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UT-Gov: Huntsman to be named Ambassador to China

by: safi

Fri May 15, 2009 at 11:52 PM EDT


According to the Associated Press Utah Governor Jon Huntsman will be named Ambassador to China.

http://www.yahoo.com/s/135781/...
safi :: UT-Gov: Huntsman to be named Ambassador to China
This means that Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert will take over as Governor. Utah will have a special election for the race in 2010. But, assuming Herbert runs and our extreme dearth of quaality candidates in the states, I don't think we'd have a great shot.

I know this may not be the right place, and even if it was its really early, but I can't help but think of the effect this is going to have on the 2012 Presidential race. Huntsman has been a popular name among political junkies as a guy to run in 2012 and I think a lot of people saw his coming out in support of civil unions as a first step to a Presidential run. But this really squashes a lot of that as I don't think a guy can win a Republican Presidential primary when his last job was as an Amassador in the Obama administration.
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UT-Gov: Huntsman to be named Ambassador to China | 48 comments
The Republicans will still bitch
There are currently two GOPers serving in the Admin that are all moderates, adding another moderate in Huntsman won't make any difference to them. They'll still think he's a far left socialist that will take away your guns, kill your babies and appoint an "activist judge" to the SCOTUS. Until a far right winger like DeMint or Gengrich is appointment, they will still shun apon him.

That being said, intrestring move by Obama same as appointing Dan Rooney (owner of the football team I follow Pittsburgh Steelers) to be Ambassador to Ireland. All very intrestring and I like it. Espically Huntsman isn't that bad for a Republican from Utah (even though he was born in Palo Alto, California).

Wow, Im pretty shocked
Though i did wonder, a while back, if hed accept this post. Given that he speaks fluent Mandarin, is a former ambassador and just in general has diplomatic experience. But a reason Im shocked is because i didnt think hed accept something like this. Im hardly surprised Obama would offer it to him (as Obama is very bipartisan) but surprised hed agree. Not because he doesnt want to be bipartisan but because itd effectively kill any future electoral ambitions (unless he wanted to run for Sen. as a Democrat or something, although he may not have much of a chance given how red UT is. no matter his personal popularity). No way will the UT GOP nominate him for Sen (if he even ever cared to go that route) or the national GOP nominate him for Pres. And, really, I thought he was on a crusade to 'change' the GOP. Joining 'the enemy' isnt going to help that cause. Not only will he have to put any effort on hold while hes in the admin but once he does go at that again people will effectively tune him out. Just like conservative IL Republicans probably will to Ray LaHood if he ever talks about wanting the GOP to 'change'. I guess he just gave up all hope, of changing the GOP and being Pres. (if he ever cared to in the 1st place). Cant say I blame him. I think itll cause the GOP to go into near extinction to get them to change.  
From Obama's POV
Its not surprising at all. But I'm also really surprised. I definitely saw his position on civil unions as the first step towards a Presidential run, and I thought he would've been a formidable candidate. But this really does squash any of that.
[ Parent ]
No way in hell.
Huntsman was in no way a contender for the Republican nomination.  Their party has gone too far off the deep end to even contemplate electing someone sensible or an actual moderate (as opposed to what passes for moderation on both sides of the isle these days).  He didn't stand a chance in Des Moines so he bought a ticket to Beijing instead.

http://www.bluearkansasblog.com
[ Parent ]
In 08,
They did nominate the guy with the most moderate persona.
[ Parent ]
Yeah and we see what kind of a sham that turned out to be.
The last guy standing was the guy who would say anything and do anything to get elected, the guy who was way more conservative then his worshipers in the media had ever let on.

http://www.bluearkansasblog.com
[ Parent ]
Sure,
But that doesn't change the fact that they still nominated the guy with the moderate persona.
[ Parent ]
On the biggest issue of the day
among Repubs in December and January, which was Iraq and national security, McCain was the most conservative of them all.
[ Parent ]
Not really,
They all had more or less the same position on Iraq, McCain was a leader on the issue due to his persona. But McCain also took a strong position against toture which none of the others were willing to do.
[ Parent ]
And let's not forget
the conservatives in the primary destroyed each other with Huck and Mitt eating into each others votes, opening the door for McCain to run down the middle.  His nomination was ultimately a fluke.

http://www.bluearkansasblog.com
[ Parent ]
It was
Almost as if Huckabee was in cahoots with McCain. Even though he ideologically was more in sync with Romney, although he probably believed Romney was a fake.Thompson also never went after McCain. Ditto Giuliani.  
[ Parent ]
And you don't think
There will be multiple conservative candidate in 2012 like Romney, Palin, Sanford and maybe Jindal all eating into each other's base?  
[ Parent ]
Yes
But there are so few moderates left in the GOP it won't matter.
[ Parent ]
Perhaps
But many people were saying the same thing about us in early 05.
[ Parent ]
Those many people were republicans or concern trolls
They were also the same concern trolls who said that following our 2004 debacle we needed to reach out to "values voters."  They were full of crap.

I cancelled my New Republic magazine subscription several years ago when they put Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredeson on the cover and posed the question "Is this the future of the Democratic Party?"  It's no wonder that magazine is nearly out of business.

[ Parent ]
The DLC establishment
(and most of the netroots for that matter) was looking for an conservative alternative to Hillary Clinton throughout 2005 and 2006.  Bredesen, Mark Warner, and Evan Bayh were all discussed as that alternative.  The DLC establishment only got behind Clinton when there was no strong conservative alternative to her in the field.  


[ Parent ]
Bayh
If he entered I think he might have spent alot of time just praising the Clintons. Oddly enough.
[ Parent ]
Not if he wanted to win the nomination
and if the DLC supported him, I think Bayh would play to win.
[ Parent ]
Absolutely there will be
Although Im not sure if there will be a moderate or moderately conservative Republican in that race. Pawlenty might fall into the latter category. Who knows if he'll end up running, though.
[ Parent ]
I'd say that's
Probably accurate, in terms of Pawlenty being as moderate as the GOP will get. And if he does run, I think he could very well win because I imagine he'd be the one that McCain, Lindsey Graham and others will be throwing there support behind.
[ Parent ]
Pawlenty
Has the 'look' and isnt terribly conservative but he doesnt strike me as being 'Presidential'. Someone who will 'take charge' during tough times. In other words...have gravitas. Of course, George W. Bush didnt either but he had that  folksy, 'everyman' charm that alot of people bought for a while. Pawlenty has a little of that 'everyman' charm, but not at the level of Bush. And maybe much of it wasnt a put on/ruse by Bush. He does generally seem to be quite interested in working on his ranch, for example, and most definitely isnt an 'intellectual' as well. But it wasnt until around the 90s he started to be like that (maybe save the intellectualism). Before then he seemed like your typical old money elite but with a southern drawl. Someone who thought he was owed things in life, and handed things in life, because of his last name.  
[ Parent ]
McCain
McCain was the only moderate, while there were several Conservatives splitting the vote. I think the 'leadership' in the GOP won't let that happen again.

It is likely at this rate that the GOP will become more extreme in the next few years, not less, which would kill Huntsman's chances.  

[ Parent ]
Brilliant move.
In the long run it neutralizes a potential rival.  In the short run we get a Republican who's suprisingly sane and likeable and not a bad pick for this job.

http://www.bluearkansasblog.com
And he does seem like a right fit for this job
Even if he may personally disagree with certain trade issues (although maybe he doesnt, i dont know). But hes certainly smart enough and has the diplomatic experience necessary, not to mention thered be no need for translators.
[ Parent ]
Im sure the Chinese admire
that an Amb. to their country actually knows their language. What a concept!  So Im sure that goes a long way towards good diplomacy.
[ Parent ]
Wait, most ambassadors don't know the language native to the place they're assigned?
I thought some didn't, but I am surprised if it's the case that most don't.

party: Democratic, ideology: moderate, district: CT-01
[ Parent ]
Often times
Ambassadors are political cronies. It's usually like, "You raised a ton of money for me? Congrats; go attend parties in Latvia for 4 years." I was looking at trying to go into the foreign service a while back and one of the biggest complaints about the job is having to deal with the appointees who may have no idea what they're doing or may just not give a damn.

22, Democrat, AZ-01
Peace. Love. Gabby.
[ Parent ]
I'm witholding judgement until I know the answer to this question?
What is Huntsman's position on free trade?  In other words, is he another guy that sacrifices the American people on the altar of free trade?

Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.
That's a good point.
We've seen mixed signals on the Obama administration's position so far.  On the one hand you get guys like Locke at Commerce coming out for fair trade but then you also have the administration seemingly abandoning NAFTA reform and silently pushing free trade deals.  So who knows.

http://www.bluearkansasblog.com
[ Parent ]
I think the administration
Dosen't have free trade as a priority right now, if they dif Xavier Beccera would be our trade rep instead of Ron Kirk. Plus from what I read from an article by OpenLeft Obama seems to be reluctant to go after similar trade deals the previous administration had on the table before they left. They mentioned the Panama free trade agreement the admnistration tried to push before they left office.

Bottom line, trade is on the back burner now. Rigt now dominating the news and the agenda is foreign policy (i'm lumping totrure with foreign policy as well) and healthcare reform.

I'd be suprised if be pushed any type of huge free trade agreement in the future like a NAFTA or a CAFTA.

[ Parent ]
Becerra was offered USTR
He turned it down. Possibly because he didn't think the Obama administration would be any good on trade issues, but more likely because he's got a good chance of being speaker in about 15 years - he's 51, Pelosi and Hoyer are 69, Clyburn's 68 and Larson is 60, so he should be in Congress longer than anybody else in the senior leadership.
[ Parent ]
Huntsman was never a serious presidential contender
Due to his faith, right off he's lost every Southern primary.  His recent social moderation kisses Iowa goodbye.  Perhaps he would have had a shot in New Hampshire but that's about it.  Against a true believer like Mark Sanford he would get creamed.

It's funny that pundits seemed to big on Huntsman, they really have no clue just how narrow the GOP is getting these days.  Frankly it's amazing McCain was able to win the nomination, I guess the competition really was that weak.

McCain pandered to the base to win the South Carolina primary
and why Iowa?

party: Democratic, ideology: moderate, district: CT-01
[ Parent ]
Huntsman has endorsed civil unions nationally
Unlikely that that would play well with a bunch of evangelicals who are on the verge of terrorism over gay marriage in their state.
[ Parent ]
Religious right
The religious right always had a strong toe hold in Iowa (see Pat Robertson).  That power is seen as increasing a lot.  The Des Moines Register ran a huge photo of a young woman in a trance-like prayer state in its story crediting the religious right for Bush's victory in the 2004 general election in Iowa.  W was the first Republican to win the state since Reagan in 1984.  Huckabeee won on a shoe string in the 2008 caucusses.

I don't know how important the religious right will be in 2012 in Iowa.  They certainly will exceed 30% and may reach 40% of the vote.  I think 51% is a reach.  A unified religious right has a very good chance of winning the Iowa Republican caucus although the lack of action on the Democratic side may help moderates.

One of the state's two Republican House members, Steve King, is a winger extroadinaire.  He's from Republican rich western Iowa.  King ran worse than the more moderate Tom Latham in a much friendlier district.  Otoh, the wingers really put the brakes on any chance that Marianette Miller-Meeks could pull an upset and capture a Democratic seat.  Rule or ruin to some extent.

In New Hampshire, the religious right is far less important.  Moderates and anti-tax conservatives are each more important.  That leaves southern conservative states as the tie breakers and would seem to help a religious right candidate.

[ Parent ]
I think if Huntsman runs for President
in the future, it will be either as a candidate from a new party (if the Repubs collapse early next decade) or as a Democrat.  

Taking this ambassadorship gives Huntsman an opportunity to split away from the Repubs, a party that is going down the chute and the base which Huntsman was never really comfortable with.

Expect Huntsman to be in a major Cabinet position in Obama's second term.  And don't be surprised if he switches parties.

Or if Obama does a "Goldwater" on them in 2012
The GOP may finally get it and nominate a moderate in 2016. Huntsman would have one hell of a resume. Good move all round. Except for Republicans but they won't care and they hardly matter anyway.
[ Parent ]
Yes
I'm thinking that barring a total economic collapse between now and 2012 that the public blames on Obama, the Republican comeback will have to involve a disastrous defeat of a right-wing wacko GOP presidential candidate so that the sane Republicans can point to the failure in regaining power in the party. Of course by then there won't be many sane Republicans left to take the party back.
[ Parent ]
I think it will take them two landslides
at the least.  In 2012, the right-wing wacko will be crushed.  Then in 2016, the Repubs will nominate another wingnut, but this time he/she will pretend that they are moderate (see Bob McDonnell in VA), but that will be exposed, and will lose in a mini-landslide.  
Then by 2020, the Repubs will nominate a real moderate (may win or lose depending on the situation of the country).  

There is also a chance that the Repubs just break up and go extinct as a party by the middle of next decade.

[ Parent ]
No Way in 2012 Because of Romney
I don't think Huntsman had any chance whatsoever at the nomination in 2012.  The Republicans seem intent on going further right and Obama has great personal popularity.  Another factor no one has mentioned yet is that Romney seems very likely to run in 2012 and is probably the early frontrunner.  If it's difficult to get the R presidential nominee as a Mormon, it has to be almost impossible to win with two in the field.

I'm unclear what this does to Huntsman's chances longterm.  2016 is a long way away and no way to tell what happens to the Republican party by then or later.

I'll make a prediction
Jon Huntsman will not be a Republican in 2016.  He will be either a. the leader of a new moderate party (if the Repubs die) or b. a Blue Dog Democrat.
[ Parent ]
His replacement
Reading the Politico article, it looks like Utah is in store for some good 'ol GOP wingnuttiness in Hunstman's replacement:

http://www.politico.com/news/s...

Hunstman will be replaced in Utah by Lieutenant Governor Gary Herbert until a special election in 2010. Joe Demma, Herbert's chief of staff, stressed the likely new governor's right-wing bona fides, telling the Salt Lake Tribune, "Global warming needs to be realized before anyone talks about it, the science is not all there," and that "Gary Herbert puts question marks on things that the governor has put periods on."

Useless trivia time...
Herbert's son Brad is married to former American Idol finalist Carmen Rasmussen.

But on a serious note...debating global warming? REALLY? Any chance this guy could lose in 2012 if he runs? I know Dems dont typically win statewide races in UT but this guy is pretty out there.

[ Parent ]
Doubtful
But Matheson could make it race.

30, male, Democratic, CO-01
[ Parent ]
Ooo! A thought.
What state is Huntsman the governor of?  Utah.

Who is now the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee? Orrin Hatch.

What state does Hatch represent in the Senate?  Utah.

I wonder if this is a way of greasing the tracks for Obama's judicial nominations.

Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.

No
Jeff Sessions is ranking member.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S...

[ Parent ]
You're right
But Hatch is the second highest-ranking Republican and sometimes shows shards of reason.

Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.
[ Parent ]
The Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee
It really is a batshit crazy group overall.

Jeff Sessions, Ranking Member, Alabama
Orrin Hatch, Utah
Chuck Grassley, Iowa
Jon Kyl, Arizona
Lindsey Graham, South Carolina
John Cornyn, Texas
Tom Coburn, Oklahoma

Only Hatch are Grassley are even moderately sane.  Thankfully republicans only hold 7 of 19 seats on the Comittee.  We picked up a 12th seat when Specter switched parties.

[ Parent ]
UT-Gov: Huntsman to be named Ambassador to China | 48 comments

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