Why Isn't Jon Huntsman Leading the Polls?

I was a Goldwater Girl.  Barry Goldwater would have been a great President.  He was that rarest of all elected officials: a man who spent a life time in politics and died with his soul in tact.  Goldwater’s run for the Presidency showed how far the left will go to destroy a strong, capable, articulate candidate.  By the time, “Daisy” was done scaring the pants off a World War II and Korean War weary country, Goldwater won only six states.  But Barry was right about the New Deal, right about Viet Nam and right about the unions.  He was also downright blunt about the issues.   He did not suffer fools lightly. 

            I admire intelligence.  It sees broadly and does not confuse expediency with conciliation.  Intelligence knows when and how to compromise on execution but not principal.  Intelligence allows for other opinions without caving in to intellectual bullying.  Goldwater was an intellectual with salty language.  He was secure enough in who he was that he didn’t need to wrap himself in anyone else’s ideology.

            Jon Huntsman is that kind of rebel.  He defies stereotyping.  Let’s face it, how do you pigeonhole a good Mormon who drops out of high school to play keyboard with the rock band, “Wizard.”  So we have a drop out running for the Republican nomination.  Of course, even in that matter he is a good and remarkable example.  Huntsman went on to get his GED and earned a bachelor’s degree in international politics from the University of Pennsylvania.  Jon then went on to parlay that degree and a great deal of hard work into a stellar record of service to the United States and his home state of Utah.  He was a two term governor of Utah.  He has worked for and under Reagan, George H. W. Bush, George Bush and Barrack Obama.  And the areas he worked in are exactly the ones in which this country needs demonstrable expertise:  commerce, world trade, Asian relations.  The man speaks fluent Mandarin for goodness sake! 

            That leads me to another reason I want Jon Huntsman to be the Republican nominee for President.  There is a popular myth, much promoted by the liberal media and relished by the entertainment industry, that Republican Presidents are boobs.  It isn’t true, but, like alligators in the sewers, it just won’t go away.  It doesn’t serve liberals to admit that their rivals are smart, educated, well read people.  They want the loyal opposition to appear as simple-minded souls who are incapable of understanding the, “nuanced” positions of their candidates.  Nonsense!  The very term, “nuanced” is really just a snobby term for, “fuzzy, weak and probably unconstitutional.” 

            In any event, none of the typical jibes vis a vis native intelligence can be leveled against Huntsman.  He is a first rate intellect.  He speaks well.  He is well-versed in current events, can speak extemporaneously on salient issues and doesn’t need to use sound bites and clichés to get his point across.   He definitely wouldn’t pronounce the name of the Ute Indians as the “oo-tay” as I heard Obama do during his campaign.  By the way, if Bush had made that gaff, Letterman would still be showing the sound bite; since Obama made the mistake that piece of video sank into oblivion.  So much for media ethics and fair treatment. 

            Anyone who wants the strongest possible candidate on the Republican ticket should go to www.jon2012.com and find out more about promoting and supporting Jon Huntsman for President of the United States.  This is the time.  This is the hour.  This is the man.

            Goldwater would love Huntsman, and he always kept the faith.