Epolitics: Nineteen Years and Counting
Thank you so much being a part of this adventure
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Epolitics is written and edited by Colin Delany, who has helped nonprofits and political campaigns use digital tools in effective and creative ways to achieve their political, policy and organizational goals for close to three decades. He is also the author of several ebooks, mostly recently “How to Use the Internet to Change the World - and Win Elections.” For more, contact him at cpd@epolitics.com.
Welcome, new readers! Check out these upcoming events:
The 20th Annual Netroots Nation, held this year in New Orleans August 7-9. It’s been one of my favorite conferences since I first went in 2008, and this year I’ll be delivering two trainings at the main event and a third one this week as part of a virtual pre-conference.
The latest big-league training from the Center for Digital Strategies, a three-month immersion in AI for Nonprofits and Advocacy.
You can also dig into my six-part 2025 digital politics spring training series, now live on YouTube, plus recent articles on list-building and political persuasion.
Now, on with the show!
Epolitics: Nineteen Years and Counting
Thank you so much for being a part of the Epolitics community! Longtime readers may remember that I normally live in DC but have been down in Texas since December. My father died right after Thanksgiving, leaving my declining and 87-year-old mom alone in my hometown. My siblings have been pitching in as well, but since I’m self-employed and have no kids, I could pack up the cat and head South for as long as I was needed.
But this part of our family’s journey is about to end. On Wednesday, my older brother will drive us the three-odd hours to the airport in Houston, and my mom and I will fly to DC and her new home in an assisted living place in the District. Delany’s have been living in East Texas for more than 170 years, but we will be the last for now.
Many of you will have cared for an aging parent, and you’ll know how much work it is — and how rewarding it can be. Keeping up a blog/Substack while taking care of her and doing my normal consulting work has not been easy (I had to stop and walk mom to the bathroom while I was formatting this piece), and I appreciate your patience more than I can say. With mom moving to a safe and happy place, I plan to crank up the frequency here. And, I look forward to publishing ideas and perspectives from some of you as well. But overall, I do not regret a moment of the seven months I’ve spent here with her.
I launched Epolitics.com nineteen years ago this month, which blows my mind. Back then, it was a rare site covering the craft of digital politics and advocacy. Now, we have plenty of company, with newsletters like Chaotic Era, FWIW, and The Connector joining practitioners like Will Robinson, Amy Pritchard, Mike Nellis and many, many others in writing and talking about the power of digital tools to change minds and build political support.
Whether you started reading Epolitics yesterday or all the way back in 2006, thank you again for being a part of this community. I have a funny feeling that we’ll have plenty to talk about in the years to come.
Quick Hits: July 21, 2025
How MAGA influencers put pressure on Trump, Bondi over Epstein. But note that Epstein’s not the ONLY thing they’re mad about.
Trump Talks About Anything but Epstein on His Social Media Account. Desperate to distract from Epstein by any means necessary…including today’s release of MLK surveillance files.
Why Democrats are (still) bad at the internet, particularly when it comes to influencers and social media. No biggie, right?
Democrats Need to Tell the Story of the Big Ugly Bill, and not just in high-profile targeted districts. We need a national narrative.
Organizing Organizers, a modest proposal.
This right-wing YouTuber is having a moment. “The fastest-growing political accounts show that the platform’s architecture rewards not just relentless output, but also the creation of highly optimized, sensational videos that follow an almost algebraic formula to game the algorithm. Political actors who are able to understand and follow that formula can grow unprecedented clout and influence heading into the midterms and beyond.”
Do They Have Your Attention Now? At least some Dems may understand the influencer/attention economy.
Democrats’ 2024 Autopsy Is Described as Avoiding the Likeliest Cause of Death, but we may still learn a few things.
Why Grok Fell in Love With Hitler, and what it reveals about the “black box” of generative AI.
The Road to MechaHitler. Reality has a well known liberal bias, and trying to tweak AI to avoid that fact does not seem to work elegantly.
Trump Era Phase Two. How does an insurgent movement hold on once it’s the Establishment? Nonstop conflict.
‘Who Killed Love?’ A Video Game Plays to Male Resentment in China.
– cpd
Congrats!