While it may be true Americans are overwhelming not right-wing libertarian, Congress is a miserably unrepresentative body and serves as poor evidence for that kind of claim Symphony.
This is true. Broad-based American support for socialist programs like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, government-mandated education,
government-mandated redistribution of wealth between states, etc., does however indicate that the majority is in fact supportive of things that are distinctly anti-Libertarian in character. As Amon himself has suggested, the vast majority of people supposedly in favor of "smaller" government are not willing to take the steps to actually make it smaller, whatever their pledges to Grover Norquist.
Shadowbound has already made an interesting remark in this very thread about a common perspective by people who are supposedly in favor of cutting entitlements: they often want to cut (or prevent the creation of) entitlements for
other people. (Ironically, this spirit of self-interest is quite similar to what Ayn Rand advocated for the creation of.)
One is forced to conclude at any rate that because American government is still standing, most people do in fact support it, or at least a sufficient number of people to enable it to continue operating. As
May of 1968 in France proved, should the people stop supporting the system en masse, the system will seize up. Whether vocal or tacit, support is support. If you believe that the government is a violent and coercive entity, then it's logical to label its supporters as accomplices in what you perceive to be its crimes. You might even take the step of labeling them enemies, in which case they would likely return the favor.
