Election 2026

The Wild Turnover of the Midterms Shows That Living Life Requires Ignoring Government

As the major parties cycle in and out of power, freedom requires defying intrusive laws.

J.D. Tuccille | 11.9.2026 7:00 AM

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There are lessons to take from last week's blue tidal wave which swept Republicans from power in Congress and across much of the country, just as there were from the 2024 ejection of Democrats from office. Among other things, party turnover underlines the futility of relying on government to maintain predictable conditions and to protect cherished liberties. The midterm elections may have been primarily a rejection of corruption and ineptitude among GOP officials, but they also empowered Democrats to enact an agenda in many places wildly at odds with what prevailed before.

Americans who dread the loss of school choice, violations of gun rights, and increased regulation—or who two years ago feared attacks on reproductive liberty and immigrants—must accept that much of the future of freedom requires defying and undermining intrusive government, no matter who holds office.

You are reading The Rattler from J.D. Tuccille and Reason. Get more of J.D.'s commentary on government overreach and threats to everyday liberty.

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Wild Swings in Political Power Don't Indicate Support for Crazy Agendas

Last week's elections removed Republicans from office across the country, much as Democrats were crushed in 2024. Notably, Texas—recently a refuge for those fleeing Democratic dominance in California—flipped largely blue. "For the first time in more than three decades, Democrats have broken Republicans' grip on statewide elections in Texas," observed David Martin Davies of Texas Public Radio. Political........

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