The common line on Jon Hunstman — intended variously as praise and critique — is that he is running against the conservative base. PBS’s Sal Gentile offers this as a datapoint:
I think the reporter completely misunderstands the contours of the Right here, on many levels. First, I think he lumps conservative members of Congress in with the Tea Party. Second, further down the writer seems to arguing that Republicans oppose all loophole closure no matter what, and that Huntsman is breaking with orthodoxy by offering revenue neutral loophole-closing-with-rate-reduction tax reform.
In truth, there’s no conservative group that opposes that. That’s exactly what Americans for Tax Reform advocates.
But setting aside the problems with PBS’s reportage, it interests me that Huntsman is willing to talk about “corporate welfare.” Because most GOP presidential candidates are infused with K Street lobbyists, this talk is usually for outsider candidates, like Ron Paul. Establishment types like Huntsman generally avoid such unseemly populist rhetoric.
For a good take on Huntsman, I recommend Michael Brendan Dougherty’s profile on the man.
