Is Substack a Liberal Haven? And should Conservatives Take the Hint?

Substack is a natural home for Liberal thinkers and writers. Conservatives should be thankful for it—and follow their lead.

Fox is reporting that a new study led by researcher Kyle Tharp finds that Substack—a platform increasingly favored by writers and commentators—is now firmly progressive in its political orientation. Of the top 100 political newsletters on Substack, 81 are described as left‑leaning or liberal.

It may appear that Substack is courting a lot of high profile liberal writers, journalists and commentators. And that may be the case, or it may be Substack is capitalizing on their arrival at Substack (i.e. Jim Acosta). I don’t think it’s what it seems. Here’s why I think Substack is a natural home for Liberal thinkers and writers, and why Conservatives should be thankful for it—and follow their lead.

I don’t see Substack as a liberal platform. I think Liberals do, and that’s why they flock to it. I agree that it seems to be a haven for liberal commentators but I don’t think it’s because Substack attracts liberals. I think it’s because Liberals are attracted to what Substack is, and conservatives generally aren’t. Here are a few points.

• I see Substack as just a platform for communicating and sharing ideas. Usually it’s the Liberals who want to share their ideas, so here they are. That’s not a bad thing.

• Conservatives are more chill and they keep their fire in a furnace where liberals like to breathe it out everywhere like dragons. So Liberals are more likely to set up shop at Substack than Conservatives are.

• Conservatives are as opinionated as Liberals, and they can certainly be as vocal about their opinions. But generally conservatives just keep it to themselves. Conservatives don’t take their thoughts so seriously as to think they need to hammer others with them.

• There are a lot of Christians and political conservatives on Substack but I’m sure they’re outnumbered by Liberals. But when I first got onto Substack it was a very different field. At the time it seemed like I was the only Christian here, the only Catholic, and the only one with conservative ideas. It’s not like that today, three years later.

• Liberal thought is important. I’m glad it has a platform like Substack. Conservative thought is important. I’m glad it finds a home here, too. Neither the left nor the right have the whole Truth, but each side has some of it, and we all need access to what our respective opposite-side offers. If one side is silenced or can’t find a platform for expression and sharing of thoughts—even thoughts we don’t agree with—we’re all the worse for it.

I wrote an essay and recorded podcast episode a year or two ago, discussing Truth, Balance, why God is neither left or right, and why the Truth—which is fragmented in the human order—requires a composite of truth-based ideas from both sides. It’s required reading/listening in a world that has lost its balance, lost its respect of Truth (both sides have!) and are losing an understanding of what Truth is.

The essay was intended as a prelude to the podcast, but it’s great as a stand-alone piece. Enjoy! Please tap like, or share them if you find them worthy.