There is a fight, albeit weak one, taking place within the Republican Party between conservatism and populism. That dividing line between the two ideologies may be drawn around our national defense.
Recently former Vice President Mike Pence, a candidate for the GOP nomination, gave a speech at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College titled “Populism vs. Conservatism: Republicans’ Time for Choosing.” In his speech, Pence asked of his fellow Republicans: “In the days to come, will we be the party of conservatism, or will our party follow the siren song of populism unmoored to conservative principles?”
Pence reminded Republicans of the pillars of American conservatism: limited government, individual liberty, strong national defense, championing traditional values, honoring the Constitution, and maintaining American leadership on the world stage.
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Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley recently referred to himself to The Washington Examiner as a “conservative populist.” I guess as a way to have it both ways. While Hawley may be able to combine the two words together to describe himself, his behavior shows he prefers one to the other.
Political scientists describe populism as the idea that society is separated into two groups: “the people” versus the elites. Illiberal populist leaders attempt to stir up resentment and anger within populist movements and direct that animosity towards our institutions.
Many of America’s populist elected officials have begun taking their antagonism out on the institution of our military.
On Sept. 20, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, used a procedural maneuver to tee up votes on the nominations of Gen. Charles “C.Q.” Brown Jr. to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This vote came after Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville started blocking high-ranking military confirmations seven months ago as a protest to Defense Department abortion policies.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense website and statements made by Sec. of Defense Lloyd Austin, the hold on the 301 general and flag officer nominations risked our national security, military readiness, and caused uncertainty within the force.
Once the vote was initiated, the Senate voted overwhelmingly — 83-11 — in a bipartisan fashion, to confirm Brown. Two of those eleven “Nay” votes came from Missouri’s own senators.
Hawley’s office did not respond to my request for comment on why the senator voted no. Sen. Eric Schmitt’s office responded by directing me to the senator’s questioning of Brown during an Armed Services Committee hearing in July which “captured the concerns that Senator Schmitt had about his nomination.” Schmitt’s line of questioning surrounded culture war concerns around “race-based politics”, DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) training, and COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Both of Missouri’s senators also oppose continued funding for Ukraine.
Schmitt’s office did not respond to my request for comment on Ukraine funding. Hawley told reporters that “Russia is a problem for us, but China is our number-one foreign policy threat.”
While foreign policy experts may agree with Hawley on the threat that China plays, a retreat in the U.S. ‘s support of Ukraine would surely signal to China a weakness on our part.
If you don’t believe me, listen to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s words from the Senate floor: “Helping Ukraine retake its territory means weakening — weakening — one of America’s biggest strategic adversaries without firing a shot.”
This type of isolationism and injection of culture war grievances into our non-partisan military is not conservative. There has always been some element of populism in American conservatism, but it was always controlled by the political establishment. That is no longer the case.
Pence made the case when he told Republican voters they face a choice which will determine both the fate of our party and the course of our nation. He said, “The future of this movement, of this great party, belongs to one or the other — not both. That is because the fundamental divide between these two factions is unbridgeable.”
Many will say that the choice that Pence has laid has already been made. That may be true, but as St. Louis’ own Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” As a traditional conservative, I will continue to fight for those principles and values that I hold dear.
And since we are discussing vernacular, my populist critics would call me a RINO (Republican in Name Only). If being RINO means I support our military and support American geopolitical leadership, then I wear that name only proudly.
While Republican voters are in the midst of choosing during the run up to the Republican primaries, they should understand the difference between conservatism and populism and what that actually looks like. Populist Republicans like Hawley and Schmitt may want to have both, but their actions with regards to supporting the military and our national security speak louder than words.
Lynn Schmidt is a Post-Dispatch columnist and Editorial Board member. lynnschmidtrn@outlook.com.
