caught short again by a republican presidential candidate
having dropped out of the party's race for its nomination
before I can analyze both the candidate and his candidacy.
Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah, most recently President
Obama's expert on China, due to a lack of funds on hand
as well as forthcoming along with being unable to rise
up and out of the basement in the polls, has declared his
presidential candidacy to be over.
Utah's governor from 2005 to 2009, a businessman, and
one of the most knowledgeable people in or out of our
government on China (especially on matters of trade),
possessing great business and political savvy while
lacking in troublesome baggage (unlike some of the
other GOP hopefuls, i.e. Newt Gingrich's marital and
familial turbulence, Michele Bachmann's fast-and-loose
remarks, and Rick Perry's debating miscues to name a few)
has been perceived, wrongly and unfairly, to be insuf-
ficiently conservative by some party activists as well as
some Tea Party stalwarts. This, despite being pronounced
a solid conservative by the Utah House Speaker during
Huntsman's time as governor there; this legislator being
regarded as one of the most conservative elected officials
in the entire nation(!). And Utah is no bastion of left-wing
politics by any standard. Look at the people whom Utahans
elect to local, state, and national office for proof.
Some even criticize Gov. Huntsman for having held a position
of any kind in President Obama's administration, even though
he was the best appointee and a standout in terms of his
effectiveness in his duties and the resulting benefit to the
country. And since when is it an act of party or ideological
disloyalty to serve in an administration headed by someone
from a different party or ideology? This has happened
in Washington before, not to mention in many state capitals.
If someone has strong and unique qualifications to handle
a certain task, and as such surpasses the others in an
executive's own party but who can work with that executive
and vice-versa because they share a common goal, then
what's all the fuss about?
It is your beloved Peasant's hope that Jon Huntsman will be
offered a position of visibility and substance in the next GOP
administration in Washington, especially if it has anything to
do with relations with China. At least we as a nation can
continue to benefit from Gov. Huntsman's knowledge and
service in this manner, especially since he will not be the
Republican Party standard bearer in November's election.
In summation, while your loyal Peasant is adamant upon
electing a strong, principled conservative to replace the
radical Obama in the White House, let us not become so
purist in our quest that either we cannot find anyone to our
liking, or we settle upon someone who will fall short of
meeting our most important needs in pursuing a conser-
vative agenda. It is enough that we nominate and elect
someone who stands with us on the most critical issues
facing our country, job one being repairing our economy.
Besides, any of the remaining candidates are streaks
better than the current incumbent, wouldn't you agree?
MEM
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