The Curious Candidacy of Jon Huntsman

With many in the media focusing on Sarah Palin’s possible Presidential ambitions, her bus tour, her uncontroversial emails, etc., they say almost nothing about the actual GOP candidates expect for multiple iterations of “they’re boring.”

While this may or may not be true, it’s obvious the media is seeking out a darling. Someone who is nice, moderate, and wants real badly to make nice as opposed to make real change. Not to fear, for Former Utah Governor and Obama Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman is here. Everything Huntsman does that offends conservatives enthralls the media. In a way he’s a cross between John McCain and Joe Scarborough.

Huntsman mirrors McCain in his maverick-y-ness. A border fence? Huntsman says it “repulses” him. He supported vigorously cap and trade legislation and believes in man-made global warming. He’s okay with healthcare mandates. He’s broken with many in the GOP and chided American foreign policy saying he wants to “manage” an end to all American wars abroad. But above all, like McCain flirting about changing parties in the early 2000’s, Huntsman worked for a Democrat President when he was Ambassador to China from 2009 until earlier this year.

He appeals quite heavily to the “Morning Joe” crowd. The main point of clarity between Huntsman and someone like Joe Scarborough is his position on civility. When Huntsman announced his candidacy on Tuesday, he said “I respect the President. 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.” More than that, he sent nauseatingly gushy letters to Obama in 2009, calling the President “a remarkable leader.” In the letters Huntsman also lauds Sec. Hillary Clinton. Huntsman buys in to the “no labels” and no name style campaign the McCain tried to run in ’08 and Scarborough rants on consistently.

The issue here is that the media wants a GOP nominee who is timid, scared of his own rhetoric. A sure fire way Barack Obama can win reelection is to have an opponent who is shy and coy in his criticism or second guesses whether or not to attack. One word that doesn’t come to mind when people see Jon Huntsman is “vigorous”. He’s nice, he’s moderate, and he’s timid. He’s the perfect mainstream media Republican.