Huntsman Would Ask Wealthy To Sacrifice If Elected

Jon Huntsman 2.0 is continuing his sprint to the center, telling the PBS Newshour on Thursday that wealthy Americans will have to make sacrifices to revive the struggling American economy.

“As president, I wouldn’t hesitate to call on a sacrifice from all of our people, even those at the very highest end of the income spectrum,” Huntsman said. “I’m not saying higher taxes, but there are contributions they can make too.”

Although Huntsman stopped short of saying that he would raise taxes on the wealthy, his comments are sure to distinguish him from fellow candidates such as Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann, who consider calls for greater sacrifice from the rich to be a form of class warfare.

Huntsman also made waves last week when he tweeted, “To be clear. I believe in evolution and trust scientists on global warming. Call me crazy.” This was a clear jab at Perry, who is notoriously skeptical of almost anything that scientists tell him.

The former Utah governor is clearly pinning his hopes for the nomination on capturing moderate voters who aren’t comfortable with supporting a Tea Party candidate. This strategy may pay off in New Hampshire, where the electorate is not extremely conservative and independents are allowed to vote in the Republican primary. It’s worth noting that John Weaver, who is Huntsman’s chief strategist, has pulled off two shocking Granite State upsets in the past while working for John McCain in 2000 and 2008. Still, in a Republican primary dominated by extreme-right politics and overt hostility to the President, Huntsman’s status as a former member of the Obama Administration makes him an extreme long shot to be the Republican candidate for president.

Advertising

Start your day with National Memo Newsletter

Know first.

The opinions that matter. Delivered to your inbox every morning

Remembering A Great American: Edwin Fancher, 1923-2023

Norman Mailer, seated, Ed Fancher and Dan Wolf, founders of The Village Voice

If you are lucky in your life, you come to know one or two people who made you who you are other than your parents who gave you the extraordinary gift of life. Edwin Fancher, who it is my sad duty to inform you died last Wednesday in his apartment on Gramercy Park at the age of 100, is one such person in my life. He was one of the three founders of The Village Voice, the Greenwich Village weekly that became known as the nation’s first alternative newspaper. The Voice, and he, were so much more than that.

Keep reading...Show less
How Is That Whole 'Law And Order' Thing Working Out For You, Republicans?

Former Georgia Republican Party chair David Shafer

One of the great ironies – and there are more than a few – in the case in Georgia against Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants is the law being used against them: The Georgia RICO, or Racketeering and Corrupt Organizations Act. The original RICO Act, passed by Congress in 1970, was meant to make it easier for the Department of Justice to go after crimes committed by the Mafia and drug dealers. The first time the Georgia RICO law was used after it was passed in 1980 was in a prosecution of the so-called Dixie Mafia, a group of white criminals in the South who engaged in crimes of moving stolen goods and liquor and drug dealing.

Keep reading...Show less
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}