Jim Pethokoukis joins George Will:
Huntsman a conservative? As governor, he massively cut income and sales taxes — instituting a 5 percent flat income tax — while expanding the state’s “rainy day” reserve fund. His approach to healthcare reform relied on markets rather than mandates. As the Club for Growth describes it, “Utah’s main health reform contained no individual mandate, no employer mandate, and has very limited regulatory authority. … It empowers individuals to take ownership of their own health insurance and to choose coverage that works for them.” If elected president, Huntsman says he would like to slash tax rates to their lowest levels since before America entered World War One and eliminate taxes on capital gains and dividends. … He’s also pro-life, a dedicated free trader and – at least as evidenced by his sweeping bank reform plan — an ardent anti-crony capitalist.
Conn Carroll compiles more evidence "from the conservative media, both establishment and insurgent," that Huntsman may get a real second look. I'm a little stunned that Erick Erickson is on board:
His record as a Governor is more conservative than Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney combined. He is more pro-life than either of them. He is more economically wedded to the free market than either of them. He has better foreign policy experience than either of them. Huntsman should be a conservative hero in this race.
(Photo: Republican presidential candidate and former Governor of Utah Jon Huntsman speaks to members of the media after a presidential debate at Wofford College November 12, 2011 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The debate was focused on national security and foreign policy. By Alex Wong/Getty Images.)
The Dish 