A lot of conservative/libertarians I know approved of Obama easing our space program towards the private sector (after a fashion). I suspect this was not because Obama is conservative or libertarian, but because he could care less about the space program and wouldn't mind seeing it off his plate.

Most Tea Party members don't think it's a major issue compared to the larger spending issues, and don't need to address it. Last time I looked, the NASA budget was floating somewhere in the $20 billion range. This is about half a percent of the Federal budget.

There is one thing agreed on by almost everyone I know in the private space sector: a government space program that needed billions of dollars to basically re-invent the Saturn I and Apollo capsule was probably not making the best use of our resources.

The response to the recent NASA private launch proposals was telling. Democrats and Republicans squealed like little piggies about the fat contracts in their districts being endangered.