A feel-good story about journalism

Meet Gabe Fleisher.

I sometimes worry I give you too much doom and gloom in this space. I think it’s accurate doom and gloom(!) but, still, too much of it can be a little overwhelming.

And so, one of the things I am committed to do in the coming months is find stories in politics and journalism that are uplifting. A ray of sun breaking through on a cloudy day. Stories and people that give us reason to think that, yes, things can and will get better.

My goal is to do a “good news” story (for lack of a better term) once a week or so. Hold me to it. And if you have suggestions on people or stories to cover, shoot me an email at cillizzac@gmail.com.

To kick it off, I want to introduce you to a guy named Gabe Fleisher.

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Gabe writes a newsletter called “Wake Up to Politics.” Every weekday morning, he delivers a smart look at the world of Washington and the broader campaign universe. He’s been at it for more than a decade now.

Here’s the thing: Gabe is only 22 years old. And just graduated from Georgetown University (HOYA SAXA!) last month.

So, yes, you are doing the math right. Gabe started writing “Wake Up to Politics” when he was 11 years old. (Fleisher has actually been fiddling with a political newsletter since he was 8.)

When he was in 6th grade — in 2013!!! — POLITICO profiled Gabe.

“I’ve always been interested in history and politics, and I think that it’s so sad the level of interest in civics and politics and the low knowledge that Americans have about my leaders, so I started sending it to my mom and it just grew from there,” said Fleisher at the time. (HE WAS 11!)

The story was accompanied by this picture, which is, well, precious.

(Abe Lincoln t-shirt for the win!

In 2017 — when Gabe was 15-year-old freshman in high school — the New York Times came calling — The lede of that profile is gold:

ST. LOUIS — It’s 7:32 on a recent Wednesday morning, and Gabe Fleisher is racing to put the finishing touches on his daily newsletter, Wake Up to Politics. It’s been a busy 24-hour news cycle. “Another day, another bombshell,” the newsletter begins.

Late on Tuesday afternoon, reports emerged that James Comey, the fired F.B.I. director, had written an internal memo suggesting that, in a private meeting with President Trump, the president had asked him to end the agency’s investigation into his former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn. “I hope you can let this go,” Mr. Trump reportedly said to Mr. Comey. In the wake of this disclosure, the newsletter recounts, some Democrats in Congress were using the words “obstruction of justice” and even “impeachment.” Meanwhile, the big story from the day before — that Mr. Trump may have shared classified information with Russian officials during a White House visit — continues to roil Washington.

It’s a lot to digest and cogently explain. But a deadline is quickly approaching, and it’s not just the one concerning the more than 2,000 subscribers who expect their Wake Up briefing to appear in their email inboxes just after 8 a.m. each weekday. More urgent is that, in about 13 minutes, Gabe’s ride to school will show up.

For Gabe Fleisher is not a Washington pundit or a producer for CNN, but a 15-year-old freshman at a St. Louis high school.

I have been a subscriber to Gabe’s newsletter for a while now. But, I had never met him in person. Recently though we got together at a coffee shop in northern Virginia to talk shop.

What I was most impressed with is that Gabe has zero interest in being some party trick. Hey, look at this little kid who likes politics! He didn’t start the newsletter to get attention. He started it because, well, he loves and cares about politics. And he’s kept doing it — for more than a decade! — for the same reasons.

Here’s another reason I dig Gabe and what he’s doing: He’s not catering to the lowest common denominator junk that drives a big following on social media. He’s not writing about how Donald Trump or Joe Biden have dementia. He’s not covering Marjorie Taylor Greene’s latest outburst.

What he’s doing is making sure you know a) what’s happening b) why it’s happening and c) the history and context of the issue or policy being discussed. It makes for a really satisfying — and different — read from most of the schlock that’s out there.

My favorite post Gabe does every week is his Friday roundup of what official Washington actually did in the past week. Here’s how Gabe describes those pieces:

Every Friday, I like to take my “political reporter” hat off and put my “government reporter” hat on, and fill you in on the nitty-gritty policies your leaders in Washington advanced throughout the week. 

My goal is to cover the big stuff — the attention-grabbing votes and announcements — but also the smaller things, the less flashy (but still consequential!) policy news that can sometimes get missed by other outlets.

I inevitably find something I missed (or never even knew happened!) in that Friday roundup.

What he’s doing is working. Big time. Gabe has built his subscriber base from his mom and Dad to, now, tens of thousands of people. That includes power players in Washington and the states as well as tons of political reporters like me.

Do me — and yourself — a favor. Subscribe to Gabe’s newsletter. You’ll be very glad you did.