Could the Winner of '25 be the winner in '28?
͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­
Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more

Get all access now and save 30% when you upgrade to become a paid subscriber today. Your subscription upgrade is a direct investment in defending democracy, helping Lincoln Square build a pro-democracy media machine to fight disinformation and inform voters with the facts.—We’ll also gift you $20 in Lincoln Bucks to use in our pro-democracy merchandise store for the holidays.

Get 30% off forever

The truth is under attack. Your support is how we defend it.


Winner of the Year

Could the Winner of '25 be the winner in '28?

Sam Osterhout
Dec 29
∙
Preview
 
READ IN APP
 

We are living through history. The events of the past year have been remarkable, if not totally unimaginable. Most of the actions we thought Trump would take — he took. But in true Trump form, he did so many other things that were so bizarre, so mind-bogglingly stupid that this week, as the year winds down, we’re left in a kind of stunned state of confusion.

Like, taking over the Kennedy Center? WTF?

He’s taken a million little actions that will be lost to the winds of time, but that would stand out in a normal timeline.

It’s grim, folks.

Winners & Losers is special feature for our paid subscribers. Join the Lincoln Loyal and never miss an edition.

Upgrade to paid

But there has been one silver lining in all of this: Trump’s destructive behavior has stoked a resistance that wouldn’t have needed to exist in normal times. And those who comprise the resistance today will be the ones who rebuild the world tomorrow.

Over the past two weeks, this column has focused on shining a light on the heroes in that resistance. You’ve voted for your favorites, and my abacus has heated up with the friction from tallying your votes.

And a Winner has emerged — but it’s a lot closer than the Loser of the Year competition (RFK, Jr. ran away with it).


Newsletters

Loser of the Year!

Sam Osterhout
·
Dec 8
Loser of the Year!

De Tocqueville said, “If men are to remain civilized, the art of associating together must grow and improve.” Calling the other side a bunch of Losers might, I admit, go against the spirit of artful association, as de Tocqueville intended.

Read full story

The Winner competition was close, mostly because you all wrote-in a ton of candidates. In addition to the six official candidates, there were at least 20 write-ins. This is the kind of coalition that should give us hope. There are a lot of people doing good right now, and more and more will join the effort, particularly as we get into primary season in the coming months.

Don’t get me wrong. We’re entering what could be the most dangerous, tumultuous period in Trump’s dangerous, tumultuous second term. But the fact that so many people are stepping up in a way that is tangible, noticeable, and effective should give us a reason to fight on.

Without further ado, let’s go to our Winners...

User's avatar

Continue reading this post for free in the Substack app

Claim my free post
Or upgrade your subscription. Upgrade to paid
 
Like
Comment
Restack
 

© 2025 Resolute Square PBC d/b/a Lincoln Square
998 South Main Street, PMB 163, Stowe, VT 05672
Unsubscribe

Get the appStart writing