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Jon Huntsman ended his campaign for president Monday on a cautionary note to fellow Republicans, urging them to abandon negative campaigning or risk fostering a "toxic" political environment.
The former Utah governor ended his campaign the presidency and endorsed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, calling him the best-suited candidate to take on President Obama this fall.
Huntsman backed Romney, "despite our differences and the space between us on some of the issues" — a nod to the sharp criticism of Romney that Huntsman had voiced at times throughout the campaign.
Huntsman had been one of Romney's chief critics, especially in New Hampshire — the state on which the former ambassador to China hinged his campaign, and which Romney had long been expected to win (and eventually did).
First Thoughts: Huntsman exits the stage, but not to the right
Huntsman accused Romney of having no "core," characterizing his rival as too squishy on important issues to face off credibly against President Obama.
But Huntsman, who started considering ending his campaign a few days ago, started to see Romney as the eventual nominee. The two spoke for about five minutes last night, and Huntsman agreed to record a call targeted for Republican and moderate voters in South Carolina, which hosts its crucial primary on Saturday.
But Huntsman also painted a broader cautionary portrait for the GOP. Having postured himself as the relative centrist in the Republican field, Huntsman's campaign rhetoric often focused on themes of unity and country first. He hammered on those notes in his exit speech.
"As candidates for our party's nomination, our common goal is to restore bold and principled leadership to the White House," he said. "Yet rather than seeking to advance that common goal by speaking directly to voters about our ideas … this race has degenerated into an onslaught of negative and personal attacks not worthy of the American people."
The sniping between the candidates has become especially public in South Carolina ahead of its primary next weekend. The rest of the field is trying to coalesce against Romney, the winner of the preceding Iowa and New Hampshire nominating contests. A win there for Romney could all but clinch the momentum needed to secure the nomination.
"At its core, the Republican Party is a party of ideas. But the current toxic form of our political discourse does not help our cause," Huntsman said. "Today I call on each campaign to cease attacking each other and instead talk directly to the American people."
NBC campaign embed reporter Jo Kent explains John Huntsman's decision to drop out.
Huntsman's campaign launched with a great deal of media fanfare, not least of which resulted from his decision to resign a spot in the Obama administration to run against a president for whom Huntsman had worked.
But the campaign's launch stumbled out of the gate and never seemed to gain momentum; even Huntsman's last-minute push in the New Hampshire primary ultimately resulted in a disappointing third place finish.
NBC's Jo Ling Kent contributed reporting.
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This *is* disappointing. As far as I'm concerned, he was the only worthy opponent. All the others are just overpaid frat boys.
Everyon wave goodbye to "Hopeless Huntsman!" He is right about the 'toxic' politics from the Tea Beggers, and there is plenty of information to support this. Let us start with the very clear GOP "Message Of Madness" spewed by "Mickey Mouse Mitch McConnell. His poltical and economic goal is to destroy an American President. Then the Tea Beggers/GOP "Zombies" signed the Tax Pledge of "Goofy Grover." Meaning NO tax increases for Wall Street Bankers/investors, the very rich, large corporations, and the large insurance corporations. Keeping the "Brainless Bush Tax cuts intact, and fighting to end the Pay Roll Tax Cuts. Then there is the GOP "Hoodlum's On The Hill." That voted already to end Social Security, and Medicare. The GOP Lobbyists did this to make their donors on Wall Street even richer. The GOP Lobbyists want to kill the American Health Care Reform Act. They are wanting to make the large Medical Insurance Corporations even richer than they already are. The GOP Clowns want to end all Financial Regulations, and the "Romulian's" friends at Bain Capitlal just love this idea completely. Then the GOP "Zombies" want to bomb Iran! This would cause a World War, and the Russians would not just sit watching. The Chinese would not just sit around either, and thier navy would enter the Gulf very quickly. The very dangerous comments of NO "Brains Bolton" are not helping the situation at all. "Hopeless Huntsman" is right about the GOP Tea being very 'toxic' America!
Huntsmans Dad was in bed with Bain. Wake up.
This shows a party that will turn on a dime and there has been some back room deals made for the republicans own best interest. An old saying Never listen to words always look at a persons actions because you are what you do.
Ok now I definetly know what it is that the GOP lacks ......... INTEGRITY! There exists ample evidence of Mr Huntman's support of President Obama's policies and ample evidence of his disagreement with Romney. Yet Mr America First when it gets down to it endorses Romney. A stupid error worse than any Perry or Bachman ever made as his endorsement to Romney means so damn little that I doubt Romney even notices it other than to turn around and ask tonight why was Huntsman not at the debate?
Huntsman cries about toxic politics then endorses Romney.Is he endorsing a fellow Mormon or a fellow republican millionaire or both
I think FR had it right when they said that Huntsman looked over his party landscape in 2008 and thought that by 2012 the Tea Party extremism would have burnt itself out. It hasn't and so his campaign never caught on.
I always had issues with his loyalty and his quick endorsement of Romney reinforces them for me.
Let's all be honest with ourselves about Romney. He's large and in-charge and is an unstoppable force with God on his side. It pains me to admit this but Mormons clearly are superior humans. There is something about them that gives them success and blessing. Mormons are healthy, very wealthy, successful, intelligent, and very good looking people.
There's some force that gives Mormons the ability to excel and make the rest of us look like chumps. They are practically gods in their own rights and we need to recognize that they are the ones to lead our country.
Speak for yourself, Laura. Mormon's are no better than I am..or you are, for that matter. They have no "special relationship" with God. They are no more attractive or ugly than anyone else.
They are pretty quiet, I will admit, which always makes me think "sneaky". But they are conservative radicals, as bad as any Catholic who wants to impose their will and their way of thinking upon the rest of us.
My problem with Rommney is his Mexican connextion. If he is elected they will make him vulnerable to extortion by the cartels by kidnapping etc. I think he is related to people in two Mexican towns first cousins etc.
Laura, if a specific religious preference has the capacity for making an individual so superior, as you stated, why not switch to said religious preference?
Personally, when I look at Romney I don't see an unstoppable force; I'd liken him more to silly putty. Shifting and contorting into whatever visage he thinks is needed to gain electability, though the same could be said about most running in this election cycle.
He is a hippocrit. Plain and simple. A con. A liar. if he did not agree with romney than why would he endorse this person. To advance a republican? Well that is enough for me to NEVER FORGET. ITS NOT COUNTRY FIRST, FAMILY FIRST its slime. Goodbye hunts.....I HOPE YOU GET FIRED FROM YOUR JOB. YOU MAKE ME SICK.
I like how Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina have the power to determine who will be President. All the really interesting candidates drop out and the rest of the U.S. will not have the freedom to choose who they really want. I think that is a shame.
The sad reactions from the libs here tell me all that I need to know about Huntsman, he was/is too much like Obama. If an Obama voter can find comfort in supporting a candidate like Huntsman, then, Huntsman is the wrong man for the job of President. Just like Obama is the wrong man for President.
Obama was and is right for America. Your ignorant fox news crap is just that. A racist pig private owned propaganda fake news network. Goodbye.
Toxic???
Mr. Hunstman.
Maybe you should look towards your very own religion. Spending 25 million on Proposition 8 wasn't exactly sweet as sugar and did nothing other than feed hatred.
Huntsman can be comfortable with Romney. He just needs to look for agreement with one of Romney's eight positions on every issue.
Citizens United strikes again!
So, the field has been narrowed to Gingrich, Romney, Paul, Santorum, and Perry.
Seriously, that's the best that they have?
Obama will win with a higher margin than he walloped McCain. At least McCain was somewhat more towards the middle.
Huntsman was the best Republican candidate of the field, but didn't have the political recognition or machinery to move to the nomination. No way Romney will defeat Obama.
So far, so good. Let's get the rest of the contestants out of the way and make it a Romney vs. Paul fight to the finish.
As many of my earlier post have indicated, Mitt Romney is the Repub's Annointed One. Regardless of primaries, caucuses, etc. He is their guy. Even if Ron Paul out perfomed him in the primaries he would not get the nomination. Romney is a strick establishment team player who if by some miracle would get elected (yes I said miracle because is has little or no chance to defeat Mr O in November) would march along to the Party song 100% and of course nothing would improve or significantly change during his reign.
Friends, be prepared for 4 more years of Obama and the surrender of our nations sovereignty to the American hating United Nations.
President Obama. Fire Huntsman TODAY. He is a liar, con, flip floppin PIG. He F-up....by endorsing the very pig he denounced. That alone will prevent me from EVER voting for him or defending him.
Fire Huntsman from ...what? Huntsman holds no position at the moment, that I know of. He WAS our ambassdor to China.
Huntsman simply left before the embarrassment of seeing all those good loving Xtians call him and Romney "Cultists" and worse. I don't believe in Mormonism, any more than I do in any of the religions that came from Abraham - Judaism, Xtianity and Islam for those that are confused that they all worship the same deity (invented by the Levites), I'd never judge a person on what, or even if they worshiped. I do judge people on their stands on important things, and even Huntsman is way too far to the Right for my tastes. Hell, so is Obama. Why can't this country get someone to run that actually puts the good of the whole Nation before power?
BTW, I happen to like Jesus, aka Yeshua ben Yosef, as a spiritual leader, teacher and reformer, but believe he was a man, and no more (nor any less) Divine than anyone else - just smarter and more spiritual.
He was never really in the race, except for the media's best effort to make it so.Hanging around with 2% isn't really a contender. The press kept talking about his as if he would catch fire any moment.
When he spoke Chinese,(a really dumb idea) and of course 99.99% didn't know what he was saying anyway. I'm quite sure he thought everyone would be impressed. I wasn't !
He was a media darling that they refused to go after. Makes you wonder why?
Anyone could see He was a media plant. . . "decrying 'toxic' politics"....after he did as well.
Hunstman wasn't insane enough to say something that would get his name into the spotlight like Perry, Bachmann, or Santorum, and since we already knew about Paul, Gingrich, and Romney he was just left in the back.
What a hypocrite coming from a guy who's campaign self produced a despicable attack ad aimed at himself exploiting the adoption of his Chinese born daughters and then tried to pin the blame on his nearest competitor the weekend before the New Hampshire primary.
Huntsman was a "democratic party plant!"
Why would anyone vote for someone who was appointed by Barack H. Obama and was part of the Obama Administration, but running for President of the United States as a GOP member?
Please my fellow Americans, are you looking through "Rose Colored Glasses" again. It's time you WAKE UP!
As "True Americans" we must elect a new president that will save this country from the current destructive policies and John Huntsman was part of the existing problem!
Obama is now talking about moth balling 2 Navy super carriers which will reduce our Naval fleet to less than 300, half of what it was during the Regan administration (all this is happening while China builds their Naval Fleet!). Obama wants to "RELEASE" 5 top prisoners from GITMO, which is a step toward closing GITMO!
You, my fellow Americans better hope that this current president and his administration are "Short Termed" because a second Obama presidential term will be the "final spike driven through the heart of your America as you now know it today.
The time before the next election is closer than you think.
"IT'S TIME FOR ALL "TRUE AMERICANS" TO COME TOGETHER AND ELECT A NEW PRESIDENT THAT WILL TAKE "YOUR" COUNTRY IN A "POSITIVE" DIRECTION!", provide JOBS! and a safe United States of America!
The bottom line is "JOBS", cut taxes and this will bring the economy back quicker than you can you can say "Jack Robinson!"
A "democratic plant" ?? LOL!!!
Oh,,, federal taxes are at a 60 year low. Additionally, Obama cut them even further..
And speaking of "plants", hopefully, you're being watered daily..
Repubs are totally TOXIC
There goes any chance I have of voting for a Republican. These guys don't realize that neither party can win with support from the middle and other side.
Talk about planning to take over the country....those pesky Reps who aren't frothing at the mouth are leftist Socialists like Obama.....
No one in the GOP party cares who the Left wants to be the GOP candidate. Your admission that Huntsman is a big Lefty's casts a bad-dark shadow over him...........
If a Liberal wants them, they can't be any good.