While you are here, before you go

Please subscribe to Blue Walls for free as we get ready to try to save democracy this fall.

You don't know about me unless you’ve happened to see me on Twitter, where I’ve been LOLGOP back before the bags under my eyes were old enough to drink.

But as someone who tries to sustain my optimism through strategic pessimism, I have to think everything is about to get a lot worse. And I didn’t need a leak to know that.

Twitter probably be fine for boring white dudes like me but we know, at least, it’s going to be hell for trans people — since making the site hell for trans people is one of Elon Musk’s goals for trying to buy the site, along with generally trying to shift the world even more in favor of right-wing oligarchs like himself and possibly get some Tesla dealerships out of the deal.

Regardless, we may be separated soon, right at a key time — given that I’ve continually argued that the 2022 elections will decide if we have a free and fair election in 2024 or ever again.

So please subscribe to this newsletter — Blue Walls — for free.

I know what you’re thinking, or should be thinking: Substack! Aren’t they as bad as Musk, especially when it comes to feeding hate about trans people? Yeah, they’re not great. But they’ve got a simple interface and make it easy to build a mailing list that can move on with the author. Given the limited time I have now, as I’m spending a lot of my day taking care of a toddler, it’s my best option for now. I could easily find a new home, later. And if you subscribe now, you’ll be part of it.

In July, as the midterms and everything heat up, I will have more time.

Then I will start Blue Walls in earnest. The key to this effort will be specifically introducing and promoting the Blue Walls — candidates whose election will play an extraordinarily large role in preserving democracy — and help them win in any way I can through specific actions. And I’ll need your help.

There will also be some punditry and commentary, my unique sort of mix of blather, humor and history that you might know from Twitter, the Editorial Board, USA TODAY, Alternet, the New York Daily News, the Daily Nexus and The Chatsworth High Clarion.

But it will mostly — almost entirely — be about specific actions we can take to save democracy. I may charge for a premium subscription of some sort, but all of the actions we can take will be free. And sharing them in any way we can will be essential.

So if you haven’t already, please subscribe now:

Image by Rex Roof.