Andrew Yang was the unknown, unlooked for, and frankly well liked addition to the Democratic debate on Thursday night. Those who tuned in to see Yang had to go disappointed despite their fondness for him due to the fact that he wasn’t really the biggest fish in the pond…and the fact that MSNBC cut his microphone.

Yang made the claim on Twitter, setting off a firestorm of anger, and kicking off the #LetYangSpeak hashtag on Twitter.

“…I feel bad for those who tuned in to see and support me that I didn’t get more airtime. Will do better (my mic being off unless called on didn’t help) and glad to have another opportunity in July (and afterwards)!” tweeted Yang.

Second, I feel bad for those who tuned in to see and support me that I didn’t get more airtime. Will do better (my mic being off unless called on didn’t help) and glad to have another opportunity in July (and afterwards)! — Andrew Yang (@AndrewYang) June 28, 2019

To show proof that Yang did have his microphone cut, a short video was released showing the moment they cut his microphone while other Democrats were allowed to interject freely.

Yang appears to be polling well, but despite this, he was only given slightly over two minutes of talking time and was given two questions. Meanwhile, Michael Bennet was given five questions despite polling lower than Yang.

Here's a list of the candidates ordered by # of direct questions they were asked. Bear in mind these questions were determined in advance by NBC. Polling obviously influenced this, but Yang is outpolling half the candidates. Why did Bennet at 0.4% get 5 and Yang 2? #LetYangSpeak pic.twitter.com/Qw1ZmHxSCJ — Scott Santens (@scottsantens) June 28, 2019

While Yang may be liked, he’s not a key player within the Democratic party and thus is being shoved aside. The funny thing is that if he gains popularity and is caught being discriminated against by the mainstream media and the Democratic party at large, it could create something of a Ron Paul situation as some have pointed out. Of course, cutting Yang’s microphone will not help that situation at all, and will only create a Streisand effect that will amplify his voice even louder.

From what he demonstrated during the debate, he seems reasonable and approachable. A moderate in many cases and welcoming to people of various party affiliations.

And that’s exactly why the Democrat party overall will want to reject him as a potential candidate. As the radical parts of the Democrat party rule the roost, anything to the right of Marx is going to be seen as unacceptable.