Yang, Tulsi, and Bernie are the Dems who seem to draw a lot of conservative support from Trump supporters, conservatives, and libertarians, but Andrew Yang in particular draws a lot of support from the most freedom-loving folks, libertarians, who generally don't like Trump's fiscal irresponsibility and his willingness to brush economics to the side in favor of politicking.
To clarify, most philosophies are complex and contain many dimensions, but if you were to distill down the difference between the left and the right, it would ultimately come to the difference in the role of government - the big government left (communism) and the zero government right (anarcho-capitalism). But one notch from the anarchists are libertarians, who believe that minimal government is the best way to preserve freedom. In fact, most agree that some degree of government is necessary; libertarians merely believe in the smallest version possible.
With that being said, this is what fascinates me: libertarians are flocking to Andrew Yang, a Democratic candidate who at face value sounds socialist, wanting to give a handout to every American. The reasons why libertarians like Andrew Yang are more fascinating than most people realize, in two important ways:
1) All of his policies are designed around freedom.
His flagship proposal, the Freedom Dividend, was invented and popularized by libertarian economists, from Thomas Paine to Milton Friedman. Yang was even endorsed by popular libertarian entrepreneur Elon Musk. In fact, there is even a Republican presidential candidate running under a similar proposal - himself a declared libertarian! The reasons why libertarians like the Dividend are complex, but come down to unlocking and growing new wealth by monetizing public-owned goods, growing the economy by fluidizing money, boosting overall economic prosperity, shrinking government roles, taking pressure off public services, protecting the means of production from socialist sentiment, and providing more freedom for individuals to pursue happiness. All of this with the side effect of ending poverty and homelessness forever.
And that's just one policy. His positions on everything - from abortion, circumcision, and recreational drug use to taxes, business regulations, and the court system - all uphold liberty as a central virtue. He believes the Dividend will take financial pressure off the abortion decision therefore lower them without restricting healthcare access. He's against circumcision personally but wants parents to educate themselves before choosing on their own. He wants to replicate Portugal's drug model of decriminalization, who saw huge success in solving overdoses, use/abuse, and addiction. He favors consumption tax on luxury goods over all other forms of taxation, which is more voluntary than other forms of taxes. He opposes breaking up businesses. Finally, he favors term limits for judges which creates a more dynamic court system.
Immigration is one thing that differentiates him greatly from Trump, because Trump believes that immigrants dissolve our cultural fabric, take our jobs, and endanger our communities. Yang, on the other hand, refers to immigrants as "human capital" and believes they fulfill the American legacy. If the freedom to move where you want is a central liberty, then clearly Yang is more conservative in this arena in regard to libertarian thinking.
2) He demonstrates aptitude in economic logic and fiscal responsibility.
While Trump threatens tariffs, advocates bank bailouts, and reinforces corporate welfare and subsidies, Yang is consistently polished in his business acumen.
Yang once said, "In this country, we have two problems: a revenue problem and a spending problem. To solve the revenue problem, we need to go where the money is. Companies like Amazon are paying zero in taxes while automating away jobs. If we implement even a tiny value-added tax, we can raise billions of dollars to fund the Freedom Dividend." This position highlights Yang's focus on fiscal responsibility - a stark contrast to Trump's leadership, which has exploded the deficit, leaving many conservatives reeling. Indeed, no businessman worth their salt would cut revenues while raising the budget, which is exactly what Trump has done with our country.
When it comes to business, Yang totally outclasses Trump. Out of three attempts to build companies from nothing, Yang has succeeded twice (the first attempt coincided with the economic crisis in 2008). Trump, by comparison, inherited a fortune and maintained it through crony capitalism, bullying, fame, and media manipulation. In Yang's words, "Entrepreneurs like me consider Trump to be more of a marketing charlatan than a real builder."
There is a world of difference between an entrepreneur and a real estate mogul. It's the difference between serving demand and restricting supply. It's the difference between building for the community and hoarding for oneself. It's the difference between community and hierarchy. It's the difference between watching out for the people and watching out for the company. It's the difference between humanity and narcissism. It's the difference between good and evil.
