Has the Addict Bottomed Out?

…or has he simply gotten mad at his dealer?

By now, the epic smack down the GOP laid on the Democratic Party in the 2014 mid-term elections has settled in. The liberal press is falling all over itself to discuss and explain away both the fact of the loss of the Senate majority (mostly expected) and the scope of the trouncing the Dems received (mostly unexpected). That spectacle is of interest primarily in a bowl of popcorn fashion. It’s fun to watch and read impotent rage unfolding the way it’s fun to watch piranhas churning in a river. But, in terms of actual analytical assessment and reasoned opinion, it’s about as informative as tea-leaf fortune telling – they’re going to see whatever they want and none of it will have any grounding in reality. Their excuses include voter suppression, overt lying and fear mongering by the GOP, racism, sexism, some other “-ism’s,” poor messaging and the victory of special-interest money (funny how it’s only conservative money they rage against, but that’s a topic for another day).

Others, less nakedly angry, have opined that the Dems’ loss is a repudiation of Obama himself. There’s a strong case for that observation, and I believe that it’s a pretty big part of the why and what-for. There’s a deeper question therein – and one that’s directly related to what the GOP is actually going to try and do with its new-found Congressional majority. That question is, did the voters finally wake up to the fact that the government’s growth is unsustainable, or are they merely dissatisfied with the product they’re receiving through that growth?

I’ve opined in the past that the nation’s dependence on big government is akin to that of an addict, and that to break the addiction, the addict must “bottom out.” Bottoming out – reaching that nadir that self-destructive behavior inevitably produces – can bring a clarity of vision, an end to excuses and rationalizations, and a new sense of purpose to the addict. Bottoming out is what many need to embrace the hard path of self-correction and begin the climb up towards a healthier and sustainable lifestyle. Does this election suggest that voters have hit that bottom, that they’re ready to demand government reverse its embrace of expansion, spending, regulating and meddling?

The answer, if one is to be had, will take time to figure out. First, we’ll have to see what the GOP does in Congress. Second, we’ll have to see how the nation reacts to what the GOP does. If the GOP does indeed start, even haltingly, down the path of reining in big government, whether it’s rewarded by the voters will give us some insight. But, if the GOP continues to embrace government as a “solution” rather than as a “problem,” if it resumes its early-2000s ways and isn’t subsequently repudiated by the voters, then we’ll have a different answer. The addict simply chose to change dealers.

If that’s the case, the bottom is deeper, and we’re going to have to endure a lot more hurt before recovery can start.

• About the Author

About Peter Venetoklis

I am twice-retired, a former rocket engineer and a former small business owner. At the very least, it makes for interesting party conversation. I'm also a life-long libertarian, I engage in an expanse of entertainments, and I squabble for sport.

Nowadays, I spend a good bit of my time arguing politics and editing this website.

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