Posted on 01/24/2011 4:01:51 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Put Jon Huntsman Jr., the U.S. ambassador to China and former governor of Utah, on the shortlist of potentially strong GOP candidates for president or vice president in 2012.
It is time for the Great Mentioner in American politics to mention Huntsman as a major rising star with a great political future. He is the kind of political leader most Americans seek, long on experience and achievement and far removed from the vicious attack politics most voters abhor.
As the president speaks tonight, the state of the union is simple. Americans want more jobs in an economy that lifts all boats. They don’t want a politics of destruction and tribal warfare. President Obama gets it. Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich do not.
Cable pundits thrive on incendiary attacks, but smart Democrats hope, and smart Republicans fear, that a divisive GOP nominee could lose in a landslide in 2012. Jon Huntsman offers great appeal to independent voters who wield great power in national elections.
Warren Buffett once said the key to success is the hockey style of the great Wayne Gretzky: Know where the puck is going and get there fast. Huntsman is there. He was a tax-cutting, job-creating, export-promoting governor of a state that was named by the Pew Center as America’s best-managed on his watch.
Huntsman learned national politics as a young White House aide to President Reagan, and is now a highly respected ambassador in one of the most important diplomatic posts in the world. He combines executive experience with strong credentials on business, diplomacy and trade.
Huntsman embodies a politics of civility, integrity and respect that Americans desire in leaders. He views opponents as opponents, not enemies. He knows, as Reagan knew, that governing includes working with opponents and negotiating with skill.
Why does this supporter of the reelection of President Obama speak well of a formidable Republican?
When Huntsman was named ambassador to China I wrote on this page that he is five-star and first-rate. It would be a better world if everyone in politics and political media would occasionally speak well of a member of the other party.
It is not credible or true to suggest that everything about my party is great and everything about the other party is evil. This attitude contributes to a violence in our politics that I pray has ended but suspect has not. I warn again. We live in dangerous times.
If he runs, Huntsman might campaign in the spirit of Ronald Reagan’s uplifting tone, Jack Kemp’s creative conservatism and John McCain’s reform agenda in 2000.
An Obama-Huntsman race could be similar to the kind of campaign that Jack Kennedy and Barry Goldwater discussed before the tragic event in Dallas: an intelligent clash of ideas as envisioned by Oliver Wendell Holmes, between candidates who respect voters as intelligent citizens making important decisions.
I don’t know if Huntsman will run for the presidency, the Senate or any office in 2012, but he recently bought a new home in Washington.
Huntsman is well-aware of our great tourist attractions. I suspect he plans to someday work in one of them, rather than take the guided tour.
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Budowsky was an aide to former Sen. Lloyd Bentsen and Bill Alexander, then chief deputy majority whip of the House. He holds an LL.M. degree in international financial law from the London School of Economics. He can be read on The Hill’s Pundits Blog and reached at brentbbi@webtv.net This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
There was recently an interesting article about Huntsman in the WSJ:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704637704576081782029351492.html?KEYWORDS=huntsman
Fuck him! He joined the enemy.
I read it. He actually sounds very interesting.
Puke.
He is interesting. Of course, it doesn’t talk much about his political views. But it sounds like he’s a great Ambassador to China. Maybe one of the few appointments Obama has made that was worthy.
This is good. More ‘moderates’ please.
Let’s split this RINO vote.
Conservatives aren’t going to support this guy, or Rudy, or Flip Floppney.
When Sarah announces, the field is going to shrink drastically. I doubt Huckabee runs, he doesn’t have the fire in the belly.
He has no chance to be elected President. Reading the WSJ article, I am not even convinced that’s his aim. The article makes it sound like he might be riding the wave in order to impress the Chinese, who are easily impressed by that kind of BS. Of course, it would not be the first time a former Ambassador to China became President, so I suppose they might think it’s possible.
It’s clear to me that Huntsman has hired some PR firm to go out and pimp his name with puff pieces like this.
More of the Dims trying to choose the other guy’s candidate. Note that Budowsky supports Obie for reelection, but thinks Huntsman would make a “fine” loser for Republicans. I’m reminded of boxing “champs” who have to fight someone to maintain their title and resort to the “Bum of the Month Club” so they don’t have to work too hard.
What’s the name of that team that plays the Harlem Globetrotters?
A star is born! It is called Huntsman’s Kolob Minor, another dwarf star right next to Mittlegeuss in the constellation Notonmyfatass.
Losers, again. They must think the TEA Party is going away. They are wrong.
Washington Generals.
You nailed it! These “Anybody but Palin” articles are just like what you get when you muck out a barn.
There was a lot of Huntsman 2012 talk in 2008. I won’t back him. I think he’s too tight with the global warming cult.
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