Swan Song

Swan Song

It’s been a great year and a half for me here at Legal Insurrection—but it’s time to say goodbye. I’ve accepted a position in a law firm, which means its back to the real world, and away from the wonderfully bizarre world of full-time conservative journalism.

I say “wonderfully bizarre,” and I truly mean it. The internet is a weird place, but I like to think that Legal Insurrection kicks up its political commentary more than a few notches above the rest.

Of course, with a great platform comes great responsibility…and exposure…and criticism. On more than one occasion, Taylor Swift served as a terribly relevant addition to my workday playlist.

Worth it, though—especially when the time came to focus on foreign policy. I was on duty during the Pentagon press conference where Chuck Hagel first said that ISIS is a threat “beyond anything we’ve seen.” In the weeks prior, we had learned the names of Steven Sotloff, David Haines, and other hostages, and forced ourselves to watch as they died at the hands of men who shouldn’t exist outside of our own worst nightmares.

Of (proud) note—we were blogging about the ISIS black market and crime syndicate before almost anyone else—and that includes Presidential candidates and their surrogates.

I slogged my way through the DoD’s mixed messages on Iraq, and screamed at the TV as they announced a “pivot” in our Syria strategy.

I covered the House Benghazi Committee’s first hearing—and I’m proud to say that Legal Insurrection hasn’t given up on covering Trey Gowdy’s investigation.

I worked very hard to expose what’s happening in Africa right now. Groups like al-Shabaab and Boko Haram are behind some of the worst, most barbaric acts of violence you’ve never heard of (unless you’ve been following our foreign policy articles, of course)—mostly because the media avoids covering Africa like the it avoids the plague (unless, of course, we’re covering plague victims in Africa—that’s media gold.)

Yemen was and remains a problem. Keep paying attention to Iran’s power plays outside of the context of the nuclear deal.

Iran. So much ink spent covering the rolling cloudbank that is Iran. This piece exposing Iran’s attacks on human rights investigations got the attention of both the UN and embattled Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed—I’m proud of it.

From congressmen who do great work, to secret service agents who (get drunk and) do terrible work, covering domestic policy over the past year and a half has been a wild ride.

Donald Trump happened, and took over the airwaves and the internet and virtually every happy hour conversation I had for the better part of four months. I had so much fun covering this slate of Republican candidates—and snarking at the Democrats in the process.

Bernie, people? Really? He looks every bit the nutcase he is.

My favorite posts were those that encouraged conservative engagement in the greater cultural and political sphere. Digital and grassroots engagement strategies frequently exist at odds with one another, as do nontraditional twists to the TV ad/radio buy/direct mail hit routine we’ve all come to know and love; my advice is to embrace them. Embrace them all—we can broaden the conversation without compromising our ideals.

It’s not just possible—it’s a necessary stretch.

So…that’s that, I suppose. I hope to start contributing again once I settle into my new job and remember how to be a full-time lawyer. I have appreciated every moment of this opportunity. Thanks for reading, commenting, Tweeting, and flagging me down at conferences—it has truly been a pleasure.

Goodbye—for now!

Follow Amy on Twitter @ThatAmyMiller

WAJ adds: Few of you probably realize just how important Amy was to making sure the wheels didn’t fall off the Legal Insurrection bus. She not only did great posting, she did so much behind the scenes that made my life easier. We wish her well in her new career.

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