Can contractionary fiscal policy--taxing more than spending--ever have a place during times of recession?

Macroeconomics is not an exact science so there is no way
to be 100% sure.  However, it is clear, for example, that Republicans in the United
States (as well as the British government and others) feel that contractionary fiscal
policy does have a place in bad economic times.

The idea
behind this would be that lower spending would reduce the government's deficit and
thereby increase consumer confidence. Some economists argue that, in countries where the
deficit is already quite high, the deficit makes people worry that the country is
fundamentally unstable.  It may also make foreign investors feel this way.  This is a
real problem.  If consumers do not want to buy, aggregate demand goes down.  If foreign
investors do not want to invest, interest rates go up and there is less money coming
into the economy.  Both of these could make a recession
worse.

The idea is, then, that contractionary fiscal policy
would demonstrate that the government is serious about fixing the country's problems. 
This would encourage consumer spending and foreign investment.  Both would help improve
the country's economy.