The expansion of government spending for a few years after 2008 relative to GDP was, of course, due to the destruction of the economy under Bush-Cheney. That is, it was a denominator issue. Obama didn't expand the government. The economy contracted.
The Republicans sought to take advantage of Bush's disaster to shrink government rather than to learn the proper lessons of economic management. What they really need to do is to learn how to run an economy so that it expands. Their record is unfortunately poor if they actually take the trouble to review the history.
Improving an economy is not done by removing the rules that are employed to govern markets (although sometimes rules aren't constructive), or by lowering taxes by any means and in all circumstances (although lowering excessive and inefficient taxes makes sense). It is done by making government smarter.
Sometimes this will mean government intervention. Sometimes it will mean government standing aside.
When they get over the nonsense that government is always a bad thing, maybe they'll stop doing so much damage. And they'll get better candidates.
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