Progressively Smarter emerged in the chaotic early days of 2025 when a group of writers, content creators and politically curious friends decided we needed a better way to make sense of the rapidly evolving political landscape. Working from kitchen tables and coffee shops between our day jobs and family responsibilities, we’ve created this space to dig beneath headlines and explore what’s really happening in American politics. Our approach combines AI-assisted research with human judgment, letting us move at the speed of today’s news cycle while maintaining thoughtful analysis.
We’re not journalists or political operatives—just a loose collective of folks who believe understanding complex issues requires more than hot takes and tribal thinking. While we approach topics with generally progressive values, our primary commitment is to following evidence wherever it leads, even when it challenges our own assumptions. We create content for smart, busy people who don’t have specialized knowledge in every policy area but want genuine insight beyond partisan talking points. That’s why each deep dive comes with “The TL;DR” summary for those short on time.
From political analysis and media literacy to historical context and policy solutions, we explore questions that keep us up at night: Who benefits from this policy? What aren’t we being told? How did we get here? We don’t claim to have all the answers (and sometimes we don’t get it right), but we’re committed to asking better questions and explaining what we find in accessible ways. If you’re tired of political discourse that generates more heat than light, join our conversation through comments, social media, or by suggesting topics you’d like us to explore – just send us an email. Because democracy works better when we understand it better.