Americans are angry. A new Rasmussen poll shows that 75% of Americans are at least somewhat angry with government, and that 60% of voters feel that neither Republican political leaders nor Democratic political leaders have a good understanding of what is needed today.

This shouldn't be a surprize. In fact I predicted this was going to be the case in January or February 2009.

But it wasn't just the current buffoonery of the Obama administration that started this anger. We've had a number of things that have really set people off in the past year and a half, and I believe this may be the key:

In this Rasmussen poll, the following question was asked of all respondents:

Do government and big business often work together in ways that hurt consumers and investors?

The results (73% Yes, 13% No, 14% Not sure) should be of no surprize. Common sense says that when government teams up with big business to screw-over the populace, the populace isn't too happy about that.

TARP from the Republicans. Auto-Bailout from the Democrats. These were big-government/big-business tag-teams against Americans by our government.

Because the Democrats hold most of the power, many are tempted to head back over to the GOP with the promise of internal reform and of a new adherence to liberty. There's even talk of a new Contract With America. But before you head that direction, let's take a look at the recent history of the GOP and its flirtations with liberty.

1964/1968: Goldwater wins the 1964 Republican primary, but loses to LBJ, who replaced the assassinated JFK. This defeat is more a mandate about JFK than anything, but the Republican establishment uses it as an excuse to purge the party of the liberty-right. Many Goldwater supporters leave to co-create the Libertarian party after establishment Nixon chosen as candidate in 1968. Nixon backlash creates Carter(1976), which opens the door for Reagan (1980).

1980/1988: Reagan wins office after courting the liberty-right. Followed by "New World Order" Bush I (1988). Bush is no friend of liberty, and is pushed out by Clinton in 1992.

1994/1996-8: Newt Gingrich and Republicans take over congress with libertarian principles of eliminating government bureaucracies and returning power to the states, with a tidal-wave of people turning away from Democrats' "Hilary Care". While the talk was great, by the end only national speed limits had been overturned (which was nice, but not nearly enough) and by 1996, all libertarian actions had ceased. By 1998, the party was actively changing it's tune away from liberty. Gore almost wins in 2000 (he was a robot and not a human, and therefore not qualified to hold office anyway), but the tide hadn't turned quite enough.

2000/2008: Even though he expanded the deficit and debt with Medicare Part D, Bush re-elected in 2004 primarily as a result of 9/11/01. Like 1968, promises of "winning with honor" keep him popular until people realize it's not going real well in 2007 or so. Bush backlash elects Obama in 2008. (notice the similarities to 1976?)

The problem this time, however, is that the Republicans don't have a Reagan in the wings.

Palin's got star power, but she can't bring in that "common sense center" like Reagan could. I know that a faction of TEA Partiers love Sarah, and in Northern Kentucky, people had Palin signs (and not McCain signs) in the 2008 election. But I don't think it's going to be enough -- but only time will tell.

Romney's got the look and reportedly had been watching Reagan speeches. He also bowed out of the Republican primary in 2008, just like Reagan did in 1976. He's trying very hard to be the next Reagan, but I think he'll fail very hard at it, as well.

Everyone else currently on the radar has baggage, and aren't liberty-candidates anyway. Huckabee? No thanks. I don't know who else the Republicans might have, but they're not anyone that is likely to inspire me, anyway.

In 2012, we have a few stand-outs in the LP that could really tap into the anger and bring common-sense solutions to the table. I won't go into that analysis now, but I'm excited about our prospects.

We have to work to make it happen, though. Liberty isn't something that just happens. The natural tendency for government is towards tyranny. We must work against that natural tendency to secure liberty.

Will you help?