Why Not John Hunstman?

[Clyde]

Too moderate? Can't appeal to the hard core right?

 

Seems like the moderate R that could pull a lot of those independent votes that President Obama got in 2008.

[Randy Parker]

Too moderate? Can't appeal to the hard core right?

 

Seems like the moderate R that could pull a lot of those independent votes that President Obama got in 2008.

 

If the Gallup polls that came out yesterday are to be believed, Romney leads Obama by 2, Perry is tied, Paul trails by 2, & Bachmann trails by 4. So perhaps Mr. Huntsman isn't needed.

 

Personally, I like a lot of his views & dislike a few others. From a fiscal standpoint, he has an impressive resume from his tenure as Governor of Utah. He's not my first choice, but I think I would vote for him.

[History]

McCain was an R moderate, and got smoked. Let Obama pretend to be a moderate-everybody now knows he is not, and has a record of failure to defend. Anybody the R's nominate will defeat him. The R's win the moderate independents this time.

[gchs_uk9]

McCain was an R moderate, and got smoked.

 

McCain was a septugenarian with no new ideas and had a vice president candidate who appealed to no one on the right. That's why he lost.

[Clyde]

The R's win the moderate independents this time.

 

The biggest question of the election.

 

I'm not sure a hard-right ie Bachmann/Palin/Perry can pull those votes.

 

It will be interesting.

[Clyde]

McCain was an R moderate, and got smoked. .

 

...and because President Obama now has a record I don't think you can use McCain as a barometer.

[Randy Parker]

GWB was McCain's biggest liability. I'm not sure any Republican stood a chance in 2008.

[westsider]

McCain was an R moderate, and got smoked. Let Obama pretend to be a moderate-everybody now knows he is not, and has a record of failure to defend. Anybody the R's nominate will defeat him. The R's win the moderate independents this time.

McCain also moved well to the right during the primaries, then tried to cater to the right with his choice of running mate.

[Clyde]

McCain also moved well to the right during the primaries, then tried to cater to the right with his choice of running mate.

 

Correct. He lost his way. You can't have decades of a record and then try to quickly change that record.

[leatherneck]

I agree with Randy P, westsider and Clyde. Not sure if McCain would have won regardless of whom he picked as VP, simply because too many Americans disapproved of Bush (unfairly I will continue to argue). But it was what it was, and the Ds did a great job of spinning that McCain was just the next Bush (unfairly again, I will continue to argue). What I thought was a good choice at the time (Palin) turned out to be a disaster for McCain.

 

I like the moderate appeal of Huntsmann and hope a moderate, be it him or Romney, wins the primary. While the country needs to steer back to the right, fast and sharp turns aren't pleasant on a boat and are generally disasterous in leading a country. The extreme right is going to turn out in droves to vote for whomever the R candidate whomever he/she is because of the great dislike for President Obama. If they were smart, instead of voting with their idealogical hearts in the primary, they need to vote with their strategic brains, so that the R coming out of the primary has the best chance of recapturing the moderates and thus defeating President Obama. While the extreme rights want to turn the country to the far right immediately, a gradual move to the right beats a further move to the left. Hopefully the extreme right R's are smart enough to figure that out. We'll see soon enough I guess if they are.

 

While I think the moderates are not particularly fond of President Obama, if the R candidate scares them or they think will swing the pendelum too far to the right, I can see the moderates holding their noses and voting again for President Obama. That in my opinion would be counterproductive for the country.

[gchs_uk9]

While I think the moderates are not particularly fond of President Obama, if the R candidate scares them or they think will swing the pendelum too far to the right, I can see the moderates holding their noses and voting again for President Obama. That in my opinion would be counterproductive for the country.

 

I think you are probably correct. For many in the middle, four more years of Obama could be more appealing than four years of a far-right conservative. And with another vote for Obama, the electorate could be telling the Republican party to put forth someone who is willing and able to work with both sides, not just cater to the Tea Party.

[acemona]

I could vote for Huntsman.

[westsider]

I could vote for Huntsman, too, but suspect he's way too moderate to get through the Republican primary process.

[Randy Parker]

I could vote for Huntsman, too, but suspect he's way too moderate to get through the Republican primary process.

 

As a pretty staunch conservative, I personally see Romney as being far more moderate than Huntsman, yet I believe Romney will be the nominee. I may be proven wrong, but that's my view of the two. Of course, I'm just one guy...

 

With Huntsman, I think it's that he was a one-term Governor of a small state, and then a two-year ambassador to China. He just doesn't have the name recognition of some (Romney, Perry) nor the big mouth of others (Bachmann).

[Habib]

Huntsman is setting himself up nicely for 2016. I'm still bullish on his prospects for 2012 as well. He draws the same type of voter Romney does, but without the myriad pock marks that come with Romney - he's changed his mind on almost every hot button conservative issue in an opportunistic fashion and his most well known accomplishment essentially became the Affordable Care Act. The rest of the candidates are splitting their votes among the hardcore conservatives. If Romney fades as I expect, then Huntsman is the only alternative to the Bachmann/Perry/Palin/Santorum crowd, which should be read as the only electable one.