[lormand]

You are no more for smaller government than I am, since you also voted for Dubya, and would do it again if given a chance.

It is quite a stretch to tie into a 'small government' candidate and an isolationist foreign policy which is also based on the notion that America is to blame for evil abroad.

The previous GOP congress was booted because of anger from Conservatives and abandonment from libertarians. My congressman John Carter (R-TX) is just as much smaller government, but without the self defeating views on foreign policy.

There is enormous pressure from CONSERVATIVES who have much more influence on members of congress than do libertarians to shrink the government. It is an issued played out every election year.

[Rodney King]

You are no more for smaller government than I am, since you also voted for Dubya, and would do it again if given a chance.

That's absurd. When I have the option, I vote for the candidate for smaller government. You don't. When there is no candidate for smaller government, I vote for the lesser of two evils.

It is quite a stretch to tie into a 'small government' candidate and an isolationist foreign policy which is also based on the notion that America is to blame for evil abroad.

I don't think its a stretch at all. It is all not based on the notion that America is to blame for evil abroad. It is tied to the notion, proffered by George Washington's farewell address, that foreign entanglement are not good for the country.

The previous GOP congress was booted because of anger from Conservatives and abandonment from libertarians. My congressman John Carter (R-TX) is just as much smaller government, but without the self defeating views on foreign policy.

OK, so? They were, as a whole, not for smaller government, as given by the sizes of the budgets they proposed.

There is enormous pressure from CONSERVATIVES who have much more influence on members of congress than do libertarians to shrink the government. It is an issued played out every election year.

I disagree. We got our candidates elected, and we took control of the whole government. We then proceeded to do nothing as out candidates expanded government faster than Clinton of Carters wettest dreams.

The simple explanation is that we pay good lip service to smaller government, but aren't really for it.