An analysis of Andrew Yang’s bridges in his support network
Since Andrew Yang began his campaign for the 2020 Democratic Nomination, he has used unorthodox tactics to try to gain support. Surprisingly, he is doing quite well, beating out senators like Beta O’Rourke and Tom Steyer. His campaign is centered around what he calls the Freedom Dividend, which essentially promises $1000 to every American adult. Is Yang just getting lucky or is there real strategy behind his unorthodox ways? To answer this question, we must analyze the network of his supporters.
To obtain enough money for his Freedom Dividend, Yang wants to tax big companies like Amazon and Google. The idea behind this is that everyone should benefit from technological advancements. Yang wants to tax the tech industry, yet the tech industry is where he gets the most support. It seems strange, but it starts to make sense if you think about it. Americans have recently become skeptical about these huge corporate companies because they have started to take jobs away and cause other problems. With the Freedom Dividend, the Americans won’t be as skeptical because they are directly benefiting from the growth of these companies. It is a win-win situation; the Americans get their money and the companies keep growing. Yang’s emphasis on the Freedom Dividend in his campaign has led to endorsements from huge tech names, like Elon Musk. He has created a bridge in his network of supporters to the massive tech industry in a way that doesn’t burn any other bridges.
Yang has also created bridges in his network of supporters to groups of people that typically have low voting turnouts. One way he has done this required no work. By being Asian American, he has created a bridge in his support network to a group that historically has the lowest voting turnout rates. Asian Americans usually don’t support political campaigns, but many of them have started this year with Yang’s campaign.
Another tactic Yang uses is his emphasis on him not being a “politician.” Yang didn’t have much political experience beforehand, so this statement is somewhat true, but it is strange for him to say this as he is running for president. However, there are Americans that don’t vote simply because they don’t like politicians. By saying he is not a politician, he might appeal to some of these people and make connections other politicians won’t have.
Yang has also used the internet better than any candidate we have ever seen. He’s been getting his name out there by appearing on as many interviews, podcasts, etc. He has also been featured in many viral memes that still circulate on social media today. This strategy is very effective because it targets young people. It may be some of these young people’s first election where they are eligible to vote. By getting his name out to these young people, he has created another bridge to a group of Americans that have low voting rates.
Yang’s political strategies may be strange to many people, but it boils down to one very basic strategy: to create as many bridges to groups of people as possible.
Link: https://fortune.com/2019/09/12/andrew-yang-polls-debate-ranking/