Your Mom's House with Christina P. and Tom Segura - Tom Talks Ep. 2 w/ Andrew Yang

Episode Date: November 19, 2020

NEW LIVE SHOW - Friday, November 20th @ 5PM Pacific! Go to https://ymhvirtual.com and get tickets now! Welcome back to Tom Talks! Former presidential candidate, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Andrew Yang joins Tom Segura in this episode. They discuss Trump exiting office, the differences between left wing and right wing media, universal basic income, what it feels like to run for president, the WWE's anti-union practices, why cash is the answer, and the possibility of Andrew being in Biden's cabinet.

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Hey guys, we're back for another Tom Talk. This time, I was very, very fortunate to get to speak with former presidential candidate Andrew Yang. He has a really interesting perspective on a lot of things and we get into it all. I hope you enjoy this talk. Don't bring anyone loving to this. Andrew Yang.

Thank you so much for jumping in with me, man. Appreciate it. Happy to be here, Tom. Been a fan. Admire your work a lot. I think comedians have such a special place in our lives at this point. Like some of the last truth tellers who also know what's going on in the country because you performed in hundreds and hundreds of clubs in places big and small.

I agree. I mean, you do really get a perspective on the whole thing. So many people live in their own bubble and when you travel to perform, you see the whole country. It's kind of a fascinating thing. I wanted to thank you for joining because I know we were going to try something like a year or so ago, so I really appreciate you getting on now, man. Well, I'm far now than I was last year.

Yeah, I forget what you were doing, but I know it took up some of your time. But this is a wild time. I mean, during that busy time, it was its own thing, but the way that things have come along, I mean, I was just thinking about how when we talk, we're about the same age and when we talk to people like our parents age and you go before this year, you go, what was 1968 like? And they're like, oh, it's pretty crazy. And then those people now tell us that that wasn't shit compared to what this year has been. And I almost go like, what really?

We grew up on that documentary footage and stories and photos and they're like, yeah, that's nothing. Don't you miss the 80s, Tom? Yes. Oh my gosh. Like you and I grew up in that and it was like karate, kid, the original, back to the future. Yeah. You know, like all of the 80s movies that just made you feel pretty good.

Yeah, or the way that people used to describe, you know, like you'd have a friend and then their parent was a liberal and you're like, what does that mean? And some would go, well, they like trees and you're like, oh, okay. And then this guy is a Republican, he likes money and that was like, but everybody kind of felt like they got along. At least my memory was like, everybody's getting along. I mean, you know, now you get to this year and in my lifetime, I definitely have never felt anything like this.

I'm not an alarmist in the least either, you know, I'm not somebody, but I think it's impossible to ignore that this divide feels much more real, much stronger than anything that I can ever recall. Oh, yeah. It's been super charged relative to anything that you and I have ever experienced, Tom. And there are some very big structural reasons for why that is. So people are like, why are we also pissed off all the time? The media landscape has changed a lot since you and I have been alive.

And then you've layered social media over it, which has just super charged our ability to get pissed off at each other. And it's made it so that we're all in our own information bubbles and we can't agree on facts. And so you can have, you know, a president just argue that he didn't lose and then millions of people will be like, yeah, wait a minute, like, wasn't there, wasn't there something objective that's supposed to decide this? So it's, it's structural.

It's not anyone's head. And it's going to continue to get worse, not better, probably, almost certainly. And that's the thing is that I guess that's the, the depressing and discouraging part, because I don't, I don't, you know, joke around a lot. But like, I am a hopeful, optimistic person in a general sense. And I mean, Plus you're a parent like I am. You're parents, you look at your kids and being like, holy crap.

What do we do? This is, this is madness. I mean, I think one of the big, the big parts that I'm kind of like, I don't know, I feel like what, what is happening is what you just brought up with, with news and information. Right. Because when we were kids, you know, the nightly coverage, you had like Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather, and they basically did the same thing, which was just like, Same thing.

They were the same dude. They're the same dude. Yeah. No offense to those guys. No, no, but like, they were the same dude. You're right. And then when CNN took off, I mean, people now, you know, that's like, it's wild that it's a polarizing thing to say, if you grew up in the 80s and you're like, oh, CNN just had

rotating anchors also just reading prompter. I mean, that's what it was. It was just 24 seven. If you, if news wasn't on one of the network channels, you could put on this cable channel and just find out news, like just read to you. Now it's like, you know, you say a news network and immediately people put you into a category because you're consuming news from one of these outlets. And you're like, well, where do you get news from, man?

Your aunt's Facebook page? Like this is, I mean, you know, people have this tremendous bias about where they're consuming. And then, you know, I've talked to people, you think a lot of times people should get, people should get their news from you, Tom. I feel like the same way podcast and just say, you know what, I'm just not going to pay attention to anything on any of the networks until Tom tells me what's what. Thank you for that endorsement. Please clip that and let's release that later today, guys.

Thank you very much for that endorsement, Mr. Yang. Um, but here's the thing, man, I'm with you in that I don't see, uh, I don't see how that's going to improve also in the near future. People, people just collect the bit of information they want to push what they're saying. And you're like, yeah, I don't feel like we're living in the same reality anymore. You know, the wild thing is that Trump has now turned on Fox and now like Newsmax is the future. And I had to look it up. I was like, what the hell is Newsmax?

Yeah. Or, or one American, one American network. Oh yeah. I mean, holy shit, that, that thing where you're like, dude, like, I mean, I have podcast sets that are, uh, better put together than one American news. Like it is, it is straight. It's like straight from his Twitter feed. He's like, why don't you talk about this?

And they're like, got it. Uh, like that's not news, man. That's, it's, it's so depressing. It's, it's super bleak. And again, so there's some structural reasons for it. If you want to try and dig in, um, I read a book, um, I guess now is sort of the beginning of my, my campaign by a social psychologist named Jonathan Haight. Have you seen his work?

I have not. No. Well, as you're going to love it, because it explains a whole lot. So he wrote a book, The Righteous Mind that said, like, why is it that good people can disagree, uh, on politics? So, uh, viscerally, uh, and he identified six universal human values that cross over cultures and, and, uh, countries. So everyone feels these things.

And the six universal virtues are caring, fairness, liberty, loyalty, authority and sanctity. And so you reflect on that and you're like, well, that's interesting. And what, uh, what Jonathan identified is that conservative language and media, uh, hits on the last three values very heavily, loyalty, authority and sanctity, and liberal and progressive programming hits caring and fairness very heavily. So when, when you look at it, you're like, why is it that we're disagreeing so much on, on these things? It's like, they're kind of different strings being pulled, uh, by different news channels,

and, and different media outlets. And so it's dividing us into camps based upon which of those values that we most naturally find resonant. And, and that's one big reason why we feel the way we do. And the media networks, unfortunately, profit more based upon our polarization. Yeah. No, that is, um, I mean, that's a really good, um, analysis of the situation. I also find that those, um, divides and differences in, in opinion, grow more,

the more you stay separate too. You know, like a lot of times you, you engage someone, you know, one thing that used to glue us together. I mean, comedians glue us together. One of these, I love you all. But, uh, but one thing that used to glue us together time that you remember, because you went out in the same age though, you say, uh, local newspapers. Remember that shit?

Like you get like a local paper and like the local paper just, um, what's going on in your community. And it wasn't particularly partisan. It wasn't like, Hey, you know, like Bridges getting repaired. Like, what do you think about that? Democrats or whatever. Yeah. Um, but, but, but now over 2000 local newspapers have gone out of business.

So like, where the hell are you getting your news? You're getting it from, um, cable news and social media outlets. And there's not really a great alternative. So that's a real problem. And there's actually a law in Congress right now called the Local Journalism Sustainability Act that would help keep some of these local papers alive because they are dying very, very quickly, especially now with COVID. Yeah, I could see that.

I mean, yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And, um, that's a good thing because I don't know, man. You see like, uh, you see people are, I mean, basically people seek out the news that they want to hear now. That's, that's one of the, And it separates us more into those tribes where we're like, uh, you know, and you just respond to it and you have certain anchors that like only people you'll listen to.

That's one of the reasons why I was like, you know, saying like, oh, they're just listening to you, Tom. Yeah. Is that like if they listen to certain people. You tweeted something, um, the other day, maybe a week or so ago or maybe, uh, that I was like, I was like, oh, this is actually really important because I think it's, you know, it's easy. And as a, as a comic or whatever, an observer, you can, I, it's, I can,

I've been pretty vocal about, you know, um, how I feel about the current administration and I go, I've seen like the trap though of, of like launching into not let's say Trump, but like, you know, Trump supporter or something and how that, that every time I, you do it, or you see someone do it, even though you might agree with the critique, you go, man, it feels like this is probably going to just further push a divide, right? Like it, you end up feeling conflicted. You know, one of the, one of the darkest data points I've seen, Tom,

which was fascinating is that if you show a conservative, like liberal news in their news feed or vice versa, you show a liberal conservative news in their news feed, it actually has them digging down their views. It doesn't change it to your point. Yeah. Like so, but, but what you tweeted was, I think, I actually do think is important. You said, if, if 68 million people do something and it's grown since then, right? That was like a vote count tally.

So 71 or whatever, you said it's vital. We understand it. And I think that's a really good point, especially because you had a lot of people pre-election, you know, with their, uh, expectations, like, oh, you know, this might be, you know, really show him what's up because they've had four years of what many, like many people that say categorized as utter nonsense and craziness. And they go, time to like get this shit out of here. And then you look at that vote tally and you're like, no, no, like, it's a lot of people,

man. That's, that's tens of millions of people that said, like, you know, we, uh, we're on this team and it's kind of dangerous for people who even disagree with him or those people to just demonize them to such a degree that we can't engage anymore. Right. 100%. It's one reason why I cite the Jonathan Haidt thinking so heavily is that, you know, I obviously did not think Donald Trump was a good president in the election.

00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:50,000 Um, but, but, uh, but of the 71 million people who voted for him, uh, you know, you have to listen and respect, dig in and hear it. And what, what I'm hearing more and more, Tom, is just that people don't believe that our institutions are actually working for them. And by institutions, you certainly have government at the front of the list, but you'd put media in that list. You know, you might throw, um, unfortunately, um, hospitals, doctors, scientists, experts,

uh, educators, like, like you name it, everyone's dubious. When I looked at the numbers, because I'm a numbers guy and all that, like the, I think the most trusted institution in American life still is the military. It's like the last thing that people are like, yeah, that, that, that does more or less what it's supposed to do. I mean, even the military has had problems, but, you know, it's like, like, if you look at the public trust in it, it's actually still holding up better than, let's say Congress. Congress has a 21% approval rating.

So there, there are a lot of folks who see in Trump, like a big, uh, FU to these institutions that, uh, are not working for them, their families, their communities. And there, there has to be a real challenge for folks who went the other way to be like, okay, like, why is it you all don't think shit is working? And my observation, Tom, is that they don't think shit is working because shit is not working for them. Genuinely, like you go to some of these towns and you're like, this place like used to have a plant used to, you know, used to manufacture something or used to have like a particular

source of vitality and jobs. And then let's say that source is dried up and then your kid left and the people that are still there are struggling with addiction and other things. And then someone comes and says, like, hey, you know, vote for this and like, oh, fuck you. You know, I mean, that, that's like a reaction that more and more Americans are having. Yeah. I mean, you know, I just kind of go, I don't know, because I think it was kind of the natural thing for a while to be like, are you out of your mind to somebody who was supporting Trump, let's say, and then you, you know, you have legit critiques.

Like they're obviously like, there are, they come with tremendous merit and facts behind them. And then every time it's, you're done doing it, you're like, oh, that, like, like you said, it's not going to change that person's mind. And it just feels like the divide is greater. But like things that you're saying right now make you go, okay, you have to make, it is better to try to understand it. It's not as easy as saying like, these are just uneducated bigots, you know, like it's 71 million people, man.

Yeah, it's a lot of people. I will say too, like the big lesson I got to is that I thought, and I, you know, I got this wrong. So I thought there were a lot of people who voted for Trump the first time who were like, yeah, you know, like, like this isn't really how we govern. And he's just kind of sticking it to folks. Right, right. And by the way, so I'm going to be like, oh, wait, like that's not good. I mean, I had the anecdotal accounts of this where you had like the 80 year old grandma

in Missouri who voted for him in 16. And was like, this is terrible. Yeah, I want to vote against this guy. So, so that was my thesis going in. Was that like a significant number of people who voted for him in 16 were souring on him? Yeah, of course. I mean, a lot of people that are like, even have been lifelong Republicans. Like, I know, I know, I own family uncles who were like, who just go like, this is they

reached a breaking point. They're like, this is enough. Like this is like, he's too chaotic. I don't like the way he's treating people. I don't like the way he's governing. And he's, you know, it's a mess the way to you to borrow from him. He's a mess, Andrew. Trump is a mess.

So like people were saying that and you're like, okay, I just thought more people would think that way. Yeah, exactly. And so the fact that his vote count went up so significantly where I think it went out by, like you said, I think it went up from maybe 65 million to 71 million or so. So you have to reckon with the facts like, wow, six million Americans more than in 2016 said, like, yeah, this guy's really got his shit together. Yeah, this is awesome. Yeah.

Or it was just like a statement of values and like allegiance in a particular way, because I think one of the problems we're having is that we're seeing things through like a lens of cognition where it's like, I'll sit down, I'll reason with you. I'll be like, Hey, this guy's not a very good president. And people are operating through like a different lens or from work than cognition. They're doing it based upon emotion or allegiance or tribalism or like association or something. Or in some cases still, and this is something I really think the Democrats need to work on, dig into it.

It was like a version. It was like a version to something that the Democrats seem to stand for in their minds. And that to me was like a very hard lesson is that I saw Trump's election in 2016 as a result of deep rooted rot. But I also thought a significant number of people would have seen what happened over the last number of years and said, okay, like this is not the solution. Like this is not actually going to help my cause. And the fact that his vote total went up so significantly and Democrats lost last I checked

seven incumbent seats, they did not expect that. They expected to be plus five to 15, not minus five. What's, you know, that's like a, that's a massive swing. It's a massive swing. What's your analysis of like as a party, like why is their message not connected? I mean, I've heard a lot of people say, you know, well, a message can't be like anti-Trump is not a message, you know, like, is it, is it that is that they're not putting a message forward that's clear that people go like, oh, this is what this stands for?

Because that shouldn't, I mean, a lot of people think that that wouldn't happen. And my critique has been that the Democratic Party needs to focus on things that are going to actually touch you, touch your life, improve your life. And my chosen policy for that is cash and still is cash. Yeah. You know, right now my organization, Humanity Forward is lobbying for cash relief. We should have had cash relief all throughout this pandemic. It's, it's truly tragic that we haven't.

What went out to a stimulus check or two, right? Wasn't that what was? Yeah, a stimulus check of $1,200 went out in April. And now it's November. I mean, like any economist looks at it and says like, hey, you should have been doing a lot more than this stock market has been pricing in another trillion. It's just DC is stuck and dysfunctional. I talk to several members of Congress every day now because I'm trying to help get something passed.

That's how cool I am, Tom. You're very cool. Those members of Congress would be like, yo. Yo, what's up, man? So, so when you, when you ask like, you know, the Democratic Party messaging, it's a Democratic Party just needs to get down to brass tax in a way that people can touch and feel. And if it, I think the best way is cash.

Yeah. I think that the Democratic Party making its case for people like that who feel left out, more and more Americans just feel left out. And the tough part now is that the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are both being increasingly defined by urban versus rural and like diverse and cosmopolitan versus more homogeneous. And it's toxic. It's awful.

You know, I spent a significant portion. Not that much. I mean, I spent weeks, maybe months in Iowa the last two years, because I was running for president and that's where we hang out a lot. And I was a traditional per, I got places in every place. I just said I'd be imbueded when I was there. Okay. All right.

But, but I developed a real affection for Iowa. It's, you know, it's a great place and the people are great. And Iowa went from being really purple like Obama wanted in 2012 as an example to plus eight for Trump. And that was after a plus nine and 16. Like it's gone red. And like that to me should be like a major challenge for the Democratic Party to be like, how is it that we're losing a place we won eight years ago by such a wide margin?

And, and a lot of folks around the country would be like, well, it's because a race erases them. And then I remind them that's like, like freaking a black dude won this place eight years ago. You know, did they just know that like not notice, you know, like they were voting for a like, wait, that guy's black in 2012. Yeah. And, and so, so that's like the, the simplistic answer that unfortunately, I think way too many people are embracing. And, and that answer leads us to greater division because then you just give up and are like,

well, you know, it's like, if, if you have, you know, folks in the rural areas, like there's not a vote for our people and like blah, blah, blah, it's like, well, you know, you mean you kind of prove that wasn't the case not that long ago. And things are getting worse for many, many people in those towns. You know, when I was in Iowa, I talked to them. I was talking to a doctor there and he said, hey, when people get sick here in Iowa, they lose their jobs because that happens, you know, and then when they lose their jobs, they lose their health insurance.

And then they show up to me, the town doctor, and I'm like, hey, you're not insured. And then they often expire before they can like get new coverage, you know, the form of government aid. And so he was like, this is totally messed up. Yeah. And there's a family doctor in Iowa. And I was like, that sounds deeply fucked up like that. That's what's going on.

Of course. So that, so there are real problems. And the bigger problem is that like the folks who are living these problems, just don't believe in us anymore, especially if Democrats come in and message around values. It's like, look, I'm a decent person and fairness and the rest of it. It's like, I mean, I like decency and fairness, but, you know, like, and some, you know, Democrats are fighting for health care improvements in a way that would touch

that person's life. We just need to like, the tough thing time is like, if you were to say to someone's like, hey, do you want to have health care for that farmer or whatever? And it'll be like, yes. But then if you say, hey, do you want socialized medicine, then they'll flinch and cringe because they've been trained to hate that by Fox. And there's so it's like branding and like, and wording that that is effective, essentially, right?

Like saying like socialized men and people like, that's a bad thing. And this is back to the Jonathan hate argument, which I believe is correct, especially now, where what's happening is we're now charging words and terms positively and negatively in various ways. And then like arguing about the terms and it gets us nowhere. Like no one really wins. Yes. And one thing that Republicans are awesome at is naming stuff, things that you like or

dislike. Like they renamed the estate tax the death tax. And we're like repeal the death tax. And yeah, death tax, suck. But then you're like, hey, should really rich people just be able to like, you know, give all their stuff tax, read their kids, people like, I don't know about that. Like, you know, if you call it the death tax, though, it seems terrible, or they renamed anti-union rules right to work rules.

And then I was like, yeah, right to work. Like they're really, really expert and naming stuff in a way that helps make their case. And Democrats are less good at that. Yeah. Like death tax doesn't like you call it the rich kid tax. All of a sudden everyone will be like, nah, we don't want no rich kids. Yeah, right. It really does.

It is kind of a rich kid. I mean, but they won that one. Like they actually did greatly, greatly reduce the estate tax. Yeah. Don't you feel like there's a little bit to what we're talking about with, I don't know if you saw the Bill Maher clip that went like pretty viral where he was basically criticizing some of like, I guess you would call it like the branding of the Democrat Party saying like, well, you know, like if we're so hyper focused on like

using, like making sure someone's woke and using the right woke term, that's almost a distraction from what you're trying to accomplish as a party. And like what your, you know, what your agenda is. If you're all caught up on, did you use the right acronym or this term? That can be a distraction too. Not that like you should ignore, you know, being decent and civil and respecting people and speaking the right way. But like if you're, if that's such a big thing for you that like somebody didn't say the word

of the day, then that almost fires up. I think, you know, the right even more to go like, look at this nonsense and it's effective. It's one reason why I was focused on something that would have a direct and concrete impact on folks like cash. Yeah. Because I think that we've gotten distracted, like you said, by various conversations that aren't addressing the fact that entire community is way of life and getting worse and disintegrating for years, decades in some cases.

And that's the problem in my mind. Like if you address that problem, then it becomes easier to start thinking about other problems, but you should definitely start there. And there's part of me, Tom, that feels like we're almost purposefully being distracted. It's like we're all just running around like, you know, like, like he's saying, the China, certainly under Trump and the media, like so guilty of this or anything Trump did. Everyone's like, you see what he said? You see what he said?

And he's like, come on. I mean, it's a distraction. Yeah. Yeah. And so we like the fundamental inequities have been getting worse for decades. And what's wild, Tom's, I had this experience too. It's like, you know, like I ran for president and I genuinely believe that giving everyone money is the way to go.

Like, and I think we're going to get there now. 55% of Americans are for it now. It wasn't like that when I was running. Yeah. I guess that was, you know, it's like a result of the last few months. 74% are for cash relief during the pandemic. I mean, cash is the answer. And I felt this way, obviously, the whole time.

But if you reflect back, and I don't know when you first heard about me in the campaign, I think you and I have some friends in common. Yeah. But it's like, it was pretty far out when I first arrived on the scene. You know what I mean? Like it wasn't a terribly mainstream idea. Universal basic income. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Universal basic income. Yeah. Like this guy's out of his mind. How's it going to get, how are we going to, like you've pointed out, like, where are we going to get the money? You know, like, like that, that's so crazy to come up with this money to send out.

But like, we definitely have enough money to pay for it. We just did it, which is a great point. And we also, I don't know, it's funny when people go, where are we going to get the money? They only ask that on certain proposed spending of money. Other times it's just like, of course we have the money. Yeah. And the argument I made was like, look, do you remember voting for the $4 trillion

bailout on Wall Street during the financial crisis? Yeah. You know what I mean? Like no one was like, where do you get the money then? Or even the CARES Act that passed unanimously. Like the headline was $2.2 trillion, which by they could fund something like $1,000 a month for all Americans. How would they have reduced some math?

Okay, go ahead. Like, I think that that pays for about a year's worth for everyone. If they just turn around and gave it to us. So this is another thing that most people don't realize, Tom. So people got $1,200, they were like, oh, that's great. You know, that $1,200 might have added up to something like six or seven percent of the total $2.2 trillion. The vast majority of the money did not go to us.

It went to corporations. Let's call it 80 percent plus like went to corporations. And that cash relief portion was very, very small. Most people don't actually sit there and do the math to figure that out. Yeah. And that's of course like very depressing to hear that the money didn't go. Because there is nothing like it is awful to consider poverty in general. It's a horrible, horrible reality.

But when you consider that like this year, you have people that want to work, can work, were working, and they're just in even a position where they're just like, it's not even an option anymore. Like you can't, you can't even do anything. And like, how do you get by? I mean, it's just got to feel like the emptiest feeling you can have. Yeah. For millions of Americans, over 10 million Americans, you have eight million Americans

who've fallen into poverty over the last number of months. And if you think about the industries and occupations that are impacted, it's restaurants and servers and bartenders and cooks. But it's also personal trainers, airline attendants, yoga instructors, security guards, anything that touched live music, concerts, conventions, events, comedy, comedy clubs. You know, like the ripple effects just go on and on, hotels. Like, so we have so much work to do to try and actually get us back on our feet. And the thing that breaks my heart is that of the 10 million plus who lost their jobs,

who know fault of their own, like these are, for the most part, people that did not have like a ton of cushion, right? I mean, like, like you, you have folks who are the best situated who life, I mean, life is inconvenient, but like you have the folks who are the worst situated and it's like existential crisis after crisis, you know, eviction and ability to pay for gas or food or fuel. I mean, like the rest of it's just, it'd be very angry. And then, you know, you have our government unable to do what virtually every other developed country's government has done during this time.

So in that environment, like, you know, it's so crazy that I feel like we're inducing craziness, you know, it's like, yeah, like we're making it easier to be unreasonable. And that is, that's a terrible state of affairs. Yeah, it is terrible. But you feel like we are actually getting closer to Congress kind of coming on board with this, right? This is within reach. Well, I'm working on it every day. I think there's going to be a relief bill of some kind, certainly in the new year,

because after Joe gets sworn in, and Congress gets sworn in, they'll hammer out some. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You got to count the legal votes first, buddy. Don't give me the shit about Joe getting sworn in. Go ahead. Like I was saying, Tom, so there'll be a relief bill of some kind early next year, which is way too late, you know, like, I mean, it should have passed months ago. There will be a cash component of that.

And one of the things I'm working hard on is making the cash component bigger and more central. In my mind, the cash component should be the bread and butter of this whole thing. Because if you get money into people's hands, I was talking to a very senior economist, who I won't name, but he was like, you know, he was in charge of a lot of stuff. And he said one of the great things about cash relief is that you put money into someone's hands. And you're guaranteed that the worst case scenario is that they're just going to stick it in the bank and then spend it later. Like that's like the worst case scenario.

And what's going to happen the vast majority of the time is they're just going to spend it immediately. So he said, like, that's a pretty good solution. Because a lot of the other things you're going to try, you're going to apply money into institutions and environments where you're actually kind of guessing. And the fact is right now, if I apply millions of dollars into like a medium sized company, is that company going to lay off fewer workers? You know, I mean, you can try and tie it to various conditions. Sure.

And that's what you try and do. But there are a lot of these environments where it's actually somewhat unclear. Like you have to kind of hope. And if you put money into people's hands, you're pretty confident that that person's going to spend it or worst case saving, spend it later. And let's not forget also that like that's the economic benefit of doing this, like to that person's life and the environment. But there's also, I think, that that factor of if you're one of somebody who really needs

that relief and that check comes to you that you have cash in hand, what that does to so many people's emotions, you know, like like like your own mind and emotion and your household and your family, you know, to feel that relief, it is you can't even almost put a price on that. You know, when you're struggling and you get a check, that feels it's an amazing feeling. It's like a boot comes off your throat. Yeah, you know, we can we can really help people feel like they have a future, like that their kids are going to be all right. I mean, it's in our ability to do this.

So I'm fighting for it every day. Tom, I am optimistic. Certainly the will of the people is there. If anyone's really into this and they want to help our websites, movehumanityforward.com. And then you can keep track of what we're doing and lend a hand. But we're working on it all the time. We have some other fun cooking, too. But it's all about cash.

I mean, I am heading to Georgia. I'm going to be high. But like in that case, our organization is supporting other orgs. It's fun having an org. I got to say, Tom, you know, you run for president and then people can get into it. And then you wind up with all these people that are excited about stuff you're doing. So it's it's incredible to be able to be able to have an impact in various ways. Can I ask you this about because I actually realized that I don't think I've ever

spoken to somebody that's run for president that like when you when you when you actually make the decision to say, I'm going like I'm actually going to write like, now it's just to consider what you're going. I'm doing it. Does it feel crazy that you're saying I, you know, I could be president of the United States? Is it like a surreal feeling? Yeah, it was surreal. And it was difficult because you would say those words.

I'm running for president to folks that know you and they are like president of what? Yeah. Or whatever it has to be. And then you're like president of the United States. Yeah, not of the book club. And so there was like a real uphill battle for months because I filed a paperwork in November 2017 and then announced in February of 2018. And no one gave a shit about like the 2020 race in early 2018.

And so there was approximately a year of my just being like, I'm running for president and then people are like, are you now? So it required like a real belief and fortitude and to some extent, like a kind of laissez faire attitude where it's like, yeah, you know, don't take too seriously. I mean, one stupid story I tell that might be indicative is that I had an event at one of my boys school. There was like a book thing and I wrote a book. And so I was like, I'll do this event at the school.

And I thought it might be good to like, you know, let folks in the community know what I was doing. And like no one showed up. And then the following year, people, you know, when it became like a campaign that everyone was reading about the news and whatnot, people who were other parents in the school were like, oh my gosh, like that thing was real because I guess they got the message. Did you but when you when you go to those early events, like I wonder about this and like the school or something and no one shows up, would you feel dejected? Would you be like, I don't know if I should keep doing this?

I'm a human being. So certainly there were times where I was like, well, that's not very cool. But but I'm also an entrepreneur and when you're an entrepreneur, you you set yourself like a goal and a timeline. And I set out said, look, I'm running for president. That means I'm going to be at this through, you know, in my mind, it was, you know, 2020. And so anything that happens to me between now and 2020 is just part of the the story, the building process.

And and so no matter what you did to me during those two years, I was just going to be like, whatever, like, you know, I'm and and I knew that going in, like when you flip that switch and decide to do it. And it's not that dissimilar from if you start a business, let's say I started a business and it was like Andrew's cupcakes, which would be a terrible business because, you know, I'm shit for baking. Anyway, like it and and then you money from people, which I did not not big money, but like I went to my friends and was like, hey, I'm running for president,

like donate, you know, some money and then some of them donated like, you know, $1,000 to $2,000 that then if you take someone else's money for your presidential campaign or Andrew's cupcakes, then you essentially forfeit the ability to to be negative for those right couple of years. You know what I mean? Like because like, let's say if you invested in Andrew's cupcakes and then I go to someone and be like, try my cupcakes and they like spit them out. They're like, oh, these are terrible.

Then you can't be like, oh, like, well, I guess I quit. Yep, I'm done. Yeah, you have to be like, well, shoot, I should improve the cupcakes. Yeah. I'd be like, hey, Andrew, I gave you thousands of dollars for these goddamn cupcakes. Just make better cupcakes, man. Jesus. Well, part of it to Tom, I'll tell you what the real thing was like the real thing that

does make me yourself conscious is you have a team around you. Yeah. So imagine like having these idealistic folks working for the campaign and then show up to event like no one's there. And so I'm certainly not allowed to be sour because if I'm sour, then the people that were working with me will be like abandoning shit right and left. That's a good point. And if anything, and if there's anyone's fault that no one showed up to the event,

it's my fault for not being cooler, you know what I mean? So that there's like no one to look at. That's a good point. It would be like if it would be like if a comedian showed up to a club and then like no one had come to the community to start like yelling at his team. It's like, what the hell are you talking about? Be funnier. Well, I know quite a bit of comedians that could listen to that advice.

A lot. So one other thing I wanted to touch upon with regard to Trump and his, you know, presidency coming to an end here is that I'm going to bet. I don't know if you would agree with me. I'm going to guess that he is not going to follow in the tradition of past presidents who upon the day of departure go, I had my time. It is now your time and I will step back and retire, you know. So they will probably set up like a replica of the Oval Office.

Yes. And then have him sit there. Yes. And then just like film it and it'll be like this kind of weird phantom parallel universe where he's still depressed. Is it? Is there some responsibility? Is there responsibility of at least the major outlets to not cover

everything he does post presidency? Because I feel like coverage of what he does and says at every moment does further that divide and make things more volatile. And I think that like if he's, you know, your presidency is over, you know, covering it as if it, if it were, you were a president is not fair to even the whole general public. So that was Trump as candidate and the media networks covered him way much. I think I saw one story that said they gave him a billion dollars worth of coverage and it helps get him elected. Then he becomes president and then they cover everything he does and then you're like, okay,

he's the president. So I guess, you know, you can't fault a news station for just talking about everything he says and does. Then he leaves at that point, you have to draw a line and say like, hey, is it really newsworthy? Exactly. What the former president is tweeting about or doing. I certainly hope that networks move on from Trump. One tough truth though, Tom, is that Trump has been very, very good for a lot of businesses, a lot of ratings.

And so there's going to be a temptation for them to reach back because covering some Biden industry panel is going to be much less interesting than covering Trump's latest ramblings. So there is a line to be drawn though. I hope that the media does move on because a lot of Americans are ready to move on. I mean, what are we going to do to fixate on this guy? That's what I'm saying. Yeah, it's like there's got to be an end to it at some point.

Are you, are we going to see you in the Biden administration? Can I ask? You're on the spot with Tom's news. Are you going to be? That's why everyone should be looking to you for their news. I know, I know. Tom, I only hear it here. So, I mean, I'm talking the administration.

I've got a, you know, like certainly a willingness to serve. There may be different paths for me in terms of service, but I'm going to do something that I think is going to have a positive impact because we really need it, Tom. I mean, again, these 71 million Americans, like the tens of millions who are suffering right now, like I ran president because I genuinely thought that things were not going well for a lot of people and I could do something about it. And my sense of that is higher now than it was. So this isn't a time for Andrew to be like, oh, you know, like a mission accomplished type of

shit. It's like, like the urgency is higher, not lower. So I should be making a decision and have something out in the world about my next steps relatively soon, I would say, you know, like the next number of probably like some time around, you know, the holidays. But I've got a, I've got like a fire burning where like I need to freaking help move us in the right direction because things are going terribly. Yes.

Will you give us the exclusive when you make that announcement? Be back on your podcast. You know, I think I owe some other folks that. Come on, man. So other people were there for me when I was running, Tom. I was there. I was there. Look at your DMs.

Look, I think it's just, it would, it is a great thing that we have you seriously in society and, and dedicating yourself and committing to like improving society and humanity. It's a rare thing. So I think it's, I want you to stay in administrations and run for office because I mean, I connect to you much more so than I have any other guy that looks like my dad or uncle. So, so I'm very hopeful that you keep, you know, in what you're doing. Oh, thanks, Tom. That means a lot.

You know, I feel like a natural kinship with you and a lot of the folks who do what you do for a living. And I'm not going anywhere because our kids aren't going anywhere. You know, I mean, like, what choice do you have really? Like, you know, we have to make these things better or just so sure I can be like, well, I guess we're, you know, only going to hell in a hand basket. And like, and I'm now one of the, you know, relatively small number of people. You may be one too, who actually might be able to help. Generally, because like a lot of folks will not be able to change our course.

But I feel like I might be able to, you might be able to some of the people that we know might be able to. And so it's, it's kind of a jerk move to walk away from that. That responsibility, if you feel or opportunity, like if you feel you can make a difference. So don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. Good. My kids, I used to joke all the time, like my kids are not very rugged. So like, we need to make things better because they're very, very poorly in the country that

is turning itself apart. Yeah. Oh, I'm glad to hear that. Let me ask you, everyone wants to know, are you going to drop the turkey slicer on Vince McMahon in the WWE? That's a famous wrestling. Practices of the WWE are so wrong. And they have been wrong for a long time, decades really.

And it was almost somewhat justifiable when they were like coming up and, you know, it was like this kind of carny roots business. But now it makes zero sense when you're like a multi-billion dollar public company, you know, one of the top rated shows on TV and you're still calling people independent contractors. Now he's restricting them from twitch and cameo. Are you kidding me? And at least one of the wrestlers just got fired for tweeting.

She had previously, yeah, she had just tweeted something that seemed like pro union organized labor and then she gets fired. And like, is that a coincidence? I mean, like, tell me other performers aren't looking at and being like, huh, like maybe I should not say a word about unions because then they just might fire me too. So I'm optimistic that the time for examining the WWE's labor practices is way overdue when it will happen under this administration. And I do have the ability to help on that score.

You know, either I'm going to be in a role where I might be able to do it. But at a minimum, I can just call someone in the administration because it's a small world at this point, you know, like I know enough people where I'm like, hey, like get me the, you know, national labor relations board or the labor secretary on the phone. So it's coming. You know, I mean, I hope that they do the, I mean, there's no evidence of this. I was going to say, I hope they do the right thing even before we get there.

But doesn't seem like that's where the, where it's going if they're firing people and doing these twitch restrictions right now. You hear that, Vince McMahon? You hear that? You're going to be covered in Turkey. Sorry. Go ahead. It's coming.

Like it's, it's just right. You know, I can't tell you how many former performers and current performers have reached out to me and be like, yo, if you can do something about it, that would be straight up because they know they're getting exploited. But it's very, very hard for them to do anything about it because he holds all the cards. Of course. And there's other, I mean, other multi-billion dollar, I would say, sports entertainment franchises that could be encouraged to do more of the fair thing.

But I'm very happy that you're, you're, you're going to tackle that as well. Before you go here, will you let me know what's, what you're going to be doing down in Georgia? I know we have the big state runoff coming up. Are you going down there to like, you know, register more voters or encourage people or what's, what's the plan? Yeah, I'm going to go down and try and activate energy around voting because a lot of people still are unregistered and a lot of people registered, but they think the election's over and I think that's it.

Yeah. So I've gotten an event with young people who are in high school, some of whom might have turned 18. So that's very exciting. I've got an event with the WNBA. That's super fun. I'm supposed to see my friend Dominique Wilkins. The man, the human highlight reel?

00:51:18,480 --> 00:51:18,800 Yeah. And then I know you and I are the age where we understand that. Nick is like an all-time great dude, like have these images of him cramming on people in our minds. I have an event with, with some Asian American leaders and Asian Americans are 4.7% of the vote in Georgia. So I'm just going to be doing things that, that can help animate voters there.

Probably have some social media from there too. So that folks will be like, what's going on? They'll be like, oh, yeah, he's in Georgia. Why, why do I care? And then be like, oh, it's because the Senate hangs the balance. And one of the things I've been saying to myself is if you give Washington an excuse, it'll take it. You know what I mean?

Like if they're looking at each other being like, well, it's the other guy's fault, then we could be waiting for cash relief and everything else for a longer time. Whereas if you clear excuses out, then maybe we have a chance to get something done that will actually help people that are listening to this. Wow. So if people want to get involved anyway, is it move humanity forward? Yeah. The organization is called Humanity Forward, but our website is movehumanityforward.com.

And we've always working on something. You can get involved as a volunteer. You can just put down your email address and donate money, like whatever you want. And we also have a relief effort where we've given $10 million to struggling American families. Thank you donors. Really. Wow. It's not so cool what you can do.

So we've given $10 million to about 20,000 families. So it averages out to about $500 each. And so we're working with an Oracle 1K project to do that now. So if you want to donate to struggling families, you can do that. You can also, if you're an employer, you can sponsor family to receive that money because of a change in circumstance on the part. So we like to walk the walk. Like I'm trying to get a lobby for cash relief,

but it's easier to lobby for cash relief if you demonstrate that that's what you're doing too. That's incredible, man. You're doing amazing work. It's really, I don't know, it's encouraging. It makes me feel good that there's people out there like you thinking like that. So we can donate on that site just to help struggling families. This is not a political thing. If you just want to help people who need help, you can just go there and donate.

Yeah. If you're going to movehumanityforward.com and then you click through the 1K project, you can just give money to, you can actually even see the family that you're helping. So there are ways to help. We certainly need to keep this movement growing because the problems are getting worse, not better. Just like the way we opened up this conversation, Tom. But don't worry about it. When everyone's coming to you for their news, everything will be better.

They'll just turn off. I'm so happy. And one American network. That you have finally acknowledged the great newsman that I am. And I feel like it's finally making its way through the channels that this is the place to go. Yes. Come here. Come to the cave. Look at this. Look at this, man.

Do some, some interversal action. That's why they keep me around. Are you, before you leave, are you very stoked about the possibility of James Harden going to Brooklyn Nets? I am stoked about it because, you know, like I'm a, I'm a Nets fan. I think it'd be fun and good for the league. I will say that if I'm Houston, I probably don't just do that because he wants you to. Because he's got two more years on his deal. You might be able to max out his value in a particular way.

I really do like the Nets players that would be going to Houston. I think Karis Laverne and Dinway are both very good. But if you're the Rockets, you might think you can get some more value. So I don't know how it plays out. But if it, if it does end up that hardens on the Nets, I think it's going to be the story. I'm also a Steve Nash guy too. I met Steve Nash a while back in New York City. So, you know, it'd be a fascinating story.

And the East needs like a super team like that. You know what I mean? I mean, you've got like the super Lakers coming. That would be a clash of the ages, like the super Lakers against the super Nets. Though the way we're describing this to you and I grew up in an era where it wasn't super team versus super team. I do kind of miss that a little bit. Like when, when we grew up, you know, I was telling somebody,

because there was a period where I didn't follow like any of the like NBA stuff. And they were like, why? I was like, you know, when I was a kid, it was like, you know, Isaiah and you knew that that was a piston and Clyde Drexler and, you know, Jordan and, and like everybody had like, I don't know, their, their identity. It was like, it really was like teams would stay teams for a long period of time. I mean, like, you know, the business and the game changed. And I want to say that I feel like baseball was kind of like that first of just like,

you know, super signing, like huge caps and making a super team. But it's just different now. It is different. Guys just switch all over the place and it is what it is, you know. Yeah, it is different. You got to try and not be a funny daddy being like in my day. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It is true, man.

And like the nine, but in the nineties, it was, you know, I loved those next teams. It was like, not just Ewing, but Starks and Oakley and Mason and dude. And those teams were like straight up and all those dudes. They're like, we're going to, we might, if we lose this game, you're going to have teeth knocked out of your mouth like during the game. Like they were such a physical team. Yeah. And it was, it was gritty and it felt like it had an identity that was aligned

with the New York market and whatnot. So those are the times that I remember fondly where, but you know, like I'll be psyched for super team nets too. You probably go watch a game as we win the title in 2020. Bold predictions there. Bold predictions. You don't just get hard hitting news here on Tom YMH talks. You also get sports predictions.

Is that 2021? I'm trying to do this. Yeah, I wouldn't start then. Dude, it's so crazy. You know, when you're a comic, your agents hit you up with offers for like, for shows, right? So they'll go like, Hey, you have an offer to do, you know, this Phoenix venue. And so, and usually it'll be like in six months or nine months. I am booked through 2022 and I get emails.

It'll be like, Hey, so Philly's confirmed for, for November. I'm like, for November. And they're like, for November of 2022. You have a, you have a week of work. And I'm like, what? It just feels, it feels freaky. It's just weird, you know? Well, good for you, Tom.

Thanks. Exciting. And by the way, I'll leave tickets at every show until you come. Just like in those movies where they're like, where's my dad? I will hit you up, man. I'm going to surprise you. You know what? I will come if you let me just randomly pop on stage and, and just like amuse everyone

for like, like 10 confused seconds. And then I'll like walk on off. So that'll be a done deal. So if you go to Tom Segura's shows, you should know that eventually Andrew Yang is going to just pop up at one of them. Nice. You have an open offer. You have an open offer.

Absolutely. Anytime you want, man. Anytime you want. Thank you very much for your time today, man. I really, I really enjoyed talking to you. Thank you so much, Andrew. You too, Tom. Be well.

Stay safe. And you know, like see you at the club in November 2022. Sounds good. Count the votes, bro. You got to count the votes. Bye, guys. Bye, man. Count it, you better know more That you won't turn no more

That you won't turn no more Count it, you better know more That you won't turn no more That you won't turn no more Hi, thank you for watching that episode of your mom's house. Please continue to watch more. You can see all these were my hands gesturing you to click on those and please subscribe if you have not yet and subscribe button and then we'll get your money. Thanks.