Mike Pence to give speech at St. Anselm College: “Populism vs. Conservatism: Republicans’ Time for Choosing”

[essentialsaltes]

“The former vice president will say that there’s a fundamental divide between … limited government conservatism and populism, and that divide is unbridgeable,” said a Pence aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the speech for reporters. “Populism and liberalism are on the same road to ruin.”

• Pence will argue that government intervention in free markets, refusing to address Social Security and Medicare spending and retreating on foreign policy are anathema to the Republican Party.

[I think this really does speak to the divide within the GOP. To win the White House, the GOP really needs both sides, but at this point I don't see any candidate doing that successfully. Trump did in 2016, but he's clearly picked one lane to focus on [at least as far as his messaging goes; I doubt he has any policy plans to regulate the banks or big business in order to help the common man], and Pence is making the case for the other.]

“Why would you attack populism if you’re trying to be the Republican nominee?” Gingrich said in an interview. “I mean, it’s now the base of the party.”

A Pew Research Center project that used polling to analyze Republicans found in 2021 that about 23 percent of Republicans belong to the “Populist Right.” Such Republicans “are deeply conservative and reliably vote Republican” but also “hold hard-line immigration views” as well as economic views [that are more populist than corporate]

“They are the sole Republican-oriented group in which majorities say the economic system in the country unfairly favors powerful interests, that businesses in this country make too much profit and that taxes on household income over $400,000 should be raised,” Pew wrote in the report.

a younger generation of [Republican] lawmakers has embraced policies such as sick leave for rail workers, compensation caps for banking executives and refusing to cut Social Security and Medicare — policies on which they have at least some common ground with Democrats.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Hmm....

I don't like the right-wing populist take on immigration.
I do like their take on powerful economic interests and worker protections.
I don't like their focus on pwning the libs.
I do like any bifurcation in the Republican party.

I think I'm gonna encourage Pence to keep going down this road.

 

[Fantine]

I'll start with the dictionary definition, since both Democrats and Republicans have been called "populists" at time. Former VP candidate and Senator John Edwards was often called a populist, and other than his infidelity he did not have anything in common with the Republican populist DJT.

pop·u·lism
[ˈpäpyəˌlizəm]

NOUN

1. a political approach that strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups:
   "the question is whether he will tone down his fiery populism now that he has joined the political establishment" · "the Finance Minister performed a commendable balancing act, combining populism with prudence"
   • support for populist politicians or policies:
     "the government came to power on a wave of populism"
   • the quality of appealing to or being aimed at ordinary people:
     "art museums did not gain bigger audiences through a new populism"

It seems as though Republican populism is trying to appeal to ordinary people (primarily white rural Americans, white evangelical Christians, blue-collar white workers) by convincing them they are being discriminated against, marginalized, etc.

And they are using divisive social issues to hammer this home (since for the life of me I can't find any economic positions the Republicans have that would help them with ordinary people).

They seem to be pushing anti-urban hatred--particularly in trying to suppress and gerrymander citi dwellers' votes out of existence. "People in the city want gun control!" Well, of course they do! If you rode the subways every day like I did for three years, you wouldn't want any guns out there on your round trip.

The truth about cities and prosperous blue states is that they send a lot more money to Washington than red states do, and Washington hands it over in aid to red states. And for that blue states get less representation and a bunch of socially-conservative populists trying to destroy them.

Populism? I don't think so.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Haven't seen the full text, but he does seem to have struck at the heart of the matter.

The former vice president also planned to liken populism to progressivism as “fellow travelers on the same road to ruin,” according to the prepared remarks. Populism is made of “little else than personal grievances and performative outrage,” as opposed to conservatism’s traditional values, Pence argued in the remarks.

 

[FenderTL5]

• Pence will argue that government intervention in free markets, refusing to address Social Security and Medicare spending and retreating on foreign policy are anathema to the Republican Party.

Two out of three reasons I stopped voting Republican.

“Why would you attack populism if you’re trying to be the Republican nominee?” Gingrich said in an interview. “I mean, it’s now the base of the party.”

Gingrich preached the same sermon as Pence a few short years ago. He ain't fooling too many.
I sadly lived in Gingrich's district for a time in the 90s.

 

[essentialsaltes]

"Donald Trump, along with his populist followers and imitators – some of whom are also seeking the Republican presidential nomination -- often sound like an echo of the progressive they would replace in the White House," he said. "Like progressives the Republican populists insist government should dictate how private businesses operate. The Governor of Florida even used the power of the state to punish corporations for taking a political stand he disagreed with."

"I see not only my former running mate but other candidates in the field that are beginning to walk away from America's commitment as leader of the free world, unwilling to talk about reforming entitlements and spending in ways that will save our country from a debt crisis facing children and grandchildren, and also trying to marginalize the cause of the sanctity of life, that's been a central cause of our movement for generations," he said. "So it's about drawing that contrast and really laying out what I think will be really a very clear, clear choice in this campaign going forward."

 

[RileyG]

Interesting they have a former Catholic speak at a Benedictine, Catholic college.

 

[Pommer]

“The former vice president will say that there’s a fundamental divide between … limited government conservatism and populism, and that divide is unbridgeable,” said a Pence aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the speech for reporters. “Populism and liberalism are on the same road to ruin.”

• Pence will argue that government intervention in free markets, refusing to address Social Security and Medicare spending and retreating on foreign policy are anathema to the Republican Party.

[I think this really does speak to the divide within the GOP. To win the White House, the GOP really needs both sides, but at this point I don't see any candidate doing that successfully. Trump did in 2016, but he's clearly picked one lane to focus on [at least as far as his messaging goes; I doubt he has any policy plans to regulate the banks or big business in order to help the common man], and Pence is making the case for the other.]

“Why would you attack populism if you’re trying to be the Republican nominee?” Gingrich said in an interview. “I mean, it’s now the base of the party.”

A Pew Research Center project that used polling to analyze Republicans found in 2021 that about 23 percent of Republicans belong to the “Populist Right.” Such Republicans “are deeply conservative and reliably vote Republican” but also “hold hard-line immigration views” as well as economic views [that are more populist than corporate]

“They are the sole Republican-oriented group in which majorities say the economic system in the country unfairly favors powerful interests, that businesses in this country make too much profit and that taxes on household income over $400,000 should be raised,” Pew wrote in the report.

a younger generation of [Republican] lawmakers has embraced policies such as sick leave for rail workers, compensation caps for banking executives and refusing to cut Social Security and Medicare — policies on which they have at least some common ground with Democrats.

The lure/curse of populism is that it is easy to “choose”.