All the cool kids are talking about drugs—at least that’s what it seems like on the Republican campaign trail. Politico recently ran a story about how three candidates in the Republican race have publicly brought up personal stories related to substance abuse. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie lamented the death of a best friend from a prescription drug overdose; the Bush dynasty’s next pawn, Jeb, finally addressed the other elephant in the room, his own addict daughter; and Senator Ted Cruz spoke candidly about visiting his half-sister in a crack house.
Why The Brutal Honesty, Boys?
Both of the major party’s front-runners have talked drug reform, but these three second-string GOP contenders are the latest to garner attention for being super open about the impact of addiction in their own lives. Because these are politicians, it seems like there has to be an ulterior motive. Something beyond hoping the kids listening will say no to drugs and creating an excuse to tout their proposed drug policies. And because these are Republican politicians, the unspoken ulterior motive seems especially questionable. The topic of drug addiction and alcoholism is usually a no-fly zone for the party that prides itself on squeaky clean family values. So, why are these guys so readily discussing their drug and alcohol related plights? What’s more—do they even know what they’re talking about when it comes to addiction?
I already knew Christie doesn’t shy away from talking drugs. Jeb’s brother George W. was always pretty frank about his choice to stay off the sauce, but the Bush family doesn’t normally have an open door policy when it comes to addressing their drinking and drugging habits. And Ted Cruz certainly isn’t a man known for having empathy for the underdog. So, what’s up?
Upper-Middle Class Joins War on Drugs
There are a lot of reasons politicians are talking more candidly about private matters. The landscape for drugs and the violent crimes associated with drugs has changed. As the article points out, drugs aren’t just confined to big city back alleys anymore. Prescription drug addiction and the subsequent heroin usage that often follows have hit suburbia hard. That’s why Christie’s now deceased upper middle class lawyer friend, crippled by painkiller dependence met the same fate as a heroin junkie on skid row—opiates are not classist. The violence associated with urban drug use—that “big city” crime—the elections of last century focused on, has subsided in the wake of the opiate epidemic that is quietly infiltrating every corner of our society.
Secrets Are Going Extinct
In addition to the tides of addiction changing, there is another 21st century reality at play. Politco thinks these people running for office have to get personal because it’s what the public now demands. We need that personal connection. This is perhaps true, but I think there is a little more to it.
These aspiring leaders sort of have to disclose this information when they’re running for office, because it will get discovered sooner or later anyway. Thanks to the Internet, none of these fools (said as a loving term of endearment) are safe anymore. They’ve all got to do damage control on a regular basis so they might as well lay their cards on the table right out of the gate. The bad news about being a public figure in this day and age is that you can’t get away with anything scandalous. The good news is, your scandal will probably only last one week on the news cycle because we are so inundated with content every day. Stories that used to dominate the headlines week after week (Monica Lewinsky anyone?) are just a blip on the radar now that Twitter, Facebook and 24-7 CNN exist.
It’s Good They’re Getting Real
These candidates are much better off in the long run being forthcoming about the skeletons in their closets. And on that note, we’d all be better off if we stopped thinking of a struggle with drugs or alcohol as a “skeleton.” Hopefully, their willingness to share these personal stories, even if it is just to clear their own name, helps alleviate the stigma for everyone. The honesty is refreshing in issues beyond the politicians’ token drunk cousin. Remember when it was like the most shocking news ever when we found out conservative poster boy Dick Cheney’s daughter, Mary Cheney, was gay? It was literally part of Democratic VP candidate John Edwards’ arsenal in the vice presidential debates. Nowadays, you’d be a bigot if you posed that information as if it was something to be held against a candidate.
It hits closer to home when addiction is killing middle-aged white men, eh, Christie? It’s unfortunate these men have had to experience pain in their own lives because of addiction but if it serves to open the public dialogue about the matter, their suffering might ultimately contribute to the greater good.
Photo courtesy Gage Skidmore via Flickr (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)
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