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Alex Pretti is a particularly perfect plaintiff to wake up Trump's base to the rising threat of 1st and 2nd amendment violations.

Like I wrote in the post, it would only take ~12 million activists to mobilize a true People's movement.

I think we just found out what would it take to get 12 million Americans in the streets in 2026.

I will keep arguing that canvassing for a political movement is the highest potential thing most Americans could be doing now. I'm not talking about running for office yourself. You don't have to do it full-time. But try it. Focus on one issue and one bill. You could solve a key problem in weeks. See how this changes your life!

Solve your two problems first! I do think this resonates with a lot of especially YC founders who have broken through 1 and 2 but are missing the most important 3.

Made some edits last night. But I think the post still stood up 95%+.

The middle is full of stories of how I failed for years.

I think I can help you, here's how I failed, then succeeded, you can too!

And my book is truly the next step.

If you liked these ~2,000 words, there's 20x more in Positive Politics!

I specifically believe Positive Politics can best utilize the ambitious optimism of e.g. YC founders to solve the world's biggest problems!

Politics can be so much more than elections!

Focus on one issue and one bill, like you would with a startup MVP.

You can solve some of these problems in weeks!

Raising my family and building lasting things for the world are my positive sources of energy too!

I'm just saying that after 15 years founding three startups, I've found my building instinct works incredibly well in politics!

Work ≠ capitalism! It's about making your work the most meaningful thing possible! If that's a very pro-social politics, might be exactly what you want!

For sure! I've written a lot about depression too! But I do think a lot of what people otherwise blame on burnout or depression is really this existential hunger to make more positive impact. Finding that highest purpose can change lives!

You get off the hedonic treadmill by getting into something deeper like politics.

I do feel like I'm an example of someone who's juggled marriage, kids, startups, etc. where how I finally got a clean source of sustainable energy was having a part of my life to truly chase my highest potential. And to me that's politics, and specifically anticorruption and Positive Politics.

Glad that the "go into politics" ideas piqued your interest!

Your greatness is still all here! And it can be earned precisely by fighting to fix bad things.

I found that working in politics, against corruption and for Positive Politics, is how I make the most positive impact and gain the most energy!

This. Focusing on your highest potential is energizing and the rest is what we call burnout. Having kids is what caused me to think so hard about these questions, both for myself and them. I have to justify every minute I'm not with them, and now my life fully represents my values.

Love the idea that your kids are your life and the two hours when they're in bed is also your life! I'm very much in that same place too.

Many of my posts and most of my book were written in either the first two hours after they go to school or the first two hours after they sleep.

I got a rare Sunday afternoon off, which is why we got this post now!

Totally agree that work only to pay for a household is a tough life. I'm trying to connect more people with work that can give more meaning now and maybe more money long-term. People chasing their highest potential tend to create greater projects!

Zen about kids and warrior about work!

And work = highest purpose!