Six Months of Certain Thoughts

Thank You For Being a Part of This Dream

It was all a dream. A dream to win the 2024 election, back in August when anything was possible. Against all expectation, President Joe Biden dropped from the race and Vice President Kamala Harris surged in popularity. Political junkies like me all wondered: who would become her Vice Presidential nominee?

As a native Minnesotan, I have to admit I didn’t know all that much about Governor Tim Walz. He had been on my radar as an overperforming Democratic congressman from a purple district, and a decent but unremarkable governor. Then suddenly he was everywhere, calling Republicans weird and firing up the base with his proud record of progressive advances leading Minnesota. When Harris selected Walz to round out the ticket, for a brief and shining moment I felt like the party leadership had not only made the strategically correct choice—but had signaled a populist evolution in its approach to governance.

So I wrote about it, and I felt good enough about my work to submit it for publication. The Transformational Tim Walz was rejected by the usual suspects (The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times), so I turned to the most logical platform to self-publish my thoughts on Walz, Harris and the party’s future. I launched this Substack six months ago on August 20, 2024.

I am deeply grateful for every moment you spend reading Certain Thoughts. Attention is our most precious resource, so your focus here means the world to me.

Writing and publishing my first post felt so good that I decided to keep going. I branched out with a new weekly series, Trader Joe’s Tuesday Treats, and published personal essays and cultural commentary alongside my political posts. Something remarkable happened: you started reading, liking and restacking editions of Certain Thoughts. So I invested in my Substack—purchasing a writing desk, audio recording equipment, professionally branded graphic assets, and high-quality espresso and amaro to power me through the late nights.

This is a labor of love, but your support motivates me to keep writing and aim higher. I have been blown away by your response to Certain Thoughts. As of my six month substackaversary, more than 15,000 users have read my posts a total of 27,032 times. 468 subscribers include 9 paid supporters, collectively underwriting 26% of my initial investment launching Certain Thoughts for the first year.

I am deeply grateful for every moment you spend reading Certain Thoughts. Attention is our most precious resource, so your focus here truly means the world to me. To those who have generously supported my work with your paid subscriptions, I hope you feel that your money is well-spent. And to those who may consider a paid subscription going forward, thank you for investing in my work! If 30 new paid subscribers join in underwriting this Substack between now and August 20, you will fund the remaining 74% of Certain Thoughts’ inaugural startup costs. It’s like donating to Trump’s inaugural fund, but with fewer Nazi salutes.

Paid subscribers have underwritten 26% of my startup costs. Please consider joining my underwriting supporters.

Looking back at the past six months and ahead to the future, I have to give special recognition to my biggest supporters—my mom and my dad. In addition to their encouragement, both are brilliant writers and thinkers, contributing invaluable editing and general advice to this publication.

With my parents and their parents in mind, I have written at times about legacy, family, and the craft of writing itself. Everyone who participates in the creative exercise of this publication is a part of something deeply important and rewarding to me, so I want to thank you all again for giving me a few minutes of your time each week and tuning into Certain Thoughts.

ICYMI, check out these related essays:

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