Opinion of the Candidate - Jon Huntsman

[redcommander]

Very negative. He's a liberal plant.

[Frodo]

Somewhat positive -which is why he will never win the nomination this year.  

My hopes right now are that he will perform surprisingly well in the debates as well as the primaries/caucuses, to the point that party elders will recognize him as a rising star and a successor-in-waiting whose 'turn' will come four years hence.  

[Marokai Backbeat]

He isn't nearly as moderate as he's portrayed to be

No kidding?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Was Somewhat Negative, finding out that he's a prog-rock and metal fan who signed a proclamation for "Dream Theater Day" in Utah the same day he went to one of their concerts drops it to Very Negative.

[CARLHAYDEN]

And, in the real world -

I thought the Gallup poll on Huntsman, pretty well summarized his candidacy.

A couple of months ago, he had a “Recognition” among “Republicans/Republican-leaning independents” of 20% and a “Positive Intensity” of 15%, but in the most recent (June) poll, he had a “Recognition” among the same group, of 34%, and a “Positive Intensity” of 5%.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/148148/New-Hampshire-Debate-Fails-Shake-GOP-Presidential-Race.aspx

[Bacon King]

Very positive, but if there is even one pander, it will go all the way down to negative.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

somewhat positive. of course he'll pander a little bit, that's to be expected for most politicians, though not at Mitt/Pawlenty levels, and not in a hateful way. I generally like him on foreign policy and social issues. overall he's a decent candidate, but his spending record isn't stellar - and that's a very significant issue these days.

[Mercenary]

Neutral to Somewhat positive. It depends his view on privacy issues such as the patriot act and DHS before I can really say for certain though.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Huntsman belongs to Buddy Roemer's territory.

[MJM58]

Somewhat negative for the spending increases under his governorship and his support for environmentalism.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Super Massive Positive FF.

[RI]

I don't understand the hype in the least bit.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Very positive, but if there is even one pander, it will go all the way down to negative.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Somewhat positive.

[stegosaurus]

Neutral for the time being. I'm curious to see how long it takes him to start banking to right and in what manner he chooses to do it in. Certainly he doesn't believe he can win the nomination running to Romney's left.

[TheGlobalizer]

Neutral for the time being. I'm curious to see how long it takes him to start banking to right and in what manner he chooses to do it in. Certainly he doesn't believe he can win the nomination running to Romney's left.

FWIW, I don't see how he's running to Romney's left.  I think he's running in the Romney space but with a few additional conservative credentials.  Notwithstanding name/face recognition, he's a better candidate and a better fit for the GOP.

[Simfan34]

Very positive... unlike virtually any other Republican candidate (sans Gary Johnson, but he's way too libertarian for my taste, and Tim Pawlenty, but he has other problems), Huntsman seems to be the only principled and sane person in the running. Fair enough, I barely knew who he was in January, but I've found him to be remarkably consistent in his views and aligned rather close to mine. (Do you know how hard it is to find a Republican open to civil unions and who staunchly opposes abortion?). Biggest difference I have with the man is on Afghanistan... and it's not much. Huntsman makes me proud to be a Republican- whereas the Tea Party made me seriously doubt my ability to continue associating with the party.

My opinion of him shall be greatly damaged if one of two things happens:
1. He panders to the Tea Party
2. He comes out against high speed rail

But otherwise I'm very, very much for him, and will do everything I possibly can to see him elected as president.

BTW, TheGlobalizer... Huntsman/Fortuño is my dream ticket as well.

[Foucaulf]

[Jon Huntsman] = ewww

While you may think that about [Huntsman], when compared to [Mitt Romney?], he has both a serious name and looks very intelligent and coherent.

My pet theory is that Huntsman is the Internet candidate like Ron Paul was before '08. Paul was then on the fringe of the Republican Party and had no chance in hell of winning, but found himself with a cadre of supporters. After the election he became chummy with the Tea Party types, and after 2010 found himself exponentially closer to power.

Huntsman is now on the fringe of the Republican Party and has no chance in hell of winning, but is finding himself with a cadre of supporters. Out of elected office, Huntsman cannot move closer to power like Paul, but he could be responsible for galvanizing another movement.

[Simfan34]

[Jon Huntsman] = ewww

While you may think that about [Huntsman], when compared to [Mitt Romney?], he has both a serious name and looks very intelligent and coherent.

My pet theory is that Huntsman is the Internet candidate like Ron Paul was before '08. Paul was then on the fringe of the Republican Party and had no chance in hell of winning, but found himself with a cadre of supporters. After the election he became chummy with the Tea Party types, and after 2010 found himself exponentially closer to power.

Huntsman is now on the fringe of the Republican Party and has no chance in hell of winning, but is finding himself with a cadre of supporters. Out of elected office, Huntsman cannot move closer to power like Paul, but he could be responsible for galvanizing another movement.

Huntsman has virtually won the media primary... Paul did not.

[UpcomingYouthvoter]

[Jon Huntsman] = ewww

While you may think that about [Huntsman], when compared to [Mitt Romney?], he has both a serious name and looks very intelligent and coherent.

My pet theory is that Huntsman is the Internet candidate like Ron Paul was before '08. Paul was then on the fringe of the Republican Party and had no chance in hell of winning, but found himself with a cadre of supporters. After the election he became chummy with the Tea Party types, and after 2010 found himself exponentially closer to power.

Huntsman is now on the fringe of the Republican Party and has no chance in hell of winning, but is finding himself with a cadre of supporters. Out of elected office, Huntsman cannot move closer to power like Paul, but he could be responsible for galvanizing another movement.

Ron Paul has the internet candidate again this year. Huntsman has media hype but beyond that not lot of support I see.

[Simfan34]

[Jon Huntsman] = ewww

While you may think that about [Huntsman], when compared to [Mitt Romney?], he has both a serious name and looks very intelligent and coherent.

My pet theory is that Huntsman is the Internet candidate like Ron Paul was before '08. Paul was then on the fringe of the Republican Party and had no chance in hell of winning, but found himself with a cadre of supporters. After the election he became chummy with the Tea Party types, and after 2010 found himself exponentially closer to power.

Huntsman is now on the fringe of the Republican Party and has no chance in hell of winning, but is finding himself with a cadre of supporters. Out of elected office, Huntsman cannot move closer to power like Paul, but he could be responsible for galvanizing another movement.

Ron Paul has the internet candidate again this year. Huntsman has media hype but beyond that not lot of support I see.

Despite what you may hear from the Tea Party, most people (Yes, Republicans are people) still rely on the traditional (aka "lamestream") media for their news, and if Huntsman has traditional media's support... then it shall rub off on viewers, listeners, and readers.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

What kind of coverage does he get on Fox News? That's the most efficient method of influencing likely Republican primary voters.

[Simfan34]

[Jon Huntsman] = ewww

While you may think that about [Huntsman], when compared to [Mitt Romney?], he has both a serious name and looks very intelligent and coherent.

My pet theory is that Huntsman is the Internet candidate like Ron Paul was before '08. Paul was then on the fringe of the Republican Party and had no chance in hell of winning, but found himself with a cadre of supporters. After the election he became chummy with the Tea Party types, and after 2010 found himself exponentially closer to power.

Huntsman is now on the fringe of the Republican Party and has no chance in hell of winning, but is finding himself with a cadre of supporters. Out of elected office, Huntsman cannot move closer to power like Paul, but he could be responsible for galvanizing another movement.

Ron Paul has the internet candidate again this year. Huntsman has media hype but beyond that not lot of support I see.

I beg to differ. (copied verbatim from the projection thread)

I think Huntsman's core constituency shall be people who fit into at least two of these groupings: young, pragmatic (or moderate), and informed - thus not making him like Ron Paul, whose supporters where primarily young ideologues.

Those who are young and moderate will find Huntsman to be the only candidate truly holding his ground and staking out "non-mainstream" positions like gay marriage which are really quite mainstream. I would fall here.

Those who are young and informed shall find Huntsman to be to Republican with the best chance of beating Obama and thus actively support him... which is why there seems to be such a high prevalence of Huntsman supporters here and in Washington.

Those who are moderate and informed will find Huntsman to be the truest moderate in this race, and the one who can most likely beat Obama. This is why the press likes him so much- I have contacts in the press, and I'm telling you, the feeling towards Huntsman is authentic admiration. People like the Rothschild lady who hosted the fundraiser that raised $1.2 million also fall in this group.

So I really don't find the comparison accurate.

[Iosif]

What kind of coverage does he get on Fox News? That's the most efficient method of influencing likely Republican primary voters.

Haha, Fox take their cue from conservative blogs, not the other way round.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Without reading every posting, is it fair to say the hard left doesn't hate him nearly as much as the other pubs?