WITH THE NEW HAMPSHIRE INSTITUTE OF POLITICS, "CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATE." TONIGHT, ANDREW YANG.
[CAPTIONING PERFORMED BY THE NATIONAL CAPTIONING INSTITUTE, WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS CAPTION CONTENT AND ACCURACY.
VISIT NCICAP.ORG] ADAM: GOOD EVENING, AND WELCOME TO OUR "CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATE" SERIES.
I’M ADAM SEXTON.
OUR GUEST THIS EVENING IS ENTREPRENEUR, ANDREW YANG.
TONIGHT, WE’LL BE GETTING TO KNOW MR. YANG, AND WHERE HE STANDS ON KEY ISSUES.
AT THE START OF OUR SHOW, I’LL BE ASKING THE QUESTIONS.
AND THEN, AFTER A BREAK, WE’LL HAVE OUR STUDIO AUDIENCE ASK THEIR QUESTIONS IN A TOWN HALL FORMAT.
BUT, BEFORE WE BEGIN, LET’S TAKE A QUICK LOOK AT THE CANDIDATE’S BIOGRAPHY.
>> ANDREW YANG WAS BORN IN UPSTATE NEW YORK, AND GRADUATED FROM PHILLIPS EXETER ACADEMY HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE IN 1992.
HE STUDIED ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE AT BROWN AND WENT TO LAW SCHOOL AT COLUMBIA.
YANG WORKED FOR A HEALTHCARE STARTUP, AND RAN A NATIONAL EDUCATION COMPANY.
HE THEN FOUNDED VENTURE FOR AMERICA, AN ORGANIZATION HELPING ENTREPRENEURS CREATE JOBS IN CITIES LIKE BALTIMORE, DETROIT, PITTSBURGH, AND CLEVELAN PRESIDENT OBAMA NAMED HIM A
PRESIDENTIAL AMBASSADOR FOR GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN 2015.
YANG BELIEVES THAT NEW TECHNOLOGIES, INCLUDING SOFTWARE, ROBOTS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ARE ELIMINATING JOBS, AND THAT THE U.S. MUST ACT NOW TO DEAL WITH THE REALITY
THAT AMERICANS ARE AT RISK OF PERMANENT UNEMPLOYMENT.
ONE OF HIS SOLUTIONS -- IMPLEMENTING A UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME THAT WOULD GO TO EVERY AMERICAN OVER THE AGE OF 18.
YANG IS MARRIED AND HAS TWO CHILDREN.
ADAM: ANDREW YANG, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US ON "CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATE." YOU ARE, AT HEART, AN ENTREPRENEUR.
AND A BUSINESSMAN.
MOST BUSINESSMEN WHO GET INTO POLITICS DO SO AT THE END OF THEIR CAREERS.
YOU’RE STILL YOUNG.
HOW WOULD YOU TRANSPOSE YOUR EXPERIENCE INTO THE PRESIDENCY?
MR. YANG: I DON’T THINK WE HAVE THAT MUCH TIME.
YOU LOOK AT WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH NEW TECHNOLOGIES AROUND THE CORNER -- SELF-DRIVING TRUCKS ARE BEING TESTED IN THE MIDWEST RIGHT NOW.
I FRIENDS IN SILICON VALLEY TOLD ME WE ARE FIVE HAD BEEN 10 YEARS AWAY FROM -- 5-10 YEARS AWAY FROM RO SELF-DRIVING TRUCKS ON THE ROADS IN EARNEST.
ADAM: HOW DOES THIS UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME WORK?
MR. YANG: ALASKA HAS HAD A DIVIDEND IN EFFECT FOR 37 YEARS.
THAT IS THE WAY THE FREEDOM DIVIDEND WOULD WORK.
EVERY ADULT STARTING AT AGE 18 WOULD GET $1000 A MONTH TO DO WHATEVER HE OR SHE WANTS.
ADAM: WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THOSE PEOPLE WHO SAY THIS IS ANTITHETICAL TO THE AMERICAN IDEAL OF INDEPENDENCE?
THIS WOULD FOSTER GOVERNMENTAL I
L DEPENDENCE?
ADAM: IMR. YANG: IT IS THE OPPOSITE.
PUTTING $2000 INTO EVERY PERSON’S HAND WOULD LEAD TO AUTONOMY AND HUNDREDS OF NEW JOBS -- HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF NEW JOBS.
ADAM: YOU WRITE IN YOUR BOOK, " “THE WAR ON NORMAL PEOPLE,” THAT GEOGRAPHY IS DESTINY OUR COUNTRY IS POLARIZED IN SO MANY WAYS, BUT HOW DO YOU
REVERSE THE URBAN/RURAL DYNAMIC, OR THE COASTAL VERSUS INTERIOR DYNAMIC THAT SEEMS TO HAVE BECOME A TRUE RIFT IN OUR COUNTRY?
MR. YANG: STORES IN RURAL AREAS ARE CLOSING BECAUSE AMAZON IS SUCKING UP COMMERCE EVERY YEAR.
THE FREEDOM DIVIDEND IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND POWERFUL WAY WE CAN GET RESOURCES INTO THE HANDS OF RURAL AMERICANS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND AROUND THE COUNTRY.
ADAM: THESE IDEAS HAVE BROUGHT YOU ATTENTION AND GIVEN YOU SOME TRACTION.
HOW DO YOU TAKE THE NEXT STEP TO COMPETING WITH A BERNIE SANDERS AND KAMALA HARRIS?
MR. YANG: MY CAMPAIGN HAS RAISED $500,000 IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS AROUND THE COUNTRY WHO HAVE WOKEN UP TO THE REALITY THAT WE ARE A DEMOCRACY THAT H
AS NOTHING STOPPING US FROM DECLARING A DIVIDEND THAT BENEFITS PEOPLE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
ADAM: DO YOU HAVE ANY ROLE MODELS IN POLITICS?
MR. YANG: I WAS AN APPOINTEE THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION.
I’M THE GODFATHER TO TEDDY ROOSEVELT’S GREAT GREAT GRANDDAUGHTER.
HE WAS A POLITICAL HERO OF MINE.
ROOSEVELT,’S ATTITUDE OF GETTING THINGS DONE -- HE IS ADDED TO THAT OF GETTING THINGS DONE -- HIS ATTITUDE OF GETTING THINGS DONE.
ADAM YOUR CANDIDACY IS HISTORIC.
YOU’RE THE FIRST ASIAN-AMERICAN MAN TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT.
YOU DON’T MAKE A BIG DEAL OF IT, BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU, BREAKING DOWN THAT BARRIER?
WHAT DO YOU WANT THE PEOPLE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
MR. YANG: TECHNOLOGY IS TRANSFORMING OUR WAY OF LIFE.
MOST OF OUR CANDIDATES DON’T UNDERSTAND TECHNOLOGY THE SAME WAY I DO.
THAT IS TIED IN WITH MY EXPERIENCE AND WHAT I’VE DONE THROUGHOUT MY CAREER.
ADAM: COMING UP AFTER THE BREAK,