595. Why Don't We Have Better Candidates for President?

595.为什么我们没有更好的总统候选人?

Freakonomics Radio

社会与文化

2024-07-04

1 小时 1 分钟
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单集简介 ...

American politics is trapped in a duopoly, with two all-powerful parties colluding to stifle competition. We revisit a 2018 episode to explain how the political industry works, and talk to a reformer (and former presidential candidate) who is pushing for change.
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单集文稿 ...

  • If you saw the recent presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, you may have found yourself thinking, really?

  • These are the two best candidates the United States has to offer.

  • How did that happen?

  • The episode youre about to hear can help explain how that happened.

  • The core of this episode was first published in 2018 during Donald Trumps presidency.

  • This is an update, but we've also added a new voice.

  • Andrew, it's Steven.

  • How are you?

  • Hey, Steven, how are you, my friend?

  • First of all, just introduce yourself, please.

  • I am Andrew Yang.

  • I'm an all around interesting bon vivant.

  • Andrew Yang has been on this show before.

  • The first time, it was in early 2019, in an episode we called why is this man running for president?

  • Yang did run as a Democrat in the 2020 election, and for a time, he was everyones favorite entrepreneur.

  • A businessman with a taste for policy research, he offered sharp diagnoses and prescriptions for some of our countrys biggest economic and social problems.

  • In support there arose a substantial Yang gang, and his campaign caught fire.

  • For a while, he made the big democratic debate stage in 2020, but ultimately, he flamed out.

  • In 2021, he ran for mayor of New York City.

  • He lost that election too soon after he left the Democratic Party and launched what is called the Forward Party.