Jon Huntsman: The No-Drama Conservative (his record is to the right of everyone running)

The American Conservative ^ | August 24, 2011 | Michael Brendan Dougherty

[St. Louis Conservative]

HANOVER, NH—Jon Huntsman walked out of the rear door of a Dartmouth auditorium. His head swiveled as he looked for the black SUV that will take him to his next stop. He had just given a speech emphasizing his claim that the future of America will not be decided on a battlefield in remotest Afghanistan but along the trade routes of the Pacific. The applause had barely died down in the hall as Huntsman exited into the quiet streets of Hanover. He took one second to sigh. He had just launched “Phase Two” of his campaign, and it was a success.

The reboot couldn’t come fast enough. Huntsman had made no dent in the polls since his launch in June. Instead, the avalanche of prestige media mash-notes to his campaign had the effect of raising expectations ridiculously high and smothering him with the labels “soft” and “moderate” in an era when Tea-caffeinated primary voters are looking for “hard” and “right.” The hastily constructed campaign—largely built while the candidate was still serving as Obama’s ambassador to China—was subject to infighting and leaked acrimony that would outlast July’s reorganization. Huntsman was sinking almost as fast as Tim Pawlenty, his name recognition barely above Buddy Roemer’s.

But this rickety launch obscured more than it revealed. Huntsman may be uncomfortable in the ideological sweathouse that is the conservative movement. He may be diplomatic when the right is dyspeptic. But his candidacy offers conservatives two very tantalizing possibilities: a break with the Bush legacy on foreign policy and the chance to move their policy prescriptions off the Tea Party’s placards and into the center of our political debate. Huntsman’s record shows that conservative politics can triumph not just through conflict but also by concord.

[St. Louis Conservative]

Please read this article with an open mind. If you do, you'll find that Huntsman is to the RIGHT of virtually every candidate. He speaks like a moderate, but his platform and record are things folks at FR should be thrilled with. On health care, on taxes, on spending, on abortion.... he has a better record than Perry, Newt, & Romney. He was given a top rating by CATO as governor. It's worth an objective people.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

Let me sum this up for you with a single sentence:

34 days until Iowa is too late to give someone with under 5% in the polls a “second look”.

[Recovering_Democrat]

He worked for Hussein. ‘nuf said.

[Grunthor]

Hey look at that, someone just dropped a load of cow manure on my monitor.

[WOBBLY BOB]

Those dogs won’t hunts, man.

[mk2000]

I'm sorry to say that sometimes perception is reality and Huntsman comes off as a wimp. That may not be a good reason to vote for or against someone but theres just something about him that tells me NO!

[trisham]

Huntsman hasn’t a chance.

[rhombus]

Of all the candidates this guy just creeps me out. He’s smarmy and then pats himself on the back for being that way. He’s on my definite no list and there are few on that list right now.

[Responsibility2nd]

Yeah, but his daughters are hawt!

 

 

 

[Tom Hawks]

Like you, He is not a conservative.

You are not, because you think we are stupid enough to buy this crap.

[jessduntno]

“He had just given a speech emphasizing his claim that the future of America will not be decided on a battlefield in remotest Afghanistan but along the trade routes of the Pacific.”

Couldn’t be more wrong. It’ll be decided in the voting booths of America on election day. This election day. We have to worry about what’s happening in DC, not Beijing.

[Paladin2]

Being part of Zer0’s team-up-on-America is a candidacy death knell.

[mk2000]

Wait about I take back all the bad things I said.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Huntsman has a pretty good record but just doesn’t come across as “Presidential” on TV. It’s probably too late for him this time, but he’ll be a strong challenger to Jeb in 2016.

[for-q-clinton]

Did he get good ratings because his legislature made him go right or did he drag the legislature to the right?

[svcw]

Huh? Man made global warming is now a conservative point of view, no thanks.

[DManA]

Michael Dougherty - His work has appeared in Politico, The Washington Monthly, ComedyCentral.com, and New York Times Magazine.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/author/michael-brendan-dougherty#ixzz1fDZV2vSB

You don’t get to be a conservative pet in those venues without learning how to suck up to liberals.

[DManA]

When he stops kicking conservatives in the teeth then I’ll reconsider.

[Liberal Bob]

The way I remember it the media was the ones pushing Huntsman to get into the race. Telling us how the Obama administration was afriad of him.

[DManA]

On health care, on taxes, on spending, on abortion....
AGW. Opps, you forgot that one.