OUT OF TOUCH
ANDREW Yang warned Democratic "coastal elites" that they still don't understand the working class after their abysmal congressional results.
During a panel with Don Lemon on Wednesday, the former presidential candidate said things would "get worse" if the party didn't endeavor to represent more people.
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He issued the statements after the Republican Party kicked out several incumbents, defended representatives, and narrowed the gap between the rival political parties.
The politician said: "I would say, "Hey! I'm running for president!" to a truck driver, retail worker, waitress in a diner.
"And they would say, 'What party?' And I'd say 'Democrat' and they would flinch like I said something really negative or I had just turned another color or something like that.
"And there's something deeply wrong when working-class Americans have that response to a major party that theoretically is supposed to be fighting for them.
"So you have to ask yourself, what has the Democratic Party been standing for in their minds?
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"And in their minds, the , unfortunately, has taken on this role of the coastal urban elites who are more concerned about policing various cultural issues than improving their way of life that has been declining for years!"
described this as a "fundamental problem for the Democratic Party" to be so oblivious to the working class.
"They lost a plant that had 1,500 workers," he continued. "And so if you're a laid-off worker from that plant and you say 'What is the Democratic Party doing for me,' it's unclear.
"We can talk about a unifying message from, he's naturally a unifying figure, but then there's the reality on the ground where their way of life has been disintegrating for years.
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"If we don't that, then we're going to see a continued acceleration towards the institutional mistrust that animated the [Donald] vote and will continue to do so."
Yang participated in the panel as the battle between Trump and Biden intensified, with 253 and 214 electoral votes each as of 7.30pm ET.
Presidential candidates need 270 votes to win the race.
His comments generated quite a mixed response on , where some people heeded his words, while others appeared to be offended by them.
One user said his "ignorance of this basic fact illustrates how reckless it is to be elevating these Johnny-come-lately hacks."
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"I'm a working class Black Democrat in the suburbs," he wrote. "There are millions just like me here and in neighboring states. Coastal Elite these nuts, Andrew."
"This narrative is insulting," a second person, while a fourth "he's literally just echoing right-wing talking points from the last few years."
"He's a tech bro trying to seem smart," they added. "What exactly is a 'cultural issue'? In my experience, it's usually a way of dismissing and representation as unimportant."
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But others took Yang's points into consideration.
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"'Andrew Yang: Trump voters think of Democrats as elitists who only care about social issues. Blue Check Twitter: How dare Andrew Yang say that about Democrats!" quipped one user.
"The urban elites and blue check marked influencers are not the Democratic Party," remarked a second.
HOLDING A RECOUNT
Joe Biden has a slender lead over Donald Trump in the race to 270 electoral votes.
The Democrat has so far flipped three states that Trump won in 2016 – Michigan, Wisconsin and Arizona.
But the President wants a recount of votes in Wisconsin and has filed lawsuits to stop vote counting in both Michigan and Pennsylvania.
The recount of votes can be complicated because the guidelines are set at state and sometimes local levels.
THE RULES
Wisconsin – a recount cannot be requested until election results are verified on December 1. State rules also dictate that a recount can only be requested by a candidate if the race is separated by a margin of one per cent or less.
Michigan – the state conducts an automatic recount if candidates are separated by a margin of 2,000 total votes or less. To get a recount by request, a campaign must submit a petition over alleged fraud or counting errors within 48 hours.
Pennsylvania – the state only provides an automatic recount if the race is separated by a margin of 0.5 percent or less, or if election officials find irregularities in the results
Georgia - a candidate can request a recount if the margin is less than 0.5% and that request must be made within two day of the results being certified.
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