First, a heartfelt thank-you to all our subscribers and followers who’ve joined us so far. We truly appreciate your support.
The Big Middle officially launched on Substack in September. Former Congressman Joe Walsh—a Tea Party conservative turned NeverTrumper Democrat—talked us up all month long and recommended us to his more than 200,000 followers. Joe, thank you for your encouragement and for helping spread the word.
What makes The Big Middle different from other Substacks is that we’re not just posting articles or interviews. We’re creating a space for real dialogue and audience consensus on solutions to America’s major problems.
Here’s what that consensus looked like over the past two months:
On Ukraine, our audience was split 50-50 on whether NATO or the European Union should be responsible for containing the conflict.
On free speech, inflammatory rhetoric, and political violence, 78% agreed the First Amendment protects all speech and should never be infringed.
On prosecutions motivated by political retribution, 85% agreed the Department of Justice should act independently of the White House.
When we discussed the Constitutional crises facing the country, 46% of respondents looked to the midterms as the solution, while others urged civil protest or coming together on a shared agenda.
And on federalizing police forces—whether through ICE, the National Guard, or the military—53% said forces should not be deployed domestically, with 40% saying only when authorized by Congress or local authorities.
Throughout these discussions, we cited polling data showing that the vast majority of Americans in The Big Middle agree on practical solutions but have lost faith in the system’s ability to work together and compromise in the public interest.
We’ve also featured insights from other influential voices—Joe Walsh, Joe Klein, Joe Trippi, Ezra Klein, Jon Stewart, Marc Maron, and The Bulwark’s Bill Kristol and Sarah Longwell—who are all contributing to this national conversation.
We’ve highlighted other consensus-based movements like Braver Angels, the Center for Collaborative Democracy’s Grand Bargain, and C-SPAN’s bipartisan Ceasefire show.
And to top it off, we even debuted The Big Middle’s unofficial theme song—Canned Heat’s 1970 cover of “Let’s Work Together” by Wilbert Harrison (later also covered by Bryan Ferry). So go ahead, sing along.
We’re excited to keep expanding The Big Middle right here on Substack, where content becomes community, and community becomes change.
Copyright © 2025 Michallie Harrison and The Big Middle™ all rights reserved.
