When I posted my thoughts on Yang about 10 days ago, he had about 25k in donations (in amount of people; not dollars) He needs 65,000 by May 15 to be included in the democrat debates this summer.
The Rogan podcast blew things up for him big time. I wouldn't even know the guy at all if 911 (think it was him) posted the video but he is getting serious traction for someone this early in the cycle and with minimal/no traditional support (MSM, DNC, big money, etc).
He is at 52,000-ish right now and will likely break the 65k within weeks. Real grassroots democracy working? Amazing.
In other very important Yang news, he updated his illegal immigration platform:
Pathway to Citizenship (Make Them Earn It). He had no real concrete details a week or so ago but now he has this:
Quote:Quote:
Problems to be Solved
1. 11+ million undocumented immigrants are currently living in the United States
2. While the vast majority of these immigrants aren’t a security risk, having that volume of individuals in this country that aren’t known to the US government is itself a security risk
3. It would be prohibitively expensive and disruptive to deport all these individuals
4. These individuals tried to circumvent the legal immigration system into the US, and any pathway to citizenship for them must reflect this fact.
[the following is the juicy bits]
As President, I will…
1. Secure the southern border and drastically decrease the number of illegal entries into the US
2. Provide a new tier of long-term permanent residency for anyone who has been here illegally for a substantial amount of time so that they can come out of the shadows and enter the formal economy and become full members of the community.
3. This new tier would permit individuals to work and stay in the country, provided they pay their taxes and don’t get convicted of a felony.
4. This tier would put them on a longer, eighteen-year path to citizenship (the same amount of time it takes those born in the US to get full citizenship rights) [don't like this line but whatever; I got my citizenship day fucking 1], reflecting our desire to bring them into our country but also their decision to circumvent legal immigration channels.
5. Invest heavily in an information campaign to inform immigrant communities of this new tier of residency, and deport any undocumented immigrant who doesn’t proactively enroll in the program
Source: https://www.yang2020.com/policies/pathwa...m-earn-it/
Goddamn, that is pretty fuckin awesome and reasonable for a democrat in 2019. Shit, this is just reasonable period.
18 years and no felonies? Don't get in the program, get the fuck out!
I can dig that (if it is actually enforced).
Think about it:
1. 18 years without citizenship would keep illegals out of presidential elections for 4 cycles. Most democrats want them voting as illegals right now and/or want to give them citizenship and voting rights right now.
2. The felony deal will get rid of the real scumbags and 18 years is a LONG dragnet to catch a lot of dirt bags.
3. If they don't get with the program, instead of just floating through life, they have to get the fuck out.
4. This answers a big question I had about UBI and illegals and the circumstances if/how they would get: Since these people won't be citizens, no 1000 bucks for them for 18 years! He says that illegals that have only been here for a "substantial amount of time" would qualify for the PR status; which implies he understands that there would be a mad rush of illegals to the US to get the free money if he won the election. And therefore, he needs to have a past time period qualifier to prevent the mad rush.
Big fear is this would get water down in Congress from 18 years to 5 or something.
But the initial platform is solid and incredible for a democrat in 2019. Trump clearly has lost the will or ability to remove illegals on a mass scale and will probably get nothing done on this issue of significant substance except some partial wall built. So, given that the Trump base is majorly deflated and the demographics are working against the GOP, this is probably the realistic next best alternative with regards to illegals. It's WAY better than any other democrats platform on this issue. That's for fucking sure.
THIS is why we need Yang in the debates, shifting the democrat overton window the same way Trump did in 2016. The current democrat party is mostly a clown show and we need a guy like Yang pushing it back in the right direction for the good of the country.