Huntsman to skip national GOP convention

[struggle4progress]

Source: The Salt Lake Tribune

By Thomas Burr
First Published 45 minutes ago • Updated 1 minute ago

Washington • Still smarting from his unsuccessful presidential campaign, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman says he won’t attend the Republican’s national convention or future gatherings until the party starts to tackle the bigger issues.

Huntsman, who says he’s been at every convention since 1984 when he was a delegate for Ronald Reagan, told The Salt Lake Tribune in a statement that he’s been asked repeatedly whether he would attend the August convention in Tampa, Florida, but that he’s skipping it.

"I will not be attending this year’s convention, nor any Republican convention in the future, until the party focuses on a bigger, bolder, more confident future for the United States — a future based on problem solving, inclusiveness, and a willingness to address the trust deficit, which is every bit as corrosive as our fiscal and economic deficits," Huntsman said ...

"I encourage a return to the party we have been in the past, from Lincoln right on through to Reagan, that was always willing to put our country before politics," Huntsman said ...

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/54442102-90/huntsman-convention-party-national.html.csp

Read more: Link to source

[TrollBuster9090]

1. This is just a cover story. The truth is...

they wouldn't let him in ANYWAYS! A Republican 'turn coat' that used to work for the enemy? They'd probably shoot him on sight.

[patrice]

2. "trust deficit" Very interesting: does Jon Huntsman think/know there are SECESSIONISTS in power in

the Republican Party?

[BumRushDaShow]

3. Good

And the progressive media needs to seek out and publish more of these "I will not attend the convention" rethug statements since the other side seems intent on fomenting discord by overreaction and innuendo regarding any Democrat who is supposedly "not attending" the Democratic convention.

[Crowman1979]

4. Maybe its due to the fact that guns will be allowed in the convention center.

[tanyev]

18. Probably a really smart move for him to skip this one.

[stockholmer]

5. there can be only one!..........

pair of male magic underpants in Tampa

[patrice]

6. Sen. Harry Reid is a Mormon and has many Mormon constituents who support him. You are

insulting those people for their religion, something that Liberals should not do, but then, perhaps, you're not a Liberal.

[stockholmer]

7. I know a cult worthy of ridicule when I see one, as for liberal (in the modern American sense) I'm a

left-libertarian socialist, with some anarcho-syndicalism sympathies. As for religion, I am an atheist. As for free speech, and personal opions, I vote yes for both.

If you think people on hear do not outright attack a religion on here, I suggest you take a look at this thread (you cannot pick and choose which religions are free to attack, and which are not, no matter how fundamentally repulsive one may be):

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=159638


Sorry to not pass your litmus test.

[patrice]

11. Anything can be ridiculed, including atheism, not a very high bar there. If I weren't so bored with

it, I'd demonstrate that fact.

And Not much interested in what "people on here" do; that's not what I come here for. I do what I do, whatever "people on here" are doing.

To assume that all persons associated with a group are members of a cult is to abuse free thought with bigotry in exactly the SAME manner that one putatively criticizes.

[patrice]

12. And, btw, you ASSUMED it was a "litmus test" without even asking. That's more evidence of prejudiced

"thinking".

For a "libertarian", I'd say you are exhibiting some traits that could be perceived as somewhat less than free anything, don't you think?

[stockholmer]

13. you are the one who set up the litmus test, with your "something that Liberals should not do" meme

I assumed nothing in regards to that.

[patrice]

15. Fair enough. So why not show me my mistake by demonstrating how open-minded you are about

Mormons.

[patrice]

17. ... after-all that would be an authentically LIBERAL thing to do.

[patrice]

16. And, btw, "SOMETHING that liberals should not do" is not EVERYTHING, not the ONE AND ONLY THING, as

in a litmus test.

SOMETHING is some thing amongst other things, ergo not a litmus test, which is one thing only, a single issue test.

[patrice]

14. Do you think political discourse is about more than learning catch phrases, and memes, and talking-

points and regurgitating them at whatever opportunity?

Harry Reid has a large Mormon constituency, who have as much right to be who they are as you do, so are you still claiming that insulting them is okay? Shall all of us be the same, to fit your own litmus test? Shall all of us be whatever it is that you do not criticize? Shall all of us be whatever it is that you agree with? Yes? How is that not FASCISM?

You know, there's a bunch of so-called Lefties around here bitching that Obama is not one of them and, yet, in my experience, they are some of the MOST intolerant people I have met and they appear as strongly inclined toward fascism as anyone I know on the Right. No wonder Obama has been keeping them at arms-length. I'm a Liberal and so would I.

[stockholmer]

27. Mormons are free to practice their faith as they see fit, and I am free to ridicule it. I also find

it troublesome that Harry Reid, simply because he is a US Democrat, is now being used by you to urge me to reign in my ridicule.

Tolerance is also a very problematic word. Tolerance means, IMHO, that one simply decides to leave well enough alone, whilst still having the root belief that the thing being tolerated is somehow suspect or not truly equal.

Bottom line, it is my OPINION that Mormonism (along with religion in general) is a cult. If you think that being an active non-believer in religion, adopting an overtly anti-religious tone, and fighting to keep all religions 100% out of political structures automatically disqualifies one from being a 'leftist' or a 'liberal', then I would suggest a trip here to Sweden, Norway, Denmark, etc. might be in order.

Obama, btw, would be seen as an outright 'right-winger' here, if he ran, governed, shredded civil rights, and waged war in the same manner that he does as US President. We do however, make allowances for the US being tilted extremely far to the right at its political center, and also that you are straight-jacketed by your broken 2-party system.

[patrice]

37. Yep, well sometimes ridicule & superiority are more important to some than shared goals. Now goahead

and tell me that you share NOTHING with MILLIONS of ordinary people* you've never met and, thus, increase the justification to think it probable that you are a fascist and lack the critical self-awareness to recognize it, because your critique is obviously much more concerned with others than it is with yourself . . . . possibly.

*Mormons in this case, or it could be A-N-Y-O-N-E *IF* prejudice is an example of how you think normally.

[Swede Atlanta]

19. I agree with you that the cartoon is in very poor taste if not disgusting.......

The difference I see between Reid and others and RMoney is that, to my knowledge, they have not made a mockery of their own heritage. RMoney's ancestors fled to Mexico so they could be polygamists. But he has the audacity to stand in front of audiences saying that marriage should be "as it always has been" between one man and one woman.

I would have more respect for him on this point if he acknowledged that as much as he loved his grandfather (or whoever) and his right to pursue his religious faith that he believes his grandfather was wrong on this point and that he believes marriage should be between one man and one woman.

I wouldn't agree with him but it would give him more credibility. He is running away from his own family's sordid past that is directly tied to their Mormon beliefs.

Neither Reid nor others have placed themselves in this position.

[Ratty]

35. Uh oh. Better not mock scientologists anymore

And I guess the Westboro Baptist people are off limits too. Don't want to lose my Liberal License.

[patrice]

36. One can rationally critique ANY -THING-. Mocking people is STUPID.

Mocking people results in the opposite of what one CLAIMS to be supporting. It does destruction to the rhetorical objective, so much so that, at least to some of us, it appears that there is some other more hidden, perhaps even dishonest, objective at work that actually intends rhetorical harm to the outcome.

Mocking people is LOW, the last resort of those without effective resources.

[Psephos]

38. Well said. n/t

[AJTheMan]

21. Does Mitt Romney really wear those?

[stockholmer]

34. yes

Temple Garment




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_garment

[louis-t]

8. Is he going to hold his breath until he turns blue?

Hey Jon, you chose that party. Live with it.

[nobodyspecial]

9. He should become a Democrat

because what he is asking for will never happen.

[Crowman1979]

10. Again, the GOP is allowing the audience to carry firearms into the convention center.

[goclark]

22. What!!

That is not to be believed!

Do they do stupid things like that to prove their "manhood"

Just asking

[madrchsod]

20. he`s one of the few intelligent republicans left

if there were more like him we would`t be in the shit hole we are in now.

for all you youngsters there used to be more republicans like huntsman and they actually cared about america. remember a healthy two party system is good for our republic.

[davidpdx]

26. I think if Huntsman had one the nomination

We'd be looking at a closer race. I was a little worried he would possibly pull an upset until I realized the whole thing is rigged. They wanted Mittens from the very beginning and that's what they got. A rich corrupt empty suit.

Huntsman took a gamble by resigning as ambassador to China to run for president and it certainly didn't pay off.

[RockyMtnGuy]

23. Reasonable thought and common sense need not apply

Anyone who suggests political compromise or is willing to accept another point of view is not welcome. Wanted for Tampa: sheep and mindless drones!

[BadGimp]

24. Sorry Govna

That party is dead....

All the best

[sofa king]

25. Well, there goes my guess for VP.

I'm not out of it yet, though. He could still get hauled in as a compromise. But now it's much more unlikely than it already was.

[stockholmer]

28. Rmoney HAS to go hard right with his VP choice, the right wing GOP base despises him as a pseudo-Dem

I am sticking to my prediction of Mitch Daniels, Rob Portman, Bob McDonnell, Paul Ryan

Wild cards: Chris Christie, Susan Martinez, Marco Rubio, or David Petraeus

Ultimate insane card: Jeb Bush (do not think me so crazy, and yes he has ruled it out in the first week of June, but if you think in pure Machiavellian terms, (which BushCo do), then Jeb as VP makes sense from a couple of angles: 1 It removes Rubio from the ticket, and if you figure that Rmoney is a losing horse anyway, Rubio as losing VP would be the frontrunner in some books for 2016. 2. For the exact same reason, a Jeb lost VP campaign would further cement him as the presumptive GOP favourite for 2016.

That said, I do not think that Jeb would accept.

[sofa king]

32. I've been thinking of Jeb a lot.

I don't think anyone realizes how important it is for a Bush to get back in the White House after President Obama's term. That is the only way that the documents from the Bush the Dumber Administration can be kept secret and carefully rinsed of the truth, just as the Bush the Smarter and Reagan records were tightly controlled. There are multiple life sentences with no statutes of limitations in those documents. This President can't touch them. The next one can.

Jeb has to be the next President, or be able to control him. But he doesn't have to be President next year, and it doesn't look like any VP nominee can improve Romney's chances above... abysmal.

So better for him to get a free ride from the friendly press, win the "he shoulda" argument for the next four years, and let the fleece grow back on the sheep. He doesn't have to do anything dramatic to wreck Romney's already wrecked campaign...

...but if things change, he will.

[stockholmer]

33. very well put

[KatChatter]

29. Huntsman is a RINO just ask the Repukes they will tell you

Perhaps all the RINOs and DINOs should form their own party seeing that both groups cause nothing but problems for both parties.

[Kyad06]

30. Batshit claims shes been vetted

you can't get more insane right wing tea bagger hero than that

[noel711]

31. Dear Governor Huntsman...

I am among those who feared the coming election if you were
the candidate because you would have been formidable in many ways...

However, the brainwashing of your 'former' party is almost complete,
and there are few sheep left with a functioning intellect.

My advice to you is this:
stop despairing, and come into the closest affiliation to
the republican party of the past:
the democratic party in its current incarnation.

Austere Financial policy... ? Hmmm, check!
foreign policy that is tough and suspicious? check!
Tip-toeing thru social policy? check!

You worked for President Obama before..
you can do it again, and really shake up the world!

Leave the dark side behind, and come into the light!

AND.. if you decide to run for future political office again,
I think Rachel Maddow still has that clever "huntsman"
animation that will bring a smile.. and the masses will never forget you!