Jon Huntsman's campaign announcement: Reaganesque?
The former Utah governor promises to take the high road and avoid attacking his GOP rivals and President Obama — much to the dismay of some on the Right
The video: Jon Huntsman, President Obama's former ambassador to China, announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination on Tuesday morning, against the dramatic backdrop of the Statue of Liberty. (See a video of Huntsman's speech below.) It was the same spot where Ronald Reagan announced his campaign for the White House more than 30 years ago, and, like Reagan, Huntsman promised to make the "hard decisions" necessary to turn America around. "For the first time in our history, we are passing down to the next generation a country that is less powerful, less compassionate, less competitive and less confident than the one we got," the former Utah governor said. "This, ladies and gentlemen, is totally unacceptable and totally un-American." Huntsman also pledged to take "the high road" and respect his GOP rivals, as well as his former boss, President Obama.
The reaction: Huntsman has a tough balancing act on his hands, says Stephanie Condon at CBS News. His relationship with Obama will make him vulnerable in a field of Obama-bashing Republicans. But Huntsman made it clear with this speech that he can challenge Obama's policies, including on the economy and in Afghanistan, without "dragging his former boss through the mud." Huntsman's "restraint" is fine when he applies it to fiscal and foreign policy, says W. James Antle III at The American Spectator. But showing "restraint in attacking Barack Obama" is not what Republican voters want to hear. Indeed, Huntsman's "mixed debut suggests tough sledding ahead," says Jennifer Rubin in The Washington Post. Reporters think Huntsman is a "good Republican" — not too conservative, not too loyal to his party." But if the unenthusiastic applause at his announcement was any indication, the GOP electorate doesn't have much of an appetite for Huntsman's candidacy. Watch Huntsman's campaign debut:
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'Colleges warn of punishment for disruptions'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Peter Murrell: Sturgeon's husband charged over SNP 'embezzlement' claims
Speed Read SNP expresses 'shock' as former chief executive rearrested in long-running investigation into claims of mishandled campaign funds
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
The murky role of military contractors in war
The Explainer A civil case against US company has revived debate over the increasing use of private security firms in military operations
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published