Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy doesn’t appreciate it when he’s likened to Andrew Yang.
Yet, to many observers, including influential figures who backed Mr. Yang during his unsuccessful bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, it’s hard not to wonder if the pharmaceutical industry entrepreneur has some deeper similarities with the face of universal basic income (UBI).
Both Men ‘Wonky,’ Adept in Digital ‘Attention Economy’
“Comparisons are natural, but it’s important to understand they are different people,” a Yang 2020 campaign insider told The Epoch Times.“They’re talented, diverse, a similar age–Vivek a little younger,” the insider, who asked not to be named, said in a telephone interview on Aug. 16, a week before the debate.
“They’re both very capable arguers with a compelling message. And it’s a little nerdy and wonky, right? They’re not afraid to get into numbers and facts and figures.”
Noting that there are obvious ideological differences between the two men, the campaign insider said Mr. Ramaswamy “is much further right” than Mr. Yang.
The Yang campaign insider suggested that Mr. Ramaswamy may benefit more from his outsider status than Mr. Yang did.
“Many Republicans don’t like government. So government experience and establishment blessing is not an asset to them,” the insider said, contrasting that with more pro-government attitudes among Democrats.
One of the biggest similarities the Yang campaign insider sees is a talent for navigating and activating the digital world. In Mr. Yang’s case, online supporters known as the “Yang Gang” boosted his profile, especially among younger voters. In Mr. Ramaswamy’s case, frequent posts on Twitter/X and other platforms have allowed him to connect more directly with his audience.
“Both use Twitter in particular, but social media in general, very effectively to get their message across,” the campaign insider said. “They know how to compete in the attention economy.”
Both ‘Ahead of Their Time’
Peter Boghossian, a philosopher and public intellectual known as a critic of “grievance studies,” also sees parallels between Mr. Yang and Mr. Ramaswamy.“They’re both extremely intelligent and very, very good on their feet,” Mr. Boghossian told The Epoch Times in an Aug. 17 phone interview.
Mr. Boghossian was one of many high-profile Andrew Yang supporters during his presidential run.
In his interview with The Epoch Times, he emphasized that he does not endorse any candidate this cycle.
He said he backed Mr. Yang because the UBI advocate was “smart, digitally savvy, honest, forthright, not overly partisan, [and] willing to step across divides.”
Like the Yang campaign insider, he believes Mr. Ramaswamy’s aptitude for digital technologies sets him apart from the competition in a Yang-like way.
Like Mr. Yang, he predicted Mr. Ramaswamy would stand out when placed alongside the other Republicans gunning for the presidency. In his case, the critique extends beyond the GOP field.
“Imagine either one of those individuals, Vivek or Andrew, debating literally anybody else in the race. It would be a bloodbath,” Mr. Boghossian said, adding that he could see them besting President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, among others—“basically anybody.”
Mr. Boghossian said he’s still “extremely sympathetic” to UBI.
“Remember that universal basic income also comes with some cuts in the welfare and regulatory apparatus as well.”
Mr. Yang’s campaign was known for its relatively narrow focus on a single concern–automation. And a policy prescription intended to fix it–UBI.
“A lot of people are worried about the future of work due to factors like technological unemployment and the precariousness of work in the ‘gig economy,’” said Matt Zwolinski, a UBI advocate and a professor of philosophy at the University of San Diego, in an email interview with The Epoch Times.
Mr. Zwolinski said that a UBI program would have to be expensive to prove effective.
“That is a serious problem both from an economic and a political perspective,” he said.
Mr. Ramaswamy is harder to peg as a single-issue candidate, yet he too has distinguished himself through creative policy proposals—for example, a vision of “civic duty voting” that would impose requirements on 18- to 25-year-olds seeking the franchise. He’s also helped push the wider GOP field toward scaling back or outright eradicating federal agencies, including the Department of Education and the FBI.
A Yang-Like Fate in Question
One obvious question remains: As Mr. Ramaswamy handles increased scrutiny after his debate performance in Milwaukee, will his arc mirror Mr. Yang’s rise and fall?If he doesn’t stumble soon, Mr. Ramaswamy’s conservative critics, particularly those who support rival presidential candidates, may be able to make another easy comparison to a young Democratic candidate who seemingly came out of nowhere during the last presidential election cycle.
Pete Buttigieg, now President Biden’s Transportation Secretary, narrowly defeated Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and other candidates in the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucus. A little less than 20 years ago, both he and Vivek Ramaswamy appeared in a series of MSNBC Hardball events with Democratic presidential hopefuls at Harvard University, where the two men received their undergraduate degrees.
Tricia McLaughlin, a senior adviser for the Ramaswamy campaign, told The Epoch Times that her candidate “was a libertarian voter” at the time.
The former Yang campaign insider said that running for president “is a very, very humbling, grueling experience.”
“You’re going to get ripped apart personally, professionally, politically—you name it.”
After shining on the debate stage, Mr. Ramaswamy will have to hold it together as new criticisms mount from his rivals and the press.
“The best thing he can do is make sure he’s surrounding himself with people he trusts who are going to let him be him,” the Yang campaign insider said.
