Why didn't Jon Huntsman's bid ever catch on? (Newsvine Poll)

I think Huntsman failed because he is too intellectual, too rational and logical, and not prone to the radicalization of the new Republican party, aka, the dodo @!$%# crazy TParty.

He preached the party line without hate, ugly, condemnations, judgements and the newest religion on the block, "Christianity without the Christ thingy."

It's a loss too, IMHO, he was the only one that stood a chance with most independents who run scared from the "let 'em die mentality" that is consuming the extreme right now.

He's a moderate, not conservative enough and he worked for Obama. I'm sad to see him go, he was my favorite candidate.

Intelligent. Calm. Not willing to "go along". To list his association with Obama, when he served under GHW Bush and Reagan is unfair, to say the least.

Not sure why anyone would not want someone willing to serve their country regardless of who asked them.

I like the man, not all of his platform, but, the man.

All of the above.

They'll regret it later.

huntsman has had a dry run for 2016, when I will support him wholeheartedly as Obama will have restored the Country for this gentle man to ease in. he will have my trust.

Out of all the candidates on the Republican psychotic side.. he is the sanest.. IF I was a Republican I would of voted for him.. and there is the reason... he is moderate, and he even appeals to some Democrats.. He isn't 'Way Out There' ..

(He's not enough of a crazy, hypocritical flip-flopper)

.. and the President thought much of him to ask him to Represent the U.S. ..which is another on your list..

It's simple. He refused to pander to the lunatic fringe. Poor guy never stood a chance.

As it has been said before he was the only candidate that stood a chance in defeating Mr. Obama but the right has been taken over by the lunatic fringe who would never back a candidate who puts country first before party and it didn't help Mr. Huntsman that he does believe in evolution, global warming, eduction and is not a bible thumping loon.

A combination of all of the above

Jon Huntsman is a good guy but its too late...

The Tea Party/Evangelical crowd in the GOP just won't accept Huntsman because he worked under two or three Presidents...the extreme part of the GOP doesn't want anyone to THINK or NEGOTIATE The GOP of today are afraid of someone likes Huntsman you can and will think for himself.

Oh well, their loss

President Obama will get a 2nd term then opens the door to people like Huntsman

or Elizabeth Warren and people who are not extreme but certainly can help all Americans

Today's GOP appears to favor bullies and radicals, not statesmen as its candidates.

Has to be all of the above.He wasn't willing to say crazy things(the times I noticed he did,didn't fit him right),he worked for Obama(cardinal sin # 1),and he speaks a foreign language(so does Romney,FRENCH for Christ sake),but Romney is smart enough not to speak it in front of those who would be his subjects if he becomes king.

Strike one: he is a Mormon, there's hardly much room for one Mormon on the T publican Ark much less two.

Strike two: he got some o that Obama stank on him by putting country first.

Strike three: he made to much damn sence

Why was he not catch on?

He didn't have devine intervention telling him to run for pres.

He sound bites where not crazy enough to garner any attention from the media or to be commented on here at the vine.

Too Honest about things

Doesn't wear his faith on his sleve.

The Church (LDS) informed him that it was not his calling at this time, and that it was Mitt's calling for this round. Which btw, may be exactly the case. As the Church informs its members what they are to do for the church.

I think he did not have his game on. He did not have enough supporters giving him money to stay in the race. Plus maybe some are blaming him for negotiating the deals to give our jobs and consumer spending to China working in the past 4 presidential administrations in trade negotiations and now as an Ambassador under Obama's administration. He reminds me of all the toxic building materials, lead paint toys for children, dog food remember all the pets we lost a couple of years ago he probably was helpful in getting these products into America. China makes the stuff and we buy it while we borrow money from them to buy their products. Sounds really intelligent of us.

This election cycle is very hard core you have to be tough and have money behind you or you won't be able to stay in. Romney has big money behind him that alone is very hard to stand up to. Obama has big bucks behind him too. Ron Paul has more money than all the other candidates below Romney.

Nobody has really forgotten Newts democratic way of helping Clinton give our jobs to China and India. There is lots of personal and political dirt on him he could never beat Obama although he might well be the best formal debater that only means he can really make BS sound good.

Santorum could never beat Romney. No way could he carry the country on his foaming at the mouth homophobia, war mongering speak. He was called one of the most corrupted Senators and was voted out of office by a pretty wide margin.

The media loves Romney. He has hair that does not move and says empty things that don't mean anything and that's what the media loves. They hate Ron Paul.

The media throws Sanrtorum and Gingrich some crumbs because they are so opposed to Ron Paul and they will do anything including inventing a surge and pushing it on the people. i hear Iowa has some buyers remorse on Santorum.

It is almost comical how they use every trick in the book against RP and yet he still gets donations and he is getting more people behind him as he goes his numbers have greatly increased. I could not believe the shabby job the media did with the Huntsman Manchurian candidate video. They did no research yet offhandedly blamed Ron Paul's campaign all because some dumb @$$ used a screen name with Ron Paul's name. Not very well vetted by the media and I still think it was a dirty trick used against Ron Paul by the media to make him look bad and it was Huntsman's last ditch effort to get some attention from the media.

We will see what happens.

Why? We have moved past normal in the GOP party. It is controlled by the Limbaughs, Fox News, Corporatists, like Cheney, Extreme people who idol worship the idea of Christianity, and TParty rednecks who have no real legit reason to be angry over Obama other than he is an African American.

If you call yourself an Independent, than Huntsman was your guy.

Ended up in the 2% on that. He wasn't mainstream enough, most likely. I guess he didn't get the memo that it's not Ok to think outside of the box. :)

Huntsman is too normal to garner corporate media attention.

Our media needs the zany remarks to fill space between commercials.

Even Romney who rarely says anything of substance, has that whole flipin and a flopin thing going.

If a candidate is not a complete tool, the elites have no use for them.

It's pretty obvious that all the independents and non-neocon Republicans flocked to Ron Paul. Paul simply has more influence because he's been preaching the non-interventionist, free market ideaology for decades and has published multiple books. I can't imagine there are many young peopl.e who can say that Jon Huntsman changed their life.

Besides, Huntsman wasn't even that different from the GOP anyway, he said he would start a war with Iran and continue the War on Terror, War on Drugs, and other government abuses. He just appealed to Dems because he's similar to Obama in temperment.

As a moderate republican, I was hoping that Huntsman would catch on.  He didn't, so now I have to wait and see how the republican primaries turn out before deciding for whom I want to vote (or for whom I can tolerate voting) in November.

I'll consider Romney or Obama at this point, though writing in Mickey Mouse is always a possibility...

He believes in compromise to get things done.

Has to learn to lie better

Speaker Boehner because of his lack of control of the loons ruined any chance not just for Jon Huntsman but any sane , willing to compromise candidate to not just win but even contemplate running. Any quality of candidacy that the Republicans had distanced themselves from the mob.

Williard having little character to start with saw the writing on the wall and as a true opportunist was more than glad to take on the lunacy that would present the likes of Herman Caine, Michele Bachman et al.

Jon Huntsman on the other hand in earnest believed that he could rescue his beloved Republican Party and is probably one of the most perplexed Americans to date. His departure is probably more out of disgust than anything else.

The shainghaiing of the Tea Party backfired within Speaker Boehners weakness and cost the entire Party which now looses time in figuring out how to shake themselves from them.

Don't you just love it when a plan comes together ? Never underestimate insane for it doesn't even understand of itself..............

Speaker Boehner may not have been able to corral the teapublicans in the house, but it was the voters that put them in power; they are to blame. It was the 2010 voters that did not come out to vote against the teapartiers too. Now we see what the angry party did and we will right the wrong. Until the republican party rid itself of these radical members, then no sane and responsible candidate will emerge in 2016.

Too Quiet, Too Nice, looked and acted like a pushover ! Had some good points but didn't come across as someone that could get his points through in congress.

Reminded me of a "Well, if you say so, I'll do it" kinda guy.

I am a strong Progressive but must admit I liked Jon Huntsman. He is the only one in the GOP I could have even considered voting for. He was a voice of moderation in a party who has gone off on a far right turn into the Tea Party ditch. If more in the GOP were like Jon Huntsman and Ron Paul I would have much better feelings towards the GOP.

The GOP will not continue to be a national party if they keep veering rightward and being anti-poor and anti-minority as the rhetoric at least suggest. Jon Huntsman was the voice of moderation in reason but the right wingers had carried the day. There is no doubt in my mind Jon Huntsman would have carried more Independents and Democrats crossing over then any other candidate they had. The GOP is going to regret putting Mitt Romney a corporate insider and very much part of the 1% as their front man in an anti-corporate sentiment year. The fact the GOP is even talking about issues of improper use of capitalism, bail outs of banks, and some economic populism shows as I have been suggesting for some time is not limited to the left. The truth of it is many American's have had their faith shaken in government, Wall Street, large corporations, banks, major organized religion, and the only place they have some confidence in is themselves, their families, communities, and the American People. Thus Jon Huntsman's Trust deficit was right on target and the right remedy towards creating the conditions that will be necessary to move this country forward.