Daily Caller
“I think Huntsman would have been a tough general election campaign”
Former ambassador to China and Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman could have been the greatest threat to the president’s re-election, Obama’s campaign manager claimed Tuesday morning.
“I think Huntsman would have been a tough general election campaign,” Jim Messina said at a breakfast event organized by the Politico website.
The fact that Huntsman is widely considered a “moderate” may have played into Messina’s concern. Against Mitt Romney, “Barack Obama won moderates by 15 points,” Messina explained.
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
shut up
ChunkyLover on November 20, 2012 at 12:12 PM
He adopted two children. One from India. One from China.
Ted Torgerson on November 20, 2012 at 12:13 PM
wtf?
bannor on November 20, 2012 at 12:14 PM
Go away…and take Huntsman with you.
Rocks on November 20, 2012 at 12:15 PM
Garey got around 1% of the national vote. He’s a loser.
slickwillie2001 on November 20, 2012 at 12:17 PM
I think they truly believe this, which is why he offered Huntsman the ambassadorship in the first place.
That said, they would’ve smeared him as a rich, out-of-touch elitist, branded him a extreme right-winger to the right of Goldwater, etc. The idea that they wouldn’t have made him toxic with “moderates” too is laughable.
Plus, his campaign was led by Weaver. ‘Nuff said.
changer1701 on November 20, 2012 at 12:17 PM
False flag.
Obama’s team is always campaigning and they trying to influence the conservative post-election circular firing squad. I don’t think they believe this for a minute.
mwbri on November 20, 2012 at 12:17 PM
Uh huh.
Kataklysmic on November 20, 2012 at 12:18 PM
What is their fixation with Huntsman? I think that he proved himself to be an awful campaigner.
Illinidiva on November 20, 2012 at 12:18 PM
Isn’t Huntman very rich as in Mitt Romney rich?
mwbri on November 20, 2012 at 12:18 PM
LOL
If you think millions of conservatives stayed home with McCain/Romney on the ticket, just wait until you try Huntsman.
Norwegian on November 20, 2012 at 12:19 PM
Fred Huntsman was a fabulous candidate and would have made a great President…not a bad actor either.
trs on November 20, 2012 at 12:19 PM
Politico? Nuff’ said.
JPeterman on November 20, 2012 at 12:21 PM
Ughh. Those that thing think he is going to run again. He and Christie can split the RINO traitor vote.
Illinidiva on November 20, 2012 at 12:21 PM
Oh puh-lease.
I was one of the biggest Huntsman backers in the primary, but I’m not sure he would have done any better than Romney.
Abby Adams on November 20, 2012 at 12:22 PM
Yep. The GOP would have turned out in droves for Huntsman. I’m sure of it. (is the /s really needed?)
tommyboy on November 20, 2012 at 12:23 PM
Hey HotAir – at least judge your audience – before you post this crap
jake-the-goose on November 20, 2012 at 12:23 PM
Yeah because a moderate like Hunstman would have energized the base better than a moderate like Romney… And these people are experts…
jjjdad on November 20, 2012 at 12:24 PM
Obama could have quit halfway through the campaign and John Weaver (head of Huntsman campaign) would have screwed it up somehow.
Joseph Russo III on November 20, 2012 at 12:27 PM
They must be getting Huntsman ready for the next primary, in case any tea party types file. He doesn’t draw a lot of votes, but you don’t need many to split a ticket. Ask Ron Paul
entagor on November 20, 2012 at 12:27 PM
Romney made his own money. I believe Huntsman inherited his and dropped out of school to play in a band.
Ted Torgerson on November 20, 2012 at 12:28 PM
Axelrod, Pflouffe, Messina….>>>>>>>> Whatever we have.
I hate those guys, but they know what they’re doing. Anyone think Romney’s team had a clue what they were doing? I thought going into election night Romney had run an excellent campaign, but he thought he was going to win….even election night…He was outmaneuvered by better strategists.
We need those kinds of sharks. I don’t see any.
Ca97 on November 20, 2012 at 12:34 PM
Huntsman is one of the front-runners for 2016 – for the democrat nomination.
Pork-Chop on November 20, 2012 at 12:37 PM
Romney won independents by a large margin. He failed to turn out the Republican base. That’s why he lost. And we think Huntsman would have been the man to get the Republican base excited?
More attempts to spin the “you lost because you weren’t moderate enough” story…
Shump on November 20, 2012 at 12:38 PM
I understand Messina’s affection for Huntsman. Both are effeminate lying hacks who will say or do anything to get elected:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/60708.html
Norwegian on November 20, 2012 at 12:38 PM
fixed
Joseph Russo III on November 20, 2012 at 12:42 PM
Ted Torgerson on November 20, 2012 at 12:28 PM
Oh my! Republicans are not allowed to have old money. Mr. Make-Nice- Republican would have been eviscerated by Obama’s machine.
mwbri on November 20, 2012 at 12:46 PM
Agreed. We need some Chicago mudslingers and backstabbers. But that doesn’t mean we should trust the creepy bully on his choice of R Pres. candidates.
Illinidiva on November 20, 2012 at 12:50 PM
Jim Messina? ‘Nuff said.
Do these 0bama operatives think anyone on the other side of the aisle actually cares about who they think we should run for president?
UltimateBob on November 20, 2012 at 12:52 PM
I think they do know their audience. And how much of a chuckle we would get out of such nonsense. Even Huntsman supporters can’t really believe he would have “out-moderated” Romney, or that he would have gotten out the conservative base more. At best a tie, but based on how he did in the primaries likely much worse.
Obama’s managers are just messing with us now, and Ed and AP are letting us point our fingers back at them and laugh at the sad attempt.
DrAllecon on November 20, 2012 at 12:52 PM
Do people seriously think this? This might be the dumbest theory I’ve heard in a long time.
dczombie on November 20, 2012 at 1:04 PM
Huntsman would have confounded Obama by answering debate questions in Chinese.
BocaJuniors on November 20, 2012 at 1:06 PM
No…Romney got out the base. He won more votes than McCain. He lost because Obama got more of HIS voters out. Amazingly, though he lost several million votes nationwide from ’08, he actually increased his total in most of the swing states.
changer1701 on November 20, 2012 at 1:13 PM
This doesn’t square with the results. According to the current count, Romney won about as many voters as McCain. Obama won 6 million fewer voters than in 2008. In addition, Romney won independents handily.
The only plausible explanations are lower base turnout or demographic shift (i.e. old people dying). Well, in addition to half of the public not having had a taste of liberal economics in their adult lifetimes.
HitNRun on November 20, 2012 at 1:19 PM
Huntsman is an arrogant prick. The same people who said that Democrats should be “terrified” of Mitt Romney last year are saying that about Huntsman now. No more moderates, please. ‘Kay. Thanks.
Damian G. on November 20, 2012 at 1:19 PM
He means “even tougher than Romney,” right?
HitNRun on November 20, 2012 at 1:20 PM
Yeah, tough for Republicans.
Valkyriepundit on November 20, 2012 at 1:35 PM
If Romney was demonized as a remote out of touch rich guy – imagine what they could have said about Huntsman.
katiejane on November 20, 2012 at 1:41 PM
It’s disgusting thaat Obama and his henchmen are acting like he trounced Romney six ways from Sunday.
400,000 votes. Eliminate the hanky-panky with early voting and disenfranchising the military, and outright voter fraud on election day, it’s undoubtedly far fewer than that.
Obama ran an off-the-charts nasty campaign, turning off legions of voters. Unfortunately, he also turned out his base in a big way.
Exit polls showed people thought Obama cared more about them than Romney did.
But Huntsman? He made Romney look like Mr. Warm and Fuzzy.
Meredith on November 20, 2012 at 2:11 PM
In other words; the 47% Romney mentioned. And it worked too.
TrueNorthist on November 20, 2012 at 2:55 PM