Utah loses its only ray of hope for normality...

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So there's been a *lot* of talk around town lately about Utah's Governor leaving the state to be the new Ambassador to China per Obabm's request.

The current buzz is that Jon Huntsman is considered by many to be Obama's biggest threat in 2012 elections...which doesn't make sense to me. Making a governor an ambassador just increases his threat come election time...

Anyway, I'm actually kind of bummed...Huntsman has the only hope this state had for becoming normal. He has pushed for relaxed liquor laws, and has really fought hard to get Utah on the map. The moron who's going to replace him can do nothing but mess things up.

Have some linkage:
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=6510155
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=6509378

 

My guess is Obama's figuring he's handing his opponent a ticking time-bomb, that SOMETHING will happen with China at some point, and it will probably end badly somehow, and he can place the blame on the Ambassador. It is a risky tactic, though, as Mr. Huntsman may end up pulling something very good off when whatever happens happens, in which case he ends up looking like the hero.

 

As usual "the buzz" is what it is...meaningless noise. I don't think that's why Obama chose him. Could it be that he might be competent for the job?

Sometimes good things happen to nice, competent people -- from either party.

 

I don't think he's handing his opponent a ticking time-bomb at all. According to the article, Huntsman has spent considerable time in Asia, and is fluent in Mandarin, a skill that would be kind of useful as an ambassador to China. I doubt very many other high ranking politicians can say the same. Is it possible that Obama picked Huntsman because he was highly qualified?

To me, the most shocking thing about the article is Huntsman is apparently a moderate Republican who supports relaxed liquor laws and civil unions - I didn't know that such people in Utah even existed. Also, while the article notes Huntsman as a potential presidential contender in 2012, it says in the very next sentence that most people do not think there's a high probabilty of him running before 2016.

I feel that getting to be an ambassador to one of the most powerful countries in the world (it's not like Obama is asking him to go to Lesotho) would only enhance his political resume. Even if something bad does happen in China, it won't stick on Huntsman. Bad things happen in countries all the time, and I've never heard of the ambassador to that nation taking the blame for it. (The ambassador to the UN is another matter.) This has a far greater chance of benefitting Huntsman than hurting him, and will still allow him to run for president in 2016.

 

Utah lost it's only ray of hope in 1985 when I graduated from the University of Utah and left the state in an euphoric, drunken stupor.

 

I agree with everything you remarked, Aldeth. I would add that the Republicans are in the process of driving-off all their moderates, as essentially heretics. I think if there is a political strategy, (and I'm sure there is a piece of this that is political), it is to drive a sharper wedge between those draconian Republicans, who want to purge their party of heretics, and those who are moderates and willing to work with Obama and the Democrats. Obama continues to isolate his most vocal and strident Republican critics from the mainstream, something he is becoming very good at.

 

I agree with Chandos and Aldeth here. I'm a big fan of Huntsman (I'm a born-and-raised Utah boy myself) and think this pick is a great move. That said - I feel for Kit, he's the coolest governer Utah's had in a long time and he'll be missed. Mike Leavit was a pretty good gov, too.

This instance is part of a pattern: Obama's bringing the most competent and reasonable conservatives into his orbit, where he'll work in concert with them to get things done, while further isolating the Cheney / Limbaugh wing of the GOP. This is both good politics and good governance. And it's devastating to the GOP's future electoral chances, since their response to the election so far has been to lurch farther to the right and embrace the wingnuts, rather than to learn any hard lessons from the last election.

 

WTF?!?! We're talking about the US Government here! Doing something that actually makes sense is not allowed!

LMFAO and Reped!

Levit wasn't liked by non-mormons to much. When Bush took him away, there was a sigh of relief across the state.

 

For clarification, by my earlier statement, I didn't mean to imply that Huntsman wasn't qualified, more that Obama was potentially killing two birds with one stone (filling a vital role with someone well qualified for the position and putting a potential rival in a precarious position). Considering some of China's actions over the past few months, some kind of confrontation with them seems likely within the next year or so, and Huntsman will likely be in the middle of it as ambassador.

 

If it's Utah, don't you mean MORMON not MORON?

 

Oldest joke in the book, Dalveen. Donnie and Marie even used it. Uggh.

 

Donnie and Marie? If you are referring to some form of American Humour, the fact I'm British would mean I've never heard it.

 

I believe he was referring to the entertainers Donnie and Marie Osmond. They're from Utah.

 

Here you go, Dalveen. Please forgive me.

 

A wee bit before me time.

 

Which reinforces my point that the joke was old and somewhat stale.

You know, as SPs resident active Mormon (ATM, anyhow, what the hell happened to Gnarff?) I have to weigh in about Utah. I've visited several times, and stayed there for about 8 weeks in the Missionary Training Center whilst preparing for my adventures in Japan. In a lot of ways it is a wonderful place. Some of my best friends in the whole wide world come from Utah.

However, . . .

I've found a lot of sanctimonious weirdos there as well. Bear in mind that this comment is coming from a practicing, devout Mormon. In a sense, the state is a perfect candidate for the old cliche, "A nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there!"

 

First of all DR, that clip is begging for some negative rep.

Sure, Huntsman will be in the middle of it, but I've never heard of an ambassador getting BLAMED for causing the confrontation in the first place. (Unless you're arguing that Huntsman would be the cause - but in that case he would cease to be a good choice.)