# What is wrong with Huntsman? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 9, 2011, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-huntsman/595712 "2011-09-09T10:09:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-huntsman/595712/1 "2011-09-09T10:09:06Z")
I don’t understand why he has so little support among republicans in USA. He is presidential looking. From wikipedia: “During his tenure, Huntsman cut taxes by more than $400 million—the largest tax cut in the state’s history—while still maintaining a budget surplus.” He seems to have quite mainstream republican viewpoints. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-huntsman/595712/2 "2011-09-09T10:22:15Z")
He’s much too sane and reasonable. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-huntsman/595712/3 "2011-09-09T10:23:12Z")
He’s too moderate for the Bachmann/Palin crowd, too Mormon for the Perry crowd, too much like Romney for the Romney crowd and too associated with Obama for anyone left over in the GOP. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-huntsman/595712/4 "2011-09-09T13:49:48Z")
He’s too much like a blue dog Democrat. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-huntsman/595712/5 "2011-09-09T14:24:13Z")
He said something complimentary about Obama once. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-huntsman/595712/6 "2011-09-09T14:25:41Z")
He believes in science. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-huntsman/595712/7 "2011-09-09T14:35:09Z")
He tweeted something about believing scientists about scientific subjects. That’s the kiss of death; the Bible is the GOP’s science textbook. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-huntsman/595712/8 "2011-09-09T15:07:38Z")
In summary: he actually has a shred of sanity left rattling around upstairs. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-huntsman/595712/9 "2011-09-09T15:51:56Z")
The funny thing is he’s not really moderate at all. I’d argue he’s probably more conservative than GWB. His tax reform plan is easily the most extreme one yet released (except for whatever Cain was rambling on about at the debate… 9/9/9, eh?) And, yet, he’s too moderate for this particular primary… it’s really quite amazing. I think it’s that while he has a very conservative politics, his demeanor is one of moderation. That is, his politics may appeal to the GOP base, but he doesn’t get the same visceral reaction that Perry or Bachmann (or Palin to the extreme) get. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-huntsman/595712/10 "2011-09-09T23:43:23Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > He believes in science. > [@Revtim](#): > > He tweeted something about believing scientists about scientific subjects. That’s the kiss of death; the Bible is the GOP’s science textbook. I see some clear-minded unbigoted fellows here. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-huntsman/595712/11 "2011-09-10T01:58:33Z")
He’s not a celebrity, and is not either flashy enough or a “regular folk” enough. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-huntsman/595712/12 "2011-09-10T02:04:27Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > I see some clear-minded unbigoted fellows here. No just people telling the truth. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-huntsman/595712/13 "2011-09-10T02:25:59Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > The funny thing is he’s not really moderate at all. I’d argue he’s probably more conservative than GWB. Moderate would be too much to ask for, not insane is already quite an accomplishment. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-huntsman/595712/14 "2011-09-10T03:20:02Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > I see some clear-minded unbigoted fellows here. Oh, gee, we’re sorry: are there other major GOP candidates who don’t think the world was created by a bearded old man 6,000 years ago? Our Bad then. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-huntsman/595712/15 "2011-09-10T09:01:54Z")
I think [who he is](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntsman_spider) puts him at odds with regular Americans ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-huntsman/595712/16 "2011-09-10T10:03:56Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > Oh, gee, we’re sorry: are there other major GOP candidates who don’t think the world was created by a bearded old man 6,000 years ago? Our Bad then. Romney. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-huntsman/595712/17 "2011-09-10T11:14:27Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > The funny thing is he’s not really moderate at all. I’d argue he’s probably more conservative than GWB. His tax reform plan is easily the most extreme one yet released (except for whatever Cain was rambling on about at the debate… 9/9/9, eh?) And, yet, he’s too moderate for this particular primary… it’s really quite amazing. > > I think it’s that while he has a very conservative politics, his demeanor is one of moderation. That is, his politics may appeal to the GOP base, but he doesn’t get the same visceral reaction that Perry or Bachmann (or Palin to the extreme) get. You hit the nail on the head. I would certainly prefer someone with a platform far to my right than an unreasonable person. We can’t know for sure whether single-payer heath care will work better (I happen to think it would) or that borrowing and spending is the way to weather a recession. The opposite of my opinion is still a perfectly valid and reasonable opinion for policy questions like that. His problem is that although his platform aligns neatly with much of the right, ideologically he just doesn’t mesh with them. A bleeding heart liberal whose entitlement handouts would make Roosevelt blush would get more votes from Republicans in this climate if he strongly opposed abortion, publicly doubted science in general, announced he believes the world is less than 7k years old, and declared his intent to invade Iran than someone like Huntsman, who is firmly on the right regarding policy, but sane. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-huntsman/595712/18 "2011-09-10T11:33:06Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > He’s too moderate for the Bachmann/Palin crowd, too Mormon for the Perry crowd, too much like Romney for the Romney crowd and too associated with Obama for anyone left over in the GOP. Dang! You Win. Asking for rights to share your response! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-huntsman/595712/19 "2011-09-11T03:54:24Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > Oh, gee, we’re sorry: are there other major GOP candidates who don’t think the world was created by a bearded old man 6,000 years ago? Our Bad then. This simply goes to show more of your stereotypical thinking-as absurd as images of all Irishmen as drunks or all Italians as mobsters. First of all very few Republican candidates have been directly questioned on their views on evolution and contrary to what may some think Bush endorsed evolution. Secondly even if they are non-evolutionary creationists they can just as easily be Old Earth Creationists. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-huntsman/595712/20 "2011-09-11T04:10:56Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > This simply goes to show more of your stereotypical thinking-as absurd as images of all Irishmen as drunks or all Italians as mobsters. First of all very few Republican candidates have been directly questioned on their views on evolution [wrong](http://www.lukesci.com/2011/09/06/all-of-the-2012-republican-candidates-on-climate-and-evolution/) > [@](#): > > and contrary to what may some think Bush endorsed evolution. and [wrong](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/02/AR2005080201686.html) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-wrong-with-huntsman/595712.md?page=2)