can follow your work and your analysis.

[Andrew Yang]

Sure, if you just go to Andrew Yang on most social media platforms or we can go to forwardparty.com and see what we're doing. We had 25 officeholders win. We are the biggest third party in the country by resources. Which I wish was saying more than it actually is, but hey, you know, we passed the greens, the libertarian. There you go. We actually do have some really estimable people coming our way because everyone's fed up like this system is not going to work. You need a viable third party. We're building it.

[Crystal Ball]

Yeah. I mean another big disappointment for me on election day was a bunch of the ranked choice voting ballot initiatives failed, which I think is really unfortunate because I do think that's a key way to help to build strength outside of the two party system. But we'll have you back to talk about all of that and the path forward there as well. Andrew, always great to see you.

[Sagar Enjeti]

Good to see you man.

[Andrew Yang]

Thanks guys. Great being here.

[Crystal Ball]

Yeah, our pleasure.

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