Actually, that is the *most* Republican thing that could have been said.

Traditionally, the Republican Party has championed states rights above all else, believing that government works best in smaller units as opposed to on a grand scale (federally). Republicans have, until recently, pushed for a smaller Federal government.

While Republicans have generally always been more socially and fiscally conservative, it's really only been since the Reagan years that the party has been equated with ultra-conservative, evangelical Christians (the Religious Right) and their social agenda.