The American character is on the ballot.

My friends,

As the sun sets on 2025, I’ve been thinking a lot about why we started Lincoln Square Media. Looking back at our launch on Substack earlier this year, it wasn’t just about starting another media outlet. It was an act of necessity. When the sirens are wailing, you don’t stand around discussing the acoustics; you try to put out the fire.

I want to thank you. Truly. You didn’t just subscribe to a newsletter; you joined a movement. You recognized that the old guard was caving and that we needed a new home for the truth—one that doesn’t “both-sides” the destruction of our Republic.

This past year has been a brutal masterclass in the nature of power. The Trump regime has taught us a hard lesson: don’t look at what they say; look at what they do. We’ve seen an administration that views the presidency not as a temporary trust, but as a weapon for personal grievance. They aren’t just changing policies; they are attempting a visible, radical transformation of the American character.

50% off All-Access in 2026

When we look at the shifts of 2025—from the mass deportations that tear at our moral fabric to the weaponization of the DOJ—we are seeing a rejection of the American ideal. We were always meant to be that “City on a Hill,” a beacon of hope for a dark world. But you can’t be a beacon when you’re busy blowing out the light.

We’ve watched as the invisible guardrails—the norms and traditions that actually make this country work—have been dismantled with a sledgehammer. Take the “Power of the Purse” or the independence of the civil service. These aren’t just bureaucratic details; they are the bedrock of our strength. When you treat the Constitution like a suggestion rather than a sacred oath, you don’t just weaken the law; you kill the trust that holds 330 million people together.

But here is the lesson for the pro-democracy movement: The “chaos” is the point. It is designed to make us feel small, exhausted, and cynical. They want us to believe that decency is a weakness and that patriotism belongs to the loudest man in the room.

They are wrong.

History is littered with the graves of “strongmen” who underestimated the quiet resolve of a free people. We have been lost before. From the dark days of the Civil War to the depths of the Depression, Americans have always found their way back to the light. Reclaiming patriotism isn’t about waving a flag; it’s about honoring what that flag stands for: personal responsibility, the rule of law, and the radical idea that we are all created equal.

The 2026 midterms aren’t just an election; they are a national character test. We need to come together—not as a collection of factions, but as a unified front—to deliver a crushing defeat to this brand of nihilism. We have to prove that decency still has a home here.

Lincoln Square-now 50% off

We have a long fight ahead, and it won’t be easy. But looking at the community we’ve built here at Lincoln Square, I’ve never been more hopeful. We are the last line of defense against the cowardly convenience of the political establishment.

If you believe in this mission, stay with us. Your support ensures we have the resources to keep swinging. We’re going to be the ones holding the line when others fold.

Let’s go win a country.

In truth,

Stuart Stevens

Lincoln Square Media

Donate to keep up the fight