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Conservatives Should Take a Second Look at GOP Presidential Hopeful Jon Huntsman
Conservatives should take a second look at GOP presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman, who is by far the most conservative candidate of the slate of presidential candidates and has the most foreign policy experience.
Shouldn't Conservatives Take a Second Look at Jon Huntsman? (Wikipedia)
Conservatives should take a second look at GOP presidential hopeful former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman. After all, he is far more conservative than cheating Newt Gingrich and slick Mitt Romney. In fact, he is the only candidate that is staunchly pro-life and has REAL foreign policy experience. I have long maintained that he is the Republican candidate with the best chance of beating President Barack Obama in the general election. Call me crazy, but he is far more credible than the other candidates. The truth is, Jon Huntsman shouldn’t be a lower tier candidate. That should be Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul. Jon Huntsman shouldn’t be pulling in single digit poll figures. He should be in double digits, that’s based on what he brings to the table. Above all, he also appeals to centrists and independents.
Conservative pundit George Will is even making the case for Jon Huntsman. During an appearance on the “Laura Ingraham Show,” he said, ”I think if you look at Jon Huntsman’s record, what he’s laid out, his proposals for taxes and the economy, his opposition to No Child Left Behind, you could make a case that he deserves a searching second look from conservatives. Huntsman’s position on foreign policy is the most conservative. That is, it is the most modest in assessing the need and ability of the United States to control distant events.”
Jon Huntsman’s record as governor is more conservative than anything Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney have ever done. While I don’t share his support of Paul Ryan’s deficit reduction plan, I will give him props for his jobs plan, which was touted by the Wall Street Journal: ”Mr. Huntsman’s proposal is as impressive as any to date in the GOP Presidential field, and certainly better than what we’ve seen from the front-runners.” More to his credit, he went out on a limb and called for the end of the collusion and market distortion of the “too big to fail” mantra.
If I were a betting woman, with $10,000 to spare like Mitt Romney, I would bet that on Jon Huntsman being a viable GOP presidential nominee. While I don’t care much for his Mormon faith, I do care more about the path on which this country is heading and I think he has the record of accomplishment to help this country chart a new course. I can’t blame President Obama for much of what is going on, but I can blame him for being so vacillating and not being more forceful or understanding the awesome power he wields as the leader of the most powerful country in the world. President Obama should have learned by now, that you can’t be everybody’s friend and that the buck truly stops with him. Not John Boehner, Eric Cantor, Sen. Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi or Sen. Harry Reid. So, with that said, I would love to see Jon Huntsman as the GOP presidential nominee. God knows he doesn’t bring the baggage of Newt Gingrich or the flip-flopping history of Mitt Romney.
This was cross-posted from The Hinterland Gazette.
27 Responses to “Conservatives Should Take a Second Look at GOP Presidential Hopeful Jon Huntsman”
I agree with George Will: Huntsman is conservative in the sense that he would be a prudent decision-maker rather than simply tilt towards the radical right…I’m wondering if he’s going to end up as a #2 on ticket or as Fareed Zakaria asked him on Sunday – if Secretary of State is in his sights….speaking of Zakaria – I wonder if he’ll ever end up seeking public office
Cargoman — Either way, I think he would be a good choice for Secretary of State or VP, even though I believe the former position would be more visible than the latter. I like Jon Huntsman. I know I may be one of a small handful of people who support his candidacy.
Huntsman also puts more distance between himself and Mormonism compared to Romney…he’s stressed that his own family is multi-faith (including an adopted Indian daughter, so they practice Hindi with her)
As a Democrat, I would vote for him.
Sadly, that’s exactly why he won’t make it
I like him and Tom Coburn as V.P. Gary Johnson also deserves some looking at.
I keep hearing about his “China” experience from Huntsman a little more often than what is comfortable for me. He clearly states that he would not “confront China” but negotiate, because well, he’s a “good negotiator”. I call BS.
Also, I find it suspicious that China has been very appeasing of late and that worries me, at least in the short term, because it is a marked behavior change.
I seriously worry that Huntsman is the Manchurian Candidate, because I consider anybody so experienced with China, and, still friendly with them, a possible Trojan Horse. Especially if they are seeking great power in our easily penetrated government.
I’m also suspicious why an American republican Conservative is so “open minded” with an unrepentant Communist government. Makes no sense. Just don’t fit.
I think after the early success of Herman “Uz-beki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan” Cain we can safely assume that the GOP voters don’t give a damn about foreign policy ability. Huntsman should be a top tier candidate but he’s not a vapid talking point regurgitator spouting a return to the same policies of the Bush administration that drove this country into this mess, therefore he won’t ever get out of double digits unless a miracle happens.
This subject gets a “bravo” from me.
DORIAN DE WIND, Military Affairs Columnist says: DECEMBER 12, 2011 AT 11:10 AM
As a Democrat, I would vote for him.
Sadly, that’s exactly why he won’t make it
Yep.
The fact remains that Jon Huntsman is by far the most conservative candidate in the primaries. When compared to Newt it’s by a long shot.
So it’s interesting to hear a Democrat would vote for him.
It’s also why Obama reelect would be most scared to run against Huntsman, who should run as an independent once the GOP circus is over IF Newt prevails.
Allen
Maybe he is so “open minded” about those “Godless Commies” because they are financing our economy (the Trojan Horse?). Or it may be just because he knows something about them – which most of us don’t.
My theory is, the more they invest here, the more they need us to succeed. I’d like to be a fly on the wall in their discussions about the candidates in this election.
DDuck — Tom Coburn is one Republican lawmaker I like. I agree he would make a good VP.
The Ohioan — I would venture to say Jon Huntsman knows a thing or two about the Chinese that we don’t. I think the Obama campaign wouldn’t want to meet him in the general elections. They have virtually no negatives to throw his way. I agree with you on being a fly on the wall to hear which candidate the Chinese would like to see go up against Obama. My guess is that they wouldn’t want Romney nor Gingrich.
Well many Democrat women will vote for him simply because he is a good-looking, well dressed and well spoken man, with a nice family, never mind he will throw our elderly and poor into the gutter. Or the ash heap of history, whatever you want to call it.
DD
That would be a welcome change especially if Coburn would repent of his advice given through The Family. Ah, well, noone’s perfect.
Do you have any influence with the Republicans? Time is growing short.
Ohioan-
The Chinese are NOT financing our economy, we are financing theirs. We give them our markets and sacrifice our jobs while they cheat us in exchange. The Chinese only own eight percent of our debt. Not enough to make them very important IMO.
…and I don’t care that they are Godless. There will be no more revolutions in heaven. Chinese or otherwise.
Huntsman arguably has the best gauge on China and that is one of the essential tools needed in a U.S. president’s tool belt in this day and age, and moving forward…
Allen
They may only own 8 percent of our debt, but they own 26 percent of all foreign-held U.S. Treasury securities – over $1 trillion. If they stop buying or start selling, it could be somewhat important.
Right now they think we should start investing in our infrastructure and are willing to do some of that investing. We must be vigilant if this dire plot actually comes to fruition.
PS The most successful revolutionary ever is already in heaven.
Allen– that’s like saying women buy a shiny new blue Ford Focus only because the color matches a lot of their outfits. Pls give female voters a little more credit.
TH, alas, I am a mere fart in the windstorm of Reps or Dems.
I fantasize that some intelligent people in both parties monitor this and other sites to get a feel for what different categories of the populace thinks (polls stink IMHO), in my case a moderate view.
Ohioan-
Irrelevant. Eight percent is eight percent, foreign held or not. Selling doesn’t matter foreign or domestic. A sold bond is a sold bond, period. As far as I’m concerned they can sell them all and the sooner the better BEFORE the bonds mature.
I’m all for a Chinese partnership, but the Chinese need to prove a little less ominous in their threat comments before they can be fully trusted.
If you cave into the Chinese, history shows that they will dictate what your rights are pretty fast.
Bluebelle, you know I’m right. I wish I wasn’t.
Nice fantasy duck. Who knows, maybe a few of those “intelligent” people do pop in for a read now and then.
As for Huntsman, well, he would be the obvious choice for a GOP that had both oars in the water, but as we know this isn’t the case.
Allen — You prove with almost every comment you write that you don’t actually know any women. It gets more and more nauseating as time goes on.
Anyway, Huntsman does seem to have more faith that logic and rationality can win the day than most (all?) of the GOP field. In any case, he’s not as willing as the others to throw out everything they know to appeal to those who seemingly don’t know much at all. Good on him. I couldn’t ever actually vote for someone with many of his views against even as milquetoast a Democrat as Obama. If Obama’s going to lose (still very hard to predict right now), I suppose it’s better to lose to someone who’s got a head on him.
Huntsman is one of the few, on either side, that I could support. However, the two party system is stacked against people who can draw support from both sides.
“However, the two party system is stacked against people who can draw support from both sides.”
Agreed… but mainly because I don’t think such people exist. If Huntsman actually became the contender to face Obama, you can bet his campaign would descend to requisite GOP mudslinging, swiftboating equivalent, pandering to aluminum foil birthers, and/or any other unjustifiable means to a fantasy end.
Allen- maybe my mother’s generation would have voted like that- but uh women today are a tad more responsible. And Huntsman is no JFK.
It is a nice pipe dream…won’t happen.
Are those teeth even real??? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .