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Comment by lynx23 | Hacker News Reader

Could you enlighten me and list some of these "obvious reasons"? Also, since you say "naturally", I assume there are sources you might be able to point at?

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Not the OP, but let’s use a more libertarian definition of the right— that is, let’s say the Republicans actually believe “that government governs best that governs least.”

If that was so, then it’s natural for folks employed by the government to vote to keep their own jobs. If one party thinks, we need fewer government employees, and one side thinks, we need more of them, you can see how incentives might line up.

That said, Republicans talk about limited government, but in my lifetime, I’ve seen very little difference in the expansion of governmental powers regardless of which party is in control.

> If one party thinks, we need fewer government employees, and one side thinks, we need more of them, you can see how incentives might line up.

It doesn't even have to be the "greedy self-serving" kind. Just thinking you want "to make the world a better place" is enough to justify funds, power and influence. It takes a very rare kind of restraint to not intervene.

> That said, Republicans talk about limited government, but in my lifetime, I’ve seen very little difference in the expansion of governmental powers regardless of which party is in control.

Sad but true.

> That said, Republicans talk about limited government, but in my lifetime, I’ve seen very little difference in the expansion of governmental powers regardless of which party is in control.

Since what they say in order to get votes and/or keep up the facade of democracy, can be 180deg opposite of what they big biz "partners" and "campaign donors" what them to actually do. Govt does not serve people at this point, it merely claims it does and that is just one of their many lies (especially on the top, less so at the municipality level).

> Not the OP, but let’s use a more libertarian definition of the right— that is, let’s say the Republicans actually believe “that government governs best that governs least.”

Tell me about how libertarianism and Christian nationalism come together to form a base that supports law enforcement (eg FBI), the military and CBP.

Frankly, I find the current version of the party most confusing, but especially the “small government” part.

Im sure they will be just as compelling as his last 3 of a random self published audiobook, a known propaganda rag and a random Twitter user posting a Fox News clip.

Feel free to counter-argue the core points, instead of attacking the looks of the sources.

The audiobook isn't quite so random. The author[1] worked for Nixon under some of the names made infamous by Watergate: Erlichman, Egil Krogh, and Nixon's lawyer Fred Buzhardt. Attempts to paint Nixon as an innocent victim of Deep State machinations should therefore be treated with appropriate caution

It is true of course that "Deep Throat", the source who allegedly kept the journalistic investigation climbing through the Nixon Administration's ranks, is commonly held to have been Mark Felt[2], occupant of the number two job at the FBI at the time, so there is that.

What did for Nixon in the end, though, was mostly the taped evidence of his clumsy attempts to have the CIA, in the person of Richard Helms, warn the FBI off investigating his campaign's dubious money trail, or risk having "the whole Bay of Pigs thing" revealed if they didn't. (Whatever that might have been!)

1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Shepard

2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Felt#%22Deep_Throat%22_in...

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