October 14th, 2011
10:29 AM ET
10 years ago
Huntsman to boycott presidential debate in Nevada
Las Vegas (CNN) - Republican presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman said Friday he was skipping next week's CNN/Western Republican Presidential Debate out of deference to New Hampshire, which is locked in a political scheduling fight with Nevada.
Huntsman will instead hold a campaign event Tuesday morning in New Hampshire, while his seven rivals for the GOP presidential nomination prepare to face off in the debate in Las Vegas. The Western Republican Leadership Conference and CNN are co-sponsoring the event.
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There goes the GOP's sole voice of sanity (at least partially on some days) amongst their freak show of candidates.
It's getting close to that time to go home and enjoy your cash.
Play-doh for president – yuk.
Probably the sanest of the lot. -- Just doesn`t want to be surrounded by wingnuts.
Doesn't he need to be at each debate? I mean really, this guy is around 1%
Huntsman at least has a foreign and domestic policy. He is very good with both but the election isn't about good candidates anymore. All the GOP wants is an blank slate like George W. Bush so they can push the most idiotic agenda as what W. did during his GOP lead administration. W. was just a puppet pulled by strings. A GOP replacement would be Perry who is equally brain dead. Bachmann is not very good at figuring out anything either. Romney isn't strong in any area and terrible on international policy. He is just like W. was for world situations.
Brendan H–your comment is really good, but Christie has said he would not be the best choice for #2, and I'm not sure he would help Romney win the general if Romney turns out to be the nominee. The emphasis would be on the top spot, and Christie I think would overshadow the weak man at the top of the ticket. Romney's handlers will likely know this and may advise him to choose another.
Christie said he is committed to the people of NJ and if he goes back on his word then he will make himself look more like a typical politician and not someone who is genuinely concerned about people. I think Christie's time on a national ticket will come–but it's not now.
He needs to go Independent !
Any political candidate that boycotts a meeting with Donald Trump is OK with me !
A no hoper... For one simple reason.... He is a man of integrity......
If he is going to put one state ahead of forty nine states, then he can forget be President! Run for governor ......
I tend to lean Democrat, but I would seriously consider voting for Huntsman since he is a moderate and what this country needs now. Unfortunately, he is not loony enough for the GOP nod. Romney is probably the best candidate that fits the GOP/Tea Party's minimum requirements (i.e., only 3/4 loony). Cain, now there's a disaster waiting to happen since he truly believes he is the Godfather...ha ha ha. I am not enamored with Obama, but he is much better than any front-running GOPper. So, as it stands now, I will vote for the lesser of two evils...Obama.
I am a lifelong Dem, but I have to say Huntsman is probably the only Republican I would even give slight consideration to voting for which means he is way to down to earth to get the GOP nomination. The fact that a successful 2 term governor of a very red state who has the most foreign policy credentials of any of the candidates is polling in the low single digits while Mr. 9-9-9 who has no clue on foreign policy, has an absurd tax reform plan that will grow the deficit and burden low income families even further, and a divisive tongue on par with Palin or Bachmann is now the front runner speaks volumes about how ridiculous GOP voters are.
Being a Utah resident registered as a democrat, Mr. Huntsman is the only republican canidate that I would vote for. He really did look at things from both sides even when the church he belongs with didn't agree with things he approved.
Even though I like Huntsman, I do not agree with him on everything. He has every right to boycott the Loony Tunes Show in Vegas and whatever will benefit him politically in an insane GOP/Tea party environment...but he she focus on the states that count...the big ones with the MOST electoral votes. I never paid much attention to podunk states like Iowa, New Hampshire, or South Carolina...they have no magical insights...what counts are states like California, New York, Florida, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, etc. where the electoral votes are.
Huntsman is skipping the debate. So things are so bad within the Republican Party that it's come to this? It's a sad day indeed and he'll end up paying for it later. Given the "line-up" as well as conduct of the candidates, I think that the Republicans should consider 2012 "a wash" and regroup for 2016.
Peace and God's blessings to all this day.
He should have gotten out there with his own message without criticising Obama. He would have had more interest from Independents. He would have risen above the other Republican idiots.
It's been proven that the GOP field is being selected for the public by the media and Wall St.
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/cspg/smartpolitics/2011/10/equal_time_romney_records_one.php
"The fact that Congressman Paul has received less than half the amount of speaking time as Romney (and less than any other candidate) is curious considering the libertarian firebrand has run third or fourth in most polls throughout the last several months."
It's not so curious as calculated, folks.
If the GOP loses the next election, they should blame their sheep herders...Palin, Bachmann, Rush, Newt, and the Tea Party rough riders!
It doesn't matter how sane or moderate he is. He's a Mormon. The only place he'd have a chance of winning is in Idaho, Nevada, and Utah. He looks like pansy. That's not going to cut it.
Wow! What a show of principle.
To skip a state he has absolutely no chance in,
for a state he has almost no chance in.
And still he is one of the less insane people running on the Republican side.
We really need to set up a unified national primary system.
Seriously, Nevada (population 2.7 million)??? and New Hampshire (population 1.3 million)????
1.2% of the population gets to eliminate half of the potential candidates before anyone else gets to vote.
Yeah, that's a good Stalin like Democracy.
Not only is Perry all hat and no cattle, but so are the rest of the GOP lot except for Huntsman.
Pat in IL, he's doing this not because he's a coward, but because of what Nevada is doing to New Hampshire. Google it.
Perry's wife is going around blaming Obama for her son having to quit his job to campaign with Big Daddy.
Wow! We're not supposed to say anything bad about our First Ladies but this braintrust is getting nowhere near the White House.
I wonder where Herman Cain's wife is?
Haven't SEEN much of her much of her on the campaign trail.
Rather odd wouldn't you say?
The Republicans have a winner in Jon Huntsman but he does not have a chance to win the nomination as he is not crazy enough for the Tea Baggers that have taken over the once-proud Republican Party. I was impressed with him when I heard his announcement that he would be a candidate. Mr. Huntsman is exactly what this county needs – a successful business man, a former governor and a former ambasador to China. He acts like a gentlemam, is knowledgable on foreign affairs and has a grasp of our country's problems and acts like a grown up and does not take shots at the president at every turn but, instead, says things of value and interest to this country. This man could easily win the Independent voters but he will never have a chance - he is just too good of a man for what the Republican Party has become. Too bad...
There's no reason to think that Jon Huntsman couldn't eventually replace Romney as the front runner if all the hand wringing concern about the state of the GOP was channeled towards contributing in a meaningful way. It is obviously an uphill battle, but being cynical isn't going to help. 🙂