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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

The Huntsman Buzz In Iowa

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  January 3rd, 2012 at 04:19 PM  | 

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Image descriptionI think it was a big mistake for Huntsman to write off Iowa. Today I am convinced of it. Every time the subject come up with Iowans I encounter, not to mention other conservatives here for the Hawkeye Caucii, they lament what might have been Jon Huntsman.

While I have issues with his record as Governor, it is much more conservative than Mitt Romney’s and he has a much, much greater cross-party and independent appeal than Mitt Romney. People kind of like he doesn’t give a crap about pandering.

But everyone closes their lament feeling Huntsman made a strategic decision to not ignore conservatives like Romney, but to give them the middle finger.

What I’m fascinated with it is the number of conservative activists who keep hoping, even now, for a “that was really all Jon Weaver” wink.

We have nearly reached the Rubicon when the ‘not Romney’ crowd is pining for Jon Huntsman.

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COMMENTS

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  • goodgovernance

    I really like John Huntsman and think he would be a more conservative, and stronger general election candidate than Mitt Romney. Independents and Reagan Democrats don’t like phonies any more than we do, and once the general electorate spends a lot of time with Mitt, they’ll grow to distrust him.

    It’d take a big surprise in New Hampshire for Huntsman to gain traction now, but I’m going to hope for it anyway. Heck, every other candidate has had their surge (which is just remarkable, when you think about it). May Huntsman’s time in the ascendency come around by this time next week!

  • znjs

    Another reason you shouldn’t skip an early state is that how much press coverage do you lose? Almost no one will be talking about Huntsman for the rest of the day. You’re already pretty unknown, and you’re throwing away the coverage you would’ve gotten just for showing up.

    This logic also applies to Perry planning to skip NH. He’s going to be off the grid and ignored after tomorrow for the next several days. Skipping states just doesn’t work.

  • http://www.neoavatara.com/blog neoavatara

    Other than maybe Perry, Huntsman has run the worst campaign. He should have run as a conservative, instead as a media darling when he started his campaign. Since, he has largely been the snarky outsider in the debates, instead of being the conservative elder statesmen he could have been.

    Not running in Iowa is the final straw, because no matter what, he isn’t going to win NH.

    A historic set of missed opportunities.

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    Perry is not skipping NH, but he’s promptly going to SC.

    Branstad told me last night [prior to Politico event] that he had personally asked Huntsman to come to Iowa @ a Governors’ meeting in Salt Lake City. He said he didn’t want to come because of his ethanol stance, but Branstad replied that the price-supports were expiring and the only debate was on mandates.

    It didn’t work, and the unnecessary dissing that supervened was devastating…reflecting aloofness that doesn’t appear residually attractive.

    *

    Thus, I still feel [1]–Huntsman will be gone shortly, and [2]–Perry will continue to receive press-coverage.

    Remember, also, more debates loom [as the stage loses some of its population].

  • jgge

    than he has tried to portray himself in these primaries and it is very strange if not idiotic to play a moderate in a Republican primaries when you need to play conservative.

  • christopherestep

    If Huntsman has this much contempt for conservatives who could help him get elected, how do you think he would treat us in the White House?

    For all of his “appeal” across party lines, he would pal around with folks like Graham, McCain, and Snowe.

    Forgive me, but I don’t want another president who will tack left every time the media calls him stupid or mean.

  • theobnoxiousamerican

    So let me get this straight – per these Iowans, Huntsman is the right candidate but because he’s not down in Iowa, sucking off egos for votes, they won’t elect him? This is absurd.

    If he’s the right guy for America, then that’s all that should matter. I may not like him for other reasons, but certainly not because he doesn’t fawn over me.

  • elayman

    If there is nothing these analysts respect more than someone who stands up for what they believe in no matter what the opposition says, get over yourselves already and stop blaming the campaign for overlooking the best candidate until is (was ?) nearly too late. Seriously. Huntsman is running on fumes just to pull a rabbit out of the hat in New Hampshire. This entire nominating process is so very, very, very screwed up…

  • Lucas Black

    Unless your name in John McCain. Then you can skip Iowa and be the nominee.

  • Lucas Black

    I think that Huntsman’s decision to run to the left of Romney will come down to the worst decision of the whole primary season, closely followed by Pawlenty’s decision to go all-in on that stupid straw poll and then drop out too soon. I hope no candidate ever spends a dime on that worthless Aimes Straw Poll.

  • beentheredonethat

    And someone else would be different? Perry had a giant for sale sign on Texas and has trouble completing sentences, Romney goes with the wind on every single issue that has existed or will exist, and Gingrich was practically kicked out of the party 15 years ago. None of these candidates are shining diamonds.

    The reason I am supporting Huntsman is because of jobs. Utah had like a 2% unemployment rate under Huntsman, because he went out and created an environment for them. Deregulation, cutting taxes, creating incentives. The works. I heard the other day from a woman at some Romney event that she didn’t support Huntsman because her job went to Utah. Not quite sure she thought that through. We need a President who brings jobs to the US, who creates an environment to get people working. My dad has been out of work for 9 months now, and my mom just had to go back to work because of it. This is THE ISSUE that I care about, and I really doubt I’m alone.

    And I’ll tell you what. If Huntsman as the nominee, Obama is guaranteed toast. The rest of these clowns would have trouble enough beating Biden, let alone Obama.

  • BigRedConservative

    We need to prepare to get behind Huntsman in New Hampshire. The alternatives are a governor who expanded government more than Obama, a philandering Washington insider, and an anti-Semitic racist idiot. It doesn’t matter whether Huntsman wins beyond NH, but we need to prevent Romney (or, God forbid, Paul) from building momentum after Iowa, and thus pushing Perry out of the race. And Huntsman is (as has been discussed) the second best candidate here.

    Come to think of it, he’s also one of only two good ones.

  • thosjefferson

    Santorum has already crested; voters don’t want professional politicians, especially those who lose by 18 points in a Senate race.

    Huntsman, as a successful businessman, diplomat and governor, would be the best non-Romney choice, but he needed to make his case in Iowa, at least on a token basis. One or two visits might have made a difference. He would surely have come in 4th with a little effort.

  • thirstyboots

    A Weaver engineered candidate will be appreciated because he doesn’t give a crap about pandering but he’ll also be hated by overemotional republican loyalists for the same reason.

  • acat

    some of us think it’s time for Iowa to give up their “first!” rights…

    Their welcome is wearing rather thin.

    Mew

  • burke

    If such people think Huntsman is the best candidate, they should vote for him. This is yet another reason to have a rotating first primary state. Used to being showered with personal attention from candidates every four or eight years, some Iowans are now reluctant to vote for a strong candidate just because the candidate did not spend much time in the state. Pity, because the primaries ask them to tell us who they think the the best candidate is.

  • hobarticus

    Romney supporters all seem to make the argument that Romney is the most electable candidate, but if that’s your only criteria, Huntsman is the better choice. Even though I support Newt right now, I wouldn’t be unhappy to see a “Huntsman surge”. His platform seems plenty conservative to me.

    Romney will be unable to attack B.O. on his biggest liability, Obamacare, and will be tarred, correctly and devastatingly, as a flip-flopper. I have a hard time seeing him winning the general.

  • lightspeed

    for a guy who, less than a year ago, worked for the opposing team. He had no problem working for a Marxist and he spent the last few years helping B.O. kow-tow to a Marxist regime. Sounds like a winner.

  • gabs

    If the party had worked up a deal a long time ago for a Huntsman/Johnson ticket or the other way around, the general election would be in the bag right now. Democrats would be standing in line to break ranks and vote R. Johnson also worked miracles on the economy of the state he was Governor of. Slam dunk, game over, Republican victory. Because this: “My dad has been out of work for 9 months now, and my mom just had to go back to work because of it. This is THE ISSUE that I care about, and I really doubt I?m alone.” is not only true, but any politician who ran on that would win…unless the primary process were being manipulated from the back room of the party.

  • sunshinek67

    Be mindful that John McCain came in 4th with 13% in Iowa, 15,500 votes. As an ardent Perry supporter, I am not worried with his finish tonite, he still has a strong, very underreported, base of supporters regardless. I am unfazed by these msm polls, the more he gets out there and retails, the better his numbers get.

    As to the topic, I could see Huntsman as a Vice President choice for Perry for reasons outlined on RedState by Mr. Erick that he seems to be a viable conservative choice, maybe a bit squishy on foreign policy (?). He needs to hone up on his jokes, though, and the delivery. He’s kind of quirky, and I like that. Need more information analysis about his record~

  • elayman

    Huntsman was always available to the conservative press and never ran from his Utah record but at the same time was never going to “out conservative” the pandering Tea Partiers Bachmann, Cain, Perry etc that were all the rage this summer and it would have been largely a wasted effort to have tried. A lose-lose proposition from his perspective that falls squarely on the blame of the voter. If Jon was not resonating with conservatives, it was because he was resonating with moderates who appreciate his thoughtful style and pragmatic approach working across parties regardless of policy differences and vice versa.

    Let us now make up for lost time and hurt feelings by continuing to ensure that Team H receives attention from Granite Staters (and around the country !) that he has courted with such fervor.

  • tomatin

    Hunstman is a real conservative based on his record in Utah, especially when you compare him to Romney but he made a huge miscalculation at the beginning of his campaign when he turned left instead of right.

    I really think Huntsman’s strategy was for 2016 not 2012.

  • Scope

    to think you can cause any flaming. If you made any sense that might be different, but al(ass)……

  • septembergurl

    Now I am not so sure. I have relatives in Iowa (shoutout to Spencer and Audubon) and they have always been pro-life, antiwar Republicans. I think Huntsman’s strong anti-abortion views along with his rather nuanced foreign policy would play well there. He did pay a price in terms of skipping debates, fora, etc, as well as annoying people unnecessarily.

    However, I’m starting to think he was right — not so much on the substance, but on the need to campaign the way he is doing in NH to introduce himself to the Am.erican people. He could not do that in both Iowa and NH, at least not well. NH is simply a better state for him, as Iowa is for Santorum and SC is for Perry.

    We will know soon whether this was a good decision, if he surges in NH and finishes well, Iowa will be forgotten.

  • dpmapper

    I understand why he didn’t try to call himself the “most” conservative (he can’t without pandering and being blatantly flip floppy, and there were already several candidates vying for that title). I don’t think he intended to position himself as “moderate”, either, more of a consensus non-Romney nominee like Pawlenty, but he kind of got pigeonholed that way and should have made a stronger initial effort to escape it as soon as he sensed it happening, rather than just expect the conservative activist base to realize that he’s not to Romney’s left on its own. So I give him poor marks for campaign strategy. That being said, general election strategy when you’re running 1 vs 1 is much simpler than a multi-candidate primary, and as many have mentioned before, Obama can’t really attack Huntsman on Huntsman’s record in Utah, or personally, due to the ambassadorship. Obama would have to stick to the issues and his record in office.

  • gabs

    for a few people to jump in and start talking about who is a “real” conservative and who isn’t, both as far as posters and among the candidates. That has no impact on the fact that this year more than ever, it’s the economy, first, second, third and fourth that matters.

  • http://908StraightSt.wordpress.com/ mbecker908

    you go to the polls with the candidates you’ve got.

  • acat

    Just what is it about libertarians that gets your dander up so easily?

    Mew

  • notpropagandized

    This is becoming soooo laughable. Iowans are skipping on each rock down the Republican roster. Huntsman should have been farther up the list than dead-last (am I forgetting someone who hasn’t surged yet?). This is just plain un-serious. Or should I say a totally serial malfeasance.

    Why must an entire state endure such a mindless procession instead of multi-tasking in evaluating several candidates from beginning to end and selecting the best ones. This is a ridiculous vetting system.

    Lost sheep. If it’s the Evangelicals, then they need to wise up and get better informed and be a lot less influenced by the media analysis that drives this whack a mole caucus.

    Don’t these people realize they’re being made into fools by a sophisticated media circus. These newsrooms must have lib-jounalists rolling on the floors, laughing their arses off.

    Lord have mercy!

  • trickamsterdam

    Sheep, at least, generally eventually get where they’re going. LOL!

  • waitaminute

    Huntsman made a strategic decision to not ignore conservatives like Romney, but to give them the middle finger.

    Conservatives like… Romney? Really? That’s best example of a conservative you could think of?

  • elayman

    Huntman’s effort to use stronger language that will resonate with the American people isn’t top order for a candidate with such finely honed diplomatic instincts but over the last month I have noticed he has been gradually working into that mindset. And a tougher, more streamlined stump speech delivered like he means it is what we should expect of all our politicians. The low-key ‘school librarian’ approach was too easy to dismiss as boring or unserious and killing him. in terms of media attention. Communicating effectively at sound bite driven debates is still a problem , though. The condensed format forces his head to explode and all that comes out are a torrent of buzzwords and canned phrases. When in doubt, speak from the heart is my best advice.

  • Change Jar Conservative

    While he is my #2 behind Perry, I will say that my moderate friends ( a mix of social dont-cares/fiscal conservatives AND social conservatives/anti-big government/anti-big-biz) all seem to respond to Huntsman’s message.

    My conservative friends like his policy positions as well and seem resigned to ignoring his AGW/Gay Marriage stances.

    In addition, he probably has the only traditional Republican approach to foreign policy which is something I find refreshing.

  • gabs

    nt

  • lightspeed

    He is saying that Huntsman, unlike Romney, chose to not ignore conservatives, but to give them the middle finger.

  • katem

    According to news reports, Huntsman skipped Iowa because of his view on ethanol subsidies and his religion (which reportedly was a factor in Romney initially deciding not to compete in Iowa too). Once it became clear that Romney might have a shot in Iowa a few months ago, he went all in. Huntsman could not do that as he did not have the financial resources to compete in both Iowa and New Hampshire.

    Conservatives who want a VIABLE “non-Romney” candidate should unite behind Huntsman NOW. He is in 3rd place in NH with one week to go. Romney and Sununu are so overconfident that Romney’s going to spend some time in South Carolina instead of NH this week. And Romney is already airing ads in SC and Florida.

    Even if Huntsman can’t defeat Romney in NH, some vocal, strong support from conservatives can create a surge in NH for him (2nd place in NH would be the same as a win for Huntsman) and put him in a strong position in South Carolina. Huntsman already has some key endorsements from conservatives in South Carolina — Alan Wilson, Henry McMaster and former Gov. Carroll Campbell’s family. He has a small staff in SC as well.

    Conservatives who are wishing Huntsman had competed in Iowa should not give up. Despite having very little support from either the conservative base or the GOP leadership, Huntsman has still managed to position himself pretty well in NH thanks to his ground work. Just think what more he can achieve there and in SC if the base throws its support to him. His poll numbers will rise and fundraising should improve greatly. If enough of the base supports him, he will be in a position to compete with Romney financially and we will have the non-Romney candidate who can go the distance. Santorum and the others are NOT viable alternatives to Romney. And there is simply no time to wait and see how the non-Romneys whose poll numbers already rose and fell will fare in SC.

    Conservatives have a very short window of time in which to stop the Romney coronation. 75% of the base wants someone other than Romney. Huntsman is head and shoulders above all of the other candidates and is the only one who can seriously challenge Romney (and Obama). This is a no-brainer.

  • katem

    According to news reports, Huntsman skipped Iowa because of his view on ethanol subsidies and his religion (which reportedly was a factor in Romney initially deciding not to compete in Iowa too). Once it became clear that Romney might have a shot in Iowa a few months ago, he went all in. Huntsman could not do that as he did not have the financial resources to compete in both Iowa and New Hampshire.

    Conservatives who want a VIABLE “non-Romney” candidate should unite behind Huntsman NOW. He is in 3rd place in NH with one week to go. Romney and Sununu are so overconfident that Romney’s going to spend some time in South Carolina instead of NH this week. And Romney is already airing ads in SC and Florida.

    Even if Huntsman can’t defeat Romney in NH, some vocal, strong support from conservatives can create a surge in NH for him (2nd place in NH would be the same as a win for Huntsman) and put him in a strong position in South Carolina. Huntsman already has some key endorsements from conservatives in South Carolina — Alan Wilson, Henry McMaster and former Gov. Carroll Campbell’s family. He has a small staff in SC as well.

    Conservatives who are wishing Huntsman had competed in Iowa should not give up. Despite having very little support from either the conservative base or the GOP leadership, Huntsman has still managed to position himself pretty well in NH thanks to his ground work. Just think what more he can achieve there and in SC if the base throws its support to him. His poll numbers will rise and fundraising should improve greatly. If enough of the base supports him, he will be in a position to compete with Romney financially and we will have the non-Romney candidate who can go the distance. Santorum and the others are NOT viable alternatives to Romney. And there is simply no time to wait and see how the non-Romneys whose poll numbers already rose and fell will fare in SC.

    Conservatives have a very short window of time in which to stop the Romney coronation. 75% of the base wants someone other than Romney. Huntsman is head and shoulders above all of the other candidates and is the only one who can seriously challenge Romney (and Obama). This is a no-brainer.

  • federalfarmer1

    I’m still a Newt guy, but if he implodes further, huntsman is about the only one other than Perry I would consider.

  • texasref

    if the ?not Romney? crowd starts pining for Ron Paul.

  • elayman

    Huntsman has supported civil unions for years and would respect the decision of states that have legalized same-sex marriage, but redefining marriage is not part of the Huntsman platform.. Some people like it, some people don’t – at this point he needs to continue to present a broad enough appeal to win.

  • thirstyboots

    However those who dislike Romney were too short-sighted to understand that. Same guys who scared Chris Christie and Tim Pawlenty out of the field – two others who could have stopped Romney.

  • notpropagandized

    Exactly! Absurd. Per these Iowans, if you care to inspect the chronological record, Huntsman’s their right candidate because he’s the only one left on the list since, largely, the media have embarrassed them to stick with prior poll-surgers.

    The inanity of it all! So Santorum “crested” today or yesterday and that gave the media a signal that there were a few hours left for some more manipulation? OK, a bit extreme, but it is interesting that the candidate vetting managed to fit in perfectly in the time leading right up to voting today. Imagine, how did that happen?

    Nobody left on the list.

  • buddyp

    I think he meant to say “not to ignore conservatives as Romney has. Note that Erick uses the plural (“them”) in the subsequent clause. He’s not saying Huntsman didn’t just ignored Romney. He’s saying Huntsman didn’t just ignore conservatives (but rather went further, giving them the middle finger).

    As a note, I disagree that Huntsman gave conservatives the middle finger, but apparently Erick and many others here think that it is giving conservatives the middle finger for a candidate to say he defers to the strong consensus among scientists on a scientific question and to imply that those who harshly attack him on that basis are being unreasonable.

    So I disagree with Erick’s point. Nevertheless, your criticism reflects a misreading on your part and is thus invalid.

  • texashistorian

    RonVoldePaulMort.

    Seriously, guys, just because you are in the tank for a particular candidate doesn’t make them the only show in town. Whoever emerges out of the dust in Iowa aside from Romney is viable, You might not like who it is, I might not like who it is, but they will be viable. That is what these past few months have been all about and why we have a long run-up to the voting. The non-viables are gone or soon will be. Adios, Herman Cain, Gary Johnson, and now probably Ricky S. and Michele. That leaves us some Newt, Perry, Romney, and Huntsman (and Luap Nor). Any of the three men there is a viable non-Romney, and will be more so as the field narrows.

    Perry is the man I support, then Huntsman, then the Newt, but I’ll take any of the three, in that order, over Romney, and any of those three can knock “Mr. Inevitable” out of the field, especially when the focus is not so widely spread among several candidates.

  • buddyp

    If candidates (and voters) were dogs…

    Ron Paul showing how realistic and sensible he is.

    Newt Gingrich just taking it while others slammed him in Iowa.

    Rick Santorum showing a delusional sense of his chances at the nomination.

    The typical RedStater voting for Romney in the general election. (Note the feeling represented at the end of video)

    I didn’t post these as embed videos because some might consider the content distasteful. I hope it’s taken as light-hearted fun, not too seriously.

  • Kayla

    Nope, nowhere, none

  • http://redmerrimack.blogspot.com/ charliebravoNH

    Huntsman dissed Iowa. Bachmann has no organization in NH and has not campaigned there since the summer.

  • elayman

    Huntsman has run a campaign that gets more mileage by concentrating on a state like New Hampshire with a smaller field of contenders and larger percentage of the population turning out including Republicans, independents, even some Democrats. .

  • elayman

    You intuitively pick up on goodness in people and Huntsman comes off as a guy you may have gone to grammar school with. Obviously he can get angry with reason but defiance and manipulation are totally inconsistent with his campaign demeanor or image as a genuine, decent person. I honestly believe that Huntsman is a candidate who will be who we see now, even after his election.

  • Scope

    gabs was all for Huntsman to have been pushed hard from the beginning. I wasn’t aware that Huntsman was a libertarian.

  • lineholder

    You know, I’ve read a few comments you’ve made about Huntsman, and there’s been so much buzz about him giving Conservatives the middle finger, that it never once occurred to me until reading this today that he might just be the kind of person who doesn’t pander to anyone…doesn’t matter who it is or what the circumstances are…he just isn’t a “suck up”.

    Is that the truth is Huntsman case?

  • katem

    Newt’s campaign has already imploded, not once but twice now. Perry hurt himself in the debates and has come across (to many conservatives as well as others) as not being prepared to be a serious contender much less president. Newt, Perry, Bachmann and Santorum have zero appeal to independents so they are not viable in the general election,

    Huntsman has a few moderate positions but for the most part he is a conservative (unlike Mitt). He is also the most qualified candidate, with his combination of executive experience, private sector business experience and hands-on foreign policy experience. He is a serious man who has held substantive positions in government.

    Romney is a one-term governor who would not have been reelected in 2006 and, therefore, stepped down. Halfway through his first term he set his sights on the White House. He has a lot of experience in private equity but that is no match for Huntsman’s experience when it comes to qualifications for the presidency. Most modern presidents (not Obama, of course) have had a lot more experience than Romney has. It is beyond me why the GOP leadership/donors have lined up behind Romney to the extent they have. Most likely, they were concerned with the rise of Cain and Newt and decided to get in line behind Mitt. We the voters should be supporting our best-qualified candidate. Huntsman is more than qualified and he’s the electable conservative.

    I’m afraid that people who want to wait to see how Perry or Newt or others do in South Carolina just aren’t appreciating how much momentum Romney has gotten recently. If Romney is one of the top 3 tonight, it’s a win for him. If he goes on to win big in NH, others may stay in for a while but essentially it’s game over. Nothing would upset the apple cart that Romney and the party leadership have put in place more than for the conservative base to get behind Huntsman and surprise in NH and then SC.

  • elayman

    Give the man a break. How would you feel underground poll-wise, the campaign in a ditch somewhere in New Hampshire, on fumes financially, knowing you were absolute quality and no one had the time of day for it. Really Jon deserves tremendous credit for holding tenaciously and optimistically to the notion that he can win the Republican presidential primary in New Hampshire. A tremendous six month long on the ground effort that has only finally started to cash in the past two or three weeks with endorsements and swelling interest. How is it right for the campaign of the best candidate on the merits always to be destined to be hobbled by a weak rollout and early mis-steps ? Candidates have to be a little insane actually to put up with being as unfairly maligned as he as been.

  • katem

    I think it is a big overstatement to say that he “gave the finger” to conservatives. Clearly, some (but not all) conservatives feel that Huntsman didn’t court them and courted moderates too much. But Huntsman gave his earliest interviews to the conservative media. They branded him a liberal for having served as ambassador to China under Obama but they didn’t do their due diligence on his record as governor.

    Perhaps there needs to be some more outreach on both sides. But, seriously, folks, this election is too important to give it to Romney (and Obama) without a serious challenge. Romney did not have a serious challenger before Gingrich. Huntsman is the one who can take Romney on and have staying power. Once Pawlenty dropped out and Perry’s campaign fell apart, this race should have been between Romney and Huntsman. Yes, both have some moderate positions but Romney is a flipflopper and a panderer and will say and do anything to be elected. Huntsman has many conservative views and is a straight shooter.

  • dpmapper

    He’d also defend DOMA.

  • deVere

    As for poor Tim Pawlenty, he obviously didn;t have the heart for the Presidential campaign; amazing he got elected Governor without quitting first.

  • texastaxpayer

    DIABETES!!!!!!!!!!!

  • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

    So if you’re not him… :)

  • deVere

    And it is in any event better to be fat than a fathead.