Jon Huntsman: GOP, Communist China Comparison 'Taken Out Of Context'

Former Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman said Monday morning that his comments seemingly comparing recent GOP actions against him to communist China had been "taken out of context."

"I said, you know, if you're not on-script and you get knocked out of an event like that, the parties are supposed to be big-tent, you're supposed to bring in all ideas," Huntsman said on MSNBC. "And I said I thought for a moment about what they do in China if you're off-script. The [communist] party, they knock you out. We shouldn’t be doing that here, we should be accommodating all voices."

On Sunday, Huntsman spoke about being disinvited from a Republican Party fundraiser after calling for an "alternative voice" and the need for a third party movement.

"This is what they do in China on party matters if you talk off-script," Huntsman said at an appearance at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, according to BuzzFeed.

"I don’t know what world these people are living in," he continued, referring to unnamed Republicans' outspoken stances on American relations with China. "Is this the best we could do?"

Huntsman exited the GOP primary earlier this year after finishing third place in the New Hampshire primary. He's since been critical of the party and lukewarm on Mitt Romney, the Republican frontrunner. On Monday, however, he reiterated that he'd vote for the former Massachusetts governor, commending Romney's "commitment to jobs and his ability to articulate a plan for getting us back in action."

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Comments

[PhDcommonsense]

06:06 PM on 04/23/2012

Mr. Huntsman calling for SANESS in a Party that only wants to SLASH AND BURN DOWN their Opponents and the Country, you are CRUISING for a BRUISING and you will be asked to leave a Party you seem to LOVE.

However, keep it up. HEARING the TRUTH ERUPTING out of a Republican's Mouth is refreshing. Sometimes Republicans eat their own, like the Democrats DO all of the time.

[mjclear]

05:17 PM on 04/23/2012

He should stop yammering and start a third party. We could certainly use a few more choices and perhaps a tad more compromise.

[thebigbike]

05:12 PM on 04/23/2012

It's your party Jon you can cry if you want to , cry if you want to......

but you already know what they're like

[falconear]

04:40 PM on 04/23/2012

Jon Huntsman needs to stick to his guns, and tell it like he sees it. With any luck the Republicans will regain their sanity in the next four years and be ready for a candidate who's not a GD lunatic.

[OooZzzzz]

04:39 PM on 04/23/2012

Former Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman is one of the main reasons why the GOP can't seem to get their act together and contiue to live in the still Republican White male dominated neandetahl stone age.

Of all the Republican candidates, Hunstman was the best qualified candidate to run for the Presidency against Obama.

As usual, the GOP/right wing conservatives can't see a pure diamond in the rough because they relish and live the "good ole boy" network; taking care of their own political interests, associations/family and friends while casting away new age thinking Republicans who actually have real ideas; different ideas that are worthy, bringing people together, recruiting others to become Republicans (get rid of the "all-White" Republican label) knows how the real world works and can truly affect changes that Republicans wants but instead the GOP continues to live in the past & chose/support mindless manchuran candidates "robots" (Bush & now Romney) political figureheads that they can easily control; who don't have enough domestic/international experience to make Presidential decisions but are programmed to do the GOP's political and corporate business bidding done for their personal/professional benefits at the expense of the American people.

Huntsman woked for Obama as Ambassador to China and that automatically canceled him out.

Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist supported an Obama policy initiative and he was voted out of office and ousted from the Republican Party.

And they hate everything about Ron Paul.

[d00derman]

04:36 PM on 04/23/2012

Strange that the GOP throws the "Democrat Party are Communists" jab all the time that all of a sudden they are bu. tt. hurt when there is more a connection with the GOP and gets called on it.

[Donut Man]

04:32 PM on 04/23/2012

What he meant to say was that Republicans, like Communism in China, want to make America a one party state. Take that, Allen West!!

[axis53]

04:29 PM on 04/23/2012

Too late, Huntsman.
So, you tell the truth, and then it hits you - Repubs don't tell the truth!
The only thing it shows is that you still have a conscience, and that's a start!
Don't backtrack now.
Tell the truth, even if it's against your own person!
I'll bet you felt really good when you compared your party to Communist China.

[jack slack]

04:23 PM on 04/23/2012

this country is goin down the rabbit hole and the pols are holding the funnel!

the theme is "screw the nation" i gotta be on top when it all goes down the tube!

nobody in d.c. has any concern except "how do i get re elected next time!"

[Gestas]

04:20 PM on 04/23/2012

What do you call when a Party declares allegiance to Grover Norquist and his teachings.

[FLFan]

04:28 PM on 04/23/2012

Corrupt

[wakeupyouall]

04:33 PM on 04/23/2012

traitorous

[friskginger]

04:20 PM on 04/23/2012

Ain't that the truth.

[arkymorgan]

04:19 PM on 04/23/2012

"Huntsman ... commending Romney's "commitment to jobs and his ability to articulate a plan for getting us back in action." "

I got to this bit and any respect I might have had for Jon evaporated.

What plan? What ability to articulate? And the commitment to jobs? Jon, what did they offer you to put your brain in escrow?

[bungerman]

04:19 PM on 04/23/2012

Huntsman supports the Ryan budget, stop saying he's moderate.

[DFD CPA]

04:25 PM on 04/23/2012

Yeah, that's one thing...
But he wasn't up there at the debates blaming everything on Obama like the rest of them. That alone made me sit up in my chair and say to the TV "tell me more"

I don't know about anybody else, but I'm sick of the whole GOP platform of "if Obama likes it we must be against it." John McCain supported "green jobs" in 2008. Mitt Romney supported the Kyoto Protocol as long as it didn't exclude developing nations as it currently does.

[minnehot]

04:17 PM on 04/23/2012

This elitist crank needs to look at his watch and acknowledge his 15 minutes are up...

[sonofsonoflars]

04:12 PM on 04/23/2012

I dont really get the clarification. He pretty much said exactly the same thing.