Instead all they do is bitch about how evil the government is.
No one is putting a gun to their heads and telling them they can't develop space on their own.

I've got nothing against the "capitalist" space industry, its doing everything it can, considering how difficult it must be to raise capital for a project with no forseeable return in sight. But so far it has been short on results. At least all those liberal space entrepreneurs are putting their money and their reputations on the line, not just whining about it like the conservative space pundits. Smug condemnation of public space exploration might be a bit more convincing if the private sector could gen up a little investment. "We're "giving the private sector its chance" right now. Well, lets see them DO something.

And as far as those tough, logical, right stuff rocket scientists are concerned, perhaps there are faster ways to get into space than by just slamming political science perfessers. After all, isn't getting into space what rocket scientists are supposed to do? Or are they getting into the making excuses and finger-pointing business now.

Enthusiasm for space exploration is not ideologically determined, otherwise we wouldn't be riding Russian rockets to the space station. This is not a conflict between right and left, or any kind of ideological struggle, no matter how much the right wing "space community" in one country would like to make it seem that way.