AOC Shuts Down Andrew Yang’s Dishonest Centrist Talking Points

Recent remarks by 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, 2021 New York City mayoral candidate, and Forward Party founder Andrew Yang perfectly encapsulate the vapidity and irrationality of “enlightened centrism” in today’s political context.

For context, Yang’s comments were made on a CNN panel discussing the recent ejection of Kevin McCarthy from the House Speakership, in response to the panel’s moderator suggesting that House Democrats voted to oust McCarthy because they couldn’t trust that he’d govern in a bipartisan way.

Rather than engage with the substance of the prompt, Yang—who reflexively appeals to vague reasonableness, centrism, and moderation without ever describing specific policies—redirected, suggesting instead that “we all know” House Democrats voted the way they did merely because they were ordered to by their leadership “for partisan reasons,” rather than voting in a way which reflects their “diversity of opinion.”

Yang never returned to the prompt’s substance, merely following up with cautions about the uncertain future of the House of Representatives at a time when certain stakes—government shutdown, Ukrainian aid—are quite high. That last point is fair. The first, however, isn’t.

As Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez indicated in her response to Yang on Twitter, what was the rational basis for House Democrats to save the sinking McCarthy when he poured the quicksand himself and gave the finger to rope-holding Democrats as he marched into the quagmire?

McCarthy held the country hostage with a debt ceiling crisis earlier this year, threatening domestic and global economic calamity. It was only resolved when he made an agreement with President Biden about government funding. He then reneged on his deal with the President (who, in turn, kept his word to the letter) for the sake of indulging the far-right Freedom Caucus. McCarthy further went back on his commitment to only allow an impeachment inquiry into the President if backed by a full House vote. Then he put the country through another potential crisis with another government shutdown.

After relenting to a half-measure continuing resolution in the eleventh hour, McCarthy needlessly provoked House Democrats by lying to the press, claiming it was Democrats who were responsible for the shutdown near-miss.

These facts—combined with McCarthy’s refusal to make a deal with House Democrats, and the complete absence of trust and good faith—doomed his Speakership. And rightly so. No matter what Yang insinuates, it was incumbent on McCarthy to save his Speakership, not Democrats.