# So why Huntsman to China? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 16, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-huntsman-to-china/496689 "2009-05-16T23:54:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-huntsman-to-china/496689/1 "2009-05-16T23:54:23Z")
Moderate Republican and previously probable candidate in the GOP Presidential primaries for 2012 [Jon Huntsman](http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/16/huntsman.china/index.html) is given the nod for ambassador to China. > [@](#): > > Huntsman, who is in his final term as Utah’s governor, is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and is a former trade representative and ambassador to Singapore. > > His family has an adopted daughter from China. The Salt Lake Tribune newspaper has reported that Huntsman has performed Mormon missionary work in Taiwan. > > Starting his political career as a staff assistant in the Reagan White House, Huntsman worked in the State Department and Commerce Department before his election as governor in 2004, according to his biography on Utah’s Web site. > > “I wasn’t looking for a new job in life, but a call from the president changed that,” Huntsman said, telling Obama “I humbly accept your call to service.” > > In introducing Huntsman, Obama stressed the importance of the post, stressing China’s clout on the world stage. The president said he “can think of no one better suited to take on this assignment than the governor of the great state of Utah.” So, is he being chosen for all those attributes, or is instead [a political slam dunk](http://narcosphere.narconews.com/thefield/huntsman-china-its-about-romney) calculated for domestic political gain - and they don’t mean “reaching across the aisle”. ---
**Author:** ![Zephyurs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/dfb087/32.png) [@Zephyurs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zephyurs)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2009, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-huntsman-to-china/496689/2 "2009-05-17T00:33:03Z")
Can’t it be both? It’s definitely shrewd on Obama’s part. But Huntsman is genuinely qualified, so much so that it would take a pretty exceptional candidate to better him. Political considerations clearly took a part: Obama might favorably dispose himself to Western Mormons in the swing states of AZ, CO, and NV; he takes out a potential rival in 2012 at the ambiguous cost of positioning a strong moderate candidate as a major force in 2016; and he appears moderate and reaching across the aisle while making non-Huntsman Republicans look increasingly loony. One issue that’s not covered much is how interesting Huntsman is symbolically. He was a Christian missionary in Taiwan. East Asia, and China in particular, have a dark history with Christian missionaries. Huntsman is also a member of a marginalized religious sect, which adds a bit more punch to the symbolism. Is this a sign that Obama might make serious moves on human rights in China? Probably not, but an interesting lens to look through at any rate. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2009, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-huntsman-to-china/496689/3 "2009-05-17T02:42:12Z")
Its an interesting angle to consider but I think the greater symbolism is sending someone who is fluent in the language and the culture instead of expecting them to speak in English or via a translator. It is showing respect. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2009, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-huntsman-to-china/496689/4 "2009-05-17T02:45:17Z")
It seems to me that China might be a bit miffed at Huntsman’s relationship with Taiwan. But then, I know little about diplomacy and international relations, so I could easily be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-huntsman-to-china/496689/5 "2009-05-18T04:54:16Z")
> [@](#): > > So why Huntsman to China? I agree! Leave [them spids](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntsman_spider) alone! ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-huntsman-to-china/496689/6 "2009-05-18T17:29:22Z")
> [@Zephyurs](#): > > . . . he takes out a potential rival in 2012 . . . I don’t see how. Perhaps he can’t run in the primaries as a sitting ambassador, but he can always resign if his prospects look good; meanwhile, he’ll be in China building up his resume. ---
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-huntsman-to-china/496689/7 "2009-05-18T20:42:47Z")
From [This 'Pubbie site](http://www.redstate.com/jrichardson/2009/05/16/governor-no-more/) > [@"Redstate](#): > > Having carved out a reputation as a would-be-modernizer and pragmatic conservative on divisive social issues, Huntsman was right to test the waters. It seems he waded a little too deep for Obama’s comfort, however. > > No less than the chief architect of Obama’s campaign David Plouffe has expressed concern over Huntsman’s budding portfolio. While he admits no potential candidate makes him “shake in his shoes,” he concedes the potential of a Huntsman bid leaves him a “wee bit queasy.” > > By all accounts, Huntsman stood a good chance at securing the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, if only for the fact that he is the conservative antithesis of Obama: He’s a moderate, young, and attractive politician. Those are the grounds on which Obama won, and those are the grounds on which they fear he’ll lose it in 2012. > > By co-opting Huntsman, Obama will have successfully pacified the lone Republican 2012 challenger, thereby ensuring a stable route to victory. Then, of course, is the knowledge that he’ll likely receive Republican praise for his gesture of bipartisanship, however politically shrewd it may be. > > Obama is an impressively calculating politician, perhaps more so than his former opponent Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. As such, he realizes a nomination of this nature will offer Huntsman the last needed ingredient for presidential success: foreign policy bona fides. > > Ambassadorships are not token appointments, and certainly not those to emerging economic and military superpowers. Before he was elected to the Offices of Vice President and later President of the United States, George H. W. Bush served as Ambassador to China from 1974 to 1975. If Plouffe is “queasy” now, Obama just ensured he’ll be reaching for Pepto with some frequency in eight years. > > After running the greatest candidate-centered campaign of history, Obama is principally focused on his reelection campaign in 2012. It is of little concern, then, that he will have propelled Huntsman to the national stage in 2016 by no doing of his own. The Obama campaign is interested in building an Obama-coalition, not a Democratic-coalition. With the candidate gone and the movement over, the 2016 Democratic nominee will be tasked with the unenviable undertaking of reassembling a diverse coalition of voters, one liable to have already fractured when campaign promises were either not met or broken in the course of governing. ---
**Author:** ![Reloy3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c68b51/32.png) [@Reloy3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reloy3)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-huntsman-to-china/496689/8 "2009-05-18T21:08:42Z")
I think it is a brilliant move for a number of reasons: 1. It nuetralizes a possible strong moderate Republican. Sure he could run anyway, but he would either have to resign early and come home or be subject to major criticism for not attending to duties across the ocean. Also, Huntsman’s major strength - foreign trade, particularly in the Far East - wouldn’t be a strength anymore. After all, it is difficult to credibly criticize a policy you were a part of creating. 2. It shows some non-partisanship - Huntsman was a major McCain spokesman. There will be no criticism from either side during confirmation. 3. It probably makes Tiawan happy, as Huntsman has some love for the island. 4. It signals to China that we are simulaneously serious about trade and Tiawan (and maybe religious freedom). 5. It might (just might) create some cracks in the Rocky Mountain Mormon Republican monolith - many Mormons are unhappy about the way the Republican Party, particularly in the South, reacted to Romney’s candidacy. Any chance to further weaken that bond is a good thing. And most importantly: 6) He is a good choice - smart, knowledgable, fluent in Mandarin, knows trade and China. There might have been a better choice somewhere, but I can’t think of who. The only downside I can see is that a Huntsman/Romney primary contest might have been a bloodbath in the west, which might have helped the Democrats. OIn the other hand, maybe Obama waould like Romney as an opponent. Huntsman, because he is much more moderate, would have been harder to beat. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-huntsman-to-china/496689/9 "2009-05-19T14:56:53Z")
This appointment also hurts Huntsman’s chances in 2012 because it ties him directly to the Obama Admin. This is something that will be exploited by both parties during the primaries to set off the Rush/Newt/Hannity “we aren’t being whackjob conservative _enough_” crowd who will destroy him better than the DNC ever could. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-huntsman-to-china/496689/10 "2009-05-21T04:51:52Z")
George H W Bush was also an envoy to China too. The thing is if you work with someone you’re less likely to oppose them. A Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is less dangerous to Obama than one that actively opposes him. But the thing is really ridiculous because it’s way too early. We’ve seen time and again how people can peak too early so it is a non-issue. Why should the Republicans care. Obama only got interested in being President once Oprah backed him. Without her it’d be President Hillary Clinton. You can never tell and any Republican trying to establish a name will have 3 years for his opponents both Democratic and Republicans to find reasons to take him down. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-huntsman-to-china/496689/11 "2009-05-21T05:07:28Z")
Curious how good his Mandarin really is? I haven’t heard him speak. He would have spent 2 years in Taiwan in the late 1970’s, which was before China cracked open the door to foreign students. I think the time in Taiwan will be a non-issue. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-huntsman-to-china/496689/12 "2009-05-21T21:26:57Z")
According to _The GOP Jihad_ in Rolling Stone, the hard-right group trying to run all the moderates out of the party had Huntsman in their cross-hairs. I see it as a favor to moderate Republicans. Obama had hoped to appoint some Republicans, and the hard core guys are just too dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-huntsman-to-china/496689/13 "2009-05-21T21:43:21Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > Obama only got interested in being President once Oprah backed him. Without her it’d be President Hillary Clinton. Er, what? > [@China\_Guy](#): > > Curious how good his Mandarin really is? I haven’t heard him speak. He would have spent 2 years in Taiwan in the late 1970’s, which was before China cracked open the door to foreign students. I think the time in Taiwan will be a non-issue. I’ve heard he’s fluent, but I’m not sure who originally made that judgement. ---
**Author:** ![2ply](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/b2d939/32.png) [@2ply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2ply)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-huntsman-to-china/496689/14 "2009-05-21T23:30:32Z")
Huntsman never had a chance to win the GOP nomination in 2012. Neither does Romney. Let’s be realistic: Republicans outside of the West aren’t going to vote for a Mormon. ---
**Author:** ![EvilHamsterOnCrack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@EvilHamsterOnCrack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilHamsterOnCrack)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-huntsman-to-china/496689/15 "2009-05-22T14:12:16Z")
Supposedly this was also Huntsman’s “dream job”, for whatever that’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-huntsman-to-china/496689/16 "2009-05-22T14:25:48Z")
> [@2ply](#): > > Huntsman never had a chance to win the GOP nomination in 2012. Neither does Romney. Let’s be realistic: Republicans outside of the West aren’t going to vote for a Mormon. Well, the cynics would not only agree but claim that Obama’s reaching out to them with this appointment is _calculated_ to illustrate to Mormons that while their faith will forever exclude them from acceptance as fully equal within the GOP, it does no such thing inside the Democratic tent. From the second link in the op: > [@](#): > > When GOP primary voters inevitably reject Romney once again in the 2012 primaries and caucuses outside of the Mountain West, the resentment - already boiling after last year’s adventures in presidential politics - among rank-and-file Mormons that the party to whom they’ve given so much still doesn’t really want them in the Master’s house rather than the servant’s quarters, will sting. Meanwhile, another of their prominent citizens will likely still be Obama’s man in Beijing, proof that somebody in American politics isn’t dissing the LDS and its members. And in key swing states like Nevada and Colorado, LDS members are legion. > > Some said Obama was crazy, back in 2007 and 2008, to reach out to what conventional wisdom thought was an impenetrable GOP base… Crazy, like a fox. Me? I still think that Huntsman is just amazingly well qualified for the job and that someone that qualified should get the job whatever party or faith they identify with.