Bloggers doubt Huntsman's chances in 2012 [presidential] election

SALT LAKE CITY -- We're a few days past the official announcement that Jon Huntsman Jr. will resign the U.S. ambassadorship to China, presumably to run for the White House in 2012.

At this point, prominent political commentators seem to be generally taking one of two positions: either that Huntsman made a very bad decision to run now, or that this is what he needs to do to set himself up to be a Republican frontrunner in 2016. Almost nobody in the blogosphere who isn't associated with Newsweek believes Huntsman has a legitimate shot at winning the 2012 presidential election.

Below are links to pundits opining about the viability of a "Huntsman in 2012" presidential campaign. (If you want to read more on the subject, do a simple Google News search for "Huntsman president.")

We'll start with the most positive of the bunch. Patrick Chovanec at Forbes believes Huntsman won't have trouble distancing himself from Obama and is a welcome addition to the field of candidates.

The Economist contends that Huntsman would've been much better served waiting to run in 2016.

James Fallows at The Atlantic forecasts that Huntsman could be a good presidential candidate long-term, but Fallows zealously believes Huntsman doesn't have a proverbial leg to stand on if pitted against his former boss Barack Obama in a general election.

The American Prospect thinks Huntsman is either delusional or already beginning to position himself for 2016.

Politico talks about the prospects of a "Mormon Primary." It basically points out that Huntsman improves Mitt Romney's chances because it makes a Mormon candidate running for president look more common. It says many experts believe Romney would run away in a "Mormon Primary."

Even some local political experts have questions. Kirk Jowers of the Hinckley Institute of Politics said, "How does he have a chance to win? He's been working for a Democratic president, he hasn't been doing the ground work -- so all those questions come in."

The Boyz at Hillbuzz weigh in:

White House and Cocktail Party establishment kabuki: Jon Huntsman edition

http://hillbuzz.org/2011/02/01/white-house-and-cocktail-party-establishment-kabuki-jon-huntsman-edition/
Posted by kevindujan01

Seriously? This guy? The Media’s really trying to sell THIS GUY as a new Cocktail Party favorite for 2012? Ridunkulous.

HotAir has this take on Jon Huntsman resigning as US Ambassador to China to run for the Republican 2012 nomination.

Strangely, they believe the White House made Huntsman Ambassador to China to prevent him from being a 2012 candidate. Because the Governor of Utah is such a compelling position from which to launch a presidential bid.

Do you remember what the White House said back in 2009 when they made Huntsman an Ambassador? Axelrod, Emanuel, and the rest went out of their way at the time to tell anyone who would listen how “formidable” Huntsman would be if he ran against Obama in 2012…and how they believed he’d be “the hardest candidate to beat”.

I hear the Republicans called “The Party of Stupid” a lot and most of the time I cringe, because stupid’s such an ugly word and I don’t think many people deserve that.

But if you can’t see what the White House did with Huntsman, then you really are stupid, even if you write for HotAir and are someone I normally like.

Huntsman has always been a failsafe the White House intended to push for the 2012 GOP nomination because his wealth is limitless and his ego is apparently considerable. Huntsman has been positioned by the Administration to play the Ross Perot spoiler role for the GOP.

If the Media-White House-Left axis does not succeed in nominating someone like Mittens Romney, Tim Pawlenty, or John Thune in 2012 and Governor Palin secures the nomination, the doomsday scenario for the White House has always been to encourage Huntsman to step up as a third party candidate to split the Republican vote with Palin, the way Perot did with Bush to squeak Bill Clinton to victory in 1992.

Huntsman, apparently, is too stupid to realize he is being played.

“Hear that? They done said I was formidable. Whooooo, doggies. Hear that? I am formidable. Rich, too. Oh, and so handsome, in a leathery creepy kind of way, but that being filthy stinking rich sure nuff makes up for that. AND, I went to China and was an Ambassador and the like, so now I got me some of that foreign policy credentials. Hell, if Ross Perot can do it, then I can get me some charts and some graphs and some Hell if I know and run as an Independent too. President Huntsman. Man alive, I sure nuff like the sound of that!”.

Idiot.

Sometimes, I still can’t believe Republicans can’t see that anyone who is praised by the Media is someone the GOP should not put forward as a candidate for office.

Reading comments at HotAir on this story is like dealing with people who’ve sustained head injuries recently they have no short term memory and rarely learn from past mistakes.

A “centrist the media loves” did not win you the White House in 2008. Americans do not want a wimpy soggy sandwich “centrist”. They want an actual conservative to run on the Republican ticket. If you nominate her, she will win, and she will be greater than Reagan in all that she does.

I don’t know why, but Jon Hunstman for some reason reminds me of Jethro Bodine from the Beverly Hillbillies…more dollars than sense, handsome in a creepy way, and delusional.

I’m sure he’s a nice enough man. But so was Jethro.

Neither one ever will, or should, be president.

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