Jon Huntsman

Jon Huntsman Jr. (1960–) is the former governor of Utah, current United States ambassador to Russia[1] (formerly Singapore[2] and China[3]) and a presidential candidate in the 2012 U.S. presidential election's Republican Party primaries.[4] A question arose about his ambassadorial appointment, what kind of insane person appoints someone proficient in Chinese but without Russian language skills to be ambassador to Russia?[5]

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Despite some other things from his state being known for woo and fundamentalism, he is actually quite moderate in regards to social issues and has gone against the anti-science sentiments in the Republican Party, supporting the scientific consensus on evolution and global warming.[6] He has been accused of being a RINO because he is not a Teabagger.[7]

Opinions

Economy

His tax policies have been praised by the Cato Institute,[8] which is not a good sign. He has described his tax plan as "business-friendly,"[9] which was a bit of an understatement — in 2012, he wanted to decrease the corporate tax rate by 10% and remove the tax on income earned overseas.[10] Huntsman has additionally called for removing tax deductions altogether.[11]

Science
“”To be clear. I believe in evolution and trust scientists on global warming. Call me crazy.
—Huntsman on Twitter[12] in reaction to comments made by Rick Perry

Huntsman was one of the most pro-science Republican candidates in the 2012 election, believing in the theory of evolution and global warming;[6] however, he has flip-flopped on the issue of regulating businesses' greenhouse gas emissions. In 2007, he worked with other Western states to reduce emissions and advocated for nationwide action regarding the issue of climate change,[13] but later backtracked due to the Great Recession, saying that regulations would make it harder for the economy to recover.[14]

Social issues

Huntsman has expressed support for civil unions for same-sex couples, and later expanded his support to include same-sex marriage.[15][16] He is less liberal on abortion, saying that ignoring abortion and focusing on economic issues would be "a deficit of the heart and of the soul," and has signed a bill to make abortions illegal during the second trimester.[17]

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See also

References
  1. McCormick, J. (2017, March 8). Trump Chooses Jon Huntsman for Ambassador to Russia, Official Says. Bloomberg Politics. Retrieved from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-09/trump-said-to-choose-jon-huntsman-for-ambassador-to-russia
  2. Huntsman Jr. Tapped as Envoy to Singapore. (1992, June 18). Deseret News.
  3. Cillizza, M. D. (2009, May 17). Utah's Republican governor tapped as ambassador to China ; Is an 'unstinting advocate for US interests in Asia. The Boston Globe (Boston, MA). Retrieved from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-20275107.html?refid=easy_hf
  4. Haberman, M. (2011, June 14). Huntsman's in. Politico. Retrieved from http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/56928.html
  5. Will Jon Huntsman Go Rogue in Moscow? Huntsman was smart and savvy as Obama's ambassador to China—but his lack of local knowledge could be crippling in Russia, foreign policy hands say. by Melissa K. Chan (March 13, 2017) Politico.
  6. Jon Huntsman believes in evolution and global warming, so can he win a Republican primary? by Aaron Blake (2011, August 18) The Washington Post.
  7. Enter at your own risk.
  8. Edwards, C. (2008, October 20). Fiscal Policy Report Card on America's Governors: 2008 (Rep. No. 624). Retrieved https://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa-624.pdf
  9. Jon Huntsman on the Issues. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ontheissues.org/Jon_Huntsman.htm
  10. See the Wikipedia article on Jon Huntsman.
  11. Parker, A. (2011, August 31). Huntsman Urges Stripping Deductions From Tax Code. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/01/us/politics/01huntsman.html
  12. https://twitter.com/jonhuntsman/status/104250677051654144
  13. Struglinkski, S. (2007, November 16). Huntsman appears in climate ad. Deseret News. Retrieved from https://www.deseretnews.com/article/695228198/Huntsman-appears-in-climate-ad.html
  14. Cappiello, D. (2011, May 27). GOP hopefuls once hot, now cold on global warming. The Oakland Press. Retrieved from http://www.theoaklandpress.com/general-news/20110527/gop-hopefuls-once-hot-now-cold-on-global-warming?viewmode=fullstory
  15. Gehrke, R. (2011, May 12). Huntsman's civil-union stance may prove political liability. The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved from http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=51795519&itype=CMSID
  16. Jon Huntsman Backs Gay Marriage by L. Johnson (2013, February 21) Huffington Post.
  17. http://www.issues2000.org/2012/Jon_Huntsman_Abortion.htm
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