Andrew Yang’s Iowa Rally Might Get A Performance By Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo
The unorthodox campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang has led to everything from crowd-surfing and skateboarding to a surprise appearance at Indonesian rapper Rich Brian’s concert. He has also gained attention from some high-profile figures, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and it appears that Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo may be performing at Yang’s Iowa Rally in November.
“Would any of my musician friends like to join me for a set at @AndrewYang’s Nov 1 rally in Iowa?” Cuomo tweeted.
The tweet has prompted his many supporters to shout-out the artists and bands they want to play with Cuomo, including Andrew WK, Chance the Rapper, and Childish Gambino.
“How loosely are we using the term ‘friend’ here?” one supporter quipped.
As of now, Jamey Jasta, the singer of the Connecticut metalcore band Hatebreed, appears to be one of the only “musician friends” to have responded to Cuomo’s call.
“Can we cover Slayer?” he asked.
Whether Cuomo’s appearance and Hatebreed’s Slayer cover will make it to Yang’s rally remains to be seen, but it continues to fuel the buzz of the underdog candidate’s campaign, which centers around a universal basic income (UBI) of $1,000 per month for every American adult. According to Yang, this UBI — branded the Freedom Dividend — is necessary to accommodate the transition of the American economy, which he believes is fundamentally shifting due to the rise of automation.
David Hopkins, associate professor of political science at Boston College, believes that campaigns like Yang’s benefit from the “openness” of the nomination process that has been created by the addition of the internet and social media to the traditional candidate platform of cable news.
“That’s changed the way that presidential campaigns are run, and I think candidates like Yang benefit from that change very much, compared to how well they would probably have done 20 years ago,” Hopkins said, per U.S. News & World Report.
Spotted in New Hampshire ?? #YangGang pic.twitter.com/ljs6HZMPJE
— Andrew Yang????? (@AndrewYang) October 11, 2019
The 44-year-old serial entrepreneur has also gained support from people of many political orientations, which has drawn both praise and criticism. Regardless, he has made it clear that his campaign is welcome to everyone from former Bernie Sanders supporters to disaffected Donald Trump voters.
“I’ve learned that politics boils down to people,” Yang said, per Next Shark. “If you like people, then you’ll like politics.”
Yang is currently in 6th place in the polls and set to appear at the October and November debates. The success of his campaign has surprised many, and he continues to draw attention from many prominent figures, fueling his growing base of supporters.
