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.
I did not mean to say predecessors. I should have said successors.
All I’m saying is that what the Founders gave us, that was the best system we ever had. For that reason, repealing the spoils system was a very good idea.