Getting More Out Of Life

Hello, I hope the Fall is off to a great start!  I visited St. Louis this past week and met with Forward Party volunteers to kick-off Forward Missouri.  It was awesome. 

This week on the podcast I interview Bill Perkins, poker champion and investor about his book “Die With Zero: Getting All You Can From Your Money and Your Life.”  Bill has a unique and compelling perspective. 

“What are the Key Performance Indicators for your life? I talk to businesspeople who know exactly whether their operation or division is succeeding, but if you ask them how to measure their own success, they have no idea.”

Bill’s Rule #1 is simple but profound: Maximize your positive life experiences. Bill asserts that our lives are the sum total of our experiences, and we should be pursuing positive ones whatever that means to us individually. He also puts forward a new idea: Memories Pay Dividends. That is, if you have an awesome experience, it actually gives you value later to reflect on it, tell your friends about it, cherish it, etc.

One implication to this is that there’s a right time to have different experiences, and in many cases you’re better served trying to pull it forward. “There’s a right time to do certain things, and if you miss it you don’t get the same value from it.” Travel in particular is something you might enjoy more when you’re in your twenties and can do so with fewer responsibilities. As Bill says, “Remember that ‘early’ is right now.”

I spent my twenties mostly single. I promoted parties in New York and went skydiving with some friends for my 30th birthday – that gives you a sense of how I spent that time. I’ve found that Bill’s right in that some of my memories from that period make it easier to do things that are, probably, a bit more age-appropriate now. (I met Evelyn when I was 31,)

Bill’s advice is to write down your goals for certain periods of your life – he calls them “Time Buckets.” Say from 25 – 30 or 46 – 50 you want to volunteer, learn a new language, achieve a fitness goal, visit Europe or whatever it happens to be. These goals will likely shift over time. But writing them down and following up on them should be a core activity.

Bill’s book has different guidance for people at different life stages. If you’re younger, it’s about being bolder when you have less to lose. “So many people don’t take advantage of those times when they can take risks.” He says that people tend to overrate the risks of taking action while not realizing that there are also risks to inaction. They also tend to overrate the benefits of staying in a current role or geographic location. For many people the sweet spot for certain experiences is between 26 and 35.

For people who are older, it’s often about trying to make more active decisions and avoid autopilot. “You want to save money for your kids? Maybe you should give them the money a bit earlier while you can enjoy it together.” He notes that the average age at which one receives an inheritance is 60, which is a bit after the time of life when money can help maximize life experiences. He observes that retirees tend to go from “Go-go, to slow-go, to no-go” and the money can make a bigger difference earlier.

Bill is now 52, and he talks clearly about how certain things that he used to enjoy are less exciting to him now. “I used to love just walking around a new city for 10, 15 miles. Now, I might do it but it’s shorter, in part because my knees hurt.” He’s got two daughters and is married. For his 45th birthday he got tons of people together, in part to make memories that would last a lifetime and to enable his Mom to attend while she was still healthy. That set of memories continues to pay dividends.

“I love spreading these ideas to help people live better,” Bill says. You can check out his bestselling book or its free companion apps at diewithzerobook.com. He also supports Forward, in part because he thinks we can move policy in a positive direction. Who knew that leading a better life can also mean trying to build a better democracy? Life is full and what we make of it.

A Huge Step in Connecticut

Hello, I hope all is great!  I'm writing this from Missouri, where I met with democracy reform activists and Forward Party volunteers.  It's been a phenomenal trip.  

As you know, I have become convinced that Ranked Choice Voting is one of the keys to improving our politics and incentives.  It will decrease polarization and give rise to new points of view.  Millions of Americans are digging into RCV for the first time since the Alaska special election last week.  And this Wednesday the Governor of Connecticut, Ned Lamont, endorsed Ranked Choice Voting and pledged to bring a bill to a vote in the Constitution State.  

Why is Ranked Choice Voting suddenly a relevant issue in the Connecticut gubernatorial race?  It’s the result of years of hard work.  

In 2018, Oz Griebel and Monte Frank ran on a joint ticket for Governor, receiving nearly 55,000 votes and qualifying a new political party, the Griebel-Frank for CT Party.  This gave the party a ballot line in Connecticut, which is a fusion voting state (i.e. each party puts its chosen candidates on its ballot line).  The Griebel-Frank for CT Party is affiliated with the Serve America Movement, one of the orgs that merged to form the new Forward Party in July. 

Both Ned Lamont and his opponent Bob Stefanowski wanted this ballot line – it’s probably worth a few points in the election in November.  The condition for the endorsement was support for Ranked Choice Voting.  Thus, the governor’s announcement on Wednesday, four years in the making. 

There are a couple big lessons here.  First, a third party like the Forward Party can influence policy and reforms without winning a race.  Imagine if candidates knew in states around the country that coming out for Ranked Choice Voting is worth a few points because of our endorsement.  States around the country could adopt Ranked Choice Voting because candidates see it as a winning issue.

Second, the political system responds to politics.  Oz Griebel ran for Governor twice and activists worked for years in Connecticut, going so far as to run a gubernatorial ticket that got 4% of the vote. That gave them a seat at the table and the ability to influence policy in a way many could only dream of. 

Can what happened in Connecticut happen in states around the country?  Yes, but only if we put in the work.  Here in Missouri, it takes 10,000 signatures to get on the ballot.  The Forward Party aims to be on the ballot in 15 states by year-end and 30 by the end of 2023.  A few years from now we could be celebrating what happened in Connecticut this week as the new normal as incumbents and candidates alike embrace Ranked Choice Voting for the simplest of reasons – they want to win the election in front of them. 

How do we change the system?  Make changing the system the way to win.  Alaska is getting a lot of attention right now, but what's happening in Connecticut could be even more of a roadmap for us to follow.  Let's go get some signatures!  

What Joe Biden’s Speech Should Have Said

Joe Biden recently gave a speech in Philadelphia about democracy in crisis in America. Here's what I wish he'd said:

My fellow Americans. We are facing a crisis of democracy. 64% of Americans believe our democracy is in crisis for different reasons. Polarization is getting worse and worse.

It would be easy for me to stand up here and say vote for Democrats, because I’m a Democrat. And yes, I do think that Democrats are better at defending democracy than the current version of the Republican Party, which has now succumbed to Donald Trump and his vision of a state where autocracy governs and the rule of law fades. I feel we have to defeat Donald Trump and make sure he never sits in the Oval Office again.

But the truth is that it’s not enough to simply vote for Democrats, because the problems are bigger and deeper than that.

First let me say that the Democratic party has adopted some practices that I will now apologize for and pledge that we should never do again. We have boosted election-denying extremists like Doug Mastriano and Joe Gibbs for our own political purposes against more moderate Republicans, including even figures like Peter Meijer who voted to impeach Trump at great personal cost. How can we argue that democracy itself is at stake and then spend millions of dollars supporting candidates who represent that very threat? We will never do so again. We will defend those who defended our democracy.

Second, we have spent millions of dollars combating ballot initiatives around measures like ranked choice voting and non-partisan open primaries that would open up our democracy and give people more real choice. Again, we have done this for our own political purposes, and are doing it right now in Nevada. We will instead begin to support these measures as good for our democracy, as was recently seen in Alaska’s non-partisan primaries.

Third, we have systematically kept minor parties off the ballot in states around the country, from North Carolina to New York, because our own party’s dominance mattered more to us than people having a say. Democrats will begin to stand for democracy in fact as well as name.

The Republican Party has become a cult of personality around a single man, and it has demonstrated to us just how fragile our system is. How can it be that if one party’s leadership sours that we are all at risk? But this gives us an opportunity to invigorate our democracy to stand the test of time.

The fact is that 90% of Congressional districts are uncompetitive in the general election and up to 70% of the nation’s local races are either uncontested or similarly uncompetitive. We have declined to 28th in the world in basics like public education and clean water regardless of which party is in power.

There is a bill in Congress called the Fair Representation Act. It would shift our current Congressional districts with one representative to new, bigger districts that would have multiple representatives from different parties. Some would be neither Democrats nor Republicans. This would give rise to new voices in our country and make us more resilient to authoritarianism because there would be more seats at the table that are not beholden to leadership of one party or the other.

I’ve always believed that we need to make way for the next generation. That is why Democrats should now support term limits for elected representatives, something that is supported by three-quarters of Americans. I believe this would help restore faith in elected leaders as working on behalf of the people and then coming home.

Democracy has been the source of our country’s strength and prosperity for generations, and it now lies in jeopardy. The measures that will be required to defend and modernize it go beyond traditional partisanship – and I now ask all Americans, whether Democrat, Republican or Independent or some other affiliation, to join me in doing so. The reforms I've enumerated here are just the beginning. Together, we can pass on a vibrant democracy to our children and grandchildren and ensure that America’s future remains brighter than its past.

Joe Sestak and Forward

Happy Labor Day!  I hope you are having a wonderful holiday with family and friends. I'm heading to St, Louis on Thursday for a MO Forward Party kick-off and am looking forward to it.  

Of all of the people who have joined Forward, perhaps the most exciting for me has been my friend Joe Sestak.  Joe and I met when we both ran for President in 2020 though I’ve admired him from afar for years. 

Joe’s exploits are the stuff of legend. He served in the U.S. Navy for 31 years and commanded the USS George Washington aircraft carrier strike group in the first Gulf War.  He led fifteen thousand sailors who trusted him with their lives, though he would say it was the other way around.  He became a three-star admiral and received 10 medals of distinction and part of the National Security Council.  He got a PhD from Harvard years after graduating second in his class from the U.S. Naval Academy.  After leaving the Navy, in part because he took the stance in 2005 that they should invest more in cybersecurity and less in ships, he ran for Congress in a Republican district in his native Pennsylvania.  He shockingly won, and then won his re-election by 20 points without spending a dime. 

“People would say to me, ‘you’re a retired Navy admiral?  And a Democrat?’” on the trail during his first Congressional campaign.  I interview Joe on the podcast this week, which will give you a powerful sense of him and his story.  “A lot of people in Pennsylvania have family who served, so I kind of appealed to those who leaned to the right.  Most of the people in military service lean the same way. I would tell them ‘I’m an Independent who happens to be a Democrat.’” 

After being named one of the most productive members of Congress, Joe ran for Senate in 2010.  All establishment Democrats, including the Governor Ed Rendell, Senate Majority Leader at the time Harry Reid and the entire Obama Administration backed Arlen Specter who had just switched from Republican to Democrat.  Despite this, Joe overcame a 29-point deficit and prevailed over Specter 53 – 47 in the primary before losing a tightly contested race to Pat Toomey 51 – 49 in the general. 

After such a narrow loss, it was very natural for Joe to run again in 2016.  He decided to walk across the state – 300 miles over 28 days – to meet people and generate press.  The sensible thing to do if you were the Democrats would be to say, “Okay, Joe defied us last time by running but he is going to be the strongest candidate against Toomey.  He already has statewide recognition in all 47 counties and has a track record of appealing to people across parties as someone who won a Republican district in this state by 20 points.”  You can tell from my writing this that the Dems did the opposite.  They spent more than $6 million in the primary backing Katie McGinty and attacking Joe with negative ads, including at least one that was classified as “false” and “sleazy” by the Washington Post.  McGinty would go on to lose in the general and both the people of Pennsylvania and the country lost an opportunity to have a truly great Senator.      

In June of 2019, Joe joined me in the presidential field.  He declared late because his daughter, Alex, was struggling with cancer and he wanted to make sure she was okay.  I met Joe and saw him speak several times and thought to myself, “Wow, what a true patriot.”  If you have commanded thousands of sailors and held such massive responsibility, it shows.  Joe emanated both command and character in person while remaining down to Earth. 

Indeed, Joe decided to walk across New Hampshire – an easier task than Pennsylvania – during the presidential to meet voters.  But, due to lack of media attention, Joe’s campaign never took off.  He conceded about six months later. 

Still, he and I kept in touch and are now working together to bring Americans together with Forward.  I couldn’t be more honored. 

“I think that we’ve just lost trust in America. The average age of the sailors on the Navy ships I commanded was only 19-and-a-half years old.  Yet they would regularly put their lives in each others’ hands because that’s the only way that a ship can operate.  That’s the kind of trust we need to regain.  I see Forward as a way to help re-establish that trust.” 

It means a lot to have Joe with us – if anyone can rekindle the trust of a divided nation, it’s him.

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I hope that you are excited about Forward – if you haven’t already done so, please sign up or make a donation!  After my trip to St, Louis, I'm heading to Houston with Joe and hundreds of others for the Texas kickoff on September 24th and then out to support candidates and ballot initiatives around the country.  Join us.  

Hope from Alaska

Sarah Palin lost in her bid for a House seat on Wednesday. And ranked choice voting was a big reason why.

I’ve been talking all year about how Alaska’s combination of non-partisan open primaries and ranked choice voting has the potential to fix our national politics. The system was approved in 2020 so this is its first use. It replaces party primaries with one primary that all candidates participate in with the top 4 progressing to the general election using ranked choice voting.

How did it work? The non-partisan primary was held in June with 10 candidates. The top 4 candidates were Sarah Palin (R) at 27%, Nicholas Begich (R) at 19%, Al Gross (I) at 12% and Mary Peltola (D) at 10%.

If you look at those results, you’d think Republicans are the heavy favorites, which makes sense in a state that Trump won by 10 points. However, unaffiliated voters outnumber both Republicans and Democrats in Alaska; it’s a very independent voting environment.

Al Gross dropped out, so only Sarah Palin, Nicholas Begich, and Mary Peltola went through to the general election in August; this is a special election to replace Don Young who passed away. Peltola had 40% in the first round, Palin had 31% and Begich had 28%.

In a conventional system, Sarah Palin would have defeated Begich in a Republican primary and become the Republican nominee, who would then have defeated the Democrat by a count of 59 – 41. That’s what you’d expect.

Here though, Alaska used one combined election and Ranked Choice Voting. Begich was eliminated and his voters were then sent to their second choice, either Peltola or Palin if applicable. Peltola edged Sarah Palin by 51.5 to 48.5 in the final round.

“I’m really hopeful that voters will feel like they can vote their heart and not feel pressured to vote for the candidate that they think is most ’viable,’” Peltola said before the special election. “And my hope is that we shy away from the really extreme-type candidates and politicians.”

Peltola got her wish by having a process that actually reflects popular will and preference instead of empowering one party’s base or the other.

Now, there is another election in November for the full two-year term with Peltola, Palin and Begich again (a 4th candidate is dropping out). Sarah Palin still has a chance to win the seat. Still, that will also be decided by ranked choice voting which should again reward the candidate with the broadest appeal. Palin called it a “new crazy, convoluted, confusing” system despite a poll showing that 85% of Alaskans found it simple to use. Palin doesn’t like it simply because it means fewer extreme candidates will win.

Imagine if the same system of non-partisan open primaries and ranked choice voting was used in states around the country. How different would our politics be? It’s on the ballot in Nevada this November and there are 23 other states where it can be activated via ballot initiative. This is Forward’s mission. Let’s go make it happen! Join us today.

I’ve personally become frustrated when people make a plea for compromise or moderation while the system is set up to reward the opposite. You want better candidates, elected officials, and better incentives when they get there? Change the system. Alaska shows us how.

Building a New Party

It has been almost exactly one month since the new Forward Party was announced and the past days have been tremendous. Over 40,000 Americans have signed up at forwardparty.com and we raised over $300,000 from grassroots donors around the country – thank you! We now have energized volunteers in all 50 states and state leads in 32 of the 50 states, with new growth every day.

My expectations were vastly exceeded in terms of press treatment as well because we were treated as a mainstream new party – Forward is already a thing! We’ve already cleared a hurdle that most new entrants never do.

Now the real work begins.

What is a national party? It’s a few things: it’s a popular movement. It’s an organization that can impact the whole country. And, pointedly, it’s an assemblage of 50 state parties, each of which has to be incorporated and managed under a byzantine set of rules specific to that state, some of which are designed to be onerous and unfriendly.

So that’s at least 51 different orgs. That’s a lot.

Happily, we have the energy and people on hand to build them, as well as some road-tested expertise on how to get there.

This week on the podcast I interview Joel Searby, who is running Politics at Forward Party. Joel is a 17-year veteran of political consulting who, upon seeing the direction of the Republican Party in 2016, decided to help a guy named Evan McMullin run for President as an Independent. Joel is now one of the foremost experts on both building party infrastructure and independent politics.

“The rules vary wildly from state to state. In Louisiana you just have to file some paperwork for $1,000 and get 1,000 people to sign up. In a place like California you need to get either over a million signatures or almost one hundred thousand registered party members. In others you need to run a candidate who gets a certain percent of the vote. So some states we will be able to accomplish pretty easily and others we will have to build up to. We’ve identified 15 states that we think we can achieve recognition in or party status in by the end of this year. We think we can get to 35 by 2023 and shoot for all 50 thereafter.”

Is this not the most fun challenge you have seen in quite some time? It’s time to build a national party! We should have a giant celebration every time we get status in a state. Or at least a party there.

One major boost is that groups and organizations in different states have already expressed interest in helping us achieve party status in their state. We are gaining new friends all the time.

As much fun as that is, even more energy will come from candidates. Again, here we’ve had dozens of sitting elected officials as well as former candidates reach out to say that they’d like to join us. Many were involved with one party or the other before realizing that they wanted to provide something different.

“I’ve been in politics for almost twenty years and I have never seen people like we are getting. Ordinarily, the people who show up to politics are a mixed bag, with many gadflies. But here at Forward we are getting seasoned operators who have run companies or divisions or organizations. They have no agenda other than trying to build what the country needs. And I have seen waves of enthusiasm around launches – this one is sticking. We are attracting people for the long haul. I am pumped and have been drinking out of a firehose since launch,” said Joel.

I’ve been a part of various teams and movements, and the single biggest indicator of your path is the people you attract. Forward is getting GREAT people. With that as our foundation there is truly no limit to what we will accomplish. Joel is just one of them.

We would of course love your help! If you haven’t already done so, sign up at forwardparty.com and maybe donate a buck or two. Let’s heal a fractured nation and give rise to the movement that millions of Americans have been waiting for. It will be a lot of work, but what isn’t? This will be one of the greatest things most of us get to do in our lifetimes – provide a new sense of dynamism and possibility to a system that has stopped responding to people, families and communities.

So many Americans wonder what they can do to change things. Let’s give them, and ourselves, a clear answer and a different sense of the future.

Have you ever wanted to help build a national party? Well now is our chance, and not a moment too soon! And the first state to celebrate will be . . .

The Wind is Shifting

Hello, I hope all is great on your end!  Hard to believe the summer only has days left. 
 
I projected November about a month ago.  For a number of months it has looked bleak for House Democrats.  They have a narrow majority of just a few seats and the in-power party traditionally loses about 20 seats during a mid-term.  Biden’s popularity was abysmally low.  Prices at the pump were historically high.  The enthusiasm gap between parties was about 17 points favoring Republicans. 

More recently, things have changed. Voters have apparently distinguished between Biden and the rest of the Democratic Party. The generic party ballot has gone from plus-3 Republican to plus-1 Democrat in the last 3 months.

Perhaps the clearest sign was that Democrat share of the vote in the Washington state Senate primary – typically indicative of Democratic turnout nationally - was 55.4%, closer to the 58.7% peak in 2016 than the 48.5% in the Democratic wipeout of 2010. This was echoed in the Kansas referendum that defended abortion rights in a red state.

I had dinner with someone very close to the Democratic Party, and he expressed that the numbers in 37 swing districts they track had all turned positively for Democrats in the past month, particularly in terms of fundraising. On another note, Republicans earlier in the year were targeting a red wave of up to 50 seats, which may have led them to spend money in places where it turns out they didn’t have a great chance of winning. I’m sure they’re pulling back now.

The Senate races have similarly trended positively for Democrats, with some flawed Republican candidates increasing Dem prospects in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. The Republicans Senate Committee just committed $28 million to support JD Vance in Ohio against Tim Ryan in a state that Trump won by 8 points. This is not money they wanted to spend – they’ve actually canceled ad buys in some other states that are competitive. JD Vance won with only 32% of the vote in a multi-candidate primary.

Note that this all happened even before the Inflation Reduction Act/climate and health care bill passed, which will energize some Democrats and give leaders some real accomplishments to talk about (though obviously the impact of the bill won’t be felt for some time). The White House is planning a national tour post-Labor Day including Cabinet members to make the case for both Democrats and the Administration.

On the flip side, Trump continues to dominate the Republican Party, and every time he appears in the news it’s harder for Republicans to divorce him from the thoughts of voters. Trump remains a good way to motivate Democrats.

I’ll confess – I thought that the Democrats’ chances of keeping the House this year were basically nonexistent. 538 still has the chances on the low side – about 22%. If Republicans win the House legislation will cease and we will see Hunter Biden laptop hearings. But now I think there’s a strong chance the Democrats keep the Senate and make the House competitive. This is a lot different than even a month ago.

Of course, the action really will heat up between Labor Day and Election Day. A lot can happen. But the momentum seems to be on the Democrats’ side. If it continues, they could potentially defy history.

The Forward Party is continuing to grow by leaps and bounds. I am looking forward to the Texas Convention in Houston on September 24th! We will be getting out there to support good candidates of every party – Democrat, Independent and Republican – and would love to have you join us!

Earlier this week Kim Iversen explained the Forward Party on Sabrina Salvati’s podcast better than just about anyone. You can see the video here.

A Narrowing Field

Hello, I hope all is great with you and that your summer has weeks to go! New Forward Party members are up to nearly 40,000 since our announcement and growing every day. We also welcomed former Admiral and PA Democratic Congressman Joe Sestak to Forward, which I am thrilled about.

Last week I wrote about Peter Meijer losing his primary to Joe Gibbs in Michigan because Peter had voted to impeach Trump and Dems backed his extremist opponent. Well, another member on the edge – Jaime Beutler – lost her primary as well. If Liz Cheney loses her primary this week, the number of House Republicans who voted for impeachment who survive will be down to 2 out of 10.

I spoke to Peter and he’s doing great – he remains fired up to do positive things in Michigan and beyond. Congress lost a good one. Peter will be back.

Trump’s hold on the Republican Party has grown ever stronger. I have been in the room with several moderate Republicans who were looking to challenge Trump. Their prospects just got a lot tougher. Trump could declare any day now, in part to respond to the rising legal actions against him. The Republican primary could easily become a formality.

“If Trump wants it at this point, I don’t see how it’s not his . . . it’ll be a coronation at this point, not a primary,” said one source within the party. Polls this week told the same story. Movements and campaigns flourish when there’s a clear us vs. them, and the overwhelming narrative is the White House and the government vs. Donald Trump.

On the Democratic side, the odds of Joe Biden running also have gone up, in large part because Joe sees it as his God-given duty to defeat Trump. He also believes he’s the only person who can do it, which, frankly, was borne out in 2020.

If Biden doesn’t run, then you would see a flood of Democratic candidates as there is no one who can clear the field – it might even exceed the 24 Dem candidates in the last cycle, in which Joe Sestak and I participated. This is one reason why I expect Biden to run again, as no one relishes the idea of such a fractious primary with Trump on the other side.

If Biden does run, would there be a challenge anyway? This week on the podcast I interview Lucy Caldwell, a seasoned political strategist and advisor to the Forward Party who managed Joe Walsh’s campaign against Trump in 2020. Lucy did so because she wanted to combat Trump. In that cycle, “They canceled primaries so there stopped being a path,” she said of the Republicans, who had little patience for the likes of William Weld or Joe Walsh challenging the incumbent. I would guess that the Democrats would do something similar to block out challenges from the likes of Marianne Williamson or Nina Turner, and no one in the establishment would enter the field. The press would ignore any shortcircuiting of the Democratic primary as the right thing to do to strengthen Joe’s hand and consolidate against Trump.

The Forward Party exists to present more choices and dynamism in thousands of local and Congressional races in a country driven apart by an increasingly dysfunctional two-party system. That dysfunction may be all too evident for the world to see in 2024. We have no time to waste.

The Forward Tour launches on September 24th in Houston. For the interview with Lucy click here and to sign up for the Forward Party click here. Let’s build the Party America has been waiting for. Together.

How We Learn About Candidates

Here's an excerpt from my book 'Forward' that describes Joe Sestak, who has just joined the Forward Party as an Advisor. This excerpt may also be relevant as the 2024 field gets shaped. Enjoy!

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How We Learn About Candidates

In the summer of 2018, I was invited to speak at a major Democratic grassroots fundraising event—the Wing Ding—in Clear Lake, Iowa. It was a huge coup for my fledgling campaign at that point. I later found out that I was invited because one of the organizers had heard me on the Sam Harris podcast—one of my first big breaks in terms of exposure earlier that year (more on this later)—and decided that I was worth hearing from.

For me, the Wing Ding was the first time I was getting the chance to address such a large group of people—a thousand—and in front of dozens of reporters. The venue, the Surf Ballroom, is most famous as the place where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper played right before their plane crashed six miles away in 1959, which was later christened “the day the music died” by Don McLean in “American Pie.” I tried not to dwell on that ominous history, though I absolutely love that song.

It was my first major political speech. It’s not my custom to make emotional appeals, but I also knew, from the numbers, that a knockout performance would get me 2.5 percent of the way to forty thousand if I somehow converted everyone in the room. I approached it as a potentially make-or-break moment for the campaign—the speech of my life up to that point. My team approached it the same way; they had me practice until I could speak without notes, hit my major points, and not go beyond my allocated time.

The four major speakers were me, Tim Ryan, John Delaney, and the headliner—Michael Avenatti. John and I were the only declared candidates for president as of the summer of 2018. Most candidates were waiting until after the midterms to declare. It was clear that Michael Avenatti was the draw. The press was salivating over the pugnacious lawyer, who had rocketed to fame as the attorney representing the porn star Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against Donald Trump, as a possible opponent for the Republican president. For his part, John Delaney had already spent several million dollars, including on Super Bowl ads in Iowa, and had opened ten offices in the state. I, of course, had zero staff and offices in Iowa at the time.

Approaching the ballroom, I saw it was surrounded by “John Delaney for President” signs that had been planted earlier that day. John’s giant blue tour bus and sign spinners—two guys who were very talented at spinning giant “John Delaney” cardboard signs—were very conspicuous in the parking lot. The Wing Ding was my first brush with presidential campaign pageantry as a candidate. It immediately made me feel small and self-conscious showing up with my three young staffers and a meager table with our one brochure.

Still, I was careful not to project any vulnerability. You have to be rock solid because your team will take its cues from you.

I went into the darkened ballroom and began shaking hands with whoever was nearby. Most people didn’t really know who I was, so it was a struggle to seem busy and not look awkward. One of my quick-thinking staffers started to bring people over to meet me including local officials.

The program was at least two hours long, with a long procession of local candidates and luminaries who gave brief speeches in support of their races. I met local candidates like J. D. Scholten and Rob Sand. Eventually it got to Tim, John, me, and Michael Avenatti. Tim gave a rousing speech about America’s never being knocked down. John spoke earnestly about consensus and bipartisanship.

It was my first time seeing their speeches, but not the last. Eventually, if you’re a candidate, you see each other’s stump speeches over and over again. Late in the cycle, I’d come to joke that Democratic fundraisers should have us draw names from a hat and deliver another candidate’s speech. Donors would pay big money to see it. By the end, I thought I could do a decent rendition of Pete Buttigieg or Bernie Sanders giving their go-to stumps. I can imagine someone parodying my stump: “The robots are coming, we’re doomed, give everyone money right now.”

In the Surf Ballroom, I heard my name called and jogged up to the stage. I talked about how our economy was transforming before our eyes, and why Iowans needed to lead the country in a new and better direction. It felt great. I got a standing ovation from much of the crowd, though the level of applause was likely inflated by Iowa courtesy. (If you want to see the speech, you can judge for yourself by searching online for “Andrew Yang Wing Ding 2018.”)

As I stepped off the stage, there was a small line of people who wanted to shake my hand. I wound up in conversation with John Delaney and his wife, April, who came over to compare notes. While we spoke, Michael Avenatti took to the stage to deliver the last speech of the night. Curious to see how it would go, I turned to pay attention.

Objectively, I thought Michael’s speech was awful. He read from notes the whole time—word for word. He went on for way too long—a full five minutes over the allotted time. Though his speech was filled with cliché-ridden talking points, the Iowans in attendance politely applauded on cue.

Watching all this, I thought, “Okay, anyone seeing this will take from it that Michael Avenatti is not serious.”

I could not have been more wrong.

As soon as Michael finished speaking, he was encircled by a dozen television cameras and journalists peppering him with questions about his presidential run. I didn’t even know half of these journalists were in the room until they swarmed Michael. They followed him in a scrum as he slowly gravitated toward an exit.

The next day the headlines ran “Avenatti’s ‘Swagger’ Stirs Iowa Democrats” and “Avenatti at Iowa Wing Ding: Democrats Need to ‘Fight Fire with Fire’” with glowing quotes from Iowans in attendance about how Avenatti had fired up the crowd and was an appealing counterpoint to Trump.

These stories barely mentioned me or Tim or John. To the national press it had solely been the Michael Avenatti show.

I realized that these journalists had come to Clear Lake, Iowa, for a story that had already been written in their minds. Avenatti, media darling, was exciting voters. His actual performance was incidental, and the speeches of any other candidates who happened to be there—including my big debut—might as well not have happened.

The Media Has Its Own Stories in Mind

There’s a common assumption that people run for president because they have big egos and it serves their sense of self. As candidates, they are afforded numerous opportunities to get their messages across because people want to hear what they have to say. Later, they are rewarded with lucrative TV contracts, speaking gigs, and a larger following.

This is seriously off base. Generally the opposite is true. Running for president is, by and large, an ego-destroying, humbling process. And the media is a very big part of that.

Imagine you are the author of thirteen books, including four New York Times number one bestsellers, and a spiritual leader with a following of millions. You count some of the most famous people in the world as your friends and confidants. You have founded a nonprofit that delivers food to people struggling with AIDS and co-founded a nonprofit for world peace. You have improved the well-being and spiritual life of droves of people and are adored and respected by them. You are wealthy, serious, and philosophical.

Then you decide to run for president.

Reporters respond with ridicule, scorn, and eye rolling. Journalists interview you with a patronizing air of skepticism when they decide to interact with you at all. Your past statements are taken out of context and used to ascribe to you beliefs that you do not hold. Eventually, you are denigrated as a wacko and a crystal lady. Everyday Americans contribute millions to your campaign, but that doesn’t seem to matter. You move to Iowa in order to connect with people and campaign your heart out for months on end, and your efforts are essentially ignored.

As you probably guessed, I’m describing Marianne Williamson, whom I found to be warm, generous, thoughtful, and driven by a genuine desire to improve the world.

Or imagine yourself as a former three-star admiral in the U.S. Navy who served for more than three decades and commanded the USS George Washington aircraft carrier strike group in the Persian Gulf in 2002. You have led thousands of sailors who put their trust in you for their very lives. You have a PhD from Harvard and were second in your class at the U.S. Naval Academy. You were a two-term congressman from a swing state and led a nonprofit that promoted STEM education around the world. You see the direction that the country is going and its increased polarization, and you feel that a different type of leadership is needed.

So you decide to run for president.

You are ignored by most of the press. When they do talk to you, journalists regularly ask you, “Why are you running for president?” even though you spent decades in service and the answer ought to be pretty obvious. To the media, you are nearly a nonentity: major networks tell you they will not have you on air even to talk about foreign policy, which you are clearly better qualified to discuss than just about anyone, because they don’t consider you a legitimate candidate. You walk across the state of New Hampshire as a way to generate attention and meet with people, and that is generally ignored too.

That’s Joe Sestak, who struck me as a patriot and great man when I spent time with him on the trail. His daughter, Alex, suffered from cancer, which is one reason he got into the race late. She passed away in 2020.

I could go on and do the same exercise with perhaps a dozen other candidates. Running for president doesn’t serve your ego generally—quite the opposite. It isn’t much fun showing up to events that are poorly attended and stumping to disinterested audiences. I remember driving all day to New Hampshire to meet with a “crowd” of one person in a coffee shop or spending Labor Day in Iowa to address a tiny rally. The day-to-day positive reinforcement is spotty to say the least.

You believe in your message and hope that it will catch hold and that reporters will share your ideas with others who will then take an interest in you. And if you do start to grow a base of support you hope that journalists will notice and cover you more.

Instead, many members of the national media feel they have a responsibility to reinforce particular candidates and their “narratives” and dismiss others. They don’t just report on the news; they form it.

Country over Party

These have been incredible times for the Forward Party! Literally millions of Americans are eager to take control of our future and provide a new approach and alternative to the major two parties. The meetings and calls I have been on have been awesome.

We can’t act quickly enough. This past week, Peter Meijer lost his Congressional primary in Michigan to Joe Gibbs. I’ve met with Peter – he’s one of the 10 brave Republicans in the House who voted to impeach Trump.

Of those 10, four announced they would not run and two already lost in their primaries. Liz Cheney’s primary is on August 16th and things are not looking good. David Valadao in California and Dan Newhouse in Washington survived their primaries and may be joined by Jaime Beutler also in Washington.

That’s 3 out of 10 who might make it back to Congress. For those out there who question whether Trump still controls the Republican Party, a 70% elimination rate is extraordinarily high and virtually unheard of for incumbents.

Trump’s not done. He has been in Alaska campaigning against Lisa Murkowski, the lone Republican Senator who voted to impeach who is on the ballot in November.

Peter Meijer’s case is particularly egregious because Joe Gibbs, his extremist election-denying Trumper opponent, was supported by the Democrats. That’s right, the Democrats decided to boost Gibbs because they thought Peter Meijer would be a more formidable opponent in the general election. Their plan worked, though it remains to be seen if it will work in November.

I find this to be an absolutely awful message – Peter Meijer did the difficult thing and defended democracy against extremists in his own party. And Democrats, so driven by partisanship, decided that it didn’t matter if Peter did the right thing – they’d rather see him lose to an extremist to marginally increase their own odds.

Peter Meijer faced death threats over his vote. That kind of courage should be rewarded and lauded, not taken advantage of. The Democrats decided to put party over country. Peter clearly had done the opposite.

One reason I started the Forward Party was because it’s clear that hyperpartisanship is tearing our nation apart, and one of the only ways out is for more people to start putting country over party. Peter Meijer did it. So did Liz Cheney and Lisa Murkowski and Adam Kinzinger. Too many of these figures have been hung out to dry or even, in Peter’s case, undermined and attacked.

This week on the podcast I interview another figure who put country over party and endured death threats to do so – the new co-CEO of Forward Party, Miles Taylor. You may know Miles best as the anonymous author of “A Warning” and the NYT essay “I am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration.” Miles was the chief of staff of the Department of Homeland Security under Trump but left to publicly campaign against Trump’s re-election.

“I spent Election Day under armed guard in a safehouse,” Miles relates in our interview. After the election, Miles co-founded the Renew America Movement, an effort to combat extremists within the Republican Party.

“The environment we’re in today is an environment of enormous political intimidation,” Miles describes in our talk. “Someone like me from the national security community was pretty well-prepared, or as prepared as you could possibly be, to be on the receiving end of a vitriolic commander-in-chief . . . But the poll worker, the community leader, the school board member, the people we’ve heard from on the January 6th select committee hearings, those people weren’t prepared for the consequences of speaking out, and now it’s happening to everyday Americans. That’s what I worry about . . . we’re seeing by my estimates a tenfold increase in attitudes toward political violence now as opposed to before when Donald Trump was President. . . . it’s a really alarming environment and one of the indicators of why a pressure release valve is needed in our political system . . . I think a lot of the vitriol we’re seeing is driven by the fact that people feel there are no alternatives in the political system, there’s no peaceful way for them to convey their political opinions. ”

Over the past number of months, Miles concluded that the Republican Party was beyond restoration, and decided to join forces with Forward as part of our historic merger. Now we work together each day to build a third party movement that can truly give Americans a path forward and a way to express themselves that will bring us together. Miles is easy to work with, in part because after what he’s already been through, nothing fazes him.

We have some very exciting developments on the way – stay tuned! Our national tour begins in Houston on September 24th with dozens of other locations on the way leading up to our first ever national convention next year.

Miles, Peter Meijer, Lisa Murkowski and others are examples of the kind of selflessness we need in this tough time for the country. Can more Americans break free of the thrall of our current polarized time? Our goal with Forward Party is to make it easier for millions of Americans to do just that. If there are enough of us supporting them, we can make it easy, not extraordinarily hard, for people to do the right thing. Let’s build this new tribe as quickly as we can. Country over party should be the norm, not the exception.

You can check out my interview with Miles here and support the Forward Party here – we are growing fast and would love your help!