Huntsman makes it official

With the Statue of Liberty in the background, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman officially announced his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. 

Huntsman -- who most recently served as President Obama's ambassador to China -- used his announcement to introduce himself to the voters as a former governor, businessman, husband, and father.

But Huntsman's announcement was largely about the fiscal challenges facing the country. "Today, Americans are experiencing -- through no fault of their own -- something that is totally alien to them: a sense that the deck is stacked against them by forces totally beyond their control," he said. "No matter how hard they work, save and plan, the opportunities aren't there for them that were present for previous generations.

He cited his record as governor of Utah, where "we cut taxes, we flattened rates, we balanced our budget" to support his plan to create jobs.

"When the economic crisis hit, we were prepared," Huntsman said.  "By many accounts, we became the best state in America for business. We also were named the best-managed state in America."

Huntsman tied his foreign-policy strategy, which includes the "end of these conflicts," to fixing the financial situation in the United States.

"It's not that we wish to disengage from the world," he said. "We believe the best long-term national security strategy is rebuilding our core here at home."

Huntsman also said he would conduct his campaign "on the high road." He said there will be "disagreements" with the other candidates, but that he respects all the Republican candidates and his former boss.

"I respect the president," Huntsman said. "He and I have a difference of opinion on how to help the country we both love. But the question each of us wants the voters to answer is who will be the better president; not who's the better American."

Discuss this post

Welcome to the freak show, Mr H.

  • 10 votes
Reply#1 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 11:47 AM EDT

Welcome to the freak show

Come inside.. come inside...

Wasn't he positively ABLAZE Buzz? LOL

Real *firecracker* he is...

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

  • 7 votes
#1.1 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 11:55 AM EDT

I just fell off my chair!

Is it true this dudes a high school dropout?

Jesus!

At least Palin got her 4 year degree in 5 years & 6 different colleges...

The dumbing down of America continues...

  • 6 votes
#1.2 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:01 PM EDT

Here's another one, spouting the Tea Party ideology - an ideology that has failed this country over the past 30 years and offers no promise of improvements for the future.

Huntsman has served the country reasonably well in various positions, and has credentials he can cite that will possibly influence some independent voters. Unfortunately, he's also a very far right social conservative and when that aspect of his positioning becomes widely known, he's toast.

Right now, it looks more and more as if the GOP field is made up of pallbearers for the party's hopes.

  • 11 votes
#1.3 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:03 PM EDT

Great point Feisty.

But come to think of it, I don't recall you ever sharing with us where you went to college and which degrees you have obtained.

Surely you would not be throwing stones at Palin of Huntsman? Surely you have at least one college degree?

Oh and be a dear and tell us what the problem is with getting a college degree in 4 years. Say, how many years did it take you?

And John - that is an interesting term - "pallbearers." For instance, it seems some could apply that term to Obama and his handling of the economy. Let's give it a try, shall we: Obama is a pallbearer for the economy.

Or ...for the debt.

Or...for the war efforts.

Nice, right?

  • 9 votes
#1.4 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:45 PM EDT

Feisty Redhead Roselle, IL

I just fell off my chair!

Is it true this dudes a high school dropout?

Jesus!


Huntsma did go on later. it was Gov. Snot Walker, a high school graduate who got kicked out of college for cheating. Now he's about to kicked out of his governorship in Wisconsin for cheating.

Huntsman graduated with a degree in political science from the University of Pennsylvania, and then entered public service, eventually working for Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/jon-huntsman-running-president-united-states/story?id=13892426


At least Palin got her 4 year degree in 5 years & 6 different colleges...

The dumbing down of America continues...

And she still can't get it right. Her e-mails revealed she writes on an 8th grade level. I'd rather read than listen to this actual idiot screech her fatuous BS.

  • 4 votes
#1.5 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 1:07 PM EDT

Really - Bev. you want to look to a person's e mails to determine education level?

You. Have. Got. To Be. Joking.

  • 10 votes
#1.6 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 1:13 PM EDT

"Great point Feisty.

But come to think of it, I don't recall you ever sharing with us where you went to college and which degrees you have obtained."

Irrelevant, you honor- Feisty is not runnig for president. What a doofus, eh, your honor.

  • 8 votes
#1.7 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 1:26 PM EDT

Feisty Redhead Roselle, IL, drive-by-observer, Beverly in Chicago

If this guy is so unqualified, then why did Obama appoint him as Ambassador to China, one of the most important Ambassadorships on the planet?

Guess he wasn't vetted, or did Obama just make another BAD choice.

  • 8 votes
#1.8 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 1:44 PM EDT

Say what! We are in this trouble through no fault of our own, Huntsman says. Whose fault is it, Jon? We swing back and forth; Republican to Democrat, on and on and on. Did I miss something? Were we going deeper and deeper into debt, REGARDLESS of who held the reins? Did our focus on serious education continue its decline, REGARDLESS of who held the reins? Do we find ourselves involved in one foreign adventure after another, REGARDLESS of who held the reins? Nope, it's not our fault.

There are some immutable facts here that do not depend on which party is in power. Your expenditures CANNOT exceed your revenues forever. Children CANNOT learn when they have no example to follow. This isn't about teachers, it's about parents! No solutions are possible when the goal is the defeat of your opponent. Neither party gets it right all the time. In fact, based on past performance it looks like neither party gets it right at all. Dammit, whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, you are first a citizen of the United States.

To point to Utah as the way out of this mess is almost laughable. No state in the union is closer to an outright theocracy than Utah. State government is almost an arm of the church, and that is not hyperbole. Go against the will of the Mormon elders and sheep and see how long you last in the legislature.

He may not be injecting religion into his candidacy - he dare not. Not many folks are into special underwear, magic glasses, and spirit children. However, Huntsman's statement is spot-on in capturing the tenor of our times: Here's your sign - IT'S SOMEONE ELSE'S FAULT.

  • 2 votes
#1.9 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 1:56 PM EDT

Woim- cut and paste where I said Huntsman was 'so unqualified', please.

    #1.10 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 2:19 PM EDT

    Bev- And she still can't get it right. Her e-mails revealed she writes on an 8th grade level

    Certainly, I can't be the only who finds humor in Bev attacking someones ability to read and write. As usual Bev, you don't tell the whole story. Here it is:

    The conventional Flesch-Kincaid readability test indicated that Sarah Palin's emails were actually written very well, at
    around an 8th grade level with a score between 8.2 and 8.5, hardly being an illiterate as to what her critics had previously defined her as, AOL noted that this was in fact "an outstanding score for a leader." For perspective about this number, Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, more highly edited than what Sarah Palin had in her emails, ranked about 8.8 about the same scale, while Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation came in at 9.1.

    The final comparison comes down to our current President, Barack Obama, known as one of the most proficient
    orators in most American's current history, but his "Yes We Can!" campaign speech came in as ordinary,with an average Flesch-Kincaid rating of 7.4.

    http://uselectionnews.org/sarah-palins-level-of-intellect-disclosed-by-email-analysis/854129/

    • 1 vote
    #1.11 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 2:28 PM EDT

    Doofus? Me?

    Sounds like someone is a tad grumpy on the whole got no education front.

    Oh and as you know my little sparkle monkey, Palin isn't in the running either. Well, in the running for you heart maybe.

    Poor Drive BY, got him a real bad case of Palin-itis.

    • 2 votes
    #1.12 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 3:38 PM EDT

    Feisty Redhead Roselle, IL,

    When you fell off your chair laughing about Huntsman's education, you should have looked up the rest of the story.

    From Wikipedia:

    In 1975 (age 15), Huntsman earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank of the Boy Scouts of America. Later that decade, Huntsman dropped out of high school to pursue his passion as a keyboard player in a rock band called Wizard.

    Huntsman later obtained a G.E.D and matriculated at the University of Utah, where he became, like his father, a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. Huntsman served as a Mormon missionary in Taiwan for two years, attaining fluency in Standard Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese Hokkien (Minnan).] He then transferred to the University of Pennsylvania and received a bachelor's degree in international politics.

    Yeah, just a high school dropout.

    • 7 votes
    #1.13 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 4:10 PM EDT

    "Poor Drive BY, got him a real bad case of Palin-itis."

    Please cut-and-pase where I said anything about Palin on this post. If you cannot, I'm gonna have to whip out the 'I' word on you.

    Again.

    But what else is new?

    • 2 votes
    #1.14 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 4:21 PM EDT
    Reply

    He cited his record as governor of Utah, where "we cut taxes, we flattened rates, we balanced our budget" to support his plan to create jobs.

    LoL Sort of a perverse version of "give me your tired, your poor ..."

    And if we adopt Huntsman's approach, tired and poor is about what we're likely to get.

    • 12 votes
    Reply#2 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 11:55 AM EDT

    So true AM. But you know who did have to "adopt" an economy left over from the Bush years?

    Rick Perry. Dude knows how to create some jobs, even in spite of a bad economy.

    But I do agree - a good slogan for any republican hopeful "we'll take the Irish, Italians, and even the Polish, be we ain't taking union members."

    What do you think?

    Wait, maybe that's Niki Haley and Boeing's motto.

    • 10 votes
    #2.1 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:00 PM EDT

    Yep, and Perry created jobs with the help of Stimulus money while claiming he didn't want any government money, not one dime. How is it Texas is $25 billion in the red?

    • 6 votes
    #2.2 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:24 PM EDT

    The same way any homeowner doing a renovation is "in the red" when their "wants" run up against the project budget.

    In other words, if you have $5000 put aside to redecorate the living room, and total up what you want and it adds up to $7500, you need to make some choices- like, what NOT to buy.

    Texas has a PROJECTED deficit- all the things lawmakers WANT total more that the budget allows.

    Means they have to make some choices.

    Wanting ain't getting.

    • 7 votes
    #2.3 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:39 PM EDT

    Ah, Jody are you that seriously clueless?

    Texas has a two year budget. So even taking your number that's $12.5 a year. Oh and I think the done fixed that right up. What's the matter Jody, Think Progess no giving you the full scoop? huh.

    Now out here in Cali - the progressive paradise we blow through that much debt in about 30 days. Oh and Obama blows through that in what, about two and a half days?

    Again Jody, thanks for highlighting how bad the dems are at this. Oh and the jobs Jody, it's all about the jobs. I don't suppose you have any statistics on that, eh Jody?

    Jody, will Texas be in the red next year? Jody - read Nojo's post. You just might learn something. Knowledge is power Jody. Get some.

    • 9 votes
    #2.4 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:52 PM EDT

    Have you forgotten the 10% tithe to the church?

      #2.5 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:52 PM EDT

      Spanky:

      So true AM. But you know who did have to "adopt" an economy left over from the Bush years?

      Rick Perry. Dude knows how to create some jobs, even in spite of a bad economy.

      What I always love about you, Spanky, is that you're consistently the champion of the poor and the downtrodden -- in fact, you love them so much you want to make more of them by shipping all the work to states with lower wages and poorer benefits so that your rich corporate paymasters can pocket the difference.

      If your point is that Perry is a hero for opening the doors of Texas for depressed wages and benefits, and lower educational standards for future generations, I've already heard it.

      But let me ask you this about Perry: Whose economy did he really inherit -- George W. Bush's economy, or Bill Clinton's?

      And if everything is so good in Texas, then why is Texas running such a huge budget deficit?

      • 3 votes
      #2.6 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 1:39 PM EDT

      Jody,

      Yep, and Perry created jobs with the help of Stimulus money while claiming he didn't want any government money, not one dime.

      And despite the Stimulus money he was able to create Jobs. How many states took the stimulus money only to find jobs somehow eluded them?

      • 5 votes
      #2.7 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 1:53 PM EDT

      thetotas:

      How many states took the stimulus money only to find jobs somehow eluded them?

      Read my post above about Perry. As for the other states, how many states do you suppose took the stimulus money and spent it for things not calculated to create any jobs? I think there were quite a few.

        #2.8 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 2:16 PM EDT

        Good Golly AM - what is this "huge deficit" you speak of?

        1. Read Nojo's post. You are better than this.

        2. You want to chat about deficit, and relative girth of same, I'm your boy. Hello: progressive paradise, run by the unions, controlled by the dems, Cali!

        Oh and look at all those measure flying around in the great state of Wisc to control your own deficit. Nice right?

        • 3 votes
        #2.9 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 3:41 PM EDT

        Mostly unnecessary, as we found a big pot of additional revenue -- almost $640 million -- generated mostly by programs and changes implemented by the LAST governor, that should be available to use for deficit reduction. Governor Walker, however, believes that this new windfall merely presents another occasion for additional tax cuts for corporate cronies.

        By the way, Wisconsin's deficit is also "projected" in the same way that Texas's deficit is. In fact, in this particular biennium, which ends at the end of 2011, we had actually booked a small surplus until the new governor came along and raided it for his tax cut proposals, punching the infamous hole in the budget that he then used to justify the collective bargaining changes.

        I still think Texas has a big deficit problem, projected or otherwise. And so, by the way, does the Wall Street Journal.

        http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704513104575256734081528528.html

        But as the state's budget shortfall widens—to as much as $18 billion, or about 20% of the next two-year budget, according to the state legislature's latest analysis released earlier this month—critics are complaining that Mr. Perry's policies have left the state with little room to reduce spending.

        "There is no way that they will be able to come up with $18 billion in cuts," said Eva DeLuna Castro, a senior budget analyst at the Center for Public Policy Priorities, a nonprofit that advocates for low-income Texans. "They would have to shut down our prison system."

        And maybe that's why Governor Perry is looking so hard at running for President. He's decided it might be time to run AWAY from that looming deficit. And who can blame him, really, with all those nasty prisoners on the loose.

        I especially like the part in that article where Perry is criticized for his exhorbitant spending on temporary housing for himself and his family. I love those pseudo, holier-than-thou, "fiscal" conservative hypocrites, don't you?

        For fun, you might also be interested in this article from the Atlantic that talks about how your boy Governor Perry used stimulus money, which he purported to hate, to hide the looming deficit.

        http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/01/texas-used-stimulus-to-cover-97-of-its-deficit/70077/

        Quoting from CNN:

        Texas, which crafts a budget every two years, was facing a $6.6 billion shortfall for its 2010-2011 fiscal years. It plugged nearly all of that deficit with $6.4 billion in Recovery Act money, allowing it to leave its $9.1 billion rainy day fund untouched.

        Stimulus was very helpful in getting them through the last few years," said Brian Sigritz, director of state fiscal studies for the National Association of State Budget Officers, said of Texas.

        You see, I do get around just a little bit, Spanky. And I'm not as easily fooled as you and no joe may think.

        • 1 vote
        #2.10 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 5:23 PM EDT
        Reply

        So Bev. where you as shocked/shunned/taken by surprise as I was to hear that ATF director Melson is resigning in the wake of Gun Runner?

        I know right? So I wonder Bev - if you were Obama, with this big old nasty scandal coming down on you would you allow your boy to resign, or fire him?

        And what do you think Bev - should Obama and Holder start to cooperate with Issa or continue to stonewall?

        I ask because I care Bev. Afterall I am sure you would do a much better job handling this crisis than team Obama.

        The fun on this is just getting started, right Bev.? You bet it is.

        • 10 votes
        Reply#3 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 11:56 AM EDT

        Obviously, I'm not Bev and I'm butting my nose in where it may not belong, but, do tell me, my dear man, what, pray tell, does your missive have to do with the topic at hand?

        Nothing, you say?

        Then, please do tell us why?

        • 10 votes
        #3.1 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:02 PM EDT

        Spanky-

        And what do you think Bev - should Obama and Holder start to cooperate with Issa or continue to stonewall?

        I ask because I care Bev. Afterall I am sure you would do a much better job handling this crisis than team Obama.

        The fun on this is just getting started, right Bev.? You bet it is.

        I think Issa should prepare to have his a@@ kicked to the curb.

        The release of the document to the press by Issa staffers violated a federal court order, and during the hearing last Monday, Cummings cautioned that Issa's behavior had "dangerous potential to compromise criminal prosecutions."

        http://issawatch.couragecampaign.org/index.php/page/201

        I also think once they throw him out on his @$$ they should have a metaphorical smack down on his @$$ for wasting tax pay payer dollars on a frivolous witch hunt and blocking the safety concerns of U.S. nuclear facilities.

        http://issawatch.couragecampaign.org/index.php/page/200

        • 5 votes
        #3.2 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:30 PM EDT

        Rick - Pretty sure Spanky is pointing out the hypocrisy of this site in not mentioning what might be the biggest scandal in this Presidents administration.

        Bev - So you think "Shoot the messenger" (Probably a poor metaphor in this case) is the answer again? No comment on the utter failure of this ridiculous plan. Frivolous? A Border Patrol agent was killed with a gun that the ATF sold to the drug cartel! Get your head out of the sand, just for a minute, geeez.

        Oh, those darn unintended consequences, eh?

        • 8 votes
        #3.3 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:52 PM EDT

        Great Bev., so Melson is not resigning in shame?

        150 Mexican law enforcement and one Boarder Patrol agents are not dead because of Holder's little scheme?

        So Bev, shall we wager on who goes first - Issa or Holder? We all know Obama will throw whoever he has too under that bus.

        Why Rick? Oh no my friend, the question is why not. Although you may be right - as Bev. so eloquently points out Gun Runner is just a witch hunt. Which of course makes the ATF a coven.

        Nice job again Bev.

        The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round.

        • 10 votes
        #3.4 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:56 PM EDT

        rick in savannah

        "Obviously, I'm not Bev and I'm butting my nose in where it may not belong, but, do tell me, my dear man, what, pray tell, does your missive have to do with the topic at hand?

        Nothing, you say?

        Then, please do tell us why?"

        Rick- you have to tell him it's irellevant, and that you object. He'll call you silly, and then just keep doing the same thing over and over and over, though. He can't help himself. Because, well, he's irrelevant himself, Rick. A bona-fide nobody, if you will.

        • 5 votes
        #3.5 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 1:34 PM EDT

        White Collar Auto

        Frivolous? A Border Patrol agent was killed with a gun that the ATF sold to the drug cartel! Get your head out of the sand, just for a minute, geeez.

        There is no head of the ATF.

        ATF Has No Head 15 Months Into Obama Presidency because the bigoted recalcitrant GOP/ baggers have blocked President Obama's nominee; just like they are doing with all his nominees in an unprecedented fashion.

        In fact, the acting director, Kenneth Melson, recently had to be demoted to deputy director because of a law that limits how long acting chiefs can run federal agencies.

        http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/declassified/2010/04/16/atf-has-no-head-15-months-into-obama-presidency.html

        Issa Calls for Melson to Resign; Grassley Cites ‘Inaccurate’ ATF Data

        By Channing Turner | June 21, 2011 1:21 pm

        Traver has been nominated for the position twice by President Barack Obama. The first nomination was held up in the Senate over concerns that Traver is hostile to gun ownership rights.

        http://www.mainjustice.com/2011/06/21/issa-calls-for-melson-to-resign-grassley-cites-inaccurate-atf-data/

        Issa Calls for Melson to Resign; Grassley Cites ‘Inaccurate’ ATF Data

        By Channing Turner | June 21, 2011 1:21 pm

        Maybe if the Gun lobby didn't lobby to restrict resources the crackdown could be more effective.

        A recent three-part series in the Washington Post detailed how the gun lobby has helped limit ATF resources and reach

        http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/11/doj_watchdog_knocks_atfs_anti-gun_trafficking_program.php

        FYI: President Obama has:

        1. Placed more agents at the border then ever before.
        http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/stat…

        2. Deported more illegals then Bush and any other President in History.
        http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/arch…

        3. Pulled $600 MILLION for border security.
        http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/senate…

        4. Sent thousands of troops to the border to fight the cartels.
        http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37340747/ns/…

        Bush left the borders wide open. You lie

        • 3 votes
        #3.6 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 1:56 PM EDT

        drive-by-observer

        rick in savannah

        "Obviously, I'm not Bev and I'm butting my nose in where it may not belong, but, do tell me, my dear man, what, pray tell, does your missive have to do with the topic at hand

        Thank's drive-by-observer

        Spanky is an attention whore who will say anything to get attention. Spanky, if he can't get his widdle attention, he'll do whatever kicking and screaming look at me.

        • 1 vote
        #3.7 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 2:01 PM EDT

        I am really quite surprised at you Spanky.

        It turns out that Melson began his career as a U.S. attorney with an appointment during the Reagan administration, and was appointed during the George W. Bush administration to a supervisory position in the Department of Justice where he oversaw the work of hundreds of other attorneys.

        Melson joined the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia in June 1983 as an Assistant US Attorney. In June 1986, he was asked to serve in a senior leadership position in the office as the First Assistant US Attorney. Additionally, he served as the Interim US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia on three separate occasions: July 1991 to October 1991; March 1993 to September 1993; and April 2001 to September 2001.

        On May 4, 2007, Melson was named Director of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, which has general supervisory authority over the Justice Department’s hundreds of federal prosecutors located in 94 offices throughout the US and its territories.

        http://www.allgov.com/Official/Melson__Kenneth

        Given that background, I can easily see why I wouldn't have trusted him, but I have no idea why YOU don't seem to have any respect for Mr. Melson's judgment or why you would think he does not have the highest standard of professional integrity and competence.

        Really. This is just not like you, Spanky.

        • 2 votes
        #3.8 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 2:06 PM EDT

        Play it forward AM. THe only questions left, and they will be 1. answered, and 2. by Holden and then Obama, are:

        What did they know and when did they know it.

        Or are you really saying this was Melson's call. I just get the sense you are about a week behind on this one. Not you fault, so little coverage in the libbie sphere. But take heart, even Morning Joe covered it today.

        Poor libbies always seem to be a step behind these days. Maybe that's why Brietbart keeps schooling you all? Like I keep saying knowledge is power.

        Good fun, right AM. I know Bev. is all over this one. Loving the fact that Holder's job is on the line. Oh and it is the great satan Issa who is yanking the chain.

        • 3 votes
        #3.9 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 3:46 PM EDT
        Reply

         Read that last line again:

        "I respect the president," Huntsman said. "He and I have a difference of opinion on how to help the country we both love. But the question each of us wants the voters to answer is who will be the better president; not who's the better American."

        Anyone that SANE does NOT deserve to be in the GOP Bumper crop of crazies.

        • 10 votes
        Reply#4 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 11:57 AM EDT

        "through no fault of their own"

        it's the fault of Republicans and their Wall Street supporters.

        • 7 votes
        Reply#5 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 11:58 AM EDT

        Oh, Amy, you are so wrong.

        http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-wall-street-donors-democrats-2011-6?op=1

        There is a reason for the term "limousine liberal". This is it.

        • 7 votes
        #5.1 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 1:14 PM EDT

        Amy, Pres. Obama's top donor was Goldman Sachs $994.795.00.

        • 1 vote
        #5.2 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 3:54 PM EDT
        Reply

        Huntsman actually sounds reasonable. Too bad he doesn't stand a chance winning the nomination. South Carolina will chew him up and spit him out.

        • 8 votes
        Reply#6 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:03 PM EDT

        He's not even bothering with Iowa republicans because he knows he cannot win.

        • 7 votes
        #6.1 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:26 PM EDT
        Reply

        Has everyone forgotten the 1930s and 1940s?

        " a sense that the deck is stacked against them by forces totally beyond their control," he said. "No matter how hard they work, save and plan, the opportunities aren't there for them that were present for previous generations. ...

        how many generations back is he thinking of? The Great Depression and the drought in the middle of the US in the 1930s meant that an entire generation didn't have "opportunities" either. And the people who lived through that also rationed their way through WWII....

        The only two ways this makes sense is 1) if the Huntsman family never noticed the problem of the Great Depression and/or
        2) he is only going back to 1950 as a historical reference. Let us not forget as well all the people of color for whom the above statement was true up until (and only because) of the Civil Rights legislation, Affirmative Action, Equal Opporuntities, Fair Housing...etc.

        This is not a diatribe against Gov. Huntsman but I am tired of all the politicians who keep saying that this is the FIRST time people are worried that their children won't be as well off as they are. Couldn't someone ask them to be specific in what they mean?

        • 6 votes
        Reply#7 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:15 PM EDT

        Another thing Huntsman fails to note is that the reason families do not have the opportunities they once had is that for 30 years, middle class wages have been stagnant while productivity has risen; they are working harder for little to no gain while those at the top have reaped the benefits of their efforts. 30 years of GOP ideology of tax cuts benefiting those who have and business which decreases revenues which decreases investment in America which decreases jobs and wages; then the cycle repeats itself.

        • 5 votes
        #7.1 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:31 PM EDT

        Hey Jody, have you signed that pledge to get rid of ATM machines?

        They really have cut a lot of good, middle class bank teller jobs.

        Oh and that'd be 30 years - the last 6 months. You know when the democrats enacted those dirty tax cuts for the wealthiest 2%, the Obama cuts. That terrible Dem ideology.

        • 7 votes
        #7.2 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:59 PM EDT

        Regarding Huntsman's "generational comments". When I was in D.C. last year for my daughter's promotion ceremony to Lt Cmdr. I had the opportunity to visit the WWII memorial with my 85 year old father who was a B.A.R. man with the 95th Infantry Division under General Patton. As we were walking around the memorial, I turned to him and said "you know if it wasn't for you and men and women like you, I wouldn't be here today." My father replied, "You're wrong son. The real reason your are here and prosperous today is because of men like FDR, Truman and a senator from Arizona, Earnest Mcfarland. It was Senator McFarland who rammed the GI Bill thru the senate at the end of the war enabling thousands of GI's to get an education or learn a trade." It was not the response I expected and then it suddenly occurred to me that my father had just given an insight that should have been as plain as the nose on my face. In 1945 OUR government had raised over 450 BILLION in 1945 dollars (8 TRILLON in 2011 dollars) solely thru the sale of War bonds and yet two presidents and a senator from Arizona still saw the value of an education in spite of the 120% debt to GDP ratio the country incurred as a result of the war. I often wonder if conservatives like Spanky "get it."

        • 7 votes
        #7.3 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 1:12 PM EDT
        Reply

        As a liberal, Huntsman seems the best qualified GOP candidate on the surface but he is not doing himself any favors with independents, moderate republicans and moderate democrats because he is embracing the same far right ideology as the rest of the crop. Huntsman looks and sounds presidential. However, instead of being true to what he believes, he is being true to what the Tea-publicans want him to believe. Simply put, he does not separate himself from the other republican candidates.

        Huntsman gets a good score for optics in his official announcement that he's running for President. What better place than with the Statue of Liberty in the background, talking about compassion. Since Reagan is the GOPTP hero, what better visual than to mimic the great communicator by doing the same. I did catch a little of his speech, it was well done; the applause was polite. At least it did not rain on his parade.

        • 7 votes
        Reply#8 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:15 PM EDT

        Jody, the fact that Liberals like Huntsman so much is exactly the reason he will not win the nomination. With the press pushing for Huntsman, every Red Flag should pop up for any true Rebublicans/Conservatives.

        Would the left allow the right to decide who their nominee should be?

        Let's face it, you all hate whoever is going to challenge Obama, you can't vote in a Republican Primary, so it really doesn't matter what the left thinks. Kind of surprised First Read is spending so much space on this stuff.

        • 3 votes
        #8.1 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:57 PM EDT

        Perry and Rubio just tossing this out there as a possible ticket for 2012. Personally I think it is a winning combo and definitely keeps Obama from winning Florida.

        • 1 vote
        #8.2 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 2:03 PM EDT

        WCA. Sure, you get to decide who you want to be the GOPTP nominee but on First Read, I have a right to express my opinion about any candidate just as you do about President Obama. I don't see one place where this liberal "likes" Huntsman--just an analysis of what this liberal sees as positives and negatives.

          #8.3 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 6:02 PM EDT
          Reply

           "through no fault of their own"

          ============

          Yeah, I don't know if that one is going to fly.  You know, all those lazy "libs" mooching off of the system and all those undeserving home wanters who hood-winked all those innocent banks into loaning them 300-400K to buy homes simply because they said they could handle it.

          Yeah John, that's gonna be a tough one to use.  Republican Primary voters like to blame and blame hard the "libs" of the world for all things.  The "libs" are clearly all hell bent on creating everything 'job crushing' and so as Rick Perry says there is just no reason to be buddy buddy with them.

          'A' for your thought John, but in the end, it will unfortunately turn into a rather large 'F'.

          • 2 votes
          Reply#9 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:34 PM EDT

          Hight school drop out! 5 years and 6 different colleges to complete! I guess the next Republican to announce will be a pizza salesmen! Oh that's right! They got that too! LOL

          • 4 votes
          Reply#10 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 1:20 PM EDT

          If this bozo was so dam smart why didn't he stop the republicans when they ruined the housing market by relaxing all the regulations and the loans defaulted ...why didn't he stop them from sending all the jobs overseas .. so their rich friends could pay slave wages and no benefits and reap bigger profits ?

          • 2 votes
          Reply#11 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 2:46 PM EDT

          what really surprised me was the fact that he brought up tax cuts.

            Reply#12 - Tue Jun 21, 2011 2:49 PM EDT
            You're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead.
            As a new user, you may notice a few temporary content restrictions. Click here for more info.