NYT Blog: Huntsman Out
“Mr. Huntsman, who had struggled to live up to the soaring expectations of his candidacy…”
Nobody can make me laugh like the NYT when they’re earnestly pretending to play it straight. Except Stephen Colbert, but even he breaks character now and then to let you in on the joke. If The Times ever let down the facade, everybody would be in on the joke, not just half of us.
But the campaign of “civility, humanity and respect” that Mr. Huntsman promised quickly faded into the background as his Republican rivals seized the attention — and the support — of a party faithful that seemed more interested in red meat politics.
Hilarious. With Gingrich and Perry cratering their candidacies by going all Michael Moore on “Bain capitalism,” there was no more perfect opportunity for Huntsman as a NotRomney to benefit. And a nice messy slag on the GOP, although mostly unsupported by actual fact. The party as a whole is unifying behind Romney, according to the latest polls.
More laughs here, from the horses’, um, mouths themselves.
The New York Times: All the News That Fits [the narrative].
[Huntsman to endorse Romney? Why not? Who else? Huntsman would be a frontrunner for a gig in the Romney administration. Gingrich & Perry, not so much.]
Do you think there’s a deal of some sort? A Romney-Huntsman ticket vs. Obama Hillary would be interesting, Hillary’d be the outlier there.Report
It would amplify Romney’s Mormonism, so I doubt it’s even remotely under consideration. A cabinet appointment is possible.
I would expect a more typical Republican at the bottom of the ticket. McDonnell, Thune, or someone along those lines.Report
I wasn’t even thinking that. Wow.Report
A note that it’s highly unlikely Obama will be punting Biden for Hillary. At least that’s the consensus among the liberal watercoolers. Hillary has a higher touch job with Sec. of State currently than she would have as VP. There is no defection or angst in the base or electorate that she would directly assuage and she has indicated repeatedly she’s done with electoral politics so the annointing a successor move would be redundant.Report
Yet, I bet she’d bring significant appeal to the blue ticket in the general election.Report
I don’t see here staying on as SecState much into a second Obama administration either way.Report
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It’s a shame, Huntsman was a worthy candidate.Report
Perhaps it will allow the not-Romney vote to gel a bit faster.Report
Huntsman is going to be big in 2016, if he doesnt change.Report
Unless Romney’s president.Report
I don’t know, what if Romney is nominated and then loses!? Will the GOP be eager to nominate his even more moderate clone next time around? Only way I see this working out for him is if some red meat conservative got the nod and did a Mondale.Report