Esquire
The American Conservative is running a story by Leon Hadar that argues Jon Huntsman is still the GOP’s best hope for a legitimate Presidential candidate. I agree completely. Hadar begins by reminding us that if Huntsman had been their candidate, President Obama would not be in the White House:
[Republicans] should consider the following proposition: if former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman had been nominated as the Republican presidential candidate last year, Barack Obama would not have delivered his second inaugural address last week…
…Bottom line: Huntsman would have won more independent voters, suburban and professional women, Hispanics and Asians, which was all Republicans needed to carry northern Virginia or Colorado. Case closed.
He is probably right by the way. The Obama campaign was worried about running against Huntsman most of all. Aside from the wooden and unlikable Mitt Romney, the rest of the GOP field was a freak show.
It is still Huntsman who can win a national election in 2016 for the Republicans. The idea of Huntsman at the helm of the GOP is not far fetched:
But overall, becoming Jon Huntsman’s Republican Party doesn’t require a Big Bang political-electoral revolution. Here are some simple ideas that can be packaged into five fortune cookies.
- The central focus on national debate in coming years would be on finding ways to fix (as opposed to abolish) the welfare state and readjusting U.S. strategy to the changing global balance of power. Republicans should understand that what Ayn Rand and John Bolton have to say about these issues is irrelevant and cannot be sold to the American people. Period.
- Not unlike George W. Bush, just be nicer to immigrants and especially to Hispanics and stop patronizing women.
- Come up with business-friendly proposals on climate change and practical ideas on guns, instead of in-your-face rhetoric.
- The “gay thing” is a done deal. So get over it and move on.
- And, yes, select an attractive presidential candidate.
More on Jon Huntsman here.
