Jon Huntsman
Jon Huntsman ran for the Republican nomination in the United States 2012 Presidential election and didn't even get a RationalWiki article for his troubles.[1] He is a Mormon, and took the moderate stance on climate change,[2] civil unions, and immigration while he was governor of Utah. His experience is mostly in foreign policy (as of 2014, he is the chairman of the Atlantic Council[3]), and while important for being president, that isn't exactly a hot button issue. He dropped out after the New Hampshire primaries.[4] While moderate on social issues, Huntsman is not a moderate on economic policy, in favor of privatizing Medicare and a flat tax.[5][6] A video was dredged up showing he supported an individual mandate, nonetheless.[7]
Despite running for the Republican nomination, Huntsman can be considered relatively sane, once tweeting "To be clear. I believe in evolution and trust scientists on global warming. Call me crazy," calling Rick Perry "out of touch" on those issues,[8] being capable of working with Democrats,[9] and actually having a modicum of qualifications. Needless to say, he got stomped on.
On foreign policy, he campaigned in 2012 on ending the war in Afghanistan and generally not getting involved in wars of aggression.
[edit] Career
Hunstman was appointed by President Obama as ambassador to China, something that really should have ruled him out of contention for the Republican race altogether. He's also fluent in Mandarin.[10]
Through WikiLeaks cables, we learned that human rights in that country was a high priority of his.[11]
[edit] Verdict
Lighten up on your economic policies and you might get some voter support here in the future... that is, in the event that you survive the GOP primaries next time.
On the other hand, if you want your RationalWiki article to get more love, we suggest going insane like the rest of your party.
[edit] Footnotes
- ↑ As of 18 January 2012.
- ↑ "Moderate" here meaning "not denying science." [1]
- ↑ Jon Huntsman Fast Facts, CNN
- ↑ Jon Huntsman drops out of Republican presidential race, BBC News
- ↑ Huntsman Implemented Regressive Flat Tax, Wanted To Eliminate Utah’s Corporate Tax, Think Progress
- ↑ Jon Huntsman Moves To Shed Obama Brand By Aligning With House GOP On Medicare, Debt Ceiling, Huffington Post
- ↑ Huntsman was "comfortable" with mandate in 2007, Politico
- ↑ Jon Huntsman: Rick Perry 'Out Of The Mainstream' On Evolution, Climate Science, Huffington Post
- ↑ Jon Huntsman Could Do Without Bill Clinton’s Kudos, The New York Times
- ↑ Communist!
- ↑ Wikileaks Finds: Jon Huntsman & his thoughts on China, Shanghaiist