The rational, principled argument for a Republican or Independent college student would of course be “no”. The theatrics of yesterdays tantrum in a teapot on Capitol Hill (contrasted by the killings at Fort Hood and within the context of Guy Fawkes Day) really obscures how most people feel about government.
People generally don’t care about government, or at least will tolerate the status quo so long as their lives are comfortable, the mail gets delivered, and the trash gets picked up. As soon as effective governing becomes impossible via scandal, ideology, or externalities (like the economy), any politican, regardless of party, is vulnerable. You can see it in the polling data from the 2009 NJ Governors race, based on voting priorities (summed-up by taxgirl):
