Like it or not, this is the exact public belief that has destroyed the Republican Party in California. People there don't really like Big Government as much as their apparent taste in legislators would seem to suggest, but have been led to believe that Republicans offer an even Bigger Government than Democrats.
Is “retro-Republican” really an accurate term? I’m retro-republican, and I think we need to restore the idea that the federal government is neither empowered to regulate what you do in your bedroom nor pay for the consequences.