It's about A LOT more than just this election

Why you should subscribe.

Let me get the news out of the way first: My pop-up sale on yearly subscriptions ends today. If you act before midnight, you can get 12 months of “So What” for $50 — which is 20% off the normal price. It’s easy! Click here:

Now, you may be aware that the election is in 26 days 😂😂😂. And you may be wondering: Why would I sign up to become a subscriber to this newsletter for the next year? This stuff will all end in a month — and then I can just go back to my normal life.

And that would be where you are wrong.

Because, yes, the 2024 election will absolutely be an inflection point for not just both political parties but for the country. And even the world.

But, no matter what happens on November 5, it won’t be the end of, well, anything. More like a way station, a chance for us to gather ourselves, look around and take a deep breath before continuing onward.

Let’s say Donald Trump wins. Here are a handful of critical storylines I will be watching over the next year(s):

• Will he make good on his mass deportation plan? How will it work, logistically speaking? Who will pay for it?

• How will he extend his 2017 tax cut package? And at what cost?

• Who will emerge as the key players in his new administration? Who’s his pick for chief of staff? Or Secretary of State? Or Attorney General?

• Will a conservative on the Supreme Court retire during his term? Or a liberal?

• How compliant will Republicans in Congress be to Trump? Will anyone fight back? Who?

• How aggressive will Trump be in pushing his overhaul of the federal bureaucracy?

• Will Trump fundamentally reorder the alliances and foreign policy goals the U.S. has had since World War II?

• Do Democrats do a deep self-examination after losing? What do they conclude went wrong? Who steps up to take Trump on?

• How quickly does the 2028 Democratic race start:? And who is first in?

Or maybe Kamala Harris wins. And we spend the next year(s) debating:

• Does she govern as a moderate or a liberal in terms of her policy priorities?

• How much (or little) does she reverse policies put in place by Joe Biden? Which ones?

• Where does she find ways to work (or not) with a Republican-controlled Senate or House (or both)?

• Who does she put in top Cabinet roles? And what opening does that create in governorships or the Senate?

• How does a twice-defeated Donald Trump spend his 2025?

• Is there ANY movement within what we once called the “establishment wing” of the Republican party to aggressively move beyond Trump?

• Who is the first ambitious Republican who announces they are considering a 2028 bid?

• Will a liberal Supreme Court justice decide to retire? Or a conservative one?

There’s a thousand more questions to ask of both future administrations. And there are bigger, more existential questions that this election will raise too.

Like, who are we as a country? Who do we want to be? Is our democracy safe from attacks against it from within? Will we ever get back to the idea of objective truths? Can the media find a way to survive?

The point I want to raise in asking all these questions is this: The election is an end, but not the end. It will not provide final answers to any of these questions. It will simply give us more data in our long-running experiment in democracy.

Here’s what I pledge to you: I am in this for the long haul. What began as an experiment has turned into a vocation. I am not done with this debate on the future of politics in this country which is, really, a debate on the future of this country.

I will continue to bring you what you need to know about the day, week, month and year in politics. Without fear or favor. Pulling no punches. Calling it like I see it. And admitting when I get it wrong!

I want you to join me on this journey. I think it’s really, really important that we keep talking and thinking about our politics — and our world — and how we can make it better.

For the next 12 hours, you can sign up to get ALL of my content for the next 12 months for just $50. I hope you do.