It was 20 years ago today that I published the first post here on HA, and mygod did it change my life (and hopefully a few elections and public policy debates along the way).
For a few glorious years HA was one of the most widely read, influential (and feared) state and local blogs in the nation. We were the official WA state blog at the 2008 Democratic Convention. HA helped get me my own radio show at 710 KIRO back when it was still a 50,000 watt news/talk powerhouse, and eventually a gig at The Stranger where I helped advance the nation’s first $15 minimum wage. And ultimately this weird adventure led me to my current job, which is hard to explain, but is gratifying and difference-making in so many ways.
I don’t blog here at HA anymore. Darryl and Carl keep it going on a daily basis, and so happy blogoversary (and a big THANK YOU) to them too. But of course, the biggest thanks goes to HA’s readers, past and present, because none of this would’ve been possible without you. HA’s comment threads may have been a cesspool of trolling since nearly the very beginning, but I was very, very, fortunate to find an audience large and loud enough to make my writing relevant.
By the way, if you miss me, I host a weekly podcast with my billionaire boss, Nick Hanauer, called Pitchfork Economics. It’s wonky and subversive and we interview amazing guests—Nobel laureates, best-selling authors, administration officials, and other leading or should-be-leading thinkers in economics, philosophy, science, politics, and public policy—so if you’re not already a subscriber, now would be a great time to start.
And finally, a much earned thank you and congratulations to my daughter Katie. She was just seven years old when this blog first started consuming my life and she patiently put up with more than her fair share of “just a minute, baby, I need to finish this post.” Today, coincidentally, she graduates from USC with an MFA in film and television production and I couldn’t be prouder. Here’s hoping our democracy, our economy, and our civil society survive another 20 years (at least) so that she and all our children have the opportunity, the security, and the means to pursue their dreams.
