Yang Gang Weekly Wisdom #10: Why Iowa Matters
Evelyn Yang enters the scene. Obama lessons. Let’s beat Bernie’s newsletter!
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Hey Yang Gang,
This week was all about Iowa. According to the boss himself one Iowan is worth 1,000 Californians. With #Yangapalooza, the big Democratic Party event, announcement of Yang Week, and new polling data from Iowa — the lesson this week is Iowa matters a lot.
First, the bad news — Pete is doing really well in Iowa and we are not.
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The betting sites are also starting to show Buttigieg’s chances increasing. On predictit.org where Yang was once favored as high as 10%, he’s now dropped to 7% below both Pete and Hillary who Yang was beating a few weeks ago.
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The good news is Yang continues to do really well with students and Pete has poured way more money and resources into Iowa than Andrew.
We have more room to grow. We’ve barely spent money anywhere. The Iowa caucus system kind of works in our favor. Evelyn Yang has yet to be fully unleashed. Things are still looking good.
Why Iowa matters: Caucuses
Iowa votes in a way you might not expect. Instead of showing up at a polling place and casting a vote —like most of us are used to — Iowans caucus, which is more like a “gathering of neighbors.” They meet and talk to each other before votes are officially counted. On February 3rd, 2020, Yang supporters in Iowa will go to gyms, schools, churches, and houses to literally stand with other Yang supporters. They then try to convince their neighbors to stand for Yang, because some voters will still be undecided even on the day of the caucus. Any candidate who has less than 15% support from attendants — the viability threshold — will not be viable to get any delegates from that group.
In these communal spaces, the enthusiasm of supporters and their ability to convince their neighbors becomes vital. This is why Andrew regularly says the caucus system works in our favor, because if nothing else — the Yang Gang is passionate.
Second-choice and even third-choice candidates also become more important in the caucus system. For instance, if Tulsi or Booker supporters fail to get the 15% viability threshold in a group, they will have to choose another candidate to get behind — good news for the Yang Gang since many of their supporters also like Yang .
“Without fail, supporters of other candidates leave Democratic events saying that — while they might not vote for him — they liked hearing from Yang.” - Eric Bradner and Dan Merica, CNN
Why Iowa matters: Momentum
Iowa is first to vote. The contest will receive intense media attention so it will also be the first time most Americans really start paying attention to the race. Remember we (the Yang Gang) are not most Americans. We are the dedicated fan base. The early adopters. The hardcore fans who heard about Yang and bought the t-shirts before it was cool. Casual voters around the country will look at who does well in Iowa and make judgments about who they think can seriously beat Trump.
The last four Democratic nominees all won Iowa: Clinton (narrowly), Obama, Kerry, and Gore.
“The Iowa Caucus system itself can push a dark horse into the spotlight, as it propelled Jimmy Carter down the path to the presidency in 1976 and Obama in 2008… They say that the Iowa Caucus won’t necessarily pick the winner, but it can and will pick the losers. No candidate who has finished in anything lower than fourth place has become the national party’s nominee” - Carol Armen, Rantt Media
We don’t necessarily have to win Iowa (Bill Clinton lost Iowa), but we definitely cannot finish anything lower than 4th place.
Phase 2: Enter Evelyn Yang
With the Iowa caucuses only three months away, it’s time to step it up so Andrew is bringing out the big guns — TV ads and his wife Evelyn Yang.
Around this time Michelle Obama was starting to get heavily involved in her husband’s campaign, but she also had the help of Oprah campaigning alongside her. We can’t count on Oprah getting involved (Whoopi maybe?), but we know Michelle made a huge difference and was a big reason for Barack Obama’s surprise win in Iowa — giving him enough momentum to win the whole damn thing. We don’t know how Evelyn will do, but we know historically it could have a huge impact.
Evelyn’s already met Joe Biden, marched with Andrew in Iowa, and appeared with her husband on CNN’s State of the Union — this is just the beginning.
I recommend this excellent thread summing up where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going. It will inspire you to get excited about the next phase of the campaign.
Yang Gang culture
Last week we asked if there was a Yang Gang culture. This week we got the best answers from President Obama, future President Yang, and of course the Yang Gang. We stand for forgiveness and a rejection of the toxic divisions running rampant in our country.
“We have to try and serve the interest of the country — big picture — and in some cases, I think the service of the country is to be a little bit more forgiving.” –Andrew Yang
Not left. Not right. FORWARD.
Bern Notice
I recently discovered Bernie has an official campaign newsletter called Bern Notice and it’s really popular.
I may be biased, but I think ours is better. More fun. More inspiring. More Yang Gang. Despite our editorial differences, Bern Notice has thousands of subscribers while Yang Gang Wisdom has a humble 650. We don’t get paid to work on this content or promote it, but beating Bernie’s newsletter in subscribers would be highly satisfying. Help us out by sharing and spreading the word on Yang Gang Wisdom.
Best of the Week
Yang Gang spotlight
This week’s Yang Gang spotlight goes out to all the Yang Gang who donated to meet the incredible $1.5 million fund raising goal in only one week! It was a privilege to witness such a coordinated and decentralized effort from all over different platforms to donate, show donations, and encourage (not shame) others to do the same. The dedication and fundraising power of the Yang Gang is incredibly inspiring.
Halloween Banking
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Christmas Banking
Camp Banking
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"Andrew Yang, I think, talks about the structural economic issues in the country ... probably better than anybody else." - Tim Ryan, Ohio Congressman who recently dropped out of the race
Historic photo
#YangVideoContest winner
Personal favorite #YangVideoContest entry
Andrew being a rockstar
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