Monday, June 20, 2011

Dept. of unintended consequences: Jon Huntsman edition

When the Obama administration named Jon Huntsman ambassador to China, it was seen by most as a political coup: The administration managed to look bipartisan while achieving a very politician objective; taking a potential challenger off of the board. And perhaps it was. Huntsman?s time in the Obama administration will certainly make it harder for him to survive a Republican primary. But as Jim Rutenberg reports, it?s also given him some unexpected political advantages:

It has bolstered his position as the only candidate in a field dominated by former governors to have direct foreign policy experience. And, as relates more closely to the building of a campaign, it put him in close proximity to some of the nation?s leading chief executives ? and potential campaign donors and fund-raisers ? as they sought assistance in doing business with China. Diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks show meetings with the leading executives from Cisco, Pfizer and Wal-Mart; close contact with the United States Chamber of Commerce; and requests for help from the Las Vegas Sands casino, the chairman of which, Sheldon Adelson, is a major Republican fund-raiser.

Currently, Nate Silver gives Huntsman 25:1 odds of winning the nomination. InTrade gives him at a 10.6 percent chance of winning. But there?s a long way to go yet.



Source: http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=f8965bee5b3eb051c62c78c9f202a269

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