Jon Huntsman, the moderate GOP presidential candidate whom Democrats really want Republicans to nominate for 2012, has unveiled his super secret weapon. It seems to have slowly sunk in that he's not going to get the nomination based on his good looks, any more than he will as a former political appointee of Barak Obama, whom he once praised in the most sickeningly saccharine and effusive terms.
His new strategy? Their names are Liddy, Abby, and Mary Ann, and they are his daughters. What time they haven't been posting to their blog on the Huffington Post, they have been making campaign appearances both on the stump and on the cable news networks and talk shows.
And, in order to really get the message out, they have started their own Twitter account, Huntsman Daughters. They've already got their own fan club, but do they have what it takes to get their dad into the Oval Office?
Uhhhm, no, and I don't think they're seriously thinking they can. Since two of the three girls are single, I think they're husband hunting, or maybe just engaged in some other degree of self-promotion. Which is fine. I'm all in, and am now on record as asking the Hunstman Sons-In-Law if I can have sloppy seconds. So far, no answer to that, or to these tweets to the girls I made from my Twitter page. Their tweets follow the RT, my response follows the double slash marks.
@Jon2012girls RT Liddy just woke up to this nice man holding her hand on the plane//Sounds like Liddy woke up just in the nick to time.
@Jon2012girls RT @jon2012boys only wish they were the son-in-laws//Don't be arrogant, I for one would have to get to "know" you first.
@Jon2012girls the only girl married is Abby/Damn that's the one I want too. Figures.
@Jon2012girls RT check out our blog: tinyurl.com/3e77kyr /Really girls-HuffPo? You understand Jon's running for the GOP nomination, right?
@Jon2012girls RT Huntsman speaks in NH-fellow GOP candidates in NV unionleader.com/article/201110… /Clever move-Jon might get to 5% or 6 % in NH now
@Jon2012girls RT "Who's the best candidate to beat Obama?" HINT: He's not on stage in Nevada tonight// Buddy Roehmer?
All in fun of course, but I did feel it my duty to make the girls face the cold, hard facts. I don't know if they've ever read any of my tweets, of course, but if they have, I'm sure they don't take me seriously, any more than I do them or their father, who is probably a good man, but just not the right man for the job. Not this year, and probably not ever, as Jon Huntsman represents a style of Republican politics that is frankly on the endangered species list.
And I stand by that. Jon Huntsman is being used, possibly of his own volition, as a stalking horse to keep Romney from getting the nomination. The reason being that the people backing him on this foolish, ill-advised run have it in their heads that a successful Huntsman candidacy would result in a man who many conservatives would absolutely refuse to support, due to his past statements in support of the belief in Anthropogenic Global Climate Change and gay civil unions, in addition to his moderate approach to compromise with the Democrats,and also due to the fact he has worked for two Democrat Administrations, going so far as to express admiration for both Clinton and, especially, Barak Obama.
Democrats know that Hunstman would be the reincarnation of the Gerald Ford, Bob Dole, John McCain style of campaign that would limit if not outright refuse to engage in "negative campaigning" (which is how Democrats define telling the truth about their policies and candidates)and will treat Obama with deference and respect.
On the other hand, should Huntsman lose, the hope is it would nevertheless result in enough votes drained from Romney as to result in the nomination of someone who is seen as too far right-wing to get the votes of moderate independents and moderate or conservative Democrats who might be dismayed at the results of Obama policies.
From the perspective of the Democrats, the one candidate they fear most is Romney. Or this was the case when Huntsman first started his run. I think now they've started to realize they have no more to fear from Romney than they do Huntsman. For that reason, the Hunstman campaign just cannot and will not gain any traction with GOP voters, for the same reason Romney has never been able to break thirty percent in polling of Republican voters, including likely voters, despite being the only establishment candidate in the race with any support at all.
Most Republicans want to win, but not at the expense of compromising conservative principles. That is the implication of a Romney campaign, and the idea of a Hunstman candidacy is Romney times two.
The girls do make a good case. Just not for their dad. For themselves, as devoted daughters, yes. But if they do ever see my tweets to them, I hope this is the one they take the most seriously, though it might be the hardest one to take.
@Jon2012girls Sorry girls, Jon should concentrate on one day being God of his own planet. He'll damn sure never be President of the US.
