(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.
– Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker
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
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertising practices | Advertise with us | About us | Work for us | Help
Too bad Huntsman dropped out. I hope he runs again in 2016. I'm a pretty liberal democrat, but I would have voted for Huntsman just because the Republicans in congress would have had no choice but to go along with their president (since they only seem to recognize a president from their own party, regardless of what the voters and the consituttion say), and the Dems would have welcomed a voice of reason from the other side of the aisle.
And that is from a guy who knows China.
GOP... you've been called out (again... and again... and again).
When you open your mouth and say stupid things then stupid people will make hay of it.
I agree with his observation. I said many times that from the average person's perspective, there is no difference between a government that runs all of the corporations or one where corporations run the government. No difference.
"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."
Hey, Jon. Been looking over the past two years of Republican boldness and not liking what I've been seeing. Only in America can a political party absolutely thrive on the destruction of so many millions of folks who want nothing more than a decent paying job (public or private). I suggest you actually listen to what your side of the aisle has spent the past 3 years reveling in: high gas prices, high unemployment, loss of jobs ... all the while adding more intrusion into our private lives than any other time in our history. Not once these past 3 years has the GOP sat down and actually worked with the Democrats for the betterment of all America. Not once.
It's not the vision I want for America. Sorry. But, good luck pushing for reform. You're on the right track for 2016 because as it stands today, Mitt Romney isn't my idea of "change".
Independent voter here, though left of center. Huntsman is (or was) one of the few candidates who actually thinks and offered reasoned viewpoints and reasonable solutions. Too bad he's gone. I'd have considered voting for him.
Mr Huntsman, Sir, you are correct. THe GOP/TP have been overunned by the extreme right wing nut jobs. No way in hell will I vote for these extreme crazies AND i know alot of Republicans feel the same way.
It's too bad he only cares about what his party will do! They are a failure and do not care about anyone but the rich. If he thinks the GOP is goping to change he is not as smart as he thinks he is!
I think Jon is very conservative with his choice of words. For me, the Republican Party is like a Mafia clan.
Jon, your preaching to the choir. theres the world and the way life flows and is, then theres this little group of lice over here on the side called the republican party that wants to feed off you. you do the work and they live the fat life. Waking up the public to truth and reality and an education would deplete their lifeforce so you know their fighting for their lives.
The ONLY republican I'd ever vote for. Think he needs to switch to Dem in 2016.
Huntsman really speaking up now. If there was any political sense in the country he would have gotten the nomination and I daresay he would have pulled many historically democratic voters (including myself).
What the country needs is a single spokes-group for what I call the Middle Majority... that "great mass of people" who really want politicians who try to govern the country rather than pander to the growing extremist voices. The problem with the tolerant moderates is just that... they tolerate the extremists creating divides in the country. We need to stop the echo chambers and yelling from the sides and find a way to unite people who want a reasonable debate on all sides of the political spectrum... people for whom the right answer is the one that will actually work, and not pander to an impossible or infeasible position.
The greatest trick that "big money" ever pulled was convincing the electorate it could buy them. Nobody can force anybody to push a particular button in an election booth, but tons of moderate voters stay home, convinced that the secret pacts of industrial giants will buy the election... hint... they can only do that BECAUSE you stay home and refuse to participate in the system.
"This is a time to go big and go bold and go visionary,"
Yes, it is ever so "bold and visionary" for the GOP/Teatroll position to be "let's do the exact same crap and implement the exact same ideological nincompoopery that we've been doing for decades and that got us into this mess, but this time we'll do it even harder and more radically and that will create the opposite result this time around." Yawn.
GI Joe, that is a good Idea
Too bad the GOP does not like thinking people like Huntsman. They would be much more successful if they did.
That is politics as usual. Don't think that this type of thing doesn't happen in the Dem Party. I see nothing wrong with what Mr. Huntsman said and I am very conservative.
People shouldn't get riled up when unflattering truth is spoken. The reaction should be retrospection of what should we do to correct it.
the GOP is the new Nazi. No doubt in my mind if a canidate talked about getting rid of all minorities the repubs would vote for them.
Ambassador Huntsman, how I wish you did not have to drop out. I am a liberal democrat yet I would have voted for you.
This guy is too smart and forward looking to be a Rethuglican. Carl Rove and Rush would never permit it.
Men of conscience need not apply to the GOP. Sad, very sad.
Mr. Huntsman, please consider running as an Independent in 2016. I sincerely think you could win.
There is no way the big bussinesses were going to let him run. They are afraid he has too much common sense, and might listen to the Americian People.
He reads more like a Democrat than a Republican. Just saying.
Huntsman is the only rational member of the GOP.
Yes, and the DNC allows its elected members to do and say whatever the hell they want. Do the names Cynthia McKinney and Joseph Lieberman ring a bell ...? Used to be Democrats and now they're not ... Hmmmmm how did that happen?
Both parties "discipline" members who deviate too much from the party dogma.