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Should voters attempt to "buy time" for liberty by voting for Republican candidates?

Often, supporters of capitalism are told that they need to "buy time" in order to advocate for liberty -- meaning: they should vote for Republicans to stave off disaster and allow time to persuade the public of the nature and value of freedom. Does the debacle with the rollout of ObamaCare contradict this claim? ObamaCare has suffered from widespread attacks, not just from the right wing, but also from many mainstream media outlets and average citizens. These backlashes have forced the administration to issue substantive revisions of the law, and its political backers appear to be running scared. In this case, a statist policy has gone into effect, the public has felt its harmful effects, and that public has turned against the statist policy and its supporting politicians. After this, I am more optimistic about Americans, as well as less inclined to support Republicans at the federal level. Given the utter failure of free market advocates to turn back the regulatory state, might the public need to learn more lessons like that of ObamaCare, just as much as they need to be educated about abstract philosophy? Does support for Republicans in the federal government, who will at best maintain the mixed economy -- where the positives caused by freedom can cloud the negatives caused by controls -- actually result in a perpetual solidification of the status quo? If so -- and combined with some of the GOP's irrational theocratic tendencies -- should people actively (or passively) support keeping the Republican Party as the minority party in the near future by refusing to vote for or support its candidates?

Andrew , 22.12.2013, 22:05
Idea status: completed

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