It was found Wednesday that Mike Pence’s advocacy group Advancing American Freedom is creating a $20 million organization to fight against those in the conservative movement “chasing the siren song of populism.”
“Our nation was founded on conservative principles that have stood the test of time,” the former vice president said in a statement. “The Constitution and this great American experiment must not be swayed by movements or personalities, but must hold fast to the time-honored principles that have made America strong and prosperous and free.”
While Pence shied away from pointing any fingers directly, opting to simply state that “many in the conservative movement have walked away from these principles,” the intended target is obvious.
The longtime politician has already aimed at the growing populist fraction of his party, previously claiming that the future of Republicans can belong “to one or the other, not both.”
The belief certainly doesn’t solely belong to Pence, RINOs like Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Sen. John Thune (R-SD), and many others who have concerns with populism taking hold in the party. Their concerns center around the whims of the people constantly changing and may eventually come back to haunt them.
But while their concerns may come from a valid place, Pence, someone still actively involved in the 2024 GOP Primaries, putting forth a significant amount of money to fight populism, something that frontrunner Donald Trump popularized, appears more like an attack than anything.
The timing is also questionable as while Republicans certainly need to work on their identity, doing so right before a presidential election is not the ideal time. For the party to have any chance of defeating incumbent President Joe Biden, Republicans need to rally behind a single candidate and not splinter into smaller subgroups.
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley (R-SC) is already causing significant tension, keeping in the primaries despite being far behind Trump and launching constant smear campaigns against the New York mogul. More party division will ultimately lead to worse results.
So, while Pence may want his organization to do good things within the party, the timing certainly doesn’t do it any favors. There’s a time and a place to deeply reflect upon the identity of the Republican Party, but it’s not in the middle of a major election cycle.