Huntsman: U.S. must focus on ‘getting our house in order,’ ‘manufacturing muscle’

By Jonathan McFadden
mcfaddenj@mytjnow.com

After stepping away from the podium, Huntsman took time to speak with attendees of his meet-and-greet on Friday. One resident of Lake Wylie boasted about Huntsman’s connections with China and felt the candidate should exploit his “trump card.” Photo by Sarah Auvil • auvils@mytjnow.comGraduates with liberal arts degrees would still have a place in GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman’s vision for a new marketplace —a vision that includes revived “manufacturing muscle” resulting from economic engagement, global competition and lower unemployment rates, he said last Friday.

It also includes more options for college students to develop skills —like manufacturing and information technology— that will contribute to overall economic growth, said Hunstman, who made his 8 a.m. stop at Winthrop the cap of a three-day tour in South Carolina. 

Touting credentials that include serving as U.S. ambassador to China and two terms as governor of Utah, Huntsman voiced to a crowd of close to 50 students and citizens his displeasure with the nation’s economic woes and high unemployment numbers.

Once he stood behind the podium, Huntsman vented about the nation’s “dispirited” character and issued his verdict: “We’re in a funk.”

He went on to say “there’s no confidence in our direction” and “we can’t kick it into first gear.” 

So, how does the candidate hope to turn the funky, dispirited nation around?

In the same vein of other GOP presidential potentials, Huntsman stumped for creating a “realistic” flat tax that would clear out the income tax, shift the tax burden onto higher-income citizens and lower corporate tax rates.

Unlike his contenders, he has the experience to match the promise and an endorsement from the Wall Street Journal, he said. 

Laura Ullrich, professor of economics, lauded praise on Huntsman’s tax policy, dubbing it as a plan that “makes sense” when compared to proposals lobbied by his competition. 

But, as a mother of three and firsthand witness to the amount of debt out-of-college graduates are saddled with, Ullrich asked for Huntsman’s idea to lighten the load.

His answer: “Create more opportunities in the marketplace for higher ed students.”

Such opportunities would include job preparation and skill development programs, and a more acute focus on two-year institutions offering technical training, he said.

Huntsman after his opening speech. Photo by Sarah Auvil • auvils@mytjnow.com“…The students who maybe didn’t want to go to a four-year institution, they could be involved in a job training program…” Huntsman said. “You say ‘four years, four years, four years,’ a lot of students get out in four years and they’re not employable.”

With an expanded marketplace that offers all types of opportunities, “graduates of all kinds would find jobs,” Huntsman said.

“We’re the most innovative nation on earth, and to be the most innovative nation on earth you’ve got to draw from all kinds of backgrounds and all kinds of skill sets,” he said.

Using Bill Gates and the late Steve Jobs as examples, Huntsman told The Johnsonian that many entrepreneurs came from a diverse cross-section of disciplines not found in the classroom.

“Instead of going to school, they wanted to apply their ideas in the marketplace. So, first and foremost, we need a marketplace that is conducive to embracing those new ideas,” he said.  

Funky nation 

Huntsman vented his support of severing the nation’s dependency on foreign nations for oil, and repealing “Obamacare,” a pejorative term for President Barack Obama’s health care package.

Huntsman also touched on foreign policy, calling for the removal of U.S. armed forces out of Afghanistan and Iraq.  

“We shouldn’t be nation building in Afghanistan, which is what we’re doing,” Huntsman said. “We must focus on getting our house in order.”

If “our house” doesn’t get in order, Huntsman fears the nation’s core will continue to weaken and America will lose its status as a tough competitor in the global marketplace.

“When America is strong, the rest of the world does better,” he said. “We are weak today and because of that, the world is suffering.”

Over 100,000-stationed troops in Afghanistan is unnecessary, Huntsman said. Instead, collecting foreign intelligence and amassing Special Forces to “go after the bad guys” will redirect the nation’s priorities while still addressing terrorist activities. 

“Foreign policy in this country should be driven by economics,” Huntsman said. “Afghanistan is not this country’s future; Iraq is not this country’s future.”

Support

Laura Ullrich, professor of economics, asks Huntsman about his thoughts on higher education after praising his tax policy. Photo by Sarah Auvil • auvils@mytjnow.comThough speaking at 8 a.m. on a Friday, Huntsman received an eclectic group of visitors.

Irina Krikun, a Russian exchange student and international business major, said she went to watch Huntsman because it’s “so unusual to see” a possible presidential candidate in person.

Rock Hill resident Brad McKeown, on the other hand, said, “I like the cut of his gem.“ 

McKeown said he feels Huntsman isn’t “divisive” and would be able to unite the economy.

After Huntsman’s visit came to a close, McKeown called Hunstman “an articulate fellow.”

Impressed with the way Huntsman was “drilling down to the issues” on Friday, McKeown threw his support behind Huntsman and said he felt the candidate is focusing on rebuilding the economy.

One attendee felt Huntsman’s experience negotiating with the Chinese doesn’t hurt either, calling it the candidate’s “trump card.”   

Leaving his post as Utah’s governor to take a job as the nation’s ambassador to China, Huntsman has taken flak from voters and his contenders who label him as a moderate because of his alliance with a Democratic president and stance on issues, such as support for same-sex marriage. 

Friday, Huntsman avoided slamming his critics —instead preferring to illustrate the nation’s divide and calling such indictments “nonsense.”

At a young age, Huntsman said his family embedded an ethos in him that placed his country first.

Failure to serve the country when asked, whether under a Democrat or Republican,  is “unpatriotic,” Huntsman said.