Special Edition: Spread the Word

January 14, 2026

Dear friends of this newsletter. I ask for a few minutes of your time to discuss the mission and future of this newsletter. And, in case you are wondering, this is NOT a plea for paid subscriptions, so please read on. And “No,” I am not changing anything about the newsletter.

Here’s my request: Please help expand the reach of this newsletter by sharing the newsletter within Substack and on other social media platforms (Facebook, BlueSky, Instagram, Threads, etc.)

Why am I asking for your help to expand the newsletter’s reach?

The mission of this newsletter is to bring perspective, calm, and hope to the day’s events in order to keep anxious and exhausted Americans committed and engaged in the fight to preserve democracy. I am hopeful about our nation’s future, and I think you should be, too. The further that message spreads, the more likely we are to be successful in maintaining and strengthening our democracy. If you think the mission of this newsletter is important and helpful, please help me reach others who can benefit from its message of hope and encouragement.

The idiosyncratic mission and relatively small footprint of this newsletter put it at a competitive disadvantage in an “attention economy” that rewards glitz, glam, and soundbites. Dozens of news sources compete for your attention every day. If all this newsletter did was summarize the news, there would be no reason for it to exist. But because it looks at the news through the lens of hope, it isn’t for everyone, especially in an increasingly crowded landscape of newsletters, podcasts, and emerging “news bureaus.” Therein lies the problem.

Over the last two months, the newsletter has lost 800+ free subscribers. (Paid subscribers have remained steady during that same period.) The decrease of 800 free subscribers is a “net” figure, meaning that many more free subscribers have unsubscribed, offset by new readers. The sustained net loss is a highly unusual trend for this newsletter.

I have reached out to Substack to help understand what is happening and they have been helpful. After considering Substack’s input and speaking to dozens of readers, I think I know why the decrease in free subscribers is happening. But whatever the cause, the solution lies, in part, with the readers of this newsletter helping me to “spread the word!”

If you are interested in understanding what I believe is happening and how you can help, read on!

Point 1: Substack is becoming more successful, more crowded, and more persistent in seeking your attention.

At the outset, I want to be clear that I am not criticizing Substack. It has been a good home for this newsletter and for other pro-democracy authors. Given the moral collapse of major media, we are lucky that Substack exists. But its success has reshaped the news environment in unexpected ways.

New Entrants on Substack

Social media influencers with millions of followers on other platforms have figured out they can move to Substack and leverage their existing base of followers from a separate platform (something I do not have). Given Substack’s cross-promotion mechanisms designed to fuel growth, those new entrants appear as “recommendations” from multiple sources within Substack, crowding your inbox with pleas for attention.

The same applies whenever a major journalist or news anchor flees or is fired from their major media job. They find a home on Substack and immediately create large followings. I am not complaining. That result is good for them, for you, for democracy, and for Substack. A win-win-win-win proposition.

But the influx of social media influencers and former major media journalists makes it harder for the idiosyncratic mission of this newsletter to be seen and heard above the din. If I do nothing to promote this newsletter’s message, it will slowly drift down the Substack rankings, which will, in turn, reduce internal recommendations for my newsletter, making it more difficult for Today’s Edition to remain visible and continue its mission of engaging readers in the fight for democracy.

In the end, like it or not, I find myself in an environment where competing for attention is critical to this newsletter’s continued success. As explained in Point 2 below, I am working with several structural deficits that make it harder for me to compete with the new entrants on Substack.

Newsletter fatigue.

I have heard from dozens of readers that they are suffering from “newsletter fatigue” within Substack. Readers start out with a few newsletters, receive recommendations from others in the Substack ecosystem, and suddenly find themselves subscribed to dozens of newsletters. That overwhelms them, and they then cancel some or all their newsletters, including mine.

I suspect, but do not know, that other Substack publications may be suffering from the “newsletter fatigue’ phenomenon. When my readers describe newsletter fatigue, they mention canceling Substacks that send multiple alerts, mid-day updates, newsletters, and videos each day.

The proliferation of content by others creates an environment in which my newsletter is part of the overall “noise in the system.” As a result, we all suffer from newsletter fatigue—which I believe is the most significant reason for the decreasing trend in free subscriptions to Today’s Edition Newsletter.

Point 2: I must rely on your help because I do not have the same advantages as other Substack authors and outlets.

The above issues—new entrants and newsletter fatigue—are compounded by my low profile as a Substack author.

I am a one-person operation. I do not belong to any of the “affinity groups” that help other authors cross-promote—e.g., alumni of former administrations, cable news hosts, Never Trumpers, former journalists, and former US Attorneys. (Again, not complaining; members of those groups should cross-promote in whatever way they can. Many are providing a valuable service to our democracy.)

Moreover, for some time now, individual authors like me have been competing with “news bureaus” that have set up shop within Substack.

When I first began writing, Substack was a platform primarily populated by individual authors who used long-form essays to communicate with their readers. Now, many of the top outlets for political commentary on Substack include “news bureaus” or “author collectives” such as The Bulwark, Meidas Touch News, The Contrarian, Lincoln Square, and The Free Press. Those organizations have full-time staff members, multiple content creators, copy editors, advertising staff, digital marketing specialists, and interns.

Those outlets produce dozens of daily newsletters, posts, alerts, video interviews, and livestream events. Again, not complaining. I am making an observation about why the “solo author” model on Substack faces a tougher competitive challenge than before—at least for those of us without a second major presence on social media or network news.

In contrast (for those of you who may not know), I research, write, record, and publish Today’s Edition Newsletter on my own, seven days a week. My wife, whom I affectionately refer to as my Managing Editor, is an invaluable partner who helps me think through approaches to difficult issues, but she and I have full lives and family commitments outside the newsletter.

So, for those of you who wonder “How do you do it?” the answer is, “All by myself.” I am the researcher, writer, copy editor, sound engineer, photographer, consumer complaints department, and podcaster.

(Important note: I am not whining or complaining about being a one-person operation. The newsletter is an immense source of satisfaction and pride. It is important work that has changed and blessed my life—because of you! And, most importantly, together we are helping to save democracy!)

The fact that I do not spend time developing a major presence on other social media platforms is a choice I made when I joined Substack. Even thinking about “cross-posting” to other platforms or creating additional content makes my head hurt—and is not consistent with the newsletter’s mission of looking at the day’s news through the lens of hope with calm and perspective.

To preserve the newsletter you helped me build, and to continue to spread the word about the work that we must do to strengthen our democracy, I must become more active and intentional about leveraging other platforms to reach new audiences. Indeed, you may have noticed that I now “post” the newsletter to BlueSky each night.

But the harsh reality is that it is impossible for me (at this late stage) to build a significant presence on other platforms by merely posting Today’s Edition and hoping people stumble upon it.

That is where you come in—and why I am asking for your help.

The readers of this newsletter collectively have millions of followers and friends on social media. If you feel comfortable and motivated to do so, I would deeply appreciate your posting or recommending the newsletter on your social media platforms (except for Twitter). I am not asking you to post every newsletter, only those that speak to you or help you in a way that you believe could benefit others.

Restating the mission of the newsletter.

The mission of the newsletter is twofold: (1) I seek to bring perspective, calm, and hope to those who feel overwhelmed by the relentless news cycle; and (2) to keep anxious and exhausted Americans committed to the fight to preserve democracy.

Major media and social media thrive on a rage-induced clickbait format that exploits the “flight or fight” response. They are overwhelmingly cynical, negative, and pessimistic, while focusing on superficial details rather than trends and perspective, often reducing every story to the simple formula, “Does this help or hurt Democrats or Republicans?”

My “lens of hope” approach is not for everyone. Two weeks ago, a reader sent an email telling me to “stop with the hope and optimism stuff” and to “get tough” with my readers. I told the reader she was subscribing to the wrong newsletter and facilitated her transition to a Substack source that routinely predicts the end of democracy.

Doomsaying is not my approach and never will be. I am deeply committed to honesty and realism in reporting the news, but I part company with those who see every development as a sign of the apocalypse (to increase their “clicks” and subscribers).

I believe we will prevail in our effort to preserve democracy. It will not be easy, and things may get worse before they get better. But if we refuse to surrender and instead rise up by the tens of millions, we can determine the fate of our democracy. Our goal is to convince those who aid and abet the current president that the political consequences of continuing to support him are far higher than abandoning his reign of lawlessness.

I ask for your help in fulfilling this newsletter’s mission by spreading its message to family, friends, and followers on social media. You can help me expand the footprint of the newsletter in a way that I cannot do on my own.

Thanks for your continued support, community, and friendship. I am deeply honored to be on this journey with you! We will win, so long as we do not quit!

The Comment section of the special edition of the newsletter is open to everyone.