America throws up in its mouth a little
Jon Huntsman (he’s one of the dudes running for the Republican nomination, ‘member?) went on the attack against Romney on CNN today:
The former Utah governor called Mitt Romney a “perfectly lubricated weather vane” and Herman Cain “the flavor of the week,” in an interview with Wolf Blitzer.
Gross.
Just throw a little Santorum in there and what do we have? A frothy mess, that’s what.
Does anyone else get the sense that Huntsman is just phoning in his candidacy? Does he really think the GOP is going to forgive him for his close association to the Usurper-in-Chief? He was President Obama’s ambassador to China for crying out loud. If there’s two things that Republicans hate, it’s President Obama and China.
Actually, I don’t really know if Republicans hate China, but I had to end this post somehow.
Ta da!
[cross-posted at Angry Black Lady Chronicles]
Loneoak
They hate America for not being more like China, only Not Brown.
Cat Lady
If the reality show we’re watching is Republican Survivor, Huntsman if Jeff Probst.
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
As much fun as it is to make this a sexual reference, his implication that Romney turns in the new direction the wind blows without any resistance is actually pretty funny, and spot on.
mistermix
The punchline to this post should be: “The Aristocrats”
Hunter Gathers
Like anyone gives a flying fuck about what this silver spoon weirdo has to say about anything. Nobody is going to vote for him, not in 2012, not in 2016, not ever. He’s a grade A loser, and should be content with spending his inherited fortune and enjoy a large cup of Shut The Fuck Up.
beltane
I think this helps Romney. Being perfectly lubricated will surely be worth a few points with evangelicals.
trollhattan
I’ve thought all along Huntsman is campaigning for ’16. He’ll exit the ’12 campaign ‘tard-off looking like the sole sane Republican in the land. I doubt he’d actually want to be the nominee this year.
Mark
Republicans hate the Red Chinese, but they love China. Zero Republicans joined in the protests against China while the Olympic torch was crossing the country. Plus they love them some low-wage jobs, a command economy, a malevolent dictator, etc…
General Stuck
This is some primo snark, too bad it comes out of the mouth of someone slightly less assholish wingnut.
Republicans loosely employ a seniority like system to pick their POTUS candidates, unlike dems who tend to toss their POTUS also rans under the hippie bus forever and a day.
I think Huntsman is just putting his time in for 2016, or maybe a senate run in the mean time. Huntsman is like Chuck Hagel, with some common sense about him on many things, but a stingy fucker on fiscal issues. I don’t think he has the macho spaz factor to be a GOP nominee, but who knows with those crazy fuckers these days.
El Cid
Will we see a bunch of Republican assholes holding up flip-flops and sing-songing that in call & response fashion, like the purple bandaid asses did in 2004?
KG
@Hunter Gathers: Are you talking about Romney or Huntsman?
Actually, I think Huntsman is running this time so he can be perceived as Next In Line in 2016. No one else in the field this year is going to be viable in 2016 and the GOP is going to follow SOP and go with Next In Line (which is why Romney wins this year and Huntsman will be the frontrunner by default in 2016).
Also, I’m somewhat surprised that Huntsman being Obama’s Ambassador to China hasn’t been more of an issue. I’d love to hear Huntsman respond with the classic, “When the President calls you to serve, you don’t say no.”
lamh34
ABL, great minds think alike, I was just thinking that Hunstman is either a plant, or he’s just in it to wound Romney cause he wants it for 2016 and if Romney is the nominee and loses, then Huntsman can run in 2016 thx to Romney sorta breakin’ the “Mormons aren’t Christians” glass ceiling.
driftglass
These Mormon-on-Mormon crimes are tearing the nation apart.
Chris
@Mark:
They hated China back in the day not because of any human rights record but for the simple reason that it was closed for business and closed for preaching – same grudge they have against all communist countries.
Right now, they’re ambivalent. On the one hand, China’s now open for business and the economic model (government enforcing multinational corporations’ right to treat their workers however they want – right out of the Latin American junta handbook), they love and envy. But on the other hand, they’re afraid that this capitalist junta’s going to take over the world and replace America, and their exceptionalist ethic doesn’t take to that at all. So they’re not sure.
The Moar You Know
Oh. Oh my.
burnspbesq
It’s a shame we can’t put Huntsman in the Way-Back Machine and send him to 1968. He would have mopped the floor with Nixon while Scranton and Romney stood around and equivocated. He is the very model of a moderate Republican. Which means his sell-by date was 1976.
DougJ
Gives whole new meaning to “you don’t need a weather vane”.
soonergrunt
Republicans don’t hate China. That’s where they outsource American labor.
burnspbesq
@DougJ:
Yeah, but the man in the coonskin cap still wants eleven dollar bills, and you still only got ten.
soonergrunt
@beltane: Only if there’s a wetsuit and two dildos involved.
Violet
Like KG said, Huntsman’s running to be Next In Line. It’s a gamble though, because there’s no guarantee Republicans will be ready to nominate a
Chinese soshulist usurpersomeone slightly less insane by then. But that’s his gamble. He looks utterly sane in comparison to the freak show that’s the rest of the pool.Republicans also hate China because of abortion.
Julia Grey
Bingo.
burnspbesq
@Hunter Gathers:
I’m saving your little screed so I can throw it in your face on the night of the first Gillibrand – Huntsman debate.
Maude
@driftglass:
heh.
soonergrunt
@burnspbesq: Well, I don’t think Gillibrand will run for higher office, but that could just be me.
While we’re on the subject–Dem prospects for 2016?
I just don’t see Biden running. He’ll be like 400 by then, won’t he?
Chris
@Violet:
Whoa there!
“I don’t agree with it, but at the same time they’ve got 1.2 billion people and they don’t know what to do. If every family over there was allowed to have three or four children, the population would be completely unsustainable.”
– Pat Robertson, in reference to Chinese abortion policies
It makes perfect sense if you think of them as “anti-choice” rather than buy the “pro-life” line, and remember that they probably don’t place a very high value on the life of nonwhite third worlders.
JGabriel
ABL:
I’ve maintained from the start that Huntsman was merely running in this round as a Mormon spoiler for Romney’s nomination.
If Romney wins the GOP nomination, then loses the election, you can bet that Republicans are not going to nominate a Mormon in 2016. That would be bad news for Huntsman. So Huntsman runs in 2012 to split Romney’s vote and preserve for himself a chance to win the 2016 nomination, when he can run in an open race instead of against a personally popular incumbent.
Unfortunately for Huntsman, his candidacy so far has been such a non-factor that it isn’t impacting Romney at all. But I still think that was the original strategy.
.
Delia
My sister is a liberal Democrat who lives in Utah. She says that Huntsman was actually quite a good governor–did all he could for public education when the economy started falling apart, etc.
My take on him is that since he decided to run he tried to play the usual game you have to play to make it in gooper world, found he just couldn’t be accepted no matter what, so he’s decided, what the hell, snark ’em all out.
boss bitch
If Romney is nominated and loses the election, the wing nuts are not going to want Huntsman in 2016.
JGabriel
Hunter Gathers on Jon Huntsman, 2011:
Hunter Gathers on Ronald Reagan, 1975:
Hunter Gathers on Richard Nixon, 1959:
.
Rick
Ditto comment #1. China represents the Republican ideal. Free markets and complete control over your personal life.
burnspbesq
@soonergrunt:
“Dem prospects for 2016?”
Gillibrand, almost by default. Who else is there? Schweitzer? Hickenlooper? Blumenthal? Patrick?
DougJ
@burnspbesq:
A scene straight out of Midnight Cowboy.
JGabriel
@KG:
… unless you’re Judd Gregg.
.
Violet
@burnspbesq:
Hillary?
WereBear
Yo, Drifty! Good to see you.
I would like to see Sane Republicanism catch on; but it’s a tough sell with that Base.
JGabriel
@soonergrunt:
Not a clue. Keep in mind that, for the past 35 years, the only Democrats to
win* take the Presidency have been people that were not well-known as recently as two years before they were elected. “Next-in-line” is no longer a necessary criteria for Democratic candidates. So I don’t think anyone can predict what will happen for the Democrats in 2016 until 2014, at the earliest.(*Forgot for a moment that Gore, who would fit the “next-in-line” criteria, actually won the election, but didn’t get to take office due to Republican corruption and thievery.)
.
ABL
@mistermix: it really should have. i didn’t think it through!
Cliff in NH
@JGabriel:
LOL.
But really? Why listen to a serial liar other than to debunk them.
ABL
@soonergrunt:
Elizabeth Warren.
SiubhanDuinne
@soonergrunt: Senator Elizabeth Warren?
ETA: Yeah, what ABL posted while I was typing.
SiubhanDuinne
@JGabriel:
I was going to say that exact same thing, but I couldn’t remember Judd Gregg’s name.
Cliff in NH
@Cliff in NH:
I can’t edit, but woops, serial liar = rommney, the silver spoon thing distracted me from the obvious word Huntsman, my bad.
Cliff in NH
@Cliff in NH:
Huntsman actually sound relatively sane, but I don’t know much about him.
Turgidson
@boss bitch:
Seconded. The GOP/conservative mouthpieces spent most of the post-mortem to the 2008 campaign screeching about how McCain only lost because he wasn’t a TRUE CONSERVATIVE. Does anyone think they’ll come to any other conclusion if former-Massachusetts-and-pro-choice-and-ObamaCare-forefather Mitt Romney is nominated and loses?
I mean, the insiders will probably steer the nomination to someone at least reasonably electable if such a person exists, but not to an even-more-liberal-than-Romney-Mormon-who-palled-around-with-sockulist-usurper-Obama.
I hope I’m wrong and the GOP listens more to people like Hunstman soon. Plenty of things I disagree with Huntsman about, but I wouldn’t fear for the future of mankind if he was president. I can’t say that about any of the other GOP candidates.
DougJ
@burnspbesq:
I like K-Giddy too. She’s a good politician.
soonergrunt
So Elizabeth Warren vs. Kathleen Gillibrand for right to go up against whichever non-Romney republican (Jebby?) gets sent up in 2016?
Gillibrand is supposed to be some kind of middle between blue dog and liberal (I don’t know enough about her to judge, only what I’ve read) and Warren, who enthusiastically embraces liberal positions vs. whichever stealth conservative “moderate” republican comes up?
R-Jud
What about Al Franken? He’s good enough, he’s smart enough…
joes527
@KG:
As long as Newt goes into cold storage promptly after the primary, he’ll be perfectly fresh in 2016.
Violet
@soonergrunt:
Didn’t Warren support Republicans back in the day?
@R-Jud: A Gillibrand, Warren, Franken primary would be wonderous to watch.
trollhattan
@R-Jud:
And doggoneit….
Wouldn’t that be something?
Lessee, how about Bobby “Volcano” Jindal vs. Gary Locke for the South Asian-Asian fight for the soul of Real America(tm)?
Sad_Dem
I think Chris and Mark have it right. The Nixonites see a lot to admire in China–a ruling elite, crony capitalism, brutal repression of dissent, patriarchy, pollution, wage slavery, racism, and expansionism. On the other hand, John Birch was a Baptist missionary (and spy). If the CPC ever changes its name to, I dunno, the Happy Capitalist Party and welcomes lots of Christian missionaries into the country, the TV and the WSJ will be telling us it’s heaven.
soonergrunt
@Violet: I don’t want to get into a pissing contest over Kristen Gillibrand. As I noted, I don’t know enough about her personally to judge. Perhaps I would have better stated as “I can’t speak intelligently on the policy positions and political positions of Senator Gillibrand to have one position, pro or con, about her one way or the other.
She may very well be my ideal candidate.
Anya
@soonergrunt: Elizabeth Warren, Kathleen Sebelius, Govs, Patrick and O’Malley….
boss bitch
HA HA HA AH!!! How embarrassing.
boss bitch
@Turgidson:
I don’t trust him. At all. Not one bit.
burnspbesq
@R-Jud:
I don’t know how he raises enough money. Gillibrand raises 18 gazillion dollars from the private equity and hedge fund guys in about 90 seconds. All she has to do is say “I’m the only thing standing between you and Attorney General Preet Bharara.” After the convulsions and pant-shitting stop, the writing of checks will begin in earnest.
gelfling545
@soonergrunt: That middle ground thing was what they said about Gillibrand when she was appointed & thus I viewed her with concern but she has been way better than average on the liberal side of issues as far as I can see. She’s my senator & I’d support her for president in ’16. I think Warren could be good too but may be perceived as too liberal for the general population whereas Gillibrand has a more moderate reputation.
burnspbesq
And the thing I really like about Gillibrand: after Hoovering all that money out of their pockets, she would nominate Preet to be AG without a second’s hesitation. Because she would understand that being President of the whole country is different than being a Senator from New York.
boss bitch
What are you guys talking about? Gillibrand? – NO way. I have a hard time trusting New York Democrats and I’m a New Yorker.
O’Malley is my hands down favorite. Biden says he’s not ruling out 2016 so Biden/O’Malley 2016. I can’t see any of the others mentioned here running for President. Not even Warren. I want to see how she does in her first election. I want people that can win PLUS share my policy goals. I really like Franken. Really like him but I keep hearing people won’t vote for a Jewish president or something. The right wingers would lose their shit though. :)
A Conservative Teacher
You got it all wrong- the GOP doesn’t like Huntsman because he is a phony RINO career opportunist who has bad stands on every major policy position. It’s not about ‘hating Obama’ or ‘hating China’.
PhoenixRising
@Violet:
Um, so did a lot of sensible people.
For values of ‘back in the day’ that include my parents driving me home from the hospital in a Ford Falcon bearing a ‘We Need Nixon Now More Than Ever’ sticker.
They jumped off the express train to Crazytown during the part of the Reagan Administration in which they found out they had a gay kid, and the nation found out that the GOP was a conspiracy to cover up dementia in the Oval. But a lot of smart people were slower on the uptake…
PhoenixRising
In other Huntsman news, his dad says if China had elections he’d already be president…of China.
No, seriously. This is a contrast to Junior’s slam on the former Wind Sock of MA, in that it is UNintentionally damaging to the candidate as well as humorous.
Amir Khalid
The most plausible thing I’ve heard about Huntsman’s 2012 candidacy is that it’s an exercise to position himself as the Next In Line for 2016. But he needs to well enough this cycle to be NIL/2016, and with his polling and fundraising so weak, it looks like he’s falling very far short of his target. I do not expect to see Huntsman be 2016’s Mitt Romney.
dww44
@boss bitch: Yep, I really really like Franken, too. Actually, I don’t think his being Jewish would really be an issue in the election, altho I am sure the GOP would try to turn it into one. But they’d have a difficult time disavowing a candidate because of his Jewishness, after the last few years of turning Israel into the number one friend and ally of the U.S.
Franken’s being a liberal Democrat (and a funny one to boot) is the issue. But, gosh, he’s turned into a stellar Senator, IMO. I’d love to vote for him in 2016.
boss bitch
@dww44:
oh yeah, that’s right. How could I forget this.
divF
@boss bitch:
Martin O’Malley is my favorite. He’s a alum from my high school, and his becoming president or VP would wipe out the taint of the most famous graduates up to now being Pat Buchanan and Bill Bennett.
Lojasmo
@ABL:
This.
soonergrunt
@boss bitch: because they will, the moment they think they need to in order to win.
It’s who they are.
AA+ Bonds
His plan is to be Paul Krugman circa 2002 basically
AA+ Bonds
@dww44:
The stuff from Franken’s books that didn’t bother Minnesota’s electorate would bury him in a presidential race, for instance, the chapter of “Why Not Me?” where he wrote about himself taking the office of President and instantly having a nervous breakdown
AA+ Bonds
@burnspbesq:
Sweet Lord that’s depressing :(
SRW1
@boss bitch:
Good point this. If Huntsmann’s forage into this years primaries is all about laying the groundwork for 2016, the optimal outcome of the 2012 election for him would be for Obama to really crush a Tea Bagger and thereby cure the GOP base of that desire. So, there’s a good reason for Huntsman to stay in the 2012 primaries as long as plausible and kick The Mittens where it hurts whenever he can.
Beauzeaux
@dww44:
Just because they have orgasms over Israel does not mean they actually like actual Jews.