Althouse: Huntsman dropping out.

January 15, 2012

Huntsman dropping out.

Endorsing Romney.

42 comments:

Cedarford said...: And Romney is up by 21 points in South Carolina in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll - at 37% compared to Paul and Santorum at 16%, Newt at 12% and still collapsing in support...and Perry at 6% and likely the only person dumb enough to still think he has a shot.

His SC numbers match his national numbers in the latest Gallup poll - 37% and also leading Obama by 3% head to head.

Time to start looking for some Utube of a really fat lady singing to post, AA!; 1/15/12, 9:17 PM
Ross said...: He was going to have to drop out eventually. Still, I wish him the best.; 1/15/12, 9:18 PM
F said...: My theory is that he's been running for Secretary of State all along. He's well positioned for the job now.; 1/15/12, 9:19 PM
Phil 314 said...: So should I assume his loyal followers will now vote for

Obama?; 1/15/12, 9:22 PM
Tim said...: Hmmm.

NB: Running for the nomination of a party that the candidate takes pains to show as embarrassing is probably not a winning strategy.

The nomination for the Republican Party is not won in the editorial boardrooms of the NY Times, Washington Post, LA Times, etc.; 1/15/12, 9:25 PM
Tim said...: Phil 3:14 said...

"So should I assume his loyal followers will now vote for

Obama?"

Who is that loyal follower?; 1/15/12, 9:27 PM
KCFleming said...: I predict Obama will start going to two different churches every week, including the Druids, for the important neopagan and Woodland nymph vote.

He will travel to Saly Lake City and boast, "Ich bin ein Mormoner."; 1/15/12, 9:30 PM
Writ Small said...: I think Huntsman was following the McCain playbook. Court the press, keep a low profile in the early stages, and hope to be the last man standing as the better known candidates destroyed each other. It wasn't crazy. It was just a long shot that didn't pay out.; 1/15/12, 9:32 PM
KCFleming said...: And Huntsman will endorse both Romney and Obama, just to cover his bases for the next administration.

He speaks Manadarin, you know.; 1/15/12, 9:33 PM
pm317 said...: Pogo said...

[snip]
He will travel to Saly Lake City and boast, "Ich bin ein Mormoner."

---------------

LOL!!; 1/15/12, 9:36 PM
KCFleming said...: ""Huntsman dropping out."

What a moron.

Everyone knows that first you have to tune in and turn on.

Jeez.; 1/15/12, 9:38 PM
a psychiatrist who learned from veterans said...: I think he positioned himself as the less quirky alternative to Romney but then he was beat out for second by the more quirky Ron Paul. And then felt he wanted to be kind of quirky too. He just got the endorsement of the main newspaper in the state but declared that 'endorsements don't matter much' and decided he'd drop out and endorse Romney. Kind of sad really but maybe it can help that lady he bashed for telling Perry she didn't believe in evolution because it was kind of a quirky belief.; 1/15/12, 9:39 PM
Kirk Parker said...: "Endorsing Romney."

Completely irrelevant; who are his daughters endorsing?; 1/15/12, 9:49 PM
Alex said...: Time to start preparing for the general, the nomination is over. Also Obama better find a way to duck Romney in debates. Basically the fewer the better.; 1/15/12, 9:53 PM
Alex said...: Newsweek trolls GOP

But a measure of vindication:

In 2003, worldwide circulation was more than 4 million, including 2.7 million in the U.S; by 2010 it was down to 1.5 million (with newsstand sales declining to just over 40 thousand copies per week).'; 1/15/12, 9:53 PM
bgates said...: He will travel to Saly Lake City and boast, "Ich bin ein Mormoner."

-and then apologize if he didn't get that quite right, because he doesn't really speak Mormon.

Ah, who am I kidding - he'd never apologize to Utahns.; 1/15/12, 10:16 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: Not surprised either that he is dropping out, or that he is endorsing Romney.; 1/15/12, 10:34 PM
a psychiatrist who learned from veterans said...: @ Pogo

Progressives know that before they go psychotic and vote for a IT'S MORMON MAMMA! bitter illiberals will cling to their religion and find Obama at Church and - you get the drift.; 1/15/12, 10:37 PM
Piercello said...: I always figured Huntsman was encouraged to run, and consistently invited to the debates over similarly low-polling unknowns, by the Republican powers that be who were trying to set Romney up as the "good" Mormon, rather than the only one.; 1/15/12, 11:24 PM
sunsong said...: I'm sorry to see Jon leave the race - but I understand it's over. Endorsing Romney was the right thing thing to do - he's the only one who has a chance against Obama.; 1/15/12, 11:42 PM
edutcher said...: Now he can do what he should have been doing all along - primary GodZero.; 1/16/12, 5:35 AM
Michael Haz said...: He still has his other job playing the J Peterman character on Seinfeld, doesn't he?; 1/16/12, 6:31 AM
Joe Schmoe said...: I'll miss his wife and daughters. But not him.; 1/16/12, 6:56 AM
Anonymous said...: Every Democrat's favorite Republican.; 1/16/12, 7:23 AM
mesquito said...: Okay, so who's the second choice for Democrats crashing open primaries?; 1/16/12, 7:27 AM
Wince said...: Talk about going out with a whimper.; 1/16/12, 8:09 AM
RonF said...: [ thread_jack ]

So what's going on in the Walker recall signature effort?

[ /thread_jack ]; 1/16/12, 8:30 AM
John henry said...: Sunsong said:

Endorsing Romney was the right thing thing to do - he's the only one who has a chance against Obama.

And where might we find evidence of that?

All the polls I've seen (Rasmussen, Pew, CBS others) show Romney tied with Obama in a November matchup.

So I guess he has a *chance* of beating Obama. Not much of one at this point but a chance nonetheless.

As for being the "only" one with a chance, what about Ron Paul?

The same polls that show Romney with a *chance* of beating Obama also show Paul tied with Obama in the same matchup.

So Romney is hardly the "only one with a chance"

John Henry; 1/16/12, 9:00 AM
Scott M said...: As for being the "only" one with a chance, what about Ron Paul?

I would love for the GOP's candidate to be on record as constantly calling for audits of the Fed. Unfortunately, that isn't going to happen this cycle.; 1/16/12, 9:06 AM
Patrick said...: I suppose Huntsman's supporter will put Romney over the top.; 1/16/12, 9:29 AM
PaulV said...: Pogo said...

"He speaks Manadarin, you know."

pidgin Manadarin at best.
wn: unstalls
Obama go to Utah and says "Ich bin a Mormomer" in Mormon trying to unstalls his campaign,; 1/16/12, 10:07 AM
roesch/voltaire said...: He represents a Republican party that no longer exists, but come 2016 things will be different, I suspect, and Huntsman may prove to be the conservative leader he always was.; 1/16/12, 10:23 AM
Scott M said...: He represents a Republican party that no longer exists, but come 2016 things will be different, I suspect, and Huntsman may prove to be the conservative leader he always was.

2020, perhaps. In 2016, he will have to accede to the second term of Romney/Rubio.; 1/16/12, 10:26 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: "... He represents a Republican party that no longer exists,..."

Funny cause I was going to say he would have made a good Blue Dog Democrat.

Then again, next to Obama, Huntsman and Romney look downright Reaganesque.; 1/16/12, 10:40 AM
Christopher in MA said...: ". . .he represents a Republican party that no longer exists. . ."

Left-speak for "he's clean and articulate, too." Damning with faint praise, that.

As posted at Insty's, Huntsman was the Republican candidate for people ashamed to admit they're Republicans.; 1/16/12, 11:01 AM
roesch/voltaire said...: Yes he is moderate and civil with this experience:Huntsman's resume had suggested he could be a major contender for the Republican presidential nomination: businessman, diplomat, governor, veteran of four presidential administrations, an expert on China and foreign trade--something no longer appreciated in this version of the Republican party;; 1/16/12, 11:31 AM
Chip Ahoy said...: I am very angry about this.

Huckabee was interviewing candidates, or allowing them to answer audience questions. I turned on the sound specifically to hear Huntsman then off again. Then I come online and see this and I'm all, "You big sac de la douche, I had just paid attention to you as if you were serious."; 1/16/12, 11:57 AM
Rosalyn C. said...: Seems like Huntsman left the race with a good showing in NH and maybe some name recognition for 2016, if he still has ambitions for presidency and the job is vacant. He was a long shot with all the support Romney had going into this race. But on his record alone Huntsman had a better and cleaner fight with Obama. Romney has his flip flops and Bain. Republicans will now veer to the right? Of course that has no chance of winning and Romney will probably get the nomination in the end. Close election, very close.

Huntsman is the real deal -- I'm with roesch/voltaire on this.; 1/16/12, 12:10 PM
damikesc said...: Another winning campaign by John Weaver. After leading McCain's campaign in 2000 where John spent time attacking Republicans, he then headed Huntsman's campaign where...they spent a lot of time attacking Republicans.

Why the heck would ANY candidate name that epic loser as their campaign manager?; 1/16/12, 1:12 PM
damikesc said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/16/12, 1:12 PM
Hoosier Daddy said...: "... something no longer appreciated in this version of the Republican party;.."

Nope. If that was the case, Romney wouldn't be carrying the day.

Huntsman just ran a poor campaign. Nothing more. Had he gotten the nod, I could have lived with him over the left wing radical in office now.; 1/16/12, 1:40 PM
HT said...: Too bad. He should run as an independent.; 1/16/12, 4:11 PM