Suddenly he will look very conservative compared to Mitt and Newt as the same mainstream media outlets that adored him this summer start in about how his tax-plan is “radically right-wing,” and how he has pushed an “extreme anti-choice” agenda. lol
Labels are inherently relative depending on your perspective and it was a very different race this summer. There was no way Huntsman was going to “out-conservative” Bachmann, Santorum, Perry, Cain et al and it wouldn’t have been believable at that point anyway. The media simply thrives on conflict and will spin any contrast among the candidates to fit their prevailing storyline. It doesn’t in any way, shape, or form imply that Huntsman doesn’t “like” conservatives or that he has been unavailable to the conservative press. How anyone can make the case that he is more risky than Gingrich or Romney is beyond me.
Off the bat, his immigration plan (and also his record) is to the left of everyone, from Perry to Newt to Romney. That makes him a nonstarter to most (I'm not to keen on anyones immigrations plans in this race, but going further to the left isn't going to help, if I can't get Tancredo like, I'll take Tancredo lite, or the closest thing I can see).
He also said, and this is a direct quote, he found a "border fence repulsive", there isn't to many ways to spin that. He believes that the country needs more immigration (he actually said this in a debate), things like that add up to the moderate label. Yes, he is good on taxes, and he is pro-life, but he also likes to spend money, believes in climate change (and did commercials for a liberal environmental group), supports gay unions, and is on the left on immigration.
No one is perfect, I respect that, but he is a bit to far away from where I want the candidates to be for me to feel comfortable.