(CNN) – Former GOP White House contender Jon Huntsman on Monday explained the comparison he made between the Republican Party and Communist Party of China the night before as "waxing philosophical" on the state of politics.
On Sunday night Huntsman equated being disinvited by the Republican Party from a Florida fundraiser in March after he floated the idea of a third party to "what they do in China on party matters if you talk off script," according to political blog BuzzFeed.
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On Monday the former Utah governor, who served as U.S. ambassador to China under President Barack Obama, blamed blogs for taking a sentence out of context, but repeated the sentiment.
"Last night I said, you know if you're not on script and you get knocked out of an event like that the party's supposed to be big tent, you're supposed to bring in all ideas and I said, I thought for a moment about what they do in China if you're off script. The party, they knock you out," Huntsman said on MSNBC. "We shouldn't be doing that here. We should be accommodating all voices."
He also called on the Republican Party to provide bold solutions to the American people, adding that a failure to do so could result in an "alternative voice or a separate angle of attack that's going to knock it down," an apparent reference to a third party.
Huntsman suspended his presidential bid in January after a third place finish in the New Hampshire primary and endorsed frontrunner Mitt Romney for the nomination.
"This is a time to go big and go bold and go visionary," Huntsman said. "The people of this country are waiting for it and the world is waiting for it too, we have a huge opening."
From CNN Politics
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Yes! Finally a Repub who's breaking from the ranks. U go, guy!
Fetch me shoot'n iron, give me cheap beer, and I'll pretend I follow the Bible...even though I've never read it. (They tell me what to believe is in there) ~a registered republican...voting anything but!
GOP voter's dislike of Democrats makes them say all manner of stupid things. Stupid is as stupid does.
No need for a third party...get the GOP to go back to being the party of smaller government and individual rights. In otherwords, stop letting the big money and socialist right dictate policy. The GOP today is frighteningly like the Dems of the 1860s, and has just as much chance for success.
Republicans don't believe in science (global warming, for example), come across as extremely paranoid (everyone who doesn't think like them are communists), and are racists (making fun of Obama, hating immigrants, etc...) Conservatives have a very low I.Q.
Looks like the Republican voters were right to reject Huntsman who is apparently has a swollen ego.
Huntsman always was right about many things. No wonder he is considered a RINO...way too smart and independent to drink the GOP fairytale koolaid and to goosestep in line with the rest of the neo-nazis.
I still think Jon Huntsman would be an excellent Secretary of State.
These guys shunned their ONLY presidential candidate (Ron Paul) for the chameleon? Really? Shoulda stayed with the newt...at least he had a backbone.
Huntsman is a centrist, and that's what we need folks! Enough of the extreme left and right marginalizing the rest of American politics. We've needed compromise in this country to get things done from the very beginning (remember the Connecticut compromise?). We need compromise to make progress now more than ever.....
A Sensible Republican speaking Sensible thoughts? He's a dead man...metaphorically speaking...the hatemongers will kill him off and he'll be villified as if...well, as if he were a KenyanSocialistFascistCommunistAmericaHatingMuslim
Hey guys...stop shaking that device now. It's not an etch-a-sketch...it's an i-pad. ...and we WILL remember.
Huntsman – stil the only adult in the room.
Welcome to the ranks of the political independents...you are now officially a responsible moderate Mr. Huntsman.
Thanks, Dave. I needed coffee runn'n out my nose. LMAO!
Unfortunatly the GOP missed their mark by not haveing this guy as their "Morman" selection. Huntsman is on the par of Obama's intellect and has the business and international smarts that are far superior to the two current runners for presidant ! I would have voted for this guy in a heart beat !
Bill- you are wrong the republican voters rejected the right man as they did 2008 !
Huntsman is right; Both Republicans and Democrats do this, but conservatives are more likely because, well, they are "conservatives" – conserving order and defending "truth." I think we need a major third party.
The smartest one of the bunch that started out, he'll pay dearly for speaking the truth. The Republicans of today seem to be short on facts and long on hate. They haven't espoused such a robber baron mentality since just before the Great Depression. I have no doubt that if they regain power we will see another. They like quick,shaky plans that leave an elite few holding the bucks and the rest of us holding our you know whats.
I thought just last week or so some Republican kook said that Democrats were communists. Kinda confusing. But we should be clear about what Huntsman said. He didn’t say Republican were like Marxist Communists. He said they were like the Communist Party of China, which is very different. Chinese communism is basically an oligarchy: rule by a few who use the power of the state to serve their narrow interests. And that’s pretty much the essence of modern Republicanism.
Finally some honesty!
If Obama and the Democrats came up with a plan that would balance the budget, provide healthcare for all, solve illegal immigration, provide full employment, wipe out the national debt and produce rainbows and unicorns throughout the land, the Republicans would be steadfastly against it! The Republicans would vehemently oppose any other party's plan that would serve in the best interests of America, because it would come at the expense of the personal and political interests of Republicans.
Mr. Huntsman sure would get my vote....probably too intelligent to be in politics.....very good gentleman.
good for you Mr. Huntsman call it like alot of us see the GOP political corrupt .....time to VOTE OUT every republican from the hill (suspension) for couple years until they clean up their act...
A politician defending the truth? ...there goes coffee out the nose again!
As an Independent sick of the current two party system that panders, changes positions and advocates continued warfare, Huntsman seems to be real. It would be stupendous if a moderate independent ran as a third party candidate. Now all we have is Romeny the cloaked warhawk conservative for the 1% and Obama the give away and go into debt while continued warfare is his mantra his platform when running for office never was disclosd. Plus Obama injecting his statement for a possible criminal case "he could have been my son", disclosed where he actually stands. No to Romney, No to Obama.