Huntsman Jr. getting a bit 'o blog buzz

[auburntiger]

Yay, we win Utah! Seriously, can we nominate someone that can be advantageous electorally like Crist, Pawlenty??

[auburntiger]

Yay, we win Utah! Seriously, can we nominate someone that can be advantageous electorally like Crist, Pawlenty??

Isn't it best to find the best candidate?  I mean, it's sort of ironic that John Edwards would have had no chance in hell at North Carolina but Barack Obama, from Illinois, did.

I don't see the irony because Obama would not have won nationally in 2004, and especially not North Carolina. You can't compare different candidates to different years they ran. Yeah, John Edwards didn't help much in 2004, but 2008 with the nation ready to dump the GOP against pretty much any candidate (let's be honest here), Edwards would have carried his home state. Of course, you have to subtract all the personal scandals too, but this is all hypothetical.

Honestly, I think Obama will probably win re-election; however, nothing is guaranteed, so it is advantageous to nominate someone who can bring a good record of accomplishment as governor to tee it up against him. We kill three birds with one stone by nominating a centrist governor, from a large or swing state, who has been reelected.

People who come to mind for 2012 are Pawlenty (2 terms, popular, Blue-state Republican). Crist (assuming 2 terms, popular so far, large swing state). Maybe Douglass in Vermont or Carceri in Rhode Island??? Why not??

Jindal - see in 2016 or 2020 (save the best for last)

[auburntiger]

Heck man, I'm a big Huntsman fan, relatively speaking.  I started threads dedicated to him being the dark horse ideal VP candidate for McCain. 

I think I read too much into your comment.  I thought you were talking about having someone with an advantageous home-state but I see now that you simply meant electoral appeal and that makes a whole bunch of sense.  I think it';s reasonable to assume that any Republican presidential victory in 2012, should one occur, will occur by a narrow margin, thus making every electoral vote count.  Being of the right message is most important, but being able to convince those swing states to vote for you is even more important.

Doubling down on the Midwest with Pawlenty would be a solid move.

Reading too much into my comments??...now that's a first for me

My personal favorite ticket for 2012 would have Crist or Pawlenty at the top, and have either John Ensign or Kay Bailey Hutchison as the VP.

As a Democrat, what makes you like John huntsman so much??

[auburntiger]

I like him because I "discovered" him as a rising star and thought he was the best available VP for McCain.

I like that he speaks Chinese fluently, has two adopted Asian daughters, and is pro-environment.  He's like a fresher, more modern version of McCain that is a better fit for the Republican Party as it transitions itself to encompass 50%+1 of the electorate. 

I mean, I'm still going to hope he goes down in flames if he runs against Obama in 2012

Hmmm...wow! that's awesome. I didn't know he adopted girls from Asia. I'm adopted myself. I should look at him more closely then. Pro-environment is also great too