|
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 |
