Evelyn Quartz writes about the failure of elite politics and the search for something more honest.
This is a newsletter for people who suspect that the “center” isn’t neutral, that democracy is more than decorum, and that populism isn’t a dirty word. I write from experience: I worked inside the Democratic machine, staffed the institutions that now brand themselves as the “pro-democracy” coalition, and believed in the promise that if we held the line, the system would correct itself.
It didn’t. I regret many things. The crisis wasn’t just Trump. It was the system that produced him—and the people still profiting from its preservation.
Now I write about the performance of politics: the messaging-industrial complex, the centrist rebrand, the bipartisan aesthetic of alarm. I explore what it would take to build a politics grounded in agency, not optics—one that actually serves the public rather than managing its expectations.
If you’re trying to make sense of the realignment happening beneath the noise, if you’re done mistaking seriousness for sincerity, if you still believe something better is possible—this space is for you.
If you find value in this work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your support helps me write independently, dig deeper, and keep challenging the narratives that dominate our politics. I’m building this project one reader at a time—and every one matters.
