A Declaration of Independents

Hello, I hope that you’re doing well.  I’m on the way to TED right now to speak about our political system and how it can be improved – it should be a great opportunity.  I expect the talk to be made public sometime in May.  

When I ran for office, I ran as a Democrat.  It seemed practical and, to some extent, natural.  But there were significant distortions that accompanied the primaries I participated in – there were certain interest groups and schools of thought that were highly overrepresented. 

One person who figured this out even before he ran for office is Greg Orman.  “The two parties have spent their time and treasure protecting Americans that we are for more different and divided than we actually are,” writes Greg in his book, “A Declaration of Independents.”  I interview Greg on the podcast this week. 

Greg started a successful business in Kansas and saw that many voters felt underrepresented.  He decided to run for the Senate in Kansas in 2014.  “I initially looked at running as a Democrat because I was heading against a Republican incumbent.  But I soon realized that there was dogma on both sides that I didn’t agree with.  I’ve never believed there were only two possible answers to any problem.  Many issues are more nuanced than that.”

Greg went around the state and just started talking to voters.  He got more and more support with his straightforward, commonsense approach.  “Why is it that it’s harder and harder for Americans to get ahead, but it’s also simultaneously more common for people to be using their time unproductively?  Something is going wrong here.”   Greg believed that the two-party system was a big reason why things were getting worse for Kansans, not better. 

Greg went up and up in the polls.  He even pulled ahead of the incumbent Senator, which shocked the establishment.  It got to the point where the national Republican Party sent John McCain and a parade of national figures to Kansas and spent $17 million to make sure they kept the seat.  They defined Greg as a Democratic puppet and attacked him in various ways.  He still wound up with 42.5% of the vote in the general election, a stunning level for an Independent candidate.  For context, Ross Perot got 19% in 1992. 

“I was running against the entire establishment, and the system came to Kansas and did its best to shut me down,” Greg said.  Today, he supports independent candidates and continues to make the case.  “I back those who are trying to create a new choice in American politics.  Almost half of Americans are Independents at this point, and we are being shut out as our future and that of our kids is increasingly jeopardized.” 

As you can imagine, Greg is one of the role models for independent candidates in the whole country, and I’m proud to say that he is supportive of our work at Forward.  In some ways, the enemy is ideology.  “True independence comes not through adherence to a rigid ideology but through putting our country ahead of a political party . . . independence from the party line, from the special interests that control both major political parties through campaign cash, and from extremists who control each party’s primary process – that’s what the country needs to move forward.” 

For “A Declaration of Independents” click here and my interview with Greg click here.   To see what Forward is doing for candidates around the country of any party, click here.  I’ll be speaking at the Hudson Valley Ideas Fest with Stephen Dubner, Coleman Hughes, Rikki Schlott, Xochitl Gonzalez, Neil Parikh and more on April 27th in Rosendale, New York.  If you’re in the area or know someone who is, maybe I’ll see you there! 

The Impact of Tech

A few years ago, some producers approached me about doing a TV show called “The Future of . . . with Andrew Yang.”  The theme was I would talk about the future of education one week, healthcare or transportation the next, etc.  I thought it could be an interesting way to get some points out and so was glad to explore the possibility.  Then, a few weeks later they came back with some mildly surprising data.  “So . . . we tested this out with a bunch of viewers, and it turns out that they like you, but they don’t like the future.  So we’ll try to think of something else.” 

Jonathan Haidt had a new book come out last week called “The Anxious Generation,” that makes a compelling case that social media has been behind the surge in anxiety and depression among young people, particularly girls.  He recommends curbing smartphone and social media use for minors and making schools phone-free. 

This past week on the Daily Show, Jon Stewart did an extended segment on AI coming to replace workers.  I received a number of messages saying, “He sounds just like your presidential campaign four years ago!” 

If you think about the future, there’s something of a veil of negativity.  I wrote in the War on Normal People that we will naturally trend toward either Mad Max or Star Trek in a future of either scarcity or abundance.  If you look at movies, TV and the news, it’s clear that most people think our future is more likely to be dystopian than the opposite. 

AI is going to change civilization on a scale that may be unprecedented.  This week on the podcast, I interview Jo Ling Kent, senior business and tech correspondent for CBS.  She said, “Right now it’s clear that the U.S. and China are developing their own AI domains with different data and algorithms in each.  It’s not direct competition so much as two different worlds.” 

In the Daily Show segment, Jon Stewart showed various legislators – generally of advanced age – evincing ignorance about how to approach AI.  Our lack of confidence in government is fueling the pessimism about the future that many of us feel. 

How do you feel about the future?  And what would it take to make you optimistic? 

When I ran for President I had what many felt was a utopian vision, starting with Universal Basic Income.  Most people back then thought it was impossible that our government could send checks to tens of millions of Americans.  Then we did a version of that in 2020 and halved child poverty in 2021 with an enhanced child tax credit.  The child tax credit fell prey to political dysfunction a year later, but demonstrated that we can meaningfully reduce poverty if our leaders have the will. 

Some experts project that AI will increase global GDP by 10% by 2032 – or as much as ~$10 trillion.  Where will that wealth go? 

What’s ironic is that we are succumbing to scarcity just at the moment when abundance – Star Trek – might actually be a possibility.  It turns out that if you don’t believe in government, it’s hard to imagine that the benefits of innovation will be broadly shared. 

Why don’t we believe that tech is going to help?  It’s because we don’t believe in our leaders.  We don’t believe in our capacity to mold our own future.  We may not believe in ourselves. 

Can that change?  That’s the core question on which everything depends.

For my interview with Jo Ling Kent click here.  To join Forward to reform our political system, click here.  For my book on the future we face, “The War on Normal People” click here.  It includes a positive vision that we could yet achieve.  

A Reflection

Hello, thank you for choosing to read this note.  The truth is that a lot of people – 200,000+ - receive this newsletter every week, and a shockingly high percentage of you actually click it and read it!  I’m grateful.  Your time is precious.   

I try to take this responsibility seriously by sending you something interesting and actionable – I like doing things.  If I can’t do anything about it, it’s less interesting to me. 

Of the 3 non-fiction books I’ve written, each was tied to doing something.  The first, “Smart People Should Build Things,” was the case I made for Venture for America, the non-profit I started in 2011 and ran for 6 years.  We operated in 15 cities primarily in the Midwest and the South.  VFA continues on to this day with a new CEO and has helped empower hundreds of young entrepreneurs and businesses. 

My second book, “The War On Normal People,” catalogued my deep concerns about the impact of technology and automation on the workforce and pushed for solutions and an evolution of the economy, including Universal Basic Income.  It doubled as the basis for my presidential campaign and became a major bestseller; several colleges adopted it into their curriculum and it was translated into at least 5 other languages.  I founded a lobbying organization, Humanity Forward, in 2020 that continues to push for some of the ideas in “The War On Normal People,” including antipoverty measures like an enhanced child tax credit. 

My third book, “Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy,” was about the dysfunction of our political system and the media and the need for reform.  I launched the Forward Party in 2021 and it merged with two other pro-democracy organizations the following year.  I’m now Forward’s co-chair and we operate around the country backing ballot measures, voting reforms and positive aligned candidates.  My colleagues at Forward include Gov. Christie Todd Whitman, Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey and many others and just last week we launched statewide Treasurer and Attorney General candidates in Pennsylvania. 

I joke that each book I write tells me what I’m going to do for the next three to five years.  (I also co-wrote a novel, “The Last Election,” with Stephen Marche that is an exception to this rule, meant as part entertainment, part warning.)

This month I’m speaking at TED on the American political system and how to improve it.  I’m hopeful that this will result in another few hundred thousand people understanding better what is holding us back, and maybe – just maybe – a few of them will sign up to do something about it.  It could be with Forward, or Unite America or Fairvote (a Ranked Choice Voting non-profit I’m on the Board of).  I’m now convinced that our political system needs a revamp before we can meaningfully tackle any of our biggest long-term problems. 

I’m not unmindful of the immediate threat.  If you follow me, you know I think Trump would be a disaster in a second term.  I’ll be working to reduce the odds of Trump winning in different ways.  Initially, it was by trying to swap in a different Democratic nominee whom I thought would be a stronger foil for Trump.  Now, it will be by boosting the non-Trump turnout by backing sensible local candidates in key swing states like Pennsylvania via Forward. 

I’m also going to be supporting individual candidates whom I think will help us navigate this time – folks like John Avlon in NY, John Curtis in Utah and Dave Min in California.  In all of these cases, the alternative is a Trump loyalist or aspirant to that role. 

The overall mission is to help make good things happen and prevent bad things from happening. 

Another candidate I’ve been supporting is Andy Kim.  This past week, Tammy Murphy dropped out of the New Jersey Senate race, clearing the way for Andy to almost certainly be the next U.S. Senator from the Garden State.  This was an enormous win – Andy will be a phenomenal upgrade and replacement for the corrupt Bob Menendez, he of the gold bars and corruption indictments. 

Tammy was the establishment favorite as the Governor’s wife – the entire New Jersey Congressional delegation endorsed her as did many of the biggest County Chairs.  But Andy captured the imagination of the grassroots Democratic voters in NJ, winning most of the county convention mini-elections.  He fundraised competitively.  Tammy looked at the numbers and saw that she was going to have to go negative and cut a big personal check to the campaign to try and defeat Andy.  She – to her credit – decided not to go nuclear.  Andy now has a clear path, and will make a phenomenal U.S. Senator.  He’s as upright as it gets. 

I co-hosted an event for Andy and some of you donated and got the word out about him.  Were we the difference-makers?  It’s possible. 

Sometimes, the good guys win or something good happens because we do something about it. 

That’s why I write.  Thank you for keeping up with me through thick and thin.  Let’s do more in ’24.  And as long as you keep reading, I’ll keep writing. 

Click here to check out John Avlon, John Curtis, Dave Min or here to see the Forward chapter in your area.  You can also check out Humanity Forward and andrewyang.com for books, the newsletter and the podcast.      

John Avlon

Hello, I hope that your weekend was good.  

Have you ever had a friend tell you that they’re running for office?  I had that experience a few weeks ago – my friend John Avlon announced he is running for Congress in New York’s 1st district in Long Island. 

If John seems familiar to you, he’s a journalist and author who has been a CNN anchor for years.  He also was a guest on my podcast last year to talk about his latest book on Abraham Lincoln – he’s a massive history buff with a deep love of country. 

“I talk about the importance of the time that we’re in, that democracy is at stake, and I felt like I shouldn’t just be talking, I should do something about it,” John said when I interviewed him on the podcast this week.  “I thought that if I decided to run, I could make a seat competitive that otherwise wouldn’t be in play.” 

From the early returns, he’s right.  His announcement video has been watched 2.6 million times and he raised $400,000+ in his first week.  “The reaction has been even better than I’d imagined,” John says.  The local Democratic party helped enlist John in part because they thought he would inject some energy into the race. 

“My opponent is endorsing Trump in a district that is a lot more middle-of-the-road.  I’d like to provide a common sense alternative which is what most people seem to want.”  John is focused on affordability.  “When I talk to families, they are struggling to make ends meet.  I want to bring back the child tax credit so families feel like they have a bit of support.  I’ve got two young kids myself so I know how hard it can be.”  He also wants to help address climate change in an area that has a lot of shoreline. 

John is a longtime political reformer in favor of measures like Ranked Choice Voting.  “We are rewarding the wrong behavior.  I want to improve the incentives so that leaders feel like they can do the right thing without getting singled out or punished.  A lot of that is about getting beyond the toxic partisanship that is so dominant right now.”  John presented me an award at the Fairvote Gala last year and has been a friend to reform efforts for years.  He would make a phenomenal ally in Congress – I can imagine some very smart reform bills getting a lot more energy with John as a co-sponsor. 

I’m excited about John’s candidacy in large part because he’s genuine.  You know when you see someone on TV and then wonder if they’re actually that sincere and patriotic in real life?  Having known John for years, he’s the real thing.  He cares.  He’s stepping up to run because his country needs people like him to do just that.  It’s what you want to see.  Let’s help him win. 

For my interview of John click here.  To support his campaign click here.  To check out the Forward chapter in your area click here. 

Dean, Andy, John and Krist

As most of you know, I supported Dean Phillips in his presidential run that recently ended.  I was glad to support Dean – he is the kind of pragmatic, well-intended, bipartisan 55-year old leader that most Americans actually want. 

Dean got 20% of the primary vote in New Hampshire, and it would have been much higher if Independents had participated in the Democratic Primary.  That 20% was based on about 10 weeks of campaigning in the state and expenditures of about $6 million.  There were enough television commercials in New Hampshire where a majority of voters knew who he was.  

This was not the case in South Carolina or nationally.  In order to succeed, Dean would need to spend $10 – 12 million in the next contested state, Michigan, to build the same kind of name ID as quickly as possible.  Focus groups showed that Dean’s ceiling was quite high in Michigan; over 50% of focus group participants said they’d vote for him.  That money never came, and his support plummeted down to the low single-digits.  Dean dropped out after Super Tuesday and endorsed Joe Biden, a decision I agree with, as his campaign was past a point where it would have been good for the country.  And Dean’s interest has always been to do what he thought was right for the country. 

Now the focus turns to primaries around the country and of course the November presidential election.  There are candidates around the country that I’m excited about.  One is Andy Kim, who is running for U.S. Senator in New Jersey against the corrupt Bob Menendez and the first lady of the state, Tammy Murphy.  I’ve known Andy for years and he’s an earnest public servant who is as upright as it gets.  Watching the Democratic establishment close ranks against Andy – despite the fact that he’s a sitting member of Congress in excellent standing – has been educational. 

I’m also excited about John Avlon, who is running for Congress in Long Island.  John is a political reformer at heart who is stepping up to run because he thinks he can make New York’s 1st district competitive.  John is an author and journalist who is as patriotic as it gets.  He’ll be for reforms like Ranked Choice Voting and would be a prominent voice in Congress for transcending partisanship. 

On the Republican side, there are 9 candidates running for Senate in Utah to succeed Mitt Romney.  Only 1 of these 9 candidates has not endorsed Donald Trump:  Congressman John Curtis, who co-founded a group called Conservative Climate Caucus.  Yes, a Republican who believes in combating climate change and has rallied people to that cause.  I have the feeling I know which candidate Mitt will be voting for in this race.  I’ve met John and he’s a great guy running for the right reasons. 

This week on the podcast I interview Krist Novoselic, co-founder of the rockband Nirvana and chair of the Washington Forward Party.  Krist and Forward are backing positive local candidates around the country.  Krist used to be the chair of the local Democratic Party but became an enormous champion of independent politics years ago as the chair of Fairvote.  I was in high school when “Smells Like Teen Spirit” hit the airwaves, so it’s a lot of fun working with a bonafide rockstar like Krist to help make good things happen.  “We need something different in our politics, I’ve known that for years.” 

Indeed, I think that’s one of the joys of Forward – you can get behind any candidate of any party if you think they will help make good things possible. 

Dean Phillips was one such candidate.  If I had the chance to do it all over again, I’d be glad to.  

To everyone who leant Dean a hand or gave him a look, Thank you!  

Click here to check out Andy Kim, John Avlon, John Curtis and your local Forward chapter.  Let’s get behind good people who want to make good things happen in any party and build what the country needs.   

Don Sun

My friend Don Sun passed away last week from cancer.  It’s been a devastating blow.  He leaves behind two sons and countless friends he’s touched over the years. 

I first met Don in the early days of my presidential campaign.  I was pitching myself to a group of elderly Asian American community leaders as a fledgling presidential candidate in San Francisco.  I gave a speech about how our families came to this country for a better life, but now this country needs us to step up and do more it because it is falling prey to division.  We can help bring it back together.  They were fairly stoic so I wasn’t sure how it went. 

Afterwards, Don took me aside.  He said something that would change my life.  “I have dedicated my life to helping Asian American political leaders rise.  You are the real deal.  I have been waiting for you for years.  Helping you is the most impactful thing that I can do.  So I am going to drop everything else and dedicate myself to your campaign.”  I didn’t know quite how to respond, but simply nodded and said, “Thank you.” 

After that, Don became a constant presence in my life for the next four years.  At first my small team didn’t know how to receive this smiling 60-year old Asian man who just showed up in Iowa and New Hampshire.  But he quickly became beloved by all, as he would fold himself into the backseat of the rental vehicle for hours, seeming thrilled to be there no matter what the circumstances.  Many people thought that he was my father or uncle, which he took as a compliment.  He would help out with any task, no matter how small. 

As the campaign wound on, we would start having “Don events” – Don would organize the Asian American community wherever we went.  Months later, I was in a beautiful home in Southern California with a group of hundreds of supporters that Don had organized.  He did the same in Portland, Minnesota, Austin, Seattle and anyplace else that we went.  Our presidential campaign went on to raise $40 million from hundreds of thousands of Americans, many of whom had never been involved in politics before.  Don was behind a lot of that energy.  He would say, “Not just pictures, donate money!”  He was with me and Evelyn in Iowa and New Hampshire for months. 

After the campaign, Don organized youth camps for Asian American high school students to develop leadership skills. He started a PAC called “Asian Americans Forward” that supports political candidates at every level.  And he continued to connect me to communities around the country where I could lend a hand, in part because he felt that I needed to keep going.  “You should run for governor!”  We spoke regularly and saw each other often.  He would join my family for dinner in New York when he was in town.  Evelyn loved Don – he was part of our family. 

In late 2023, Don was mourning the loss of his longtime partner, but it seemed that he was bouncing back.  In January though I called him and he said that he’d been sick in bed.  He was having trouble keeping food down.  He said he was going to go to the hospital to get checked out.  I encouraged him to do so, and had a sinking feeling.  Don was always so energetic, and he sounded weak on the phone. 

After visiting the emergency room, he was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer.  The cancer had spread to multiple organs throughout his body.  The doctors gave him 2 to 4 weeks to live. 

It was a shock to everyone.  Don had been hale and hearty just weeks earlier.  I jumped on a plane to visit him and then came back again days later. 3 weeks later he was gone. 

He said to me on his hospital bed as I clasped his hand, “Be the leader for all of America, not just Chinese Americans or Asian Americans.  You are our best hope to bring everyone together.” 

He also said, “I’m just an ordinary person.  The world will keep on going without me.  I’ve lived a good life.” 

He was wrong about the first part.  Don Sun was an extraordinary person who brought so much positive energy into the world.  He touched so many lives because he was selfless. 

You know the person who believes in you even more than you believe in yourself?  Don was that person for me.  I’ll miss him terribly. 

Rest in peace Don.  I love you.  I’ll miss you.  Keep smiling down on us.  We’ll do our best to make you proud.  

The American Exchange Project

What if every high school senior went across the country to another town and spent a week hosted by another family working, volunteering, and hanging out with 12 other high school seniors from around the US?

That’s what David McCullough III is finding out.  He’s the co-founder and CEO of the American Exchange Project, a non-profit that is trying to reconnect America, one 18-year old at a time.  They will host their 1,000th participant this summer across 34 different states.  Every trip is completely free for the student, from airfare to lodging to food and programming. 

David, whom I interview on the podcast this week, started AEP in 2019.   “So many people were concerned about polarization, but what were we doing about it?  I thought this was something concrete that Americans of every background could get behind.”  One of my policy goals in 2020 was a very similar “American Exchange Program,” and I’m thrilled that David and his team have brought such an important vision to life. 

David was 24 back in 2019.  “My parents were surprised when I moved back home to start a non-profit with a couple of guys they’d never heard of.”  Their early days were catalyzed by tragedy.  “One of my co-founders, who was in his seventies, developed Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.  He told all of his friends that the American Exchange Project would become his legacy.  He and his friends raised about $500,000 for our new little organization, which was enough for us to hire a team and get started.” 

So what has the impact been in participants?  “We’re seeing civic benefits where optimism about America’s future and faith in other Americans shoots up.  We’re also seeing mental health and social benefits; 90% of our participants say they made at least one more close friend.  One alum said she’d never gotten so many text messages when it was her birthday the next year from people outside her town.  30% of our participants had never been on a plane before.  This experience has completely changed their horizons.” 

It makes perfect sense.  When I was young I went to sleepaway camps with people from different towns.  When you spend all day with someone you can become friends pretty quickly.  If you are put in an intentional environment where you work together and make common cause, it’s easy to imagine intense, even lifelong bonds forming.  “We’ve seen persistent effects and relationships from the 1st alumni class over what is now several years.”  This genuinely is the way change happens. 

Now David has a big vision.  “Imagine if 1 million high school grads visited another part of the country and brought back a different understanding and new relationships with them every single year.  That’s what AEP is trying to make happen, and I want to make it happen by 2030.”  Given how much they’ve accomplished already, it’s hard to bet against David and his team.  A country where 18-year olds felt better about the country and its people would be a better, stronger one. 

For my interview of David click here.  To check out the American Exchange Project click here.  To see what Forward is doing in your area to bring people together, click here.  

Some fun news - I will be speaking at TED in April!  That should be a great way to get the word out about how to improve our politics.  I will also be speaking at the Hudson Valley Ideas Fest in April.

Soul Boom

Hello, I hope all is great with you. 

What is sacred to you?  That's what Rainn Wilson would like to know.  

This week on the podcast I interview Rainn, actor (Dwight in “The Office”) and author of several bestselling books, including his latest 'Soul Boom: Why We Need A Spiritual Revolution.'  

'Soul Boom' is extraordinarily ambitious and personal.  He shares his struggles with mental health and relationships as a young adult, which led him to pursue a better relationship with God.  He writes that spirituality serves two integral purposes: 

1. Make people happier and more fulfilled, which he calls the “Kung Fu: the Series” journey; and

2. Help our species overcome our myriad challenges and come together, which he calls the “Star Trek” journey. 

Rainn draws on writings from many different faiths and spiritual traditions – he is a voracious reader – to find universal truths that most of us would agree upon.  For example, it turns out that just about every faith believes in charity and caring for others. 

He notes the institutional degradation that many of us sense:  “As all the existing organizational systems around us break down, we need answers.  We need solutions.  We need hope.  Unity.  Love.  Compassion.” 

Rainn extensively critiques our profit-seeking economic system.  “From a spiritual perspective, we need to shift our view of true success away from the accumulation of wealth and toward nobility, selflessness and generosity.”  He quotes Captain Jean Luc Picard of Star Trek: the Next Generation: “People are no longer obsessed with the accumulation of things . . . we’ve eliminated hunger, want, the need for possessions.  We’ve grown out of our infancy.” 

He calls cynicism the opposite of joy, and observes that our society has become a conspiracy against joy in many ways.  He is very negative on political parties.  “Basically, I believe the toxicity of partisanship is one of the greatest threats to our way of life, the future of our nation, and perhaps the fate of the world.”  Instead, what Rainn wants to see is more universalism and unity born of spirituality.  He asks a very personal question:  “What is sacred to you?”   

Traveling this country for the past decade, I’ve met thousands of Americans of different religions and seen firsthand how faith plays an integral role in many communities.  I've also seen beleaguered churches that have had a hard time recovering from Covid.  

In the ‘War on Normal People’ I wrote that our future will come to resemble either the cultivated benevolence of ‘Star Trek’ or the pervasive conflict of ‘Mad Max.’  Which are we heading to? 

AI is coming fast, and it will make it harder and harder for most Americans to keep pace.  What’s required is a new economy that resembles our values – caring, creativity, kindness – as opposed to capital efficiency.  I’m yet pursuing a secular and political path to get us to head in that direction.  Rainn thinks we need a spiritual movement too.  He may be right.   

For my interview of Rainn Wilson, click here.  For his book “Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution” click here.  To change the partisan dynamic that is tearing the country apart, check out the Forward chapter in your area.  And for my take on the challenges we face with AI, check out “The War on Normal People: The Truth About America’s Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income is Our Future” here.    

The Primary Solution

Hello, I hope that your week is going great.  If you have friends in Michigan tell them to vote for Dean Phillips in the Democratic Primary tomorrow! 

This week on the podcast I interview Nick Troiano, the Executive Director of Unite America and author of the brand new book, “The Primary Solution: Rescuing Our Democracy from the Fringes.” 

At this point most Americans are probably frustrated with the choices the party primary system is delivering us at the presidential level – less than one percent of Americans have voted, and yet they tell us it's already over.  While that’s an extreme example, the same thing applies to Congressional races around the country. 

“Only 8% of Americans effectively select 83% of our members of Congress and that influences everything in our politics and policies,” Nick writes.  “Abolishing partisan primaries is the single most important thing we can do to improve representation in our government and hold it accountable for better results.” 

This isn’t widely known.  “If you ask voters, most – 72% - say that the problem is our politicians.  We have the wrong, corrupt people in charge.  Only 2% of Americans think that the primaries are the problem.  That’s why I wrote this book, because the primaries are the core mechanism that distorts our politics and makes it so that solving problems is punished, not rewarded.”  Nick’s book details the history of primaries, which originated 100 years ago in their current form and have been changed several times, but have now become immensely unrepresentative. 

Nick learned this the hard way by running for Congress in Pennsylvania as an Independent. “More extreme and ideological voters tend to show up, and candidates respond to them.  It changes everything.”  That was ten years ago, and it's only gotten worse. 

Nick went on to run Unite America, an organization meant to remedy the incentives in the system.  Unite America was one of the key drivers behind Alaska getting rid of its party primaries in 2020, a change that immediately improved governance and representation in the state 2 years later.  Getting rid of the primaries led Sarah Palin to lose her Congressional race and Lisa Murkowski to win her Senate race despite voting to impeach Donald Trump.  Now, there is pressure within Alaska to reverse these changes by those who are displeased with these results. 

“We have to keep moving forward, and that involves defending progress in some places while breaking new ground.  There’s more energy in this movement than I’ve ever seen,” Nick says.  As many as 7 states – Nevada, Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, Montana, Idaho and South Dakota – may consider changing their primary process in 2024 to weaken the dominance of the fringes.  Imagine another 6, 8 or 10 Senators and even more members of Congress who could do the right thing without fear of getting primaried and punished?  “The path is opening up.  The main question is whether we get there too late.” 

To get a copy of Nick’s book click here.  For my interview of him click here.  To check out Forward to help make these ballot initiatives successful around the country click here.  We have some big opportunities in ’24!  

Solving Your Own Problem

Happy President’s Day!  I hope the weekend is treating you well. 

I love entrepreneurship – it makes the world go around. 

I started my first company when I was 25.  The company didn’t work out and folded within a couple of years.  But I had been bitten by the bug.  I joined another startup and went on to become CEO of an education company that was acquired.  I turned around and founded an entrepreneurship organization, Venture for America, that I ran for 6 years.  My love of entrepreneurs runs deep. 

Last year I met an enterprising young man, Nick Naclerio, at a dinner in New York hosted by a friend.  I asked him what he did. 

He said, “I’m the founder of a healthy cookie company.” 

“Do you have any on you?” 

“Of course,” he responded and took out a couple of samples of Mmmly cookies.  I tried them and was blown away. 

It turns out that Nick was a former chef who had had a weight problem when he was young.  “I was around food all through my childhood and had a complex relationship with it.”  I interviewed Nick about his journey on the podcast this week.  It might have also have been that he was working through his sexual orientation.  “I came out to my family as gay when I graduated from high school, and they said, ‘we kind of knew.’” 

Nick went to culinary school and became a pastry chef.  While working, he became obsessed with trying to create a cookie that was both healthy and tasted great.  “It had to be something that people enjoy to get that full cookie experience.”  After a year of experimenting in his apartment, he finally came up with recipes that both he and other people loved.  “It’s delicious and healthy; we use apple juice as a sweetener that also keeps the cookie moist.” 

It’s a very big leap to go from recipe to company.  “I went to my friends and family and managed to raise some money from my aunt and parents and others.  It wasn’t easy.  People invested out of love.  I’ve been out trying to sell these cookies for the last two years, literally going door-to-door in some cases.  We worked on packaging and honed our recipes and product lines.  We’re now at about 1 million cookies sold, and are in Whole Foods, Sprouts and other retailers.” 

I loved Nick, his product and his story.  He had already done the hardest parts:  come up with a set of cookies that people loved and then gotten distribution in retailers, who are generally very finicky.  But his passion was clear; the best entrepreneurs are energized about the problem they’re solving because it affected them.  That’s Nick. 

Mmmly is now raising money for growth and has decided to crowdfund to open it up to its fans.  “We have about $2 million in orders and need to be able to produce cookies and put them in retailers.  This is a multibillion dollar market and we are just scratching the surface.”  You can become a stakeholder in Mmmly for as little as $100 right now.

I consider myself an entrepreneur working on improving policy via Forward and Humanity Forward, but in the meantime I eat a lot of cookies.

“We can make millions of people happier and healthier with Mmmly,” says Nick.  “if that’s not a great reason to get up and work every day, what is?”  If enough people solve their own problems like Nick, the world would be a much better place. 

To hear my interview with Nick Naclerio of Mmmly click here.  To try his cookies click here and to become a backer/shareholder of Nick’s company for as little as $100 click here.  For an entrepreneur running for President check out dean24.com.  

62%

Hello, I hope you had a great weekend. 

The political world has been abuzz since the Special Counsel report that declined to prosecute Joe Biden for mishandling classified documents but described him as a “sympathetic, well-intended elderly man with a poor memory” and went into multiple instances of failed recall. 

Joe Biden probably made it worse when he held an impromptu news conference to rail against the report and then confused the President of Egypt with the President of Mexico.  He also confused Miterrand and Macron last week as well as Helmut Kohl and Angela Merkel in separate contexts. 

This is a real issue.  62% of Americans have major concerns and an additional 14% moderate concerns about “Joe Biden not having the necessary mental and physical health” to serve a second term.  When I talk to voters, their most immediate response is simply, “He’s too old.”  Biden ducking a layup like a congenial Super Bowl interview only makes the concerns seem more well-founded. 

NBC News

Being President is an incredibly stressful job.  It ages you.  It has aged Joe.  I saw him in January, and there is a marked difference between Joe now and Joe several years ago. 

The Biden campaign is frustrated because it’s not something they can change – they can’t make their guy younger.  They’re right.  They can’t. 

This is when his team is largely able to control his environment – imagine what it will be like during a presidential campaign in the Fall.  I’ve been a candidate before and I know how grueling it is to run a high-stakes national campaign.  You have to travel, shake hands, smile, give a rousing speech, make small talk, do any number of interviews and press conferences, remember people’s names and where you are, and then behind the scenes you have to call people for endorsements, fundraise, interact with staff, review talking points, and maintain positive energy. 

Does this seem like the sort of thing that an almost-82 year old Joe Biden is going to be able to do this Fall in crunch time against Trump?  You can almost hear his team holding its breath anytime he makes a public appearance nowadays.  I’m not sure that they’ll even want to debate Trump, citing him as too big a threat to democracy to show up on a stage with. 

Joe’s team is trying to protect him, but in the throes of a campaign they’ll have no choice but to put the candidate out there.  Who can say with any confidence that that will go well the fifth time, the tenth time, the hundredth time he gets in front of the cameras? 

I certainly couldn’t. 

Some 81-year olds don’t want to gracefully pass the torch and recede from the stage.  I get that.  But democracy isn’t about one person’s feelings.  It’s about the future the rest of us want and deserve.

Joe Biden is upset that he’s being treated unfairly.  He has it backwards.  He’s the one who’s treating the rest of us unfairly by preventing a real primary and competition as to who is the best candidate to face and defeat Donald Trump in November.  The Democratic Party owes the nation a candidate who fits that bill.  

It’s time to turn the page.  There’s still time. 

To help turn the page go to dean24.com to check out Dean Phillips, the 55-year old Congressman from Minnesota who is running to force a real primary. 

What’s Next

Hello, I hope that your weekend was great. 

South Carolina voted on Saturday and the results were what you’d expect:  Joe Biden romping with 96% of the vote in a VERY low turnout race – 132,000 votes cast in a state of 5.1 million, or only 2.5% of the population. 

A lot of South Carolinians were probably saving their vote for the South Carolina Republican primary on February 24th, when the Trump vs. Haley battle will essentially be over in all likelihood. 

What’s next?  After SC, the next big contested primary is Michigan on February 27th.  This week on the podcast I interview Jeff Weaver, who ran Bernie Sanders’ successful Michigan primary campaign in 2016.  “We went up to the peninsula and traveled to the more rural areas.  Local press covered our events.  Dean has a big opportunity in Michigan as he’s a good fit for primary voters there.” 

Jeff has a fascinating story and background.  “I started out as Bernie’s staffer and campaign manager in Vermont.  I was his chief of staff after he went to D.C.  I actually left politics for a while after burning out on it.  But then Bernie called me in 2015 about his presidential run.  He’s not someone who just calls you a lot, so I knew it was going to be important.  He said, ‘Everything the consultants are quoting me costs $300,000.  Can you come and make sure they’re not gouging me and run things?’” 

Jeff remembers the 2016 run well.  “Oh yeah, we had the energy.  We were running against the establishment who were trying to kneecap us at every turn.”  He recalls the media treatment.  “MSNBC has become pretty much become the communications arm of the DNC, so they were generally not very good to us.” 

Jeff knows Michigan well and thinks it’s a great environment for Dean.  “Michigan is a microcosm of America.  Everyone just thinks of it as blue-collar auto industry and Detroit.  But there are small cities, there are rural areas.  Bernie traveled to all of them.  Dean will do the same thing.  If you’re someone who can practice retail politics well, as Dean can, he’s going to spark a lot of interest in folks.  Anyone who’s registered to vote can vote for Dean including independents, so there are a lot of voters.  If Nikki Haley is out, a lot of independents will come over and vote for Dean.” 

Jeff also believes that Dean doesn’t need to win Michigan, just show that Biden is vulnerable there.  “Joe Biden’s entire rationale is that he could put the Blue Wall back together to defeat Trump.”  Biden won Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in 2020, states that Trump won in 2016 and is currently leading in in most polls.  Biden is currently down 8 points in Michigan and has persistent problems there.  “If we can demonstrate how weak Joe Biden is in Michigan in the Blue Wall, the entire rationale for Joe’s candidacy evaporates.” 

A lot has to go right very quickly, but the opportunity to upgrade from a Trump vs. Biden rematch – one that I believe Trump would win - lies right in front of us. 

For my interview of Jeff, click here.  To check out the Dean Phillips campaign, go to dean24.com.  And tell your friends in Michigan that democracy is coming their way February 27th. 

The View from South Carolina

Hello, I hope that you had a great weekend. 
 
I spent the weekend campaigning for Dean Phillips in South Carolina with Evelyn.  We saw our old friend from 2020 Jermaine Johnson who led our efforts in the state before becoming a State Representative.  I campaigned many times in the Palmetto State 4 years ago and people were glad to see me – they are very friendly and appreciate people who spend time with them. 

We campaigned in Lexington and Columbia before attending the South Carolina Democratic Dinner, where both Dean and President Biden spoke.  It was a flashback to the numerous cattle calls in 2020 where all of us candidates would give our stumps to various party leaders and activists, except this time only 2 candidates were in attendance:  Dean Phillips and Joe Biden. 
 
And it’s not exactly like there was equal billing.  President Biden was flanked and introduced by a small legion of Secret Service and fabled Congressman Jim Clyburn, the last remaining Democrat in Congress from South Carolina and kingmaker in 2020, as well as Senator Chris Coons, Congressman Ro Khanna and many other party leaders.  Gavin Newsom appeared earlier in the week to stump for Joe Biden and set himself up for 2028. 
 
Dean gave a compelling speech to a crowd of 600 about him being there to win in November.  It was awfully impressive given how much the deck was stacked against him in that hall.  Everyone there should have been grateful for Dean, as he made the pageantry about an actual primary contest instead of a simple celebration and coronation of Joe Biden. 
 
Indeed, I came away discouraged and somewhat enlightened – Joe Biden and Jim Clyburn had set up a forbidding firewall for any challengers, making South Carolina the first in the nation primary and daring anyone to try and contest the incumbent in Clyburn Country.  An 83-year old political legend protecting an 81-year old President he brought to power from competition – good for them but is it good for the country? 
 
Other prospective candidates saw this firewall and were daunted, feeling it more prudent to wait until 2028.  Only Dean Phillips saw the writing on the wall for November and decided to act.
 
South Carolina Democrats will vote on Saturday, and I’m sure Joe Biden will win a resounding victory.  But his victory will reflect an arrangement made months ago by a handful of powerful insiders, not how the President will fare when votes are cast by the whole country in 9 months.  I fear that electability and winning a general election are distant concerns while political patronage and maintaining clout within the party are very much front and center.  The Democratic Party is being set up to lose to Trump in November.  Watching it unfold up close made my heart hurt. 
 
If you’d like to see a better race in the Fall that will keep Trump from office go to dean24.com and get the word out about Dean Phillips. 

Dean’s Path

Hello, I hope that you’re doing great. 

As you likely know, I’m supporting Dean Phillips’ presidential run for the Democratic nomination.  I feel he would be a vastly superior alternative to Joe Biden in November and would actually defeat Trump rather than lose to him. 

Many have written off Dean’s ability to spring an upset on Joe Biden based on Dean’s 20% showing in New Hampshire, which was a shockingly impressive result given only 11 weeks of campaigning as a newcomer.  Dean also had an environment where all of the independents went to the Republican primary for what they thought was the Haley vs. Trump showdown. 

Can Dean still win?  Yes he can, and here’s how.    

South Carolina votes on February 3rd.  That is Joe Biden and James Clyburn country and Dean will probably get in the low single digits.  Anything he does there is gravy. 

The next Democratic primary is Michigan on February 27th.  This will be the big opportunity for Dean, and it’s a good one. 

Joe Biden is struggling in Michigan.  A recent poll there had him losing to Trump by 8 points, with another Democrat – Gretchen Whitmer – beating Trump by 4.  That’s a 12-point swing, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.  Several Michigan Democratic candidates are saying to reporters that they are concerned about running with Joe Biden at the top of the ticket. 

One community specifically angry at Joe Biden in Michigan is the Arab American community; they are a traditional Democratic population that is openly looking for a Biden alternative. 

Dean is a good fit for Michigan.  He plays hockey and will feel familiar.

The odds are high that Nikki Haley will be out by February 24th, which is the date of the South Carolina primary.  That could leave Dean Phillips as the last man standing between us and the rematch from hell.  Independents in Michigan can vote in either primary, and will all pile into the Democratic primary as the Republican primary will be over. 

Dean doesn’t need to necessarily win either – if he puts up a very significant number in Michigan, that could kick off a competitive dynamic and a geyser of support heading to Super Tuesday in March. 

Now, this is going to be very difficult, as Michigan is a big state.  Dean will need about $10 million in support to be able to communicate effectively statewide that there’s a real primary and Joe Biden has competition.  He will have to connect with voters there and build a movement in 4 weeks in a limited national press environment.  The odds are long and a lot has to go right. 

But his path is real.  In many ways, Michigan is the new New Hampshire, our big chance to shift the political future of this country. 

Dean went from 0 to 20% in 10 weeks.  Can he continue to grow in Michigan? 

A lot can happen in a month.  Let’s get to work.  

Go to Dean24.com to help and tell your friends in Michigan and South Carolina!

South Carolina and Michigan

Hello, I hope that your week is going well. 

It looks like Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee after New Hampshire – he managed to defeat Nikki Haley by double-digits in what should be her strongest state.  Now the primary heads to South Carolina where Trump is favored to win by 20+ points.  Nikki Haley will persist for a while, but a big loss in her home state could be a very daunting prospect.  The Republican primary in South Carolina takes place on February 24th. 

Dean Phillips got 20% in the Democratic primary, a stunningly impressive result given that he started his campaign only 11 weeks ago as a total unknown.  It would have been higher if more Independents had decided to vote Democratic - only 115,000 votes were cast in the Democratic primary as opposed to 320,000 in the Republican primary.  Clearly, Independents thought the action was over on the Republican side, understandable given the bombardment of Trump and Haley advertising in the state. 

Still, 20% is a sign that many Democrats want a genuine choice and a competition, which is consistent with the polling that shows grave concerns about Biden.  Indeed, a new poll came out today showing Biden losing to Trump by 7 points nationally, adding to an ever-growing drumbeat of polls in Trump’s direction. 

Dean is still new to most Americans, and millions are hungry for a fresh new alternative to free us from the clash of the 80 year olds.  A number of people reached out to me about him after New Hampshire, so his profile continues to grow. 

We deserve a better contest than Biden vs. Trump II – in what world are those the two best people to lead this country in 2025?    

Now the Democratic primary calendar heads to South Carolina on February 3rd and then Michigan on February 27th.  South Carolina will be difficult for Dean to make inroads, but in true ‘run to the fire’ fashion Dean is heading there right now.  I am going down on Friday to join him in making the case.  I loved campaigning in South Carolina and it will be fun to get back. 

If you know people in South Carolina or Michigan, please let them know that Dean is on the ballot in both in February and to head to dean24.com to find a local event.  I’ll be coming to Michigan too, I have a lot of friends there.   

Can we avert the Trump vs. Biden rematch that none of us wants and that may well lead to catastrophe?  New Hampshire opened the door a crack, and now it’s up to South Carolina and Michigan to shove it open.  Let’s go.  

Democracy’s Last Stand

Hello from New Hampshire one day before the primary!  It’s no exaggeration to say that Tuesday could be democracy’s last stand. 

On the Republican side, Nikki Haley is trailing Donald Trump by 16 points.  I’ve spoken to a bunch of New Hampshire voters and I think that polling reflects the result on Tuesday.  There are Trump supporters everywhere I go and most of the Haley supporters I run into are non-Republicans considering crossing over just to vote. 
 
Donald Trump held a rally in Concord Friday and Tim Scott – whom Nikki Haley appointed to the Senate in South Carolina – endorsed him.  The Trump Train is alive and well in New Hampshire. 
 
In my view, the real action is on the Democratic side as Joe Biden is running against Dean Phillips who is climbing fast.  I endorsed Dean last week and have been campaigning for him in the Granite State.
 
I’ve had dozens of conversations with New Hampshire voters and you can see them waking up in real time.  “I saw a TV ad two days ago, and then Googled Dean yesterday, and now I’m thinking about voting for him.”  I heard that over and over.  The energy around Dean’s campaign is going up on an almost hourly basis. 
 
Among the comments I’ve heard:
 
“I’m voting for him.  We need something new.” 
 
“I like that he’s actually campaigning here in the State.” 
 
“I’m glad there’s a Democrat running who isn’t Joe Biden.” 
 
“I didn’t realize that voting in the Democratic primary was important.  I’m going to vote for Dean and my husband is too.” 
 
I’m not sure where that nets out in terms of the vote on Tuesday, but I do know the support for Dean is real and growing fast.  The crowds are getting bigger everywhere he goes. 

The Biden camp is already trying to downplay the results, saying Joe isn’t on the ballot and campaigning.  But they’re worried and they’re investing real resources.  They’ve sent a small army of officials, including a majority of the Cabinet to campaign in the state.  Their PAC has invested over $1.25 million on the Joe Biden write-in campaign and held over 20 get-out-the-vote events to try and make sure the President wins by a comfortable margin. 
 
Tuesday may be democracy’s last stand.  If the results go to script, both primaries could effectively be over.  New Hampshire is likely to be Nikki Haley’s strongest state, and if she loses it’s possible she drops out rather than lose in her home state February 3rd, as South Carolina actually favors Trump more than NH. 
 
And if Joe Biden draws 80%+ support, the Trump vs. Biden nightmare matchup is just about set, a matchup I fear Joe will lose, thus delivering us to Trump’s return in November.
 
But if Dean Phillips puts up a significant number, the American people could wake up to the fact that we CAN upgrade from the battle of the 80-year olds.  We can defeat Trump and turn the page to a new era of American politics. 
 
What kind of number does Dean need on Tuesday to kickoff a competitive primary?  No one is quite sure.  Dean says anything over 20% would be ‘magnificent’ given that he started with zero just 10 weeks ago.  SE Cupp says 30% would be ‘undeniable’ to journalists trying to measure the race.  42% would be historic, as that’s the vote Eugene McCarthy got in ’68 that forced LBJ to drop out days later. 
 
Barack Obama and Bill Clinton got 81% and 84% in their reelection bids in New Hampshire, so anything a lot lower than that is a bad look for Joe. 
 
If Dean gets above 20% that’s a very big sign that the Democratic electorate wants to have a real competition.  That’s why I’m here in New Hampshire.  Here are my asks for you: 
 
1. If you have any friends in New Hampshire, reach out to them and ask them to vote for Dean.  It’s our best hope and very important.  If you live near New Hampshire, come join us it’s a lot of fun!    
 
2. If you can, donate to Dean’s campaign at dean24.com.  The campaign needs every bit of support it can get.  Evelyn and I donated and hope that you do too. 
 
3. Tell all of your friends that a real race is on!  Amplify it far and wide.  Most people still haven’t heard about Dean and we need to change that. 
 
Will democracy deliver us a genuine choice on Tuesday that can invigorate our future?  I’ll be here in New Hampshire doing my best to make it happen along with Zach, Carly, Conrad, Tom, Jon, Shane, Julian, Trivette, Katie, Ali, Kait, Don and a lot of other awesome people.  Let’s do it.  The stakes are incredibly high. 

My Endorsement of Dean Phillips

I went to New Hampshire today to formally endorse Dean Phillips for President of the United States.  Here’s my speech from Hanover: 

Hello New Hampshire, it’s great to be back!  I went to high school here in the state and am going to speak at my alma mater tomorrow morning.  And of course I spent months here campaigning 4 years ago and had a wonderful time.  

The last 4 years have not been great.  This is a difficult and trying time.  Americans across the country are questioning whether our future will be brighter than our past. 

Looming over this is our presidential race.  Joe Biden has been an accomplished and substantial president.  I endorsed him and voted for him in 2020 and was even a campaign surrogate.  I’ve had the opportunity to meet and spend time with him and he is a good man, a true public servant and a great American. 

While he was the right candidate 4 years ago, he is not now. 

4 years ago, the Patriots were 12-4 and 1st in the AFC East.  2024 is not 2020. 

President Biden said in 2020 that he was going to be the bridge to the next generation.

Today that is exactly what we need.  Joe Biden is at 38% approval, an historic low and a full 10 points lower than Barack Obama was at the same time.  He is down by 4 in Wisconsin, down by 8 in Georgia, and down by 8 in Michigan, all swing states that Joe won in 2020.  He is down by 9 in North Carolina, virtually tied in Minnesota, I could go on and on.  

There are people who say that Joe Biden has been down before and that he can win again.  There are a number of reasons to think this optimism is misplaced.  First, the Biden campaign already spent $25 million on advertising in the swing states trying to bump up the President’s numbers by making people feel better about the economy.  The impact?  Zero.  People have made up their minds about this economy and this President, and an ad campaign will not fix this.    

Second, the President is 81.  All of the things that a candidate must do to be successful – travel, project energy, rally, meet voters, conduct interviews, call surrogates – all of them will be more difficult with an older candidate whose team will be concerned about him stumbling, literally or figuratively, at every turn.  The candidate matters!  It will be hard to reinvent grandpa. 

Third, this campaign is undermining the President’s greatest strength.  What is Joe’s superpower?  It is that he is a good man whom many of us believe will try to do the right thing for the country.  He is failing the George Washington test that he referenced recently in his Valley Forge speech – knowing when to pass the baton and walk away.  His spirit of service has become ego and stubbornness that are leading us toward disaster.  Sometimes, the highest form of leadership is stepping aside. 

Poll after poll shows that a generic Democrat defeats Trump by 6 or 8 points, the same polls that show Joe losing by 3 or 4.  Joe recently said that 50 Democrats could defeat Donald Trump.  He is right – and one of them, Dean Phillips, the only one to step up, is standing beside me right now. 

In a time of deep distress against Trump, the wrong plan is to run a terribly unpopular 81 year old incumbent who is down in polls both nationally and in the swing states that matter. 

Why hasn’t Joe gotten more competition?  Here’s why.  Joe Biden appointed Jaime Harrison of South Carolina the Chair of the DNC.  There are only 2 decisionmakers here – Joe Biden and the man he appointed.  Everyone else has been told to fall in line, and they are doing so even as it is leading us toward a 2nd disastrous, calamitous loss to Donald Trump. 

New Hampshire understands this self-dealing, as you are being punished right now by the DNC for holding a primary that you are required to hold by state law.  You don’t control the state legislature and couldn’t make the change even if you wanted to.  And this is a swing state!  The DNC is failing the voters of this state and failing the country by stifling any competition, including canceling the primaries altogether in Florida and North Carolina, another swing state.  They talk about championing democracy while crushing it just when we need it most. 

For Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer, JB Pritzker and other prominent Democrats, you are missing your moment.  The country needs you now, not in 2028.  If Trump wins in November, what will be left for us in 2028?  What matters more, your standing in the party or your country?  We all know you want to run for President, and your time is right now.  In 2028, you’ll also have Josh Shapiro and Wes Moore to contend with, and they won’t have missed their moment. 

In this time of need, only one man decided to place his country over his political career, put his own conviction above the chattering class, and that is the man I am proud to endorse as the next President of the United States, 3-term Congressman from Minnesota Dean Phillips!!! 

Dean has the character, vision and values to lead us to a new era in America. 

Dean has led a successful business, building Talenti Gelato into a national brand.  

After Trump won, Dean felt he had to do more for his two daughters and the country.  He ran for Congress and flipped a red-leaning district that hadn’t been represented by a Democrat in over fifty years.  No one thought he had a chance, but he ran a positive campaign with the slogan, “Everyone’s invited.”  His last race he won by double-digits and he’s now in his third term.  Dean has never lost a race. 

I met Dean when he was in Congress two years ago at a campaign finance reform event where he despaired that all of his colleagues spent thousands of hours a week dialing for dollars.  He was the only member who didn’t, figuring he was actually there to try to get things done.  As you can imagine, I liked him immediately – imagine a member of Congress who doesn’t like calling donors and was willing to say so.

Dean is running for President not because it somehow serves his interests, but because it is the right thing to do.  He was alarmed that we were sleepwalking toward disaster and called other leading Democrats asking them to run.  While people agreed with him in private, in public they toed the party line.  They put their careers ahead of the country.  Only when no one else stepped up did Dean take on the challenge himself.  He thought of his father who died in Vietnam in a helicopter crash serving our country.  What would he do?  Dean has now been accused of all sorts of things because that’s the politics of today, but his decision to run for President is among the most courageous acts I have seen in American life.  His father would be proud. 

Dean is all in.  You know one reason why members of Congress generally make terrible presidential candidates?  It’s because when the going gets tough they often double back to seek re-election to their current seat.  Not Dean.  He gave up a safe Congressional seat to try and save his country, giving up a promising career in party leadership out of duty.  That is character, the kind of character that so many of our leaders today lack.  If we had more people in Washington willing to upend their careers like Dean, we would be a much stronger country.     

Dean has a compelling vision and motivation – to make America more affordable for working families.  He knows that healthcare costs are the number one cause of bankruptcy in America – that’s why he signed a Medicare for All bill that would finally ensure that all Americans have access to quality care.  He wants to have a baby bond of $1,000 for every child born in America that would grow to be significant by the time that child is 18.  He wants to bring back the enhanced child tax credit that lifted millions of American families out of poverty.  He wants to ease our housing crisis by building 7 million new housing units around the country.  He wants to make college and vocational school alike cost-free so young people have a better shot at a brighter future. 

These are the kind of goals that Americans of all parties and backgrounds can get excited about. 

Dean will govern as a different kind of President who puts leadership ahead of the letter next to your name.  Dean will recruit the best people to his administration, from both within and outside of the party and government.  It is impossible to reunite and repair our country while we are divided into two warring factions for the amusement of the media and the political industrial complex.  Dean will literally repair America with the most non-partisan bipartisan Cabinet anyone has ever seen. 

Dean is not just for campaign finance reform but for open primaries, ranked choice voting and term limits.  No one knows how dark the machinery is more than Dean.  He may not seem like it because he’s such a congenial guy, but Dean has the potential to be the most transformative leader we have seen in our lifetimes.  

I ran for President and know that the people of this country are much better than the leadership we are getting, that we are united in much more than the parties and the partisan media would have you believe.    

To those on the left who are progressive, Dean is our best chance to pass universal healthcare, get baby bonds, make housing more affordable and alleviate meaningless suffering for millions of Americans.    

To Democrats, Dean is our best chance to defeat Donald Trump once and for all and ensure that democracy persists and prevails. 

To Independents, Dean is our best chance to put the people’s interests above the parties that separate and divide us and return government to the people.  

To moderate Republicans, Dean is the 2nd most bipartisan member of Congress and will include you in the future as we move past Trump. 

To journalists and influencers, wouldn’t you rather cover a real primary process rather than slump into the battle of the 80-year olds?  Dean’s victory could be one of the greatest stories of this era. 

To my friend Marianne Williamson, you have run a noble, courageous campaign and have articulated many of the things that Americans should expect and deserve.  I ask you to join us in challenging the true enemy.  The true enemy is the political establishment that does not care about our families and communities and a media cabal that will suppress or demonize those who want change on behalf of the people of this country.  Marianne, Dean is our best chance to change things.  I am looking forward to serving in his administration and I would love for you to join us. 

For the voters of New Hampshire, I’ve met thousands of you over the years and I know how seriously you take the trust of this country to pick a President.  What does your heart tell you is the right thing to do?  Are we going to careen toward disaster, or will you save us and move the country forward in a new and better direction?  Will we settle for politics as usual or will we try for something better?  If you spend time with Dean, you will see that he has the makings of a tremendous President. 

Dean is a sane, smart, pragmatic, 54-year old leader who wants to bring the country back together and improve our lives.  He is unbeholden to the special interests who dominate our politics.  He is the man for this moment.  He is what most Americans – certainly most Independents who will decide our elections – want in a candidate.  Most of all, he will win.

What do you think New Hampshire – do you want to help Dean win?   

Me too.  I’m proud to introduce the next President of the United States, Dean Phillips!  

Shifting Parties

Hello, I hope things are going well for you this holiday weekend!  MLK Day is a special day for so many of us as he died combating the three great evils of racism, poverty and war. 

The Iowa Republican Primary takes place today – barring something shocking Trump is expected to prevail.  And tonight will likely be the end of the line for Ron DeSantis, who has gone all in on Iowa. 

Nikki Haley will benefit from Chris Christie’s withdrawal in New Hampshire but still faces steep odds given Trump’s significant lead nationwide and in Nikki’s home state of South Carolina.   

What would a Trump nomination mean in ’24?  This week on the podcast I interview Patrick Ruffini, a pollster who wrote the recent book “Party of the People: Inside the Multiracial Populist Coalition Remaking the GOP.”  Patrick makes two major arguments.  First, he says that the main dividing line between the parties now is not class - it’s education.  About 64% of the electorate are non-college graduates, and the Republican Party increasingly dominates with this group. 

In the old days, the Democratic Party did great among white, blue-collar workers.  Today, not so much.

This also helps explain why Trump is so strong in the Republican primary as non-college voters vastly prefer him over Haley and others.  

The second realignment is that nonwhite working-class voters are increasingly leaving the Democratic Party and voting Republican, “from the Cuban Americans of Little Havana, to the Hispanic voters of the Rio Grande Valley, to Vietnamese immigrants in Orange County, California.”  This overlaps with Patrick’s education thesis, as there are plenty of non-college educated non-white voters who aren’t activated by the current Democratic Party’s emphasis on social issues. 

Patrick’s analysis is a sobering wake up call to those who think that Biden is going to prevail over Trump because of a Democratic advantage among voters.  Patrick observes, “Going into 2024 . . . it is weak support for an octogenarian Biden among Black and Hispanic voters, especially younger voters, that accounts for most of Trump’s improved standing in the polls.”  The traditional Democratic coalition is fragmenting, shedding non-college voters in every group.  The 2024 election is going to be determined by whether a critical mass of non-college educated blue collar workers in Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina feel well-served by the status quo or prefer their memories of the economy of 2019. 

If Trump wins the Republican nomination – which he could in the next 6 weeks – he would be the favorite against Joe Biden.  The best way out is to put forward a new Democratic nominee that is unburdened by incumbency and centered on economically populist messaging – someone like Congressman Dean Phillips of Minnesota. 

 Moving forward, the answer is a popular movement designed to address inequities that are shared by Americans at every education level.  “A college diploma, the most basic prerequisite for working in politics and the news media, was the very thing that blinded the elite to Trump’s appeal and hobbled those who wished to stop him,” Patrick writes. The Democratic Party didn’t understand this in 2016 – and it’s running out of time in 2024. 

For my interview of Patrick on his book click here.  To check out Forward, click here.  To help out the Dean Phillips campaign click here – New Hampshire votes next week on Jan. 23rd! 

No Time Like the Present

Photo: Ching Juhl

Hello, hope that you are doing great for the holiday weekend! 

I turn 49 today.  I am celebrating with friends and family over the long weekend. 

49 feels not old, but not young either.  I’ve been young my entire life.  I skipped kindergarten so I was always young for my grade.  I ran for President at 44 and turned 45 just as the voting started. 

When I turned 30 I did some youthful things – like skydiving with buddies.  I hated my birthdays as a kid as I didn’t have many friends; as an adult I’ve kind of made it a point to do something enjoyable. 

Now, I’m a bit less young.  I visited my parents over the holidays – my father is 83 and my mother in her mid-70s.  I’m trying to appreciate these golden years while they are still healthy and vital and my kids are old enough to form memories. 

An older friend of mine told me that I’ll be happier and more productive in the next 10 years than I have ever been in my life.  Is he right?  I’m proud of the way I’ve lived my life.  I built a business that created opportunities for people.  I started a non-profit that does great work to this day.  I helped mainstream the idea of Universal Basic Income that will help us alleviate poverty.  I pushed for cash relief.  I’ve written a few books that people tell me impacted them.  I’m helping make the case for political reform with Forward. 

And of course, I’ve got two wonderful children and a loving family who are, generally speaking, thriving. 

I’ve had incredible experiences, the kind of things that I never could have imagined growing up.  I’ll confess that there are times when I have my doubts about whether my best days are ahead of me.  Some people do their best work at a particular time of life.  There’s no shame in that. 

I have stood in front of thousands of people at a campaign rally and helped channel their – our – hopes for a brighter future.  I still have those hopes.  I hope you still have them too. 

When people ask me whether I’m running for President again, I respond, “Apparently I’ve got 40 more years” which always gets a laugh.  But that’s not actually the way I think.  I’m more, “How can I effect maximum change for people that will improve their lives?”  I want to attack every day with that energy.

And right now, I have a very clear answer – it’s to help Dean Phillips become President.  

I see Dean as our best chance to improve our trajectory as a nation.  He’s for universal healthcare, baby bonds, ranked choice voting and more.  He’s raised $1 million since declaring and could use our help.  I’m heading to New Hampshire next week for the campaign – Dean is at 26% in New Hampshire and rising fast! 

If you’d like to help me celebrate my birthday, please donate to the Dean Phillips campaign or, if that’s not your speed, the Forward Party or Humanity Forward. 

And please get the word out about Dean.  Call your friends in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Michigan.  He’s the me of this cycle, and if he wins, we’ll be there at the table.  And then, our best days really could be ahead of us.  That would absolutely make my birthday wish come true.  

How Things Grow

Hello and Happy New Year!

A new poll has Dean Phillips at 21% in New Hampshire - he has a chance to make history on January 23rd! I see Dean as our best chance to put America on a better track.

I spoke at USC a few months ago when a student asked me something important: “Outside of political reform, how can we best bring about a human-centered economy that works for people in the age of AI?”

I responded, “Help a non-profit grow, as they are based on more human-centered goals and values.”

My answer was fine as far as it went. But at present non-profits are structurally capped in terms of their growth and impact due to a number of factors.

This is a subject Dan Pallotta knows all too well. Dan helped start AIDS Rides and Breast Cancer 3-Day Walks, which raised over $500 million for their respective causes. He then became passionate about the fact that non-profits are hamstrung in their ability to truly address our problems. “Why has poverty stayed at essentially the same level for decades?” Dan asks. He gave a TED Talk on this topic and a documentary about Dan’s work and ideas, “Uncharitable,” is now streaming.

So, why can’t non-profits grow to solve our biggest problems? First, charities pay less. As Dan describes, “If you want to sell video games and make $50 million go for it, but if you want to cure malaria we have a big problem with you making $500,000. The median Stanford MBA makes $400,000 a year . . . so it’s cheaper for the MBA to donate $100,000 to charity and get a tax break, become a philanthropist and sit on the board and boss around the head of the charity and have a lifetime of prosperity and accolades than to actually run the nonprofit.”

The second area is advertising and marketing. “It’s fine for companies to spend to the moon on marketing, but we don’t like our donations spent on advertising. It’s one reason why the non-profit sector has been stuck at 2% of GDP and unable to wrestle away any market share.”

The third area is taking risks. “Disney can make a $200 million movie that flops and no one calls the attorney general. If you do a $1 million fundraiser for the poor and it doesn’t bring in 75% return in the first 12 months your character gets called into question. If you can’t take risks, you can’t grow and you can’t innovate.”

The fourth area is time. “For-profit companies like Amazon can invest in a giant project for 10 years in a bet on scale that pays off later. In philanthropy if you tried to build something at scale for 6 years and nothing went to the needy during that time, someone would have lost their job 5 years ago.”

The fifth area is capital. “The for-profit sector can pay people profits to attract capital for their new ideas, but the non-profit sector is starved for growth and idea capital.”

So in summary, you can’t pay as much, you can’t advertise, you can’t take risks, you don’t have the same amount of time, and you don’t have a stock market to fund it even if you find something promising. Says Dan, “From 1970 – 2009, 144 non-profits grew to over $50 million in revenue per year. The number of for-profit companies that grew to that level was 46,136. The problems are at scale but our non-profits can’t keep up.”

I spent 6 years running a non-profit that I founded in 2011 before running for President. People would say, “Non-profits run on two things: passion and money.” Too often we put too much weight on the first and expect people to make do with less or even take permanent vows of poverty in order to do good work.

Dan’s fundamental argument is that we need to rethink the concept of overhead for non-profits if it is funding growth. What’s better, a bake sale that spends 5% on expenses to raise $71 and helps 1 person or a hunger charity that spends 40% on growth to raise $71 million and helps 1 million people? If your goal is to actually solve the real problems, the answer is obvious.

What would a human-centered economy look like? First, it would require a government that channels resources more effectively to improve people’s lives. And second, it would include a thriving non-profit sector that solves problems and rewards people doing the work.

For my interview of Dan click here and for the documentary click here. To reform the political system with Forward click here. For our best shot to change things this cycle, check out the Dean Phillips campaign, which could give rise to a more human-centered economy starting with universal healthcare. He’s at 21% in New Hampshire and rising fast - and the vote is in 2 weeks!