My friend Scott Ragan and I started Verum Serum back in 2005. I don’t think we were completely sure why we were doing it or what we hoped to accomplish. We both liked the idea of having a voice in things. In the early days we didn’t know anyone. I would write blind introductions to bloggers I liked. A few were kind enough to reply.
We also didn’t have any readers. I remember early on being happy to get 100 hits in a day. It took us about a year to get our first 100K. And then things slowly started to pick up.
In 2008, I made a new friend (via the blog) who turned out to be one of the most talented bloggers I’ve ever met. For around four years now, Morgen and I have been working to make VS not just another news blog but one that would really make a difference. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished in that regard.
It was that success that led to a job offer which I’ve accepted. Starting today, I’m very pleased to say I’ll be going to work for Breitbart.com. If you’ve liked what I did here at VS, I hope you’ll join me over there at Breitbart.com. (My twitter handle will remain the same, @verumserum, so that’s one little bit of continuity.) I’ll still be writing about foreign affairs, media bias, and the occasional movie review, plus whatever else catches my attention. It’s going to be fun. There’s nothing better than getting paid to do what you love.
VS itself won’t disappear. There’s some real history here both political and personal. Over 8,600 posts and 32k comments which represent a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. (It’s hard to say how many unique visitors the site has had because we switched stat counters several times but it’s around 5 million.) I find that pretty amazing considering where we started. But six and a half years later, it’s time to move on. The blog will remain, but in a state of suspended animation.
Yes, Morgen and Scott will both continue blogging as well, just not here (they each gave me their blessing). They are considering various offers and options as we speak but details are not final yet. Once they’ve landed I will update this post so you know where they are going to be.
I think the best way to close this chapter is to publicly thank Morgen, Scott, and Cindy for their hard work and personal support. I’m grateful to have such good and talented friends. Fortunately for me, that will continue.
Morgen adds. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a sad day for me – I’m as much a fan of John and VS as I am an occasional contributor. Sure I helped stir up a little attention from time to time, but John has made this blog what it is (and now was). I can honestly think of no one who has worked harder, and who deserves more to join the ranks of professional bloggers than he does. And so no one is happier for him than I am. Congratulations John – it was a long time coming.
I am proud that we were behind the first major push back on this Administration, when we had the whole White House scrambling to defend a certain “wise Latina”. Yeah, we ultimately lost that one, but the American public was better served because we stepped in where the mainstream media would not have.
I am also proud that we initiated and led the fight against the public option, in revealing that it was part of a “sneaky strategy” by liberal Democrats to socialize our healthcare system. This is a fight we won, even if ObamaCare was ultimately enacted.
And when Democrats and their allies in the media tried to impugn Sarah Palin and conservatives in general for a crazed shooter in Tucson, we quickly demonstrated the unfairness and sheer hypocrisy of this charge.
And more recently we led the blogosphere in revealing the true nature of the Occupy movement.
We’ve been leading voices in many other battles as well, prevailing in some (bye-bye Van Jones and Goodwin Liu), but always proudly taking up the banner of truth and fairness to the best of our abilities.
It is a sad day, but also a day to celebrate what this blog has accomplished, and to thank all of you who have encouraged us along.
I have an opportunity to join John at Breitbart in some capacity, and in all likelihood that’s where you’ll find me down the road.
The fight continues – bye for now.
*Updated Even Further*
(Cindy Adds)
Well, this post was both happily and sadly anticipated. Congratulations my friend. I have watched you work incessantly hard over the past years and this is absolutely well earned and long over-due. I am so thrilled for you.
Morgen summed it up so much better than I ever could, so I will leave it fairly short and sweet, and allow his words to echo in the halls.
I sincerely look forward to toasting the special occasion soon, and thank you so much for allowing me the honors of taking up space here and to knock elbows with you boys, as it’s been an honor to be among all three of you. You have all been a force to be reckoned with.
And John, now I can finally say, “I knew you when…”
**AND UPDATED EVEN FURTHER**
Scott Adds…
So I guess I’m the last one to add to this, what is potentially the last post, in the life of Verum Serum.
It is with mixed feelings that I watch us putting VS on pause as we head into the future.
I am EXTREMELY excited for John and his opportunity to take his talents over to the Breitbart operation. They are extremely lucky to have him. He has proved, time and again, that he is up to the challenge of making a difference in moving and directing the political discourse in this country.
Since John and I started VS in 2005, he has become one the best friends I have ever had, closer than a brother. I count myself blessed to have him (and his wife and kids) in my life.
As John said above, when we started Verum Serum back in 2005 we didn’t really have a clear vision of what we wanted to do or say with the blog. We just knew that we wanted to jump in and get involved in the conversations going on out in the world.
And get involved we did: from faith and religion to politics and pop culture…from music and movies to science and the just plain silly. Between John and I, and then with the addition of Cindy and Morgen, we covered a lot of ground. And along the way we made some good friends around the country and even across “the Pond.”
Unfortunately, three years ago I was facing some daunting life challenges and significant changes that required me to pull back from regular activity on the blog; but John, working with Morgen, took Verum Serum to a whole new and exciting level. I am proud of them both and of what they have done.
As John moves to the Breitbart organization, and as Morgen potentially makes a similar move, I am launching a new blog (www.endofthetunnel.com). Now that my life has arrived at a new and different level of “normal,” I will be getting back to writing about the things that launched Verum Serum in the first place: faith, politics, pop culture and all the rest. I’ll also be writing about the things that I’ve been working through and dealing with over the last three years…things that have been life changing and altering. I hope you join me there.
I don’t want to feel as though I am saying good bye because this blog and its engaging, exciting, frustrating, challenging commenters and commentary have been a significant part of my life for seven years. So instead I will say, “See you later and come by our new places and visit us from time to time.”
God Bless!
