I am old enough to remember a time in which the GOP genuinely believed in small government and balanced budgets. That hasn’t been true since Reagan. What happened?
Two things. First, the PBPs concluded that the benefits of regressive tax cuts exceeded the dangers created by deficits–a decision that was supported by falling interest and inflation rates over time. Second, the Reactionary faction, which has become the largest grouping within the party during this period, has no interest whatsoever in deficits. Its agenda is to support an anachronistic white Christian nationalism by any means possible. These two factions make up the vast majority of the current members of the GOP, so they drive the train.
To summarize, if you’re a Reactionary, why would you worry about paying for the future, when your entire objective is to live in the past?