So who’s a “serious” candidate? Politico this morning:
Jon Huntsman formally launched his presidential campaign on Tuesday….
“I don’t think you need to run down anyone’s reputation to run for president,” Huntsman told the crowd of 100 gathered at a pavilion jutting out into the Hudson River….
AP, May 21, 2011:
Herman Cain has run a pizza chain, hosted a talk radio show and sparred with Bill Clinton over health care. He’s never held elected office. Now the tea party favorite wants to be president.
“In case you accidentally listen to a skeptic or doubting Thomas out there, just to be clear … I’m running for president of the United States, and I’m not running for second,” he told a crowd at Centennial Olympic Park on Saturday. Chants of “Herman” erupted from the crowd of thousands in downtown Atlanta….
Ah, but Huntsman almost certainly had more reporters in tow, so that’s all that matters, right? What do you think this is — a democracy?
You can actually hear the wingnuts cheering Cain lustily about 50 seconds into the video of his announcement:
<iframe width=”420″ height=”260″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/G-FRQKq88cg” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>
By contrast, here’s the Huntsman announcement video, which reveals the emperor’s-clothes fact about Huntsman that no one seems to want to talk about: he’s an extremely boring, uncharismatic speaker.
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It’s as if his features are just so goshdarn chiseled that the press can’t quite reconcile his hunkiness with dullness. (There was a little of that about a decade ago with Bill Bradley. He was an ex-jock! How could someone who was an ex-jock possibly not inspire a crush or a man-crush in everyone? But, in fact, he was a wonky, uncharismatic bore.) Huntsman is basically Tim Pawlenty with more money, slicker handlers, and better bone structure. That’s still not good enough, and wouldn’t be good enough even if there weren’t that little problem of candidacy-killing apostasies.
Speaking of which, what’s all this about?
“We are about to pass down to the next generation a country that is less powerful, less compassionate, less competitive and less confident than the one we got. This is totally unacceptable and totally un-American,” Huntsman said.
“Less compassionate”? He wants to be the GOP nominee for president and he used that freighted word?
I think the average Republican primary voter would agree with what Glenn Beck said to Rush Limbaugh in May 2009:
“…this compassionate conservative movement has got to die a violent death.”
(Cross-posted at NMMNB.)
taylormattd
Here, let me end Huntsman’s campaign for him:
http://www.jonhuntsman.com/
Tom Levenson
I do not think Barack Obama is a shoo-in for re-election — far from it — but his streak of being fortunate in his opponents continues.
jinxtigr
Why does this Huntsman guy talk like a Democrat? At least Cain talks and gestures like Mussolini, as God intended Republicans to do ;P
ThatLeftTurnInABQ
Just how many articles in the NYT do you have to read, articles about how put upon the rich in general (and Wall St. Masters of the Universe in particular) are feeling, about how mean people are being to them, saying nasty things like that they caused the debacle in 2008, about how that fellow in the WH just won’t show them any luv, about how hard it is to make do without those yummy annual bonuses (which, shhhhh-don’t tell anyone, have now resumed) large enough to exceed the combined household incomes of entire small towns full of hoi polloi, before you get it?
The country is less compassionate now. At that is a very, very, very bad thing.
Chris
You know, that’s actually totally true.
No wonder he’s not got a prayer.
burnspbesq
@jinxtigr:
“Why does this Huntsman guy talk like a Democrat?”
If he came from a state with a functioning two-party system, he would be a Democrat. I can imagine myself voting for him in a Democratic primary in 2016.
dmsilev
That’s his real superpower, somehow inducing insanity in his opponents.
cleek
what this country needs is a good anti-perspirant!
Tim, Interrupted
SteveM, I would think that after all the empty, pretty campaign speeches–and the lack of corresponding, in-office followup–given by the very well spoken Barack Obama, you would be open to the value of qualities beyond, you know…pretty speech-giving.
jibeaux
I’m raising Cain in 2012, boo yeah. *I* didn’t stop reading the Constitution after the part about life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, no sir. I only stopped once I got to page four.
Amir_Khalid
I’m wondering about Jon Huntsman’s name recognition. This is the prospective candidate for whom a recent poll found one supporter — not one percent, but one person. Does the American voter at large even have any idea who he is?
Whiskey Screams from a Guy With No Short-Term Memory
He’d better STFU and stop talking all ‘tarded like that. He sounds like a fag.
/Idiocracy
If he wants to have a prayer of winning the GOP primary, he’d better dumb it down about 20 notches, superglue a USA #1 foam finger to his hand, and start talking with an affected backwoods redneck retard drawl.
He doesn’t have it in him, the poor bastard.
taylormattd
@Tim: Whaaaaaaaaaaaa, Whaaaaaaaaa
Mnemosyne
Because, after all, running an unsuccessful pizza chain has always meant you would do well as the president of the United States.
Or are you talking about the guy who quit his ambassador job after 2 years so he could travel the country denouncing every stand he’s ever taken?
Han's Solo
We traded compassion for greed.
What a crap deal that was. Just yesterday I read about the change in Dean Foods CEO pay. Apparently CEO’s, at least some of them, used to refuse raises because it would be “bad for morale.” Can you imagine that happening today?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2015378594_wealth21.html
Han's Solo
Sorry for the double post, but you know who warned us we were trading compassion for greed before we actually did so? Jimmy Carter.
Go back and read his “malaise” speech.
Carter was right about so many things.
Bulworth
Um, wow, I don’t know. I got nothing here. No way George W. could win his party’s prez primary now.
AxelFoley
For Timothy @ post #9:
http://whatthefuckhasobamadonesofar.com/
Lookee at what them thar pretty speeches got done.
TruthOrScare
There was a blurb on FrumForum yesterday about Huntsman endorsing the Ryan Plan (er, excuse me, the House GOP plan). Apparently there’s a limit to how much compassion he wants to retain.
John PM
Really, only 100 people attended his speech? Is it time to start referring to “Huntmentum”?
Sasha
“I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: ‘O Lord make my enemies ridiculous.’ And God granted it.”
–Voltaire
eric
Compassion’s for closers.
stuckinred
That shit in Atlanta don’t mean nuthin. Boortz is his constant shill and Cain is a local “boy”. It reinforces the Boortz followers that they are no racists.
Southern Beale
Meanwhile, say goodbye to Newt Gingrich. His campaign is on death watch …. circling the drain as we speak.
I almost feel sorry for him except he’s such a giant asshole.
SteveM
What, like motorcycle-riding?
4tehlulz
@AxelFoley: Those don’t count, as those aren’t exactly what he wants, the way he wants.
Southern Beale
Yup, but he allowed himself to be made ridiculous by the Reagan wave …. ah well, Carter has a Nobel Prize and the right has … what? A couple of failed wars and economic depressions to its credit, not to mention the “culture wars”?
I can’t wait to find out what people are thinking in 250 years.
SteveM
Yeah, but Huntsman’s “shill” is every A-list political reporter in the Northeast Corridor. Plus, the New York metro area has a population of what? Ten million? Twenty? There’s a niche market for everything here. I think the Natural Law Party could draw a bigger crowd than Huntsman did.
shortstop
And yet, the mushy softness of his lips is slightly disturbing. Not as disturbing as Chris Christie’s lips, but gross all the same.
chopper
i’m sure a black guy whose name means ‘soldier of cain’ is going to sweep the religious conservatives off their feet.
Monkey Business
My god. This guy sounds intelligent, reasonable, and not at all prone to rash overreactions or spewing bile at anyone to the left of Limbaugh.
It’s a shame you can measure his campaign length in weeks. I’m guessing… Three? Four, maybe? The GOP base will run him out of town so fast on his politics they won’t even have time to run him out of town on his religion.
...now I try to be amused
Those whom Obama would destroy, he first drives mad.
NonyNony
@stuckinred
Except it means that Cain knows how to make an announcement and Huntsman doesn’t.
That’s already bad news for Huntsman – a good-sized percentage of being a GOP politician these days is your ability to razzle-dazzle the rubes.
I’m wondering if Huntsman and Romney are good friends. Like Huntsman is getting into the game to put someone out there to make Romney look better to the far-right teabaggers or something.
Mike in NC
Before Karen Hughes went and dreamed up the “compassionate conservative” nonsense to sugar-coat the Bush candidacy, I much preferred the simpler and more honest term: asshole
ThatLeftTurnInABQ
@Han’s Solo #16
This brings to mind an enduring Onion classic:
Jimmy Carter: I got what America needs right here
A small bit of political trivia: Carter’s approval ratings went up after his “Malaise Speech”, so-called.
Chris
@ Bulworth –
Well, yeah. They’ve already said “Bush was a liberal,” and his whole compassionate conservatism shtick is just something they can point to to justify that; “see, the problem with Bush is that he was too compassionate, ‘well-meaning but wrong.’ We need to be tougher.”
Although, from another point of view, here’s Jonah Goldberg’s take on it as reported by S, N! during the 2008 campaign;
Jonah Goldberg: The benefit of Bush’s compassionate conservatism [in 2000] was that it was majorly a marketing slogan…
Alex Chadwick: You mean you’re worried Mike Huckabee might actually mean it?
Goldberg: Yes, that’s what I’m terrified of.
Heh.
Han's Solo
Shortstop – You had to bring up Chris Christie’s lips? Ugh.
Every time I see him I want to run away screaming, “Don’t eat me! Don’t eat me!” WTF, the guy looks like he should be doing battle with Mothra, not running a state.
If the GOP wants to run Christie I say go for it. He could use the exercise.
stuckinred
NonyNony
could be
Poopyman
That right there is one good reason why he’ll never be President.
Yes. Yes I am confident that the American electorate is so shallow that they won’t vote for a guy named Herman. Well, that and the batshit insanity.
cat48
I likes them thar purty speeches.
Ben, Politico, basically says Huntsman is Obama 2.0; without the passion, which would bore me. The Ryan Budget & a Balanced Budget Amendment both frighten me so they will give me an incentive to work for the prez.
shortstop
Han’s, I’m not even talking about his weight. Those lips are just icky. Icky. Oooh, so icky.
cmorenc
The big question from the Huntsman v Cain announcement comparison is: if more reasonable conservatives with a background of sound experience and judgment like Huntsman generate so comparatively little interest among the GOP base, compared to showboating clowns like Herman Cain, THEN:
1) is this an indicator of just how badly the GOP is fucked this Presidential election cycle, OR;
2) is this an indicator of just how badly we ALL are fucked if this indicates there’s any realistic possibility one of these wingnut clowns might actually win the Presidency in 2012?
If #2, the judgment of a majority of the electorate is so horribly deficient that I’d say they deserve the disastrous problems and swift decline for our country this would portend, if only they weren’t going to drag all the rest of us down the sewer with them to Galt-land.
MikeJ
@39:
I thought the same about the name Barack Hussein Obama, but fortunately I was wrong in that case.
TruthOrScare
Nony Nony @ 33:
I think we have a winner. The GOP money boys don’t want some freichtard dragging down the down-ticket candidates. They’re trotting out Huntsman to show the rubes that they could do worse than Romney, with an actual Obama lap-dog to compare to Romney.
Romney may be able to pull off the GE if the economy is deeper in the crapper and if he doesn’t, at least they don’t kill their chances down-ticket. With the Senate in GOP hands, Obama will be forced to deal on a lot of their wish list if he wins a second term.
Sasha
[like]
Herman Newticks
Reminds me too much of this guy:
http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/images/2008/11/10/watbn_ozymandias_3.jpg
Martin
As anyone who has gone to college knows, nothing gets turnout like pizza.
trollhattan
@ Han’s Solo FTW:
Chris Christiesan once saved two boys on Hokkaido, also, too.
JCT
@trollhattan
At this point his real state is discovering that they are being eaten right up by this asshole.
Linda Featheringill
Herman Cain still standing:
Ahem. Told you guys, several weeks ago. “No,” you said. “The Repubs will never support a black guy.” I told you he was interesting, he talks well [if a bit like a black minister], and he didn’t seem to be crazy. But did you guys listen? Nooooo. Hmmph.
Although to be honest, I also said I thought he was intelligent. I’m not so sure about that now. But the rest of it I’ll stand behind.
I’m not predicting that he’ll be the nominee. I have absolutely no idea who will get the nomination. Your guess is at least as good as mine.
But Herman is interesting.
Violet
Limbaugh was making fun of Huntsman on his show today. Played the “compassionate” clip from his announcement and was talking over it and generally belittling Huntsman.
Don’t think it’s a good sign for Huntsman in this election cycle is the leader of the GOP is trashing him.
Linda Featheringill
Ooh! Ooh! Can we have this as a rotating tag?
Damn! I’d like to have that on a coffee cup.
Mnemosyne
I’m not sure if it was that, or to show that a Republican can be competitive in a blue state by having Noo Yawkers show up in droves for Huntsman.
If that was the purpose, then … oops.
karen marie
John Adams is rolling in his grave.
boss bitch
@AxelFoley:
They know. They just don’t care about any of those things.
Linda Featheringill
All political campaigns run on razzle-dazzle. Hopefully, they also had substance. And again hopefully, they aren’t based on lies and half-truths.
But the style is very important.
ETA: Does that make me a “rube”? Probably. Do I care? Nah.
shortstop
You will be. Sure that he’s not, I mean.
TruthOrScare
Mnemosyne @ 53:
I don’t think that was the reason for NY. Huntsman doesn’t have enough name recognition yet to draw a big crowd anywhere.
Nope, I think he’ll be given enough money and spew just enough dogma (e.g., Ryan Plan support) to stay in the race for the long haul to draw fire from the Limbaugh/Fux Nooz mob for his over-the-top RINOness, allowing Romney to fly under their radar. Sooner or later one of the nutters (Bachmann, Cain, Santorum) will need to make an ‘uncivil’ move to try to dislodge Romney from the catbird seat. Huntsman will then make the rounds to all the Villagers to lament the ‘uncivil’ tone of the breakaway wanne-be and remind everyone that incivility loses elections. The marginally sane rubes will thus be gently prodded along to see Romney as the ‘electable’ compromise, when compared to the howling nutter and lap-dog Huntsman.
And it’s all good for Huntsman either way. Romney wins, he’ll get a prominent appointment in his administration (Secretary of State?) and he’s young enough to wait through one or two Romney terms. Romney loses? He’s “next in line” for 2016.
negative 1
For anyone who thinks then that Huntsman does better in the Northeast than other republicans, isn’t that actually a net negative? That means he won’t excite the base, who therefore won’t turn out for the guy in the general elections. Unless the republicans think that they are going to win New York come the general elections.
Tuffy
Criticizing the “boringness” or appearance or demeanor of a politician is pathetic. These cocksucking Republicans have enough horrible policy positions that we don’t need to get down to the trivialities.
I don’t want a rock star politician. I want a fat stubby person who buries themselves in policy minutae and GOVERNS.
Georgia Pig
Geez, that guy makes Romney look charismatic.
Amir_Khalid
@Tuffy
Like it or not, some measure of sex appeal does help make a politician popular, thus easier to vote for. That can tip the scale if the candidates seem about equal otherwise. John Kennedy had it, Ronald Reagan had it (although Jimmy Carter was the better candidate on governing ability), Bill Clinton had it, and Barack Obama has it too.
Lolis
As someone who used to be afraid of a Huntsman run, I have been cured! This guy has no grassroots support. Remember how many thousands showed up for the Obama announcement that he was running? Plus thousands were showing up at rallies all over the country for Obama. Huntsman is totally DOA.
Sasha
What kind of bizarro world are we inhabiting when a raging moderate like Huntsman is the “unconventional candidate”?
cursorial
Isn’t a “crowd of a hundred” in Liberty State Park pretty much the same as “passers-by”?
Amir_Khalid
Jon Huntsman’s name recognition is such that his own campaign staff can’t remember how to spell it.
TruthOrScare
I read on another site that about 60 of the 100 were journalists and over 40 supporters took a charter bus from Washington to attend. Sounds like the passers-by didn’t even find it interesting enough to stick around.
Elie
What IS Huntsman’s angle? Sure, he may have money to burn, but how does he think he is going to go from being Ambassador under Obama to the Republican nominee in one of the most poisonously partisan periods of our political history? And with THAT message — returning pride or some such to America? Whaaaa? Is he a stalking horse for someone or something… what’s the gambit? I find his candidacy a total head scratcher..
Triassic Sands
I’m starting to think it might be easier if Republicans who aren’t running for president announce, while we just assume everyone else is running.
I can’t figure out whom he thinks he’s talking to. Maybe there are four or five 80-90-year-old old time Republicans left who will respond to Huntsman’s message, but 99+% of modern Republicans will think this guy is some kind of commie infiltrator.
Talking about compassion? Saying he respects Obama? Admitting that Obama loves America too? What Republican is going to respond to that?
Dr. Wu
Huntsman is nowhere near radical enough to appeal to modern, Fox-addled Republicans.
JoJo
David Frum has been pushing Huntsman on his site. I can’t for the life of me understand why.
Paul in KY
Speaking of President Carter, I really feel he would have beaten saint Ronnie, except for that damned hostage crisis.
He did in a way bring it on himself by allowing the Shah into the U.S. for medical treatment. Just too much integrity (or misplaced integrity) that caused him to give a favour to an old ally, when he should have made a domestic political decision & sent him to Switzerland.