Yang Gang Weekly Wisdom #13: F**k MSNBC
Hi Yang Gang,
If we had to state our goal every week here at Yang Gang Weekly Wisdom, it would be this – to capture the sentiment of the Yang Gang. Sometimes that sentiment is hopeful and inspiring. Sometimes it’s not. This week, the sentiment of the Yang Gang was:
Turning Point
From the first debate in June to now, we have seen a progression. From truly longer than long shot underdog to qualifying for each and every debate – Yang continues to outperform expectations and it’s finally getting acknowledged. The momentum is rising and the bets are paying off.
From the viewpoint of the Yang Gang twitter bubble, this debate got Yang much more positive attention from major political influencers, journalists, and analysts than past debates. Whether it’s because he keeps performing excellently or just because he continues to qualify and show up, it feels as if people are starting to take this Yang guy seriously.
Keep in mind this was also the least watched Democratic debate so far and most Americans aren’t even paying attention yet. The people who are paying attention are hardcore supporters like the Yang Gang and those who pay close attention to politics, which is in no way the majority of the voting population. Not only are more comments coming from people and organizations with hundreds of thousands of followers, but many of them were very positive.
And in case you were one of the many who missed the debates, this is how the three big bets we examined last week were put into action:
Women for Yang
Yang had a strong closing speech focused on being a parent and patriot – part of his shift to present himself more as a family man, which many acknowledged as the strongest closing statement of the evening.
Human stories
The second shift in the campaign strategy was attempting to tell more human stories. In this debate, the Freedom Dividend and #MATH took a backseat in favor of answers focused on being a caring, relatable human being and parent, which did not go unnoticed.
Play nice (for now)
As usual in a Yang debate appearance, attacks were not thrown or received. We need everyone to come aboard the Yang Gang to win – especially in early states like Iowa – so the plan not to alienate other candidates was on full display last week.
Source
We’re playing nice with other candidates, but overtly biased media like MSNBC is a completely different story. As the field narrows, more and more Americans are starting to see the potential of Yang’s candidacy despite the efforts of some to marginalize or exclude him.
#MSNBCFearsYang
Open confrontation with MSNBC has been building for a while in the Yang Gang, but the final straw occurred last weekend with another MSNBC “mistake”.
For a network that made the same “mistake” around 12 or 15 times, it wasn’t surprising how they handled their duties moderating this week’s “debate”. The difference this time was the response from the campaign. The #HumanityFirst limit had apparently been breached and the campaign was going to respond and respond it did.
The #YangMediaBlackout is well documented, but this was a turning point. This time other major media outlets like Fox and Business Insider were covering it and Yang was speaking out. And apparently it’s working…
The #BagSignal
The Yang Gang is often criticized for being too heavy on the memes and tweeting – and too light on the real life campaigning. Though we are by far the best campaign for organizing online as is evident in immediately making #BoytcottMSNBC go viral and our hilarious MSNBC memes, we show up at rallies and, if you piss us off enough, we protest in the streets.
The Yang Gang has the #BagSignal. We throw it up when something needs to be done like calling out MSNBC, but the #BagSignal also translates to boots on the ground as is demonstrated by a recent call to action in Iowa.
“Day two of canvassing in Iowa happened and I want to both give an update and give some real talk. We need you. Of the 1000 volunteers requested from the call sheets, myself and one other showed up. That’s .02%. We have got to do better to win this.”
It started with bad news – day two of a canvassing call in rural Iowa produced only two volunteers, but then the #BagSignal went up…
“Word from the Iowa team is that the canvass volunteer count is growing! WAY THE FUCK TO GO YANG GANG. How do we win this? By reaching every single rural Iowan possible. We secure the 90% of the state the other candidates ignore. We show them they matter.”
Day three and day four of the canvassing initiative turned disappointment and self-criticism to hope and enthusiasm thanks to the #BagSignal and the Yang Gang who answered the call.
Thanks for reading! We’ll be taking next week off for Thanksgiving. We hope you have an amazing holiday Yanging the family! See you back here in two weeks.
Shareables for non-Yang Gang.
Which of these 2020 Democrats agrees with you most? Quiz from the Washington Post.
These are my results. How’d you do?
This quiz is a great one to send to friends and family who may or may not be interested in Andrew Yang. It’s an honest and indirect way for someone to notice in candidates they may not have considered before.
Daily Show segment
If you’re ready to send someone a direct Yang introduction, this lighthearted and short introduction from Trevor Noah might do the trick.
Best of the Week
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