Huntsman Fills McCain Void
Hunstman's adviser turns out to be John Weaver who was McCain's strategist in 2008. Good job there, dude! Back then it was all about trashing Romney, and apparently, it still is!
Once we got to the general election the gloves went back on and the McCain campaign played patsy with Obama all the way to a three-round knock-out.
McCain's modus operandi wasn't just about denigrating Romney. McCain thrived off the casual trashing of the whole Republican brand. Other moderates were flip-floppers and personally inadequate and the rest were extremists. Only the great media hero and maverick John McCain was worthy of a serious look.
The same pattern emerges - disparage moderates and dismiss the others as crazies.From The Hill:
"What version are we on now?" Weaver asked of Romney in an interview with Esquire. "Mitt 5.0? 6.0?"
Of Pawlenty, Weaver said: "Tim's a nice guy ... and there's nothing worse than seeing a nice guy pretend that he's angry. Is that really what we want to be? Is that how we're going to define ourselves? When's the last time an angry man ever solved a problem without using a gun?"
Weaver said Huntsman's intelligence and foreign-policy experience, combined with his strong record of fiscal conservatism and social semimoderation (he supports civil unions for gay couples and believes climate change is an urgent issue), made him the ideal candidate to shake up a Republican field that Weaver calls "the weakest since 1940."
This coming from a GOP operative whose war-hero media-beloved candidate lost the last election to a half-term Senator with no national political experience? Saving his most cogent analysis for last, here is Weaver channeling David Frum:
"There's a simple reason our party is nowhere near being a national governing party," he said. "No one wants to be around a bunch of cranks."
This is exactly what the Democrat Media Complex wants in their Republican candidate. Now the McCain Void has been filled. Let the games begin!
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May '11
Re: Huntsman Fills McCain Void
One of the very emcouraging things coming out of Monday's debate was the unanimity in which the candidates trashed Obama instead of each other. I'm hoping that if anyone steps out of line this way, that he or she will be dealt with swiftly and harshly by everyone in the conservative community.
Feb '11
Re: Huntsman Fills McCain Void
They will, inevitably and necessarily, turn on each other. It's the nature of elections - even primaries.
Jun '10
Re: Huntsman Fills McCain Void
Weaver is a sleaze-ball. If we want to start parsing specific candidates' deficiencies, I think I can come with as long a list on Huntsman (except Gingrich, who is in a class by himself) as anyone.
He's my former governor and is the very definition of a lightweight. That he apparently lacks to guts to criticize his opponents directly is precisely what I would have expected. He has the political courage of a gerbil. (Sorry, I think that may have been ad hominem).
Nov '10
Re: Huntsman Fills McCain Void
I have to admit that I was largely unfamiliar with Huntsman, but I found this video to be an informative introduction.
May '10
Re: Huntsman Fills McCain Void
I disagree with the McCain void theory. McCain would not have won last time if the economy was already down the drain (as opposed to simply circling it); and the War On Terror was not still in such a high gear.
This time, the GWT is gone as an issue (fairly or not), and Huntsman will go nowhere.
Aug '10
Re: Huntsman Fills McCain Void
tabula rasa: Weaver is a sleaze-ball. If we want to start parsing specific candidates' deficiencies, I think I can come with as long a list on Huntsman (except Gingrich, who is in a class by himself) as anyone.
He's my former governor and is the very definition of a lightweight. That he apparently lacks to guts to criticize his opponents directly is precisely what I would have expected. He has the political courage of a gerbil. (Sorry, I think that may have been ad hominem). · Jun 16 at 10:59am
Ad Gerbillinae being the greater sin.
Te absolvo Tabula, te absolvo.
May '11
Re: Huntsman Fills McCain Void
McCain's brand of Republicanism would be a hard void to fill. The only Republican who could possibly fill that tiny niche is Lindsay Graham and ever since Christine O'Donnell knocked off Mike Castle, Lindsay has been the most conservative senator this side of Tom Coburn. As I tried to say in another post, I think Romney would be the perfect candidate.....if he could just learn to fake that sincerity thing. What little I've seen of Huntsman makes me think the same of him.
Edited on Jun 16, 2011 at 1:18pmSep '10
Re: Huntsman Fills McCain Void
ParisParamus: I disagree with the McCain void theory. McCain would not have won last time if the economy was already down the drain (as opposed to simply circling it); and the War On Terror was not still in such a high gear.
This time, the GWT is gone as an issue (fairly or not), and Huntsman will go nowhere. ·
I agree he will probably go nowhere - I certainly hope he doesn't, but my point is the media needs a McCain type and they will work hard to keep him alive. The Huntsman campaign will be the place to watch the more nefarious and questionable elements of the Republican party do their plotting.
I don't quite understand where a guy like Huntsman thinks he's what America needs. As it is he has about 3% of the interest and he's not going to replace Romney as the moderate "electable" frontrunner. As Mark Levin wonders, "where is the groundswell?"
He is there to damage Romney who Obama of 2012 fears as much as they did in 2008, along with whomever else along the way. That's my suspicion anyway.
Jun '10
Re: Huntsman Fills McCain Void
Squishy Blue RINO
tabula rasa: Weaver is a sleaze-ball. If we want to start parsing specific candidates' deficiencies, I think I can come with as long a list on Huntsman (except Gingrich, who is in a class by himself) as anyone.
He's my former governor and is the very definition of a lightweight. That he apparently lacks to guts to criticize his opponents directly is precisely what I would have expected. He has the political courage of a gerbil. (Sorry, I think that may have been ad hominem). · Jun 16 at 10:59am
Ad Gerbillinae being the greater sin.
Te absolvo Tabula, te absolvo. · Jun 16 at 1:16pm
Since I don't do Latin other than my nom de guerre, I have no idea what this means, so I'll just take it as either a compliment or absolution.
Edited on Jun 16, 2011 at 3:38pmRe: Huntsman Fills McCain Void
It says a lot about Huntsman that he hired this guy.
Jul '10
Re: Huntsman Fills McCain Void
Franco:
As to the rest, Weaver said the recent debate of seven Republicans was "full of historical error, economic obfuscation, avoidance of hard truths and even outright bigotry".
Are you sure about that quotation Franco? That was from the NYT editorial about the debates.
Weaver certainly could've parroted it, but I didn't find it.
Aug '10
Re: Huntsman Fills McCain Void
Dead on. Forgiven for insulting the political acumen of gerbils everywhere. Well, most everywhere.
The groundswell seems confined to the campaign consultant demographic.
Edited on Jun 16, 2011 at 4:32pmMay '10
Re: Huntsman Fills McCain Void
Romney is the danger. Worry about Romney getting the nomination.
Sep '10
Re: Huntsman Fills McCain Void
Palaeologus
Franco:
As to the rest, Weaver said the recent debate of seven Republicans was "full of historical error, economic obfuscation, avoidance of hard truths and even outright bigotry".
Are you sure about that quotation Franco? That was from the NYT editorial about the debates.
Weaver certainly could've parroted it, but I didn't find it. · Jun 16 at 4:04pm
It's from the Esquire article linked in the copy.
Jun '10
Re: Huntsman Fills McCain Void
Squishy Blue RINO: Dead on. Forgiven for insulting the political acumen of gerbils everywhere. Well, most everywhere.
The groundswell seems confined to the campaign consultant demographic. · Jun 16 at 4:29pm
Edited on Jun 16 at 04:32 pm
Gerbils are actually inoffensive animals. It's just that no one would elect one president.
Jun '10
Re: Huntsman Fills McCain Void
If you worry about Romney, you should be terrified about Huntsman. I know Romney has baggage, but Huntsman isn't qualified to carry his briefcase. Romney has the personal qualities to be president--Huntsman is a Republican version of the The One. His conservatism in Utah was largely imposed on him by the Utah legislature, and his most important position was one given to him by Obama. Whatever the question may be, I don't think he's the answer.
Jul '10
Re: Huntsman Fills McCain Void
Yeah, it's in that piece:
In a week when The New York Times described Monday's GOP debate as "full of historical error, economic obfuscation, avoidance of hard truths and even outright bigotry,"
It's a funny, clever post. You should amend it.
Jul '10
Re: Huntsman Fills McCain Void
The Republican primary voter is more conservative than the rest of the party and independents don't get a shot until the general election. I just don't see a path for Huntsman unless there's a photo of Mittens and Wiener comparing packages in the House gym.
May '10
Re: Huntsman Fills McCain Void
tabula rasa
If you worry about Romney, you should be terrified about Huntsman.
Huntsman is a gnat. He has no chance of becoming a frontrunner. Romney is already the frontrunner.
Despite his obvious flaws, Romney will not be easy to beat. As Paul often points out, Republicans have a habit of electing the person whose turn it is. It's Romney's turn. We need someone to break the game.
Jul '10
Re: Huntsman Fills McCain Void
Aaron Miller
tabula rasa
If you worry about Romney, you should be terrified about Huntsman.
Huntsman is a gnat. He has no chance of becoming a frontrunner. Romney is already the frontrunner.
Yep. Huntsman has virtually no chance.
But, I would caution that a proportional allotment of delegates in Republican primaries could change the game.
For instance, any vote for pro-choice Giuliani was a complete waste in 2008. That might not be true in 2012.