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Jon Huntsman for President Announcement Speech -- Excerpts
I'm Jon Huntsman. I've been a governor, a businessman, and a diplomat. I'm the husband of the love of my life, and the father of seven terrific kids. A son of great parents.
I'm from the American west, where the view of America is limitless with lots of blue sky.
I've lived overseas, where the view of America from 10,000 miles away is a picture of liberty, opportunity and justice; people secure in their rights and in love with their freedom, who've done more good for more people than any other nation in history.
And today, I'm a candidate for the office of President of the United States of America.
...
For the first time in our history, we are about to pass down to the next generation a country that is less powerful, less compassionate, less competitive and less confident than the one we got.
This is totally unacceptable and totally un-American.
And it NEED not, MUST not, WILL not be our permanent condition. We will not be the first American generation that lets down the next generation.
...
What we need now is leadership that trusts in our strength. Leadership that doesn't promise Washington has all the solutions to our problems, but rather looks to local solutions in our cities, towns and states. Leadership that knows we need more than hope, leadership that knows we need Answers.
And we must make hard decisions that are necessary to avert disaster. If we don't, in less than a decade, every dollar of federal revenue will go to covering the costs of Medicare, Social Security and interest payments on our debt. Meanwhile, we'll sink deeper in debt to pay for everything else - from national security to disaster relief. Our country will fall behind the productivity of other countries. Our influence in the world will wane. Our security will be more precarious. The 21st Century then will be known as the end of the American Century. We can't accept this, and we won't.
We must make broad and bold changes to our tax code and regulatory policies; seize the lost opportunity of energy independence...and reestablish what it means to be a teacher in society.
We must reignite the powerful job creating engine of our economy - the industry, innovation, reliability, and trailblazing genius of Americans and their enterprises -- and restore confidence in our people.
We did many of these things in Utah when I was governor. We cut taxes and flattened rates. We balanced our budget. Worked to maintain our AAA bond rating. When the economic crisis hit, we were ready. And by many accounts we became the best state for business and the best managed state in America. We proved government doesn't have to choose between fiscal responsibility and economic growth. I learned something very important as Governor. For the average American family there is nothing more important than a job.
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I don't think you need to run down anyone's reputation to run for President. Of course we'll have our disagreements. I respect my fellow Republican candidates. And I respect the President. He and I have a difference of opinion on how to help the country we both love. But the question each of us wants the voters to answer is who will be the better President; not who's the better American.
Behind me is our most famous symbol of the promise of America. President Reagan launched the 1980 general election here in an earlier time of trouble and worry. He assured us we could "make America great again," and under his leadership we did. I stand in his shadow as well as the shadow of this magnificent monument to our liberty.
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We're a resourceful, ingenious, determined, problem solving people. We don't settle for less than our character and talents can achieve. We choose our destiny. We always have, and we always will.
This is that moment. We're not just choosing new leaders. We're choosing whether we are to become yesterday's story or tomorrow's. Everything is at stake. This is the hour when we choose our future.
Jon Huntsman Announces Candidacy For President Of The United States
Jon Huntsman today announced his candidacy for President of the United States at Liberty Park in New Jersey in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, as former President Ronald Reagan did 31 years earlier.
In delivering his speech today, Huntsman highlighted the importance of the upcoming election:
For the first time in our history, we are about to pass down to the next generation a country that is less powerful, less compassionate, less competitive and less confident than the one we got.
This is totally unacceptable and totally un-American.
And it need not, must not, will not be our permanent condition. We will not be the first American generation that lets down the next generation.
...
What we need now is leadership that trusts in our strength. Leadership that doesn't promise Washington has all the solutions to our problems, but rather looks to local solutions in our cities, towns and states. Leadership that knows we need more than hope, leadership that knows we need answers.
Jon Huntsman is a devoted family man with seven children who brings a track record of finding the answers to the challenges we face. As Governor of Utah, Huntsman was a conservative problem-solver whose accomplishments clearly distinguish him from his opponents:
I'm running, will you join me?
Today, June 21, 2011, 12:00:00 PM | Admin
Just a few minutes ago at Liberty Park in New Jersey, with my family looking on, I declared my candidacy for President of the United States.
I enter this race with a different perspective than others. I’ve recently had the honor of serving as U.S. Ambassador to China. That view of America from 10,000 miles away is a picture of liberty, opportunity and justice; people secure in their rights and in love with their freedom, who’ve done more good for more people than any other nation in history.
Perhaps our strength at home has waned, but that perspective from afar has helped me see a path back to greatness.
This morning I spoke about that new direction. I discussed the tough choices we must make to restore fiscal discipline and reignite our economic engine.
We did these things in Utah when I was governor. We balanced budgets, maintained our AAA bond rating, and by many accounts became the best state for business and the best managed state in the nation. You will hear more about my record in Utah and my plan for America in the coming weeks and months.
I spoke today in the shadow of Lady Liberty, our nation's most famous symbol of freedom. It was in that same spot that Ronald Reagan, in a time of great crisis and worry, launched his campaign to restore the promise of America. Three decades later, this nation once again finds itself at a crossroads and in need of a new vision, a new path forward, and new leadership that knows we need more than hope – we need answers.
I hope you join our effort. Our campaign is different. Our ideas are different. Our results will bring America back to the top.
Source: Jon Huntsman For President Website
Huntsman speaks in NH while fellow GOP candidates debate in Nevada
He told the crowd - to raucous applause - that he would continue to ardently support New Hampshire's place as the nation's first primary.
HOPKINTON -- Republican Presidential candidate Jon Huntsman - skipping a Nevada debate in a show of support for New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation Presidential Primary - told a standing-room-only crowd of about 250 that the United States needs long-term solutions to its economic woes.
Referring to a jobs plan being pushed by his former boss, President Barack Obama, Huntsman said he would get to the "root" of why businesses aren't hiring, namely taxes and regulations.
"When taken separately, there are parts of it that are probably OK," said Huntsman, the former governor of Utah. "But in total, we're not thinking big enough here. (The jobs plan) is temporary, it's half measures and it's fleeting. It'll be gone in a year or two and then we'll be back to where we are now and running more deficits."
Huntsman's town hall meeting, held in the hometown of Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, coincided with a Republican primary debate held in Las Vegas, which he was invited to. While other candidates - businessman Herman Cain, former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich - have joined Huntsman in boycotting the Nevada caucus after that state's officials set it for Jan. 14, Huntsman was the only major candidate who skipped Tuesday's debate in Nevada.
He told the crowd - to raucous applause - that he would continue to ardently support New Hampshire's place as the nation's first primary.
"Here in New Hampshire, you don't have anywhere to hide. It's just you and the people," he said. "In New Hampshire, you have something special. And may it always be protected."
New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner is bound by state law that calls for the nation's first primary to be held in New Hampshire's and at least seven days before any similar event. With Nevada holding its caucus Jan. 14, and Iowa set for Jan. 3, New Hampshire would not be able to set its primary for Jan. 10, meaning Gardner is considering dates in December for the first-in-the-nation primary, though he and numerous prominent national Republicans, including 2008 presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, have appealed to Nevada officials to move their caucus to Jan. 17.
Other candidates, including former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who has been leading most polls, have so far declined to say they will boycott the Nevada caucus.
Huntsman, who in addition to serving as Utah's governor has served as an ambassador to China under President Barack Obama, recently moved his campaign headquarters from Florida to New Hampshire in the hopes that a good showing in the New Hampshire primary will give him a boost.
He has trailed the other candidates in most polls, though he placed third in a recent Suffolk University poll among New Hampshire GOP voters, with 10 percent. And he was surprised by the unexpectedly large turnout.
"I thank you all for coming out," he said. "This was an event where I didn't know if we'd have two or 200."
The crowd was, for the most part, friendly to Huntsman, asking him questions about the economy.
But Jillian Dubois of Hudson challenged him on his position of abolishing the Affordable Care Act in favor of allowing states to "experiment for three, four or five years." She said her brother, David Andrews, was able to remain on their parents' health care plan, which allowed him to afford a recent rotator cuff surgery.
"That was because of the Affordable Care Act," she said. "I don't think we have time for states to become test tubes to experiment with this."
Huntsman did not back down, saying he would still work to repeal the Act, which he called "Obamacare." He said he would rather duplicate an option he helped make available in Utah - low premium coverage of catastrophic events designed for "young immortals" who otherwise wouldn't purchase health insurance.
"What we can't afford is to have $1 trillion dumped on this economy," he said. "Ultimately, I think (the low-premium coverage) would be a way to cover more people like your brother."
Huntsman answered questions on a host of topics, including energy policy, illegal immigration, introducing a "means test" for Social Security and Medicare benefits as one way to rein in costs and the war in Afghanistan.
"We've routed the Taliban from power. We've had free elections. We've uprooted Al-Qaeda and we've killed Osama bin Laden," he said. "We don't need 100,000 troops nationbuilding elsewhere when our nation needs to be built back up. Ladies and gentlemen, I say to you that the time is right for us to bring those troops home."
Huntsman Campaign to Boycott Nevada Debate; Hold "FITN Town Hall" in New Hampshire
Manchester, NH - Jon Huntsman for President campaign manager Matt David issued the following statement:
"Next Tuesday, Governor Huntsman will boycott the Nevada presidential debate, and instead hold a 'First-in-the-Nation' Town Hall Meeting in New Hampshire, to discuss his bold plans to create jobs and reform America's foreign policy for the 21st Century.
"While Mitt Romney's campaign has tried to game the system by encouraging Nevada to move to an earlier date, Governor Huntsman is sticking up for the Granite State.
“We call on all other campaigns to join us, avoiding typical hypocritical politics by paying lip service to New Hampshire, while campaigning in Nevada.
“New Hampshire plays a vital role in our nominating system in that -- unlike any other primary -- it gives voters the opportunity to engage substantively with the candidates on the myriad issues facing our country.
"To that end, this town hall will provide Granite Staters a substantive alternative to yet another in a long string of sound-bite dominated debates."
Huntsman Campaign To Boycott NV Caucus If It Continues To Threaten NH Primary
Manchester, NH - Statement from Matt David, Huntsman Campaign Manager:
"In an effort to preserve New Hampshire's historic first-in-the-nation primary status, the Huntsman campaign will boycott the Nevada caucus as long as the state continues to jeopardize New Hampshire's primary date. We call on the other campaigns to join us, especially Governor Romney's campaign given their involvement in moving Nevada's date forward."
Source: Jon Huntsman For President Website
The Most Important Election Of Our Lifetime
Friends –
2012 is the most important election in our lifetime.
After three years of bigger government, higher taxes and more spending, America desperately needs a return to conservative principles: limited government, lower taxes and balanced budgets.
On the campaign trail, I have spoken often about the need to fix not only our nation’s economic deficit, but also our deficit of trust and unity.
America is more divided than ever, and for our nation to move forward together with new leadership and unite, the Republican Party must first unite.
Today I am suspending my campaign and supporting the candidate who is best-equipped to defeat the president and return conservative leadership to the White House: Governor Mitt Romney.
To our many supporters and volunteers, I offer my heartfelt thanks. Mary Kaye and I are equally humbled and amazed at the outpouring of support we’ve received from friends and complete strangers.
Today our campaign for the presidency ends, but our campaign to build a better and brighter America continues.
We will continue to fight for a tax code that unleashes opportunity rather than stifles it; an energy policy that ends our addiction to foreign oil; congressional term limits; education reform that prepares our kids for the 21st Century; and financial reform that protects taxpayers from future bailouts.
Over the last six months, I have seen the best of America. I’ve seen it in the spirit of our entrepreneurs, the courage of our veterans, and the unyielding optimism of our young people. I saw it in China 10,000 miles away, meeting with dissidents who had been tortured and beaten, but who drew strength from our nation's values -- our openness, our freedoms.
Half a world away, they could see America's light. That is the power our country still represents.
I will never stop fighting for America, and I will continue to put her welfare first, ahead of any partisan or special interest.
I am unshaken in my belief that with the right leadership, we can move forward together, and ensure that America’s light shines bright for generations and generations to come.
God bless you, and God bless America.
Jon Huntsman
Source: Jon Huntsman For President Website