The Year of Writing Dangerously

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I started this Substack one year ago today. It is grown over 50,000 readers and I am truly honored.

I did it for a lot of reasons. I was tired of the chase and hustle with editorial placements, where the pitching cycle was outstripped almost every day by the news cycle, and where the desire for generally narrow, conventional wisdom pieces let me feeling a bit hypocritical.

My long running gig at the Daily Beast had collapsed when a small cadre of hyper progressives inside the organization (who never either liked or believed the former Republican could be trusted) exploited the chaos around The Lincoln Project’s troubles of 2021 and shot the golden goose. I was one of their highest traffic opinion writers, prolific, and profitable for them, but I’m also a big boy and didn’t make it public fuss at the time.

There was also the question of just how the form of the typical editorial in the print days still controls writing in this modern era: the 700 word piece can be a thing of beauty, but it also came to us in the era where the physical space on the newspaper page controlled story length. I tend to write about twice that much typical piece.

The one thing about having an editor is, well, editing. I know I often move very quickly and the occasional mistake slips into process. I also tend to write either in the very early morning or the very late evening given my multiple other jobs and obligations.

I wanted a place where I could create for, and interact with, people who appreciated the work of someone who knows what’s behind all the curtains. I am deeply grateful to everyone in the Substack community who has joined this adventure, and who ask great questions and leave great observations in the comments.

On a personal note, I’m also grateful to have a place to tell the story of myself outside politics, even if it’s just a little bit at a time. When I started writing this, it had been about a year since the conclusion of my divorce.

I hesitated to share my life in many ways — the intellectual, literary, and historical obsessions, the weight of the fight that sometimes wears on me, and moments where I’m not my best self, but I’m not someone who plays a role on social media or in my writing, but rather reflects who I am and my complex belief set.

You’ve all been so very kind and welcoming to Renee, and that warms my heart and gives me a profound sense of gratitude.

And so, onward. We have a big fight ahead.

I’ll keep writing, you keep reading and sharing your valued and valuable insights.

Thank you, and I appreciate you, one and all.

Rick

P.S. I hope you pardon any typos in this one. I’m on a plane to Chicago for the Democratic National Convention and I’m typing on my phone.