Andrew Yang

I'm Canadian but we pay a lot of attention to US politics. This book scares the bejeezus out of me as it was probably meant to do.

In this book there are three (male) billionaires contesting the US presidential election. The Republican party's choice is Trump although he is never named. The Democrats have a former governor of Colorado leading the pack. And then there is Cooper Sherman, leader of the independent Maverick Party. It's hard to pin a label on him but his tech background and frequently publicized goal of wanting to "Unfuck America" has earned him support from a wide range of people. His campaign director, Mikey Ricci, tries to curb Cooper's most damaging traits but Cooper insists on, as the director of communications Sarah Ren calls it, "acting like a human being". As the weeks and months proceed, Cooper's campaign gets stronger and his coffers grow. Even a disclosure about his involvement in a swingers club in Chicago fails to damage him. In New York, veteran journalist Martha Kass works as the collater of the New York Times' tip line from home, a demeaning job for someone of her abilities. But she thinks all that could change when she listens to an audio clip sent over the newspaper's secure server that seems to be a recording of high placed military officials planning a coup. Unfortunately, the Times refuses to run the story. Martha, who knew Mikey in college, contacts him to see if he can arrange a leak of the material. Of course, Mikey has the contacts to make this happen and that just improves his candidate's ratine. So much so that a Republican supporter is determined to derail his campaign. Violence breaks out at the presidential debate and interrupts the whole thing. The election that follows is a draw in that no party got enough electoral college votes to be declared the winner. That's when a seldom used constitutional rule takes effect when a contingent election is declared that means the Republican is declared the winner because members of the House of Representatives, controlled by the Republicans, gets to vote for the president.

One thing this book makes clear is just how different the US political system is from Canada's (or many other countries). The US is a constitutional republic, not a democracy, and the voting public has a much different role in the US than it does in a democracy. I am ever so glad that I live in the country I do.… (meer)

I think this book is a good overview of the challenges facing society as we inevitably automate most manual work, and many aspects of knowledge work.

I expected a greater treatment to the possible downsides of UBI, but Yang does seem to offer it more or less as a panacea for society’s problems.

Overall, I’m intrigued and somewhat convinced, but left wanting more. Recommended read for folks skeptical of the disruptive nature of automation, or folks with a blind faith in free market capitalism.… (meer)

Andrew Yang and Stephen Marche’s The Last Election is a timely, well-crafted gem of a political thriller that poses an uncomfortably plausible scenario in which America’s democratic system of government could be upended by a rogue rogue third-party populist candidate who just might secure enough electoral votes to upset the balance of the entrenched two-party system. The authors deftly incorporate facets of American political tactics and trends into the story in smart, provocative ways. Highly recommended, particularly for political junkies.… (meer)