From the comments
Here’s a Hill poll on inflation, and here’s a Gallup poll, and here’s a Rasmussmen poll.
While all differ on the exact numbers, they agree in broad strokes. The median voter is highly worried about inflation. Democrats are worried less about inflation, but still quite a lot. Indpendents are virtually indistinguishable from Republicans in worrying a lot about inflation.
That means that the inflation/hard money bit from the GOP is not an appeal to the base. It’s actually a reach to the center.
Worrying about inflation may be wrong– and I think it is wrong, according to the data– but it’s an attempt to go after the median voter, not play to the base.
Scott Sumner and Arnold Kling have related comments, and most directly here is Scott Sumner again.