Altruism in the U.S. 2020 Democratic Primary Election (Copy)

Altruism is defined as, “unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others.” Another source defines it as, “the fact of caring about the needs and happiness of other people more than your own.” The word altruism was introduced by French philosopher Auguste Comte as an antonym for egoism. Humans are largely, if not entirely, egocentric. We’re taught to, “watch our ego”, implying that it’s more common for it to inflate than deflate. In fact, the ego is so prominent in human psychology, that it’s questionable whether altruism is even possible because when we do something good, we receive the reward of gratification. So the act of wanting to do something good becomes immediately paradoxical.

Despite the altruism paradox, ethics are intrinsically tied to our political figures. Many, including myself, still look to altruistic figures to guide us and inspire us to grow. To become better people personally, and collectively. We still reserve hope for the idea that some virtuous figure will carry us into the future. This hope feels like the last thread keeping the Left together in the United States. It is a thread so ambiguous it has the online Left at each other’s throats in a passionate debate over Who Should Be Our Leader. It seems we’ve all chosen a side and will die defending it. I’m not in politics, so I can’t break down each candidate in a politically cohesive way, but I can glean astrological impressions of altruism in a natal chart.

In the latest episode of my astrology/current events podcast Astro Blast, I interviewed Democratic Strategist Ryan O’Donnell on how altruistic the candidates are on a scale of 1-10, and what their presidency could look like. Ryan has worked in several areas of Democratic campaigns and progressive organizations doing analytics, polling, and organizing. Since 2008, he has worked on numerous campaigns, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cynthia Nixon, and Barack Obama.

“On an altruism scale, I would probably rate all of the millionaires and billionaires pretty low […] regardless of how they’re doing or how I feel about them, so maybe like a 3. Unless they’re giving half their money to charity, they’ve gotta be pretty low for having that much money.”

Ryan applied this logic to candidates Andrew Yang, Tom Steyer, and Michael Bloomberg. Rooted in his unbiased perception of the candidates, Ryan scored Joe Biden a 6, Elizabeth Warren an 8, and Bernie Sanders a 9. Pete Buttigieg scored a 5, and Tulsi Gabbard received the lowest score, a 2.

“She had an anti-LGBTQ upbringing that she was very public about that, she kind of doesn’t talk about anymore. She recently voted ‘Present’ on Donald Trump’s impeachment. I think that she doesn’t have a lot of moral standing, and she will do whatever she thinks is best in the moment. She is all over the place like she literally talked about making sure that women had fewer abortions in the last debate that she was on. She’s kind of an enigma. She would not play nice with the Democratic Party, and that would be the most interesting thing to watch.”

Astrologically, the concept of Altruism can be tied to both Neptune and Uranus. Impacting the human collective through revolution, and disrupt, Uranus pairs more appropriately with political activity than Neptune, so I used Uranus specifically to root out altruism in the charts of each candidate.

*The astrological glyph for the planet Uranus*

Joe Biden [Uranus in Gemini on the Descendant in the 6th house, opposite the Sun, trine Neptune] This shows someone with altruistic leanings, or at the very least, someone who is willing to learn new things in hopes of eventually reaching an altruistic state. However he can be fickle, often attracted to acquiescence and approval. Biden could read as someone whose heart is in the right place and wants to invoke change, but may ultimately be too indecisive or hesitant to bring his ideas to fruition. But, he’s trying.

Elizabeth Warren* [Uranus in Cancer, conjunct the Sun, sextile Saturn] Warren reads as altruistic, emotional, warm, and nurturing. For Warren, collective change is the essence of her being. She is altruistic leaning with real skill in actually getting things done.
Bernie Sanders [Uranus in Gemini on the Descendant in the 7th house, conjunct Saturn, trine Mercury] This shows someone with not only a desire to connect to society and other people but also the eloquence and mental clarity to make that connection possible. His ideas are focused on the people, on [the idea of] partnership, on working together to inspire change, and he’s decisive and quick enough to heavily impact our current structures. Definitely altruistic leaning.
Pete Buttigieg [Uranus in Sagittarius in 11th house, conjunct the Moon, sextile Venus, sextile the Sun] This shows someone who is dedicated to helping the people, whose identity depends upon it, is fed by it on an emotional level, and values society. Compassion for humanity is a part of him. He has honesty in his mission, but perhaps lacks the tools to actually execute his ideas. I’d say Pete is altruistic in nature, but he is more suited for charismatic rallying than for executing change.
Tulsi Gabbard* [Uranus in Scorpio, sextile Jupiter] This shows someone with the desire to destroy constructs and birth new ones. Someone who is unafraid to use their power to knock down walls and build more. It can show someone who is unpredictable, prone to changing positions. She may have some ideas or motives that are perhaps darker or less seen by the general public. We know her to be a peculiar candidate with some contradictory policies, and she has flip-flopped on many positions, including gay marriage and abortion. We see her as a progressive candidate, but also a confusing one. Based on both Ryan’s political read on her, and astrology, I think it might be impossible to know just how altruistic she is or is not.
Andrew Yang [Uranus in Scorpio on the Midheaven in the 10th house, square the Sun, Moon, Mercury, and Mars] Yang’s Uranus shows someone driven either by career and money or by the desire to be recognized for his achievements. It shows that he is ready to knock down and restructure. But, his Uranus works against his own identity and emotional nature. He can’t properly articulate his methods or communicate them to the world. We see someone energetic, but perhaps too hasty or sloppy to lay the brick properly. Yang may be altruist leaning, but I think it’s difficult to know his real motive. Even he may not know.
Amy Klobuchar* [Uranus in Leo, sextile Mercury, trine Mars] She is vivacious and temperamental and seems to truly believe she’s the best thing for this country. She believes her ideas as THE ideas, and she will stop at nothing to prove it. She has the eloquence to communicate her ideas, but I don’t think that she’s primed for altruism, and I think she may be hazy on her own visions. I don’t know if she’s altruistic.
Michael Bloomberg [Uranus in Taurus in the 10th house, square the Sun, conjunct Mars and Saturn, trine Neptune] Bloomberg’s Uranus shows someone making waves in the financial world. The Mars and Saturn conjunctions show that he has plenty of energy and skill to make real this change, but perhaps under a false illusion, and misperception. How Bloomberg’s vision is perhaps less founded than he sees it. This chart doesn’t read to me as someone altruist leaning.
Tom Steyer* [Uranus in Leo, opposite Venus and Mars, trine Saturn] Steyer’s Uranus, like Klobuchar’s, shows someone with energy to act on their vision but is perhaps too dogmatic in its execution. His Uranus shows someone who finds a way to make his own path and incite changes that impact himself, but whether this can help the public is yet to be seen. I don’t believe his chart is altruist leaning.

*9 of the remaining 2020 United States Democratic Primary candidates*

Ryan has worked in politics long enough to know that despite the imperfect state of the United States’ political structure, despite candidates that rarely align perfectly with our own personal ideals, our votes still matter.

“I do understand some people’s sense of helplessness and frustration with the system. But at the same time, for someone that knows the consequences, I think it’s a tremendous sense of privilege to choose to not vote, even if it doesn’t quite fit exactly what you’re looking for. I think it’s very difficult to tell the mother of a child that got separated from her and put in a cage that you didn’t vote. Or tell a trans person who can get fired from their job for no reason that you didn’t vote. Or tell someone who has to drive eight hours to the nearest abortion clinic that you didn’t vote just because it wasn’t quite up to your standards. I do still understand that the system isn’t perfect, but I think that the Democratic party right now is the best vehicle for change in this country. Things change in this country because you vote, and you also do stuff in between elections, like movements. [This], and voting, is what makes things happen. I very much hope everybody votes.”

For a full list of Primary election dates by state, visit https://www.270towin.com/2020-election-calendar/

*Candidates with an unknown exact time of birth