That's where the "big government" aspect comes in. Those guys were all about "big government" back in the 19th century, when "big government" meant high protective tariffs. They were less in love with it when "big government" was hijacked by FDR and used to bribe and suborn urban voters; but they realized FDR had got there 'fustest with the mostest' and that they just had to compete on the basis of the "reality" FDR had created. Ergo, "Me Too". Are you in favor of continuing Social Security (my aunt gets $X/month, and my sainted mother $Y/month, which I'll have to find somehow if the checks get cut off!)? Why, heck, sure -- "Me Too!"
Only rubes from Arizona went around like Barry Goldwater saying "we have to do something" about FDR's corruption of the electorate. And that, you see, is how you tell a "good Republican stalwart" like Nelson Rockefeller from a "primitive" like Goldwater or Reagan.
That’s why I hate the Republican party in general and only love the Reagans or whoever else can come along to hijack the party from the “Old Money” and use it to blast government and free our country. Need more ardent libertarians who will not compromise the Constitution.