Obama Campaign Manager: We Were More Concerned About Huntsman As GOP Nominee Than Romney

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Jon Huntsman's presidential campaign fizzled shortly after New Hampshire, but what could have happened if he managed to stay in the race and actually win the nomination? That would have been a worse scenario for the Obama team than the race they ran this year with Mitt Romney, at least according to Obama campaign manager Jim Messina.

RELATED: Jon Huntsman Will Not Attend GOP Convention Until Party 'Put[s] Our Country Before Politics'

Huntsman's candidacy against the president was unique from the very beginning given his service under President Obama as the U.S. ambassador to China. In remarks this week picked up by the Salt Lake Tribune, Messina said that Huntsman was considered the biggest threat to the Obama campaign.

'We were honest about our concerns about Huntsman. I think Huntsman [as Republican nominee] would have been a tough general election campaign.'

Senior Obama adviser David Plouffe had expressed such concern even before Utah's former governor launched his failed presidential bid, with one journalist noting that a Huntsman candidacy made Plouffe a 'wee bit queasy.'

Messina said Huntsman's appeal to moderates could have attracted independents and moderate Democrats that would have otherwise supported the president. When Messina was asked if the ambassadorship was a way to 'take him out as a possible opponent,' he said the Obama administration viewed Huntsman as 'a committed American who would serve our country well.'

h/t Salon

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• Huntsman was the only chance at the GOP winning and they blew it. Wonder why that is? Oh that's right, Huntsman isn't batshit crazy.

• The Blacks would still be voting for Obama for a free phone.

• Ron Paul was the only chance the GOP had of winning and they blew it.

• That was actually given under Ronald Reagan for landlines and expanded to cell phones under George W Bush.

• Don't bother trying to make that A HOLE understand'just flag him wherever possible.

• The same Ron Paul who couldn't carry a single state (including his home state of Texas)? LMAO okay dude.

• This is the cost of litmus tests. Way to go Teatards. Keep up the good work. It is going to take a series of beatdowns before you pull your head out.

• RayPrice is an IDIOT

• This proves the Republicans never had a chance. Huntsman probably would've done better than Romney (can't do any worse) but the ignorant & bigoted GOP base would never let that happen. Really, the GOP might as well have gone with Rick Santorum. As unelectable as he was at least he could speak, appealed to the GOP bigots, and would've been able to carry Pennsylvania. At the end of the day, Obama was going to win no netter what, everyone with a brain knew that, which explains why the conservaTARDS didn't see the writing on the wall.

• LOL! A swing and a miss, Teatard. Paul was radical in a whole different direction and the moderates weren't buying.

• And your Teatarded family would still be sucking the teats of anyone promising more corn subsidies and farm aid. Filthy teabagger'wise up!

• Huntsman would have been a formidable candidate'reasonable, smart, articulate, marketable public image, genuinely successful Governor just couldn't get through the primaries. With that being said'I'm not convinced he himself thought he was a serious candidate. When he came to the realization he was on the short end of the fundraising stick he never ponied up his own money in any measurable way. His Father is nearly a billionaire and Huntsman is worth a couple hundred million. If he wasn't willing to bet on himself why should we. With a major cash infusion on his part he MIGHT have been able to win New Hampshire.

• I'd have voted for Huntsman over Obama.

  I wouldn't vote Romney over Charles Manson.

• Old Whites would still be voting for the GOP for more subsidies and tax entitlements.

• Racist Ray's inability to deal with a black man in the White House:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjtIVfJS4jE

• I see you're still in the 'Denial' stage of the Stages of Grief, Racist Ray! Hope you're not stuck there too terribly long as it will make your recovery all the more tedious.

• Huntsman was the only qualified candidate in RNC primary.Repubs don't like intelligent people who if elected could actually make decisions. They only want 'suits'. Someone to sign whatever crazy bills they can think of.

• Huntsman was the only guy I was afraid of. THANK YOU JON for NOT running! Huntsman's daughter is very bright too. I guess that's why she's a guest on MSNBC often.

• I must admit I thought Huntsman was their Best Choice, many folks just stared at me in disarray as though I had said Ron Paul'. =)

• I have said it over and over.

  Huntsman WOULD HAVE WON.

  Republicans would have voted because he had an (R) next to his name.

  Democrats would have voted for him because he's likeable, not crazy, and they were unhappy with Obama for many reasons.

  The problem is the nominating process focused on his Obama cooties.

• Huntsman invested over $5 million in his campaign. His father donated to the Super PAC that supported him (and Super PACs can't pay for campaign staff or campaign expenses ' they can only advertise for candidates). It would be interesting to hear him discuss this in greater detail. But Huntsman has spoken out against Super PACs and called for the system to be reformed. I suspect he did not want to 'buy' an election with family money and believed that, if he couldn't raise the money from donors, he should get out of the race.
  Huntsman was the best GOP candidate and it's too bad his campaign didn't catch on earlier. He had some momentum going in NH but it was too late. (I don't think he could have won NH ' Romney had the state locked up for years ' but it's too bad he didn't come in 2nd ahead of Ron Paul, who was unelectable in a general election). I hope Jon Huntsman runs in 2016.

• Sorry, no.

• Agree completely. And, at this early stage, Huntsman appears to be the strongest GOP candidate for 2016 too.

• I cant say for sure as I haven't thoroughly researched all of Huntsmans views but this 'Independent in a swing state, THE swing state (OHio) would have seriously considered him.

• Yes, Huntsman could have won over Obama. Romney could not win over any D. The GOP does not know how to run a nominating process ' letting the extremists rule is a bad idea.

• I don't think he should have bought the election but buying one of the early primaries would have been a great investment. 5 million isn't all that much considering you are essentially campaigning in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina simultaneously. Once you get a win under your belt the money from donors usually starts to come in.

• Agreed. Even the fundies would have overlooked the fact that Huntsman believes in science and doesn't deny climate change. Well, maybe? After some reprogramming?

• Why not Christie? After Sandy, he's like Jeb Bush without the Bush name and Terri Schiavo, with a funny (even if cutting) demeanor to boot.

• I'm not sure what his relationship with Norquist is, but it can't be a very warm one.

• Ditto. I voted for the O. Might have voted for Hunstman, if he had been given time to articulate his positions. But the teatards only want wingnuts and panderers to run.

• I am not sure he even has a warm relationship with the GOP anymore (see his visit to the Colbert Report).

• Huntsman believes all sorts of things anathema to Dems, and scarily enough (and unlike Romney), he appears to genuinely believe them. That alone would have made him a more formidable candidate.

  I still don't think he could have beaten Obama, if for no other reason than that he seems to lack the fire in the belly required to be successful at the top levels of politics. On the other hand, he's not a hollow weathervane, a total nutcase, or completely phony (which pretty much covers his opponents in the primaries), and so might have given Dems some uncomfortable moments.

• Christie's intensely unappealing personality and physical aspect would doom him in any national contest.

• LOL Ray, do you get paid by the post, or just for showing up? And I know it's against your religion, but check one fact this year and you will find the proper name for the Obama phone is really the Bush phone.

  Da Blacks? Is that Rebecca (Friday!) Black's fambly?

  And finally, against Obammer, the republicans will vote for the white guy, any white guy, as long as he can scribble his name on anything Boner or The Turtle place in front of him.

  'except me, a thinking Republican, who voted for Obammer. Twice. This time. Now go freak out about voter fraud, or black helicopters or your undescended huevos.

• Christie's a contender, though first he has to get reelected as NJ governor. Both Christie and Huntsman have been good governors but Christie lacks foreign policy experience and business experience, which Huntsman has. In my view (but perhaps not others' views), Christie's gruff and blustering personality are negatives for a presidential campaign even though that didn't hurt his run for governor. Huntsman has a moderate and diplomatic temperament, which is better suited to the presidency. I also think Christie's weight and health will be an issue in the 2016 campaign (unless he loses a lot of weight). Presidential campaigns are exhausting and I question whether Christie will be up to the challenge physically. I do like Christie, but I think Huntsman would be a better 2016 candidate and a much better president.

• Huntsman refused to sign the Norquist no tax pledge. He was the only GOP presidential candidate who had the political courage to reject the pledge.

• If not, Huntsman and the RNC should come to terms. He is the party's strongest candidate and it would help the RNC to put Huntsman forward as one of the leading faces of the party.

• I thought Hunstman would've gave the Obama team more problems than the other candidates, but he wasn't crazy enough for the GOP.

• Obama's campaign thought Huckabee would've been the much better candidate in 2008 than McCain and this year Huntsman over Romney. It's a good thing they don't pick the GOP nominations but rather Jeb and Cletus from South Carolina do

• I agree, but it's funny to hear him out.

• Huckabee would have done far worse than McCain.

  He's waaaaay too much of a fundie.

• And that would be the most boring presidential campaign ever. Obama and Huntsman have great respect to each other and I guess they both like each other. So, presidential campaign without insults, smear attacks and lies about each other? Meeh

• So true, no sane, normal man with intelligence would ever appeal to the rabid, right wing wackadoos in the Republican base. Huntsman believes in science, global warming and worked for Obama this is the holy trinity of hell according to the GOP and their wingnut base.

• Dont tell me DopeyChange has changed his dumb name to RayPrice. Maybe Black people would still be voting for Obama because of racist people like you in the GOP, Republican attempts at voter suppression, the tea party and Birthers.

• Republicans remind me of Jerry Jones with Tony Romo. While the whole world knows Romo is a loser, this makes Jerry Jones support Romo more. Just like the Republican nominee. Whomever is considered the biggest loser will get the nominee because the GOP has so much contempt for society, Americans, & the rest of the world. It's a very self destructive attitude but that's how egomaniacs & sociopaths like to operate.

• this has to be satire, as no one is this f$%king stupid

• Ron Paul? (snicker)

• Tin Foil Hat Alert'

  The 'other side', Democrats are only touting Jon Huntsman as a formidable candidate so that the 50 yard line on the liberal vs conservative playing field can continue to be skewed leftward. By seeing him as 'normal' what a Republican should be, Democrats can continue to paint those to the 'right' of Jon Huntsman as extreme.

  This has been a Tin Foil Hat Alert. Please continue with your demonization and mis-characterization as needed.

• OK, the rest of the GOPers were batshit crazy.

• you cant use 'normal' and 'Republican' in the same paragraph, never mind the same sentence.

• Yeah, I mean he didn't even support torture and drones!

• LOL.

• Now now you for a fact KNOW that the current GOP is infested with exactly just this and even more stupid and they go out of their way to find these people and they tell them COME ON IN OUR TENT ALWAYS HAS ROOM FOR YOUR KIND.

• Donald Trump, is that you?

• Truth and he spoke out against the crazies steering the party from the outside' they did not listen which was GREAT for America and Democrats.

• The tin foil hat may not be needed after all, the false meme continues'

• True but Huck has a way of sounding NICE about his brand of hate and crazy.

• Funny' I thought the same about 'normal' and 'Democrat' in the same literary vicinity also'

• He covered it in his Colbert Report interview a couple months ago: (2 pts)

  http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/418524/august-30-2012/jon-huntsman-pt'1
  http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/418524/august-30-2012/jon-huntsman-pt'2

• i think you make a fair point but clearly in just practical terms to ensure the party's viability on a national level the Republican party must drift slightly leftwards so as to stake out a place that is closer to the center than it is to the hard right. Future candidates must at least resemble Hunstman moreso than Santorum. I think you might agree with that.

• Would it help if Huntsman's daughters have had an abortion, receiving free contraceptives, on unemployment insurance, have an Obama phone and hate Big Bird?

• The Republican Party got PUNKED

• Huntsman's biggest downfall is taking the ambassadorship. It just didn't sit well with the party, and is confusing as hell.

• If I were dumb enough to let you pick the two candidates to choose from.

  The funny part of these conversations is the Democrat side of the sandbox attempting to choose who the best Republican candidate is. I would say the same for the Republican side of the sandbox, they also have no credibility to choose a Democrat candidate. Though they do wish they could don't they'?

  That being said let me dip my toe in the hypocrite end of the pool and offer the Republicans some advice.

  Huntsman is a RINO in the classic sense and would spend the US in oblivion for the appearance of the dreaded word 'compromise'. It is ok to say heck no to spending.

  Though I appreciate a candidate who has some form of deep faith in religion, Santorum just needs to keep religion and religious beliefs out of politics.

  The future of this nation depends on the ability of a Congress to govern using Article One, Section Eight of the Constitution as a foundation for governance. And use its powers as a co-equal branch to temper the power of the Executive branch.

  Sometimes it really is that simple.

• He would be after the democrats and the media sunk their teeth into him.

• Huntsman is a RINO in the classic sense and would spend the US in oblivion

  What a jacka$$ you are

  Huntsman maintained high approval ratings as Governor of Utah, reaching
  90% approval at times. He left office with his approval ratings over
  80%.

  Utah was named the best managed state by the Pew Center on the States.

  Following his term as governor, Utah was also named a top 3 state to do business in.

  The 2006 Cato Institute evaluation gave Huntsman an overall fiscal policy grade of 'B'; the institute gave him an 'A' on tax policy and an 'F' on spending policy.

  Utah was ranked number one in the nation in job growth during Huntsman's tenure

  The Utah Taxpayers Association estimates that 'tax cuts from 2005 to 2007 totaled $407 million.

  Huntsman proposed eliminating the corporate franchise tax for small businesses making less than $5 million.

  During his term as governor, he was successful in having Utah replace its progressive income tax with a top rate of 7%, with a flat tax of 5%; cut the statewide sales tax rate from 4.75% to 4.65% and sales tax on unprepared food from 4.70% to 1.75%

  Oh right.
  He worked with Obama

  That's what makes him a RINO, right?

• HAHAHAHAHA

• Christie and Huntsman would never win in 2016. Nor would Jeb Bush. Our Party has plenty of young blood. Yours does not. I always counted 2012 out of the R pool. I was hoping for an R win, but I knew it wouldn't happen with a complacent and racist-filled media. The Dems. literally have NO ONE to run in 2016 and beyond. I knew Rs would hold the fort from here on out.

• 'He worked with Obama
  That's what makes him a RINO, right?'

  No that made him dumb. Just as the bullcrap talk of Romney taking the Secretary of Business cabinet position would be dumb for Romney. Philosophical differences in approach to small to medium size business.

  Thank you for admitting the 'F' grade on spending. That would have been his weakness.

  Unfortunately, his record is not nearly as good on the spending side of the ledger. During his time in office, he proposed spending hikes in excess of 6 percent annually, well above the growth in Utahans' personal income. In fact, measured in terms of percentage growth, Huntsman was one of the biggest-spending governors in the nation.

  Kudos on getting tax revenue but if you piss it all away, what good was the revenue. Spending is the issue, always has been and always will be.

• Christie is not a contender. I have no clue what you're talking about. Read any conservative blog.

• Huntsman will never win. Get over it. Just like Christie, he cooked his political turkey.

• It looks like Mediaite has turned into a liberal lovefest. It all comes down to liberals liking other liberal comments. I don't know how a site maintains that web count overall, but apparently Mediaite is going for that segment.

  Too bad. It used to have some good commentary.

• HAHAHA I am loving all of the liberals who say that Huntsman was Mr. Awesomepants.

  It really is TOO funny. They are from Crazy Town.

• Exactly.

• I guess we can be Happy he was never given such an opportunity, although I will never understand Why the GOP saw Mitt as the better candidate' =)

• Nobody 'likes' your comments because you are a F'ing crazy person. I'm sure RayPrice 'likes' your comments plenty.

• I don't care who likes my comments. I see that my comment went WAY OVER your head. Try harder to understand next time.

• If you want a real comedy show, take a snapshot of all the wonderful comments about Huntsman from the Democrat side of the sandbox'

  Fast forward to October 2016 and somehow he is the Republican candidate for the Presidency'

  They accused Romney of 'murder', can you imagine what they will stoop to and accuse their formally beloved Huntsman of?

  Shaking my head that the liberal side of the sandbox actually believes this tripe about being 'more concerned'

  The re-election playbook would have been close to the same no matter who it was' destroy the candidate as early as possible, talk about everything else but the economy and anything else the Dems were weak, and then handout and promise 'stuff' to our 'constituents'

• and this is where you choose to hang out? among liberals?'

• Why would he have carried Pennsylvania? He got his ass handed to him in his Senate race there, and I'm guessing the Philly bloc of minority voters probably weren't too enthused about his reference to 'the blahhhhhhhs''which, of course, had no racial component to it, LOL.

• Good point, forgot he left as a complete failure in PA. I just think he would've done better than Romney (can't imagine him doing worse). Also, blahhhhh people was better than putting down 47% of the population IMO.

• Exactly. Liberals think that 'compromise' is ok. Conservatives like sound monetary policy. Good policy is good policy. The media must be bored, or not doing their job, or both'. because they're already talking about 2016. That's nuts. The R Party is young and strong. I don't know who the Dems. have that would have national brand appeal.

  Their two safeties are Joe Biden and Hillary. Hillary will be too old. Joe is just' well'. Joe.