I'd don't really like meeting politicians, except for the seemingly few who are willing and able to stop being "on" and act like normal human beings, but I've met a bunch over the years and what I'm almost always struck by is that they come across as being a lot more intelligent than I would have expected. I don't mean that I assume all politicians are dumb, I mean that our political discourse is often so dumb that people operating within its confines usually sound pretty damn dumb.
So, no, I don't know if they actually think spending caps are a good idea, and are therefore idiots, or if they're just dancing.