Failed Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang on Wednesday said there’s a “patronizing element” to party messaging that could cost Democrats at the polls…just one day before convention speech.
“Democrats have this tendency to have a message out there, and then if you don’t like the message it’s like, ‘Well, it’s your fault,'” Yang told The Washington Post Live in a video interview. “There’s this patronizing element to a lot of what we say and do, and it’s hurting us, and it’s wrong, unproductive. It’s a great way to not win.”
The comments from Yang, who’s a CNN contributor, come a day before he’s set to speak at the virtual Democratic National Convention.
.@AndrewYang on what he thinks Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' message on the economy should be. "I think they should lean into cash relief..that to me is a no-brainer." https://t.co/BhGjBGiuXb pic.twitter.com/mYQhzpFHgl
— Washington Post Live (@postlive) August 19, 2020
He also criticized convention organizers for not giving Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a bigger role beyond the procedural formality of nominating Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday night. So why so much criticism right before taking the stage tomorrow evening?
I thought Day 2 was a success – but AOC was underutilized. She could have done much more with a bigger opportunity. pic.twitter.com/veUV1615z1
— Andrew Yang🧢🗽🇺🇸 (@AndrewYang) August 19, 2020
“She was asked to nominate Bernie, which I thought she did very effectively, but I thought that was a misuse of AOC,” Yang said, referring to the lawmaker by her initials. “She is one of the people who can cut through this medium and deliver a message very powerfully, so I feel like the DNC just missed one on that.”
Last week, Yang publicly expressed disappointment when he was not included on the initial list of convention speakers. He was later added to the lineup.
I’ve got to be honest I kind of expected to speak.
— Andrew Yang🧢🗽🇺🇸 (@AndrewYang) August 11, 2020
And it’s official – we have been added to the DNC Convention speaker lineup! Thank you #YangGang and everyone else who made this happen! 😀👏🇺🇸#YangIsSpeaking
— Andrew Yang🧢🗽🇺🇸 (@AndrewYang) August 13, 2020
Yang, a tech entrepreneur, dropped his longshot White House bid in February, outlasting several established politicians, including Sen. Kamala Harris, who is now the Democratic vice presidential nominee.