Huntsmen... The Dark Horse?

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Birthplace of Independent Conservatism
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

Before I begin I will admit to being a skeptic. Huntsmen has just today added his name to the long list of republican hopefuls to become the next president of the United States.

The ultimate progressive senator of Nevada, Harry Reid, has just weighed in. I find the commentary interesting as well as instructional.

Perhaps it is politics in full display.

From The Hill

Even though he won't be able to cast a vote, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) picked his favorite Mormon candidate in the GOP presidential field on Tuesday: Jon Huntsman.

Reid, a Mormon, was asked if the country is ready for a president of his faith because there are two in the Republican primary race. Huntsman, the former U.S. ambassador to China faces Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor.

"Certainly they're not ready for the former governor of Massachusetts. Which says in that race if I had a choice I would favor Huntsman over Romney," he told reporters at the Capitol.

Reid's comments came on the same day that Huntsman made his bid for president official at Liberty State Park in New Jersey. A recent Gallup poll showed that 22 percent of the public would not vote for a Mormon candidate for president. {Read More}

Further data provided by The Atlantic shows Huntsmen dead last amongst republican candidates. The two publications have me intrigued.

From the Atlantic

A few weeks ago, I was up in New Hampshire for Jon Huntsman's maiden swing through the state as a possible -- it's now official -- presidential candidate. The rest of the national press corps seemed to be there, too. At many of the events, we reporters outnumbered actual voters, sometimes vastly. (Matt Bai describes this crush of media folks in the lede to his new Huntsman profile.) That's somewhat understandable for a candidate like Huntsman who has potential, though not yet many supporters. I wasn't at Huntsman's announcement speech in New Jersey this morning, but word on the ground is that, as in New Hampshire, there were still more members of the media present than actual voters. Needless to say, this is a problem he'll have to overcome in pretty short order if he wants to get any traction. And it's not as if there's some great mass of Huntsman couch potatoes sitting at home watching his motorcycle videos. The latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll put Huntsman dead last among 10 candidates.

There is no question but what conservatives and Libertarians, as well as a majority of independent voters, want to see Obama become history in 2012. It is also true that to defeat the American Socialist will require the independent as well as the conservative and Libertarian vote. Irrespective of what one may ideally desire my observation is the reality of the times.

It is entirely possible that a moderate republican candidate such as Huntsman at the top of the republican ticket, and a more conservative Tea Party candidate such as Backmann as the vice presidential candidate may very well be the best combination for the republicans.

When all is said and done the premier issue is, after all, the defeat of Barrack Hussein Obama. The above scenario may very well be the best chance at doing so.

Given The Hills report and the Atlantic is it be possible {indeed likely} the Dems are advocating for the most liberal republican candidate in anticipation of an Obama defeat in 2012?

The above is not an endorsement of either Huntsman or Bachmann for either respective slot. It is merely a rational observation. This writers choice continues to be Ron Paul.

Via: Memeorandum