Huntsman suspends campaign, endorses Romney
Republican presidential candidate, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, accompanied by his wife Mary Kaye, announces he is ending his campaign, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012, in Myrtle Beach, S.C. / AP Photo/Charles Dharapak
Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman suspended his 2012 GOP presidential primary campaign after a third place finish in the New Hampshire primary failed to give his struggling campaign a much-needed boost.
After formally announcing his withdrawal, Huntsman threw his endorsement to current front-runner Mitt Romney, thus ending any rumors he may seek an independent bid for the presidency.
Late last week, Huntsman had been telling reporters he was pleased with some of the larger crowds and support he was getting in deeply conservative South Carolina. Conservatives were largely seen to be wary of supporting Huntsman, a former ambassador to China under President Obama's administration and a Mormon who has expressed support for climate change issues and teaching evolution in classroom.
Huntsman had largely staked his campaign on success in New Hampshire. He mostly skipped campaigning Iowa, and had been hoping a strong finish the in the Granite State would draw in more voters and donors. However, after finishing behind Romney and Ron Paul, it appears his campaign advisers felt continuing was not worth it.
Word of the Huntsman withdrawal came on the same day The State, South Carolina's largest newspaper, endorsed him for president.
The endorsement said there were "two sensible, experienced grownups in the race," referring to Romney and Huntsman. But it said Huntsman "is more principled, has a far more impressive resume and offers a significantly more important message."
On Wednesday, Huntsman had said that his expectations in the Palmetto State would be "very low" compared to what they were in New Hampshire. His support in South Carolina was only in single digits, according to recent polls.
Responses from other campaigns were beginning to trickle in late Sunday.
In a statement, Newt Gingrich's campaign said: "With Governor Huntsman dropping out, we are one step closer to a bold Reagan conservative winning the GOP nomination."
Special Section: Campaign 2012Huntsman's resume suggested he could have been a major contender for the GOP nomination: businessman, diplomat, governor, veteran of four presidential administrations, an expert on China and on foreign trade.
Yet Huntsman was almost invisible in a race often dominated by Romney, a fellow Mormon. One reason was timing. For months, Romney and other declared or expected-to-declare candidates drew media attention and wooed voters in early primary states. Huntsman, meanwhile, was half a world away, serving as ambassador to China until he resigned in late April. Nearly two more months would pass before his kickoff speech on June 22 in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty.
To distinguish his candidacy in a crowded field, Huntsman positioned himself as a tax-cutting, budget-balancing chief executive and former business executive who could rise above partisan politics. That would prove to be a hard sell to the conservatives dominating the early voting contests, especially in an election cycle marked by bitter divisions between Republicans and Democrats and a boiling antipathy for President Barack Obama.
Huntsman also tried to offer a different tenor, promising a campaign marked by civility. "I don't think you need to run down somebody's reputation in order to run for the office of president," he said.
While Huntsman was often critical of his former boss — he joined those saying Obama had failed as a leader — and occasionally jabbed at Romney, he spent more of his time in debates pushing his own views for improving the economy than thumping the president or his opponents.
In light of his work in the Obama administration, Republicans seemed wary of Huntsman. While he cast his appointment in August 2009 as U.S. ambassador to China as answering the call to serve his country, his critics grumbled that he had in fact been working on behalf of the opposition.
Huntsman was conservative in matters of taxes and the reach of the federal government, but he was out of step with most conservatives in his support of civil unions for gay couples. On matters of science, he poked fun at his skeptical rivals in a pre-debate tweet: "To be clear. I believe in evolution and trust scientists on global warming. Call me crazy."
In the end, Huntsman didn't seem to register, crazy or otherwise, with Republicans looking for an alternative to Romney or a winner against Obama. The former Utah governor was routinely at the bottom of national polls, barely registering at 1 or 2 percent, a reflection of the faint impression he made in the GOP debates.
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Tax Cuts And 'Starving The Beast'
by Bruce Bartlett
The most pernicious fiscal doctrine in history
http://www.forbes.com/2010/05/06/tax-cuts-republicans-starve-the-beast-columnists-bruce-bartlett.html
Yes, we've all come to expect nothing but trolling from mortar since he has no life and must reply to every post with a different opinion than his far-right, ultra-conservative libertarian-leaning ideology. Even reagan/bush insiders have come to understand that the GOP has already "destroyed" the U.S. economy, setting up an "American Apocalypse."
David Stockman, President Ronald Reagan's director of the Office of Management and Budget, explained in an op-ed piece, 'Four Deformations of the Apocalypse,' that "we've arrived at a historic turning point as a nation that no longer needs outside enemies to destroy us, we are committing suicide...because of the economic decisions of the GOP the past 40 years."
Stockman says, "If there were such a thing as Chapter 11 for politicians, the Republican push to extend the unaffordable Bush tax cuts would amount to a bankruptcy filing." But instead, the GOP insists "that the nation's wealthiest taxpayers be spared even a three-percentage-point rate increase."
In the past 40 years Republican ideology has gone from solid principles to hype and slogans. Today there's a "new catechism" that's "little more than money printing and deficit finance, vulgar Keynesianism robed in the ideological vestments of the prosperous classes" making a mockery of GOP ideals. Worse, it has resulted in "serial financial bubbles and Wall Street depredations that have crippled our economy." Yes, GOP ideals backfired, crippling our economy.
Stockman's indictment warns that the Republican party's "new policy doctrines have caused four great deformations of the national economy, and modern Republicans have turned a blind eye to each one."
NO, the GOP 2012 3-ring circus has given us lots of laughs from all the republican clowns, and as soon as jon huntsman endorsed willard, the vulture capitalist, we now know it can only get worse from here!
We've arrived at a historic turning point as a nation that no longer needs outside enemies to destroy us, we are committing suicide. Democracy. Capitalism. The American dream. All dying. Why? Because of the economic decisions of the GOP the past 40 years, said David Stockman, President Ronald Reagan's director of the Office of Management and Budget in his op-ed piece, "Four Deformations of the Apocalypse."
-Ten straight quarters of growth
-Unemployment lower than when he took office
-Raised the National Debt by a smaller percentage than Reagan, Bush II, OR EVEN BUSH I
-Osama dead, Qaddafi dead, Mubarak gone, and Assad on his way out
-Illegals being deported at record rates
-Overseas jobs RETURNING TO THE U.S.
-Interest rates at record LOWS
And the Republicans give us Willard, Noot, and Rick("Hey kids, meet baby brother!") Santorum. Meanwhile, Paul is looking for his keys.
It's a great time to be a liberal.
I agree with most of what you just wrote, but it is so FUNNY to read the comments of "people" like Mortaman291SG spout their IGNORANCE. Anonymous NOBODY trolls insulting accomplished people who have/had the courage (whether one agrees with them or not) to actually run for poitical office AND expose themselves to vicious criticism/personal attacks.
I say to these fools, PUT UP OR SHUT UP!
he was bought out he took a bribe no other reason ! If he had any pride he would had not say he was endorsing till after the polls in S. Carolina ..Jon Huntsman and Romney did not even see eye to eye on most debates ! Just a Question how much money he got ! he has no morels endorsing anyone before the election at this time ! And when asked at a debate who he would he said Ron Paul so the Question is why now ? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$