Two Years of Political Currents
Another exciting anniversary
On May 14, this Substack turns two. It’s trite to say it, but it’s true—time flies, especially as you age. When Political Currents began, it was called the Cuomo Files, and I was looking for a place to write up the reporting and commentary on Andrew Cuomo’s Covid response that wouldn’t fit into conventional publications. As you may know, I was quite critical of Cuomo in that period and, eventually, that reporting and writing grew into a book.
A lot has changed in two years. Andrew Cuomo is no longer governor of New York, which would have astounded me in 2020. The pandemic is not over, but no longer dominates headlines like it once did. Life has a whiff of normalcy. I write these words after traveling on an airplane. The last time I did this, it was at the very end of 2019.
I’ve been lucky in these last two years. I published The Prince, my book on Cuomo, and then a novel, The Night Burns Bright, that was in the editing stages as this Substack first launched. I’ve been blessed to be able to write for the publications I grew up admiring, including New York Magazine, the Nation, and the Guardian. I very much enjoy my column work with Jacobin and Crain’s.
This Substack has grown a lot and I love the community we have here. I relish the comments and the emails you send. More than 4,000 are on an email list that started, in essence, from scratch. Almost 650 pay, a nice rate that I’d love to bump higher. This newsletter—your support and readership—helps make my career possible. My mild boast about Political Currents is that you’ll get writing you won’t find elsewhere. Too much reporting and commentary these days bleeds together; social media breeds a groupthink I find distressing. I strive always to give you more and tell you exactly what I think.
You’ll hear it here first about how Eric Adams exploits his identity to protect the wealthy and powerful. You can learn about what the French election really meant for America. You can read about the future of the left, the real problems in media, crackpot realism in Ukraine, and how Democrats are now struggling with working-class people of color.
When you pay, it helps my sustain my career. It’s that simple. If you can afford to subscribe, it would mean so much.
I’m traveling this week and will be back soon with another piece of writing for you. Your readership means everything to me.
Best,
Ross
Keep it up! You’re doing some of the most lucid reporting on NYC and state politics.