Post-Debate Memo to Jon Huntsman
September 12th, 2011




Tonight Huntsman managed to be the least likable guy on a stage that included Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul. No small feat.

The only thing people dislike more than a smug smart-ass is a smug smart-ass worth $16-$71 million.

The insult-comic gimmick may go over great with Vogue correspondents, but with Republican voters it’s probably not enough to pull Pawlenty numbers.

P.S.: What would have been more bizarrely stilted, his Kurt Cobain name-check, a Korn Kidz shout-out? It’s such a weird reference, not (just) because it was totally ill-suited, but because Nirvana isn’t culturally relevant, but isn’t old enough to be classic, either. He might as well have tossed out Cracker or Harvey Danger or Soundgarden.



  1. Jason O. September 13, 2011 at 9:03 am

    Wait a moment…Galley Boss Freddie “The Beetle” Barnes thought that the “Mitt-ola of Rock and Roll-a” won the evening last night…is there a schism in the WS ranks?

    I always wondered back in the day when Barnes was on McLaughlin: Was John calling him “The Beetle” (insect) or “The Beatle” (rock star)?

  2. REPLY
  3. Marc Drops September 16, 2011 at 2:45 am

    I’m glad Huntsman comes off as a creepy flake to everyone else too. He was our governor in Utah the past several years and he was anything but conservative. If Huntsman, the high school drop out, had his way this Red State would be stifled by progressive environment restrictions that would have killed commerce. Huntsman is a douche plain and simple who got his money from his daddy.

COMMENT