top of page


I call this a win for progressives
Welcome to Winning Wednesday! No, progressive organizer Zach Shrewsbury didn’t prevail in his Senate primary contest with coal Democrat...

Karen Young
May 15, 20241 min read


David Hogg’s powerful message about candidate Bryce Berry
Welcome to Message Monday! David Hogg pops up often in my email box and my feed, and I’m always happy to see him. Today I saw a post from...

Karen Young
May 13, 20242 min read


Summer Lee crushed her primary AND built lasting progressive power
Welcome to Winning Wednesday! In a recent email, the woman above with the million-dollar smile, Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12), hailed her...

Karen Young
May 8, 20242 min read


Democratic direct-mail guru says we must "radically rethink" advertising
Welcome To Message Monday! I found an interesting theory about how we should radically rethink how we do political advertising. It comes...

Karen Young
May 6, 20243 min read


2025 Trump tax cut sunset is big opportunity for progressives now
Welcome to SWOT Sunday! Taxes can be complicated, but I vow to keep this discussion as simple as possible, and laser-focused on the...

Karen Young
May 6, 20244 min read


Working class hero could replace Joe Manchin.
Welcome to Message Monday! West Virginia’s beautiful land, and many of its people, have been sacrificed for coal mining since the...

Karen Young
Apr 30, 20243 min read


The right wants to kill RCV because it works
Welcome to SWOT Sunday! Today is about how we need to neutralize the threat from our unfair rules of the game for elections. Voting...

Karen Young
Apr 29, 20244 min read


Convergence brings “Left strategy for the MAGA era”
Welcome to Team Tuesday! Convergence, “a magazine for radical insights,” is poised to play an important role in furthering the alignment...

Karen Young
Apr 26, 20244 min read


Three keys to winning working-class voters - @Jacobin study
Welcome to Message Monday! I just now learned about an extremely important 2023 study from Jacobin, ASU’s Center for Work and Democracy,...

Karen Young
Apr 24, 20246 min read


Dueling visions for America: Progressives vs. Heritage Foundation
Welcome to SWOT Sunday! These dueling visions are polar opposites, not only in terms of what (policy), but in who is putting them...

Karen Young
Apr 22, 202411 min read


Blue-Collar Man: Dan Osborn For Senate
Welcome to Team Tuesday! Over the weekend, I talked about how a broad coalition made their state, Nebraska, one of the most recent to...

Karen Young
Apr 9, 20242 min read


Rebecca Solnit wants a left that is joyous, inviting…and limousine-liberal
Welcome to Message Monday! I’m a fan of Anand Giridharadas, so much so that his is the only Substack I pay for. He recently posted a...

Karen Young
Apr 9, 20248 min read


Fomenting discord on the right about climate: winning strategy for progressives
Welcome to SWOT Sunday! Today we’re going to respond to leading strategist Ilyse Hogue’s recent comment (certainly accurate) that “we are...

Karen Young
Mar 31, 20245 min read


Sanders, AOC aim to move “Overton window” with public housing push
Welcome to Team Tuesday! Until President Biden mentioned housing during his State of the Union address recently, I felt sure the subject...

Karen Young
Mar 27, 20242 min read


New Biden ad works using climate policy wins
Welcome to Message Monday! I was deep in an article on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel website, about USA Today choosing one of our...

Karen Young
Mar 25, 20241 min read


7 keys to a better American political system with more choices
Welcome to SWOT Sunday! I attended a meeting last week about building the left over the short- and long-term. I heard a lot of...

Karen Young
Mar 25, 20246 min read


A great way to get close to your constituents: the survey
Welcome to Message Monday! Progressive State Senator Chris Larson (District 7) is well known and loved here in Milwaukee, WI. I only...

Karen Young
Mar 19, 20242 min read


Populism is a winning strategy to bring urban/rural together
Welcome to SWOT Sunday! Wait, what? you say. You may be thinking that “populism” is the racist and xenophobic philosophy behind Donald...

Karen Young
Mar 18, 20248 min read


Progressive policies going to the voters in 2024
Welcome to Winning Wednesday! Ballot initiatives and Constitutional amendments are ways to get good laws on the books, even if...

Karen Young
Mar 14, 20242 min read


20+ progressive groups join forces to Reject AIPAC
Welcome to Team Tuesday! I’m always excited when I see progressive groups working together, because that’s one of the most critical...

Karen Young
Mar 13, 20243 min read
bottom of page