I'm Suspending "Attack"

I will stop posting on this Substack for now. It has not done what I hoped it would do. I started “Attack” to show Democrats more effective rhetoric. I don’t have a big platform, so my strategy was to influence the influencers, that is, to educate a small group who do have big platforms. “Attack” never attained even the relatively small number of subscribers needed to attract the attention of opinion leaders.

It was always a quixotic endeavor. For years, I watched in despair and disbelief as Democrats employed the same tired arguments over and over while Republicans slowly accumulated more power. Two summers ago, with a second Trump term looming, I decided it was my duty to do something and started “Attack.” I worked on my own. I could post just once a week. I didn’t have graphics. I didn’t have a fancy website. I didn’t do videos. I didn’t do live broadcasts. I didn’t interview people. I didn’t address the events of the day or Trump’s latest outrage. All the things you need to do to build an audience.

I don’t consider “Attack” a failure. It gave me the space to articulate my ideas about political rhetoric. I’ve said just about everything I have to say. Anything I write in the future would just elaborate on what I’ve already said. “Attack” will remain available for anyone who finds it useful. I don’t entirely close the door to writing posts in the future if there’s a compelling reason.

I’d like to thank my readers and subscribers. I hope you got something out of it. If you’re interested in this line of thought, I can recommend two people to follow:

• Lukium’s “American Manifesto” offers very good diagnoses and prescriptions for how to combat Republicans.

• I like Scott Dworkin’s “The Dworkin Report” as an antidote to doom scrolling—he focuses on the resistance’s successes.

Thank you again, and bye for now.