From coronavirus mayhem, some unexpected political stars have emerged

A few short weeks ago, Andrew Yang was a political pariah. Today, his policies are being appropriated by the White House, writes Holly Baxter

YangWasRight began trending on Twitter after the former presidential candidate’s financial policy was taken up by the Trump administration (Reuters)

A few short weeks ago, Andrew Yang dropped out of the presidential race after accepting that the numbers didn’t add up. He’d always said that politicians should be held to account based on the data supporting their policies, rather than rhetoric; his signature merchandise had “MATH” written across it (declaration of bias: I own one of the T-shirts). He had to hold himself to account today, he told disappointed supporters, and accept that the results from the first handful of caucuses and primaries meant he had no realistic prospect of becoming the president in November. His fans didn’t hide their devastation. One middle-aged man cried as he explained to a reporter that this was the first time he’d ever felt like a politician had really spoken to him.

Yang’s main policy was the so-called Freedom Dividend; in other words, a universal basic income (UBI). It was a pie-in-the-sky idea, most of his political peers said. Where exactly would $1,000 a month (the exact amount Yang proposed) for each American citizen come from? No possible scenario would knock out enough of the US economy that it would be necessary, anyway.

You can probably see where this is going.

This week, the Trump administration came out and announced an emergency stimulus package for the American economy. Among other plans for supporting small businesses and helping with mortgage holidays, treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin said in a press conference that they planned to give struggling Americans $1,000 cheques per month. “We’re looking at sending cheques to Americans immediately,” he said. “I mean now – in the next few weeks.”

Yang responded on Twitter, saying that he was “pleased to see the White House adopting our vision” – in other words, “I told you so”. Word on the (deserted DC) street is that he and his team have been in direct contact with members of Trump’s government to help with implementation. Bernie Sanders spoke in last weekend’s debate about how he thought the policy was correct, and should even go further. Yang had been considering a run for New York mayor after his failed presidential run; now he’s found himself at the centre of a very different scenario, upheld as an innovative thinker by people on both sides of the ideological spectrum when once he was an establishment pariah.

“What if Andrew Yang was right?” asked The Atlantic on Tuesday; “Andrew Yang was right,” said a headline in Fortune. YangWasRight began trending on Twitter. Those ardent supporters of the entrepreneur – the Yang Gang, as they call themselves – have smugly professed that they were right all along. But none of this will mean anything if it’s a short-term strategy from Trump to stop the economy tanking in an election year (which it most likely is). A temporary UBI can paper over the cracks of the system now, but long term, if America really wants to transform itself for the better, it will either have to commit to one forever or start sorting out its lack of sick pay, its tip-oriented, no-minimum-wage culture and its broken healthcare system that regularly leaves ill people bankrupt.

Here in the New York bureau, as we work from our kitchens and our sitting rooms in lockdown and communicate through video meetings, reporting on the coronavirus epidemic has taken on a surreal feel. The streets of Brooklyn outside my flat are quiet, punctuated only ever so often by someone with a dog that needs walking or a baby in a stroller pushed by a masked parent sick of quarantine. From my position at the head of the US opinion desk, I need to work with my colleagues in the news department to predict and theorise how society might change as a result of this unprecedented situation.

Perhaps we will see UBI, and not just in America. Perhaps we will restrategise on climate change after seeing how quickly a lockdown can change the composition of the atmosphere – and how much a changing environment can contribute to spreading pathogens round the world. Perhaps we have a lot to learn from Cuba, which agreed to take in a British cruise ship drifting in the Caribbean this week when the US turned it away, and how differing national mindsets affect a crisis situation.

All of these ideas have been explored by our columnists in the past few days. But never fear: we’ll also be providing some personal essays well suited for lunchtime browsing when you’re stuck inside on a lockdown with little to do and a desperate need not to read about Covid-19 as well.

For now, stay healthy, safe and socially distanced!

Yours,

Holly Baxter

US opinion editor