There’s absolutely no reason for the GOP (or anyone) to listen to Jon Huntsman

[DonViejo]

Failed presidential candidate Jon Huntsman proposes a hapless strategy for a party that hates him

BY ALEX PAREENE

Former Utah governor, U.S. ambassador to China and failed presidential candidate Jon Huntsman has been making the media rounds recently, sitting down with the Huffington Post and CNN, sharing his big ideas about How to Save the Republican Party From Itself.*

Before we get into those ideas, and their merit, something should be made very clear: It doesn’t matter what Jon Huntsman thinks, at all. Conservatives should feel no obligation to listen to him, because he has no constituency in the Republican Party — no allies, supporters or acolytes. Liberals shouldn’t listen to him because for all his “the GOP must remake itself in my image” talk, he always conveniently forgets to mention that he’s precisely as conservative — on all the same issues — as Mitt Romney is. (Or as Mitt Romney became, as the case may be.) His “centrism” is entirely a matter of style and tone.

For the current budget showdown, he proposes … “entitlement reform,” along with a rhetorical openness to the possibility of maybe allowing the top marginal tax rate to rise, which is what makes him a big pinko now, apparently:

“You will have to have some compromise built in, and perhaps even on the marginal rates going up for a certain income category. My going-in position would be: Let’s work on phasing out all the deductions and loopholes. There is a trillion dollars there. Let’s see where that leaves us and move forward before you start willy-nilly raising taxes.”

Is this appreciably to the left of Mitt Romney’s position?

more:
http://www.salon.com/2012/12/03/theres_absolutely_no_reason_for_the_gop_or_anyone_to_listen_to_jon_huntsman/

[Angry Dragon]

1. 'phasing out all the deductions and loopholes' is 'raising taxes'

I question how they can deny this