| | Robert D,
I respectfully disagree with the last part of your post. I agree that we have serious systemic problems. I.e. politics, and wider realms, are dominated by incorrect ideas and the consequent behavior.
Nevertheless, individual politicians can and do make a very large difference. It made a difference on 9/11 that George Bush was president rather than John Kerry. (And I'm no fan of either). It made a difference that Rudy Guiliani was mayor of New York rather than Ed Koch. (And I'm no fan of either.) It will make a difference whether Hillary Clinton is president or some middle-of-the-road dishwater libertarian-Republican, like Christopher Cox. Though in every case (Bush, Guiliani, Cox, or many others) the choice is far from ideal, the alternatives are radically worse.
When the dishwater politicians are in office, there is more time, money, etc available for propounding correct ideas and taking proper action. Less effort and attention need be spent. Freedom will be won by bits and pieces until a critical mass is achieved. The less damaging politicians do -- less damage. When someone is tearing down a dike, creating leaks you have to plug it makes a difference whether someone is using a pick ax or a bulldozer. In the meantime, others are building a new, better dam. If all hands have to attend the sandbags, none can be building that new dam.
To switch metaphors, given a choice to be bled by pin pricks or to have my arm chopped off with an ax I choose the former. That way I retain the means to increase the probability of removing the ax wielder and minimizing the manufacture of new ones.
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