Yeh, I think you're right. Americans fear big government when it comes to economic issues, with all the rhetoric of "The American Dream",
Not just economic issues. There are a lot of relatively little things we tend to chafe at too when it comes to regulating personal behavior-- any such regulations currently in place were preceded and/or accompanied by decades of widespread fear-mongering propaganda in the media and by politicians (e.g. drug laws, anti-smoking laws, gun laws, etc.)
but they don't when it comes to security.
Eh, you'd be surprised. There are a lot of what I call "rank-and-file" ideological right-wingers (not the pundits or political establishment) I've encountered in America, both online and in the real world, who absolutely despise the Feds and police in general, the GOP/right-wing pundits and political establishment might be able to get some of them on board with stuff against foreign terrorists as their nationalism (and sometimes racism) trumps their hatred of the state security apparatus, but they don't even get all them-- look at all the right-wing Ron Paul supporters. Even a lot of those naturally inclined towards authoritarianism tend to distrust the state.
Now, all that being said, you run into four problems:
1. That rank-and-file who truly does distrust the state security apparatus often values other issues more and the right-wing establishment knows how to play them on that.
2. There's a sizeable portion of the right-wing rank-and-file who is authoritarian without any qualification.
3. The right-wing leadership in government and the media is straight-up authoritarian because they have a direct interest in a strong state.
4. MOST IMPORTANTLY, a lot of people, whatever their general political leanings, aren't strongly motivated to support or oppose an authoritarian state out of ideological reasons, but, as I stated in my previous post, I think for most people fear will trump any other concerns.
It's just really obnoxious when far-right pundits talk about the left being "pro-government", as if they're not.
Agreed. I used to say they had co-opted the orthodox libertarian position, but I've been finding that the orthodox libertarians in this country have also allowed and in some cases encouraged their positions be cynically co-opted by the reactionary right.