Ending the spoils system was a very good idea. Andrew Jackson put us on the path toward bigger government in his era and for that reason was not a good president.
The problem is that the end of the spoils system led to the creation of a bureaucracy of its own: the Civil Service Commission.
What the Founders set up is what we should have re-implemented, which was based on experience and talent. Instead of going with the already tried and true, the new way forward was a nebulous “qualifications”, or expertise.
This is a good rundown: (the first several paragraphs)
There’s no doubt that the Spoils System has it problems. There is a tradeoff either way.
I do take issue though with the argument that Jackson was a “Big Government” politician. Relatively speaking he’s innovations increased government no where near what many of his predecessors did. If expanding government makes one a “bad president”, then Lincoln, Roosevelt, and everyone from LBJ onward are bad presidents.