We’re so glad that Andrew Yang was able to join us this week after his recovery from COVID-19. At last, we got to sit down with him and dig into the million-dollar questions about his advocacy for a UBI and how that fight has changed in the last year, his stance on Medicare for All, his thoughts on the NYC political landscape, and more. Yang is currently running for the NYC mayoralty, meaning that he’s spending his time thinking about how to address economic struggle, post-pandemic renewal, and issues of social justice from a position of political power. This conversation gave us a window into his unique approach to these issues, and we’re happy to share it with you now.
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People across the country know Yang as the person who popularized the demand for a universal basic income (UBI), and the stimulus checks distributed during the coronavirus crisis have shown the power of this cash support to provide essential financial stability. Yang has updated this plan for his mayoral run. As you’ll hear, we dive into some UBI logistics — what does a right- or left-wing UBI look like? — because when you get the chance to talk to Andrew Yang about UBI, you take it.
You’ll also hear us mention some issues important to us and to Yang, including healthcare and his stance on the BDS movement. We disagree with the idea that the BDS movement is rooted in antisemitism, and we take different views on Palestinians’ tactics of struggle for justice against occupation. On the topic of Medicare for All, we go over Yang’s support for single-payer alongside his lack of support for the existing Medicare for All bill, talking about why single-payer is the “common sense” program. We wanted to get a sense of Yang’s reasoning for his positions on these critical issues, and we were grateful to get his responses. We hope you’ll enjoy this episode of Krystal Kyle & Friends — and remember that you can check out our audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Pandora, and more.
Episode 12 Audio: Andrew Yang