In an address at a New Hampshire town hall, former Vice-President and 2024 presidential candidate Mike Pence has issued a rallying cry to the Republican Party, calling for a return to the core conservative values that once defined the party under President Ronald Reagan.
Pence’s message is clear – it’s time for the GOP to re-embrace its roots and steer away from the allure of populism.
Pence: GOP Must Choose Between Conservatism And Populism https://t.co/wFd0hrCZkj
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) September 6, 2023
Here within the Republican Party, I think we have a choice to make, and that is whether or not we are going to offer the American people a candidate and a standard bearer that will carry forward the common sense conservative agenda of a strong national defense: American leadership in the world; fiscal responsibility and pro-growth policies; a commitment to traditional values and liberty and life, or whether or not we’ll follow the siren song of populism, unmoored to conservative principle,” he stated.
Pence stressed the importance of staying true to these principles or risk straying down the uncertain path of populism, devoid of conservative ideals. “Frankly, my former running mate and other candidates for the Republican nomination are beginning to move away from that conservative agenda, abandoning American leadership on the world stage, being willing to ignore the debt crisis that’s facing future generations of Americans,” he continued.
Pence highlighted the alarming trajectory of the national debt, noting that during the eight years of the Obama presidency, it increased by $8.6 trillion. In contrast, the four years of the Trump presidency saw a $6.7 trillion increase, and between President Biden’s inauguration and April 2023, the national debt has surged by roughly $3.5 trillion.
“And of course, there are those who want to marginalize the cause of life to simply being a states-only issue,” Pence stated firmly, referring to the issue of abortion laws. “But for me, all of those issues have been central to this movement.”
Sharing his personal journey about how he used to be a Democrat, Pence further revealed, “It was the voice of our 40th president, Ronald Reagan, it was the same common-sense principles that drew me to the Republican Party, and more importantly, haven’t just delivered victories for the GOP but they’ve actually delivered real prosperity and real security for the American people.”
Pence wrapped up his address with a resounding call to action, stating, “We’ve come to a Republican time for choosing, and we’re going to choose whether our party’s going to stay on that time-honored tradition of conservative principles or whether we’re going to slide in the direction of populism and be more like an echo, frankly, of the policies of the other party.”
