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Operative boosted Jon Huntsman at Republican Leadership Conference
Politico ^ | 6-20-11 | Jonathan Martin

Posted on 06/21/2011 8:24:41 AM PDT by Brookhaven

Perhaps the biggest surprise at last weekend’s Republican Leadership Conference was the second-place straw poll finish of Jon Huntsman. Continue Reading

He bailed out on his scheduled appearance, is little known among the conservative activists who dominated the event and his closest competitors for the non-Ron Paul vote were grass-roots favorites Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain.

So how did he snag so many votes?

Partly due to the effort of a New Orleans Republican named Bryan Wagner.

An influential former city councilor and big McCain backer, Wagner is close to former Rep. Joseph Cao.

In an interview, Wagner said he, Cao and New Orleans school board member Brett Bonin talked up Huntsman to their friends in the days leading up the gathering.

“We were very, very pleased with the outcome we got,” boasted Wagner.

But when pressed about who paid for the registration of the pro-Huntsman voters, Wagner grew defensive.

He flatly denied purchasing any tickets but wouldn’t say who did put up the money for the Huntsman voters.

“I can’t speak for everybody on the campaign,” he said.

Wagner, did though, confirm that there were two separate groups of Huntsman backers brought into the conference: his friends and associates from the New Orleans area and another group from out of town.

“I had nothing to do with the bus,” he revealed.

After repeated attempts to get him to clarify where the tickets came from, Wagner hung up the phone.

Huntsman’s campaign denied that they had provided Wagner with tickets and won’t say how they got their supporters to the event.


TOPICS: Campaign News
KEYWORDS: huntsman
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In other words, they used the same strategy Ron Paul used. Bus in people and pay them to vote for your guy.
1 posted on 06/21/2011 8:24:48 AM PDT by Brookhaven
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To: Brookhaven
You got that. Both are paying for phony enthusiasm.
2 posted on 06/21/2011 8:26:56 AM PDT by svcw (Non forgiveness is like holding a hot coal thinking the other person will be blistered)
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To: Brookhaven

a liberal with no forth coming vote from me.


3 posted on 06/21/2011 8:27:24 AM PDT by ken21 (liberal + rino progressive media hate palin, bachman, cain...)
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To: Brookhaven
is little known among the conservative activists

No, he's little-LIKED among conservatives....

4 posted on 06/21/2011 8:28:16 AM PDT by PGR88 (I'm so open-minded my brains fell out)
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To: Brookhaven
An influential former city councilor and big McCain backer, . . .

Why am I not surprised? Has Megan weighed in on Jonnie boy yet?

5 posted on 06/21/2011 8:28:29 AM PDT by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
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To: Brookhaven

Sounds like the SEIU and the leftards way of doing things

but then Huntsman is a Big Big fan of the Kenyans, so it’s no surprise that this is how they have to get votes, unlike the Congressman Dr. Ron Paul who’s grass roots really are


6 posted on 06/21/2011 8:30:10 AM PDT by bodfish ((Regarding liberalism, always attribute to malice what you think can be explained by stupidity.))
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To: PGR88

Huntsman is liked among conservatives - where is that?


7 posted on 06/21/2011 8:31:40 AM PDT by svcw (Non forgiveness is like holding a hot coal thinking the other person will be blistered)
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To: ken21

He’s this election cycle’s McCain. Someone the liberal media will support until actually getting the GOP nomination. Then, like McCain they turn on him.

We will not allow the liberal media to pick our nominee again. That’s our pledge.


8 posted on 06/21/2011 8:31:50 AM PDT by kjo
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To: PGR88

ooops - Just saw LITTLE.


9 posted on 06/21/2011 8:32:13 AM PDT by svcw (Non forgiveness is like holding a hot coal thinking the other person will be blistered)
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To: Vigilanteman

Visit the Politico.com. There are five stories on Huntsman above the fold. Why in the world would Politico have any skin in the game for the Huntsman campaign?

People - listen up, Huntsman is nothing but a caricature of the GOP ginned up by the DNC and MSM. They are building him up as the Republican to beat and will use him as the strawman for everything that is ‘wrong’ about the GOP to convince voters that Obama is worthy of a second term.

The MSM is stooping very low with this one to carry the water bottle for the DNC. Pissing me off ...


10 posted on 06/21/2011 8:33:02 AM PDT by Free America52 (The White guys are getting pissed off. We beat Hitler Hirohito and Krushchev. Obama will be easy.)
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To: Brookhaven

Hey you just can’t buy.....well...ahhhhh...Never mind I guess you can buy it.


11 posted on 06/21/2011 8:35:20 AM PDT by Kartographer (".. we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.")
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To: ken21

Who says we don’t have a big tent? Another ‘progressive’ republican!! Just goes to show how far the left has moved the ‘center’.

preparing for another obama term. This is gonna get ugly.


12 posted on 06/21/2011 8:45:00 AM PDT by griswold3 (Character is destiny)
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To: Kartographer
Kartographer wrote:
Hey you just can’t buy.....well...ahhhhh...Never mind I guess you can buy it.

I'm not sure he bought. It sounds like he might have just rented. Or maybe the check bounced.

13 posted on 06/21/2011 8:45:04 AM PDT by cc2k ( If having an "R" makes you conservative, does walking into a barn make you a horse's (_*_)?)
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To: Brookhaven

14 posted on 06/21/2011 8:45:21 AM PDT by frankenMonkey (Because he was the son you bore, And gave to that wind blowing and that tide!)
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To: Brookhaven

Apparently, Obama and his minions have notified the MSM that there is no way the conservatives are buying the Mitt Romney as “strong front-runner” line! So, they are throwing out new names like Huntsman and Perry! Using HOPE, to CHANGE conservatives away from well, CONSERVATISM!

We need to stop running in the “middle” and start running STRONG, HARD, DELIBERATELY RIGHT (morally & politically)!

The American people are tired of Budweiser (Dems) and Bud-Lite (Repubs)!! We the American people are ready for something strong and decidedly DIFFERENT such as Sam Adams (Tea Party)!

Ronald Reagan ran as a hard-right nominee and governed right-center-right! We have seen over and over, when a Republican runs “middle of the road,” they govern center-left (See Bush (both))! We must, MUST have a hard right nominee, or America will go the way of the Roman Empire!


15 posted on 06/21/2011 8:46:56 AM PDT by ExTxMarine (PRAYER: It's the only HOPE for real CHANGE in America!)
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To: Brookhaven

Both men are kooks.


16 posted on 06/21/2011 8:49:10 AM PDT by Conservativegreatgrandma
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To: svcw

Huntsmans dad was a billionaire,,, just saying.


17 posted on 06/21/2011 8:55:33 AM PDT by DesertRhino (I was standing with a rifle, waiting for soviet paratroopers, but communists just ran for office)
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To: Brookhaven

In other words, he’s a liberal.

Oh wait, we already knew that.


18 posted on 06/21/2011 9:08:52 AM PDT by snowrip (Liberal? You are a socialist idiot with no rational argument.)
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To: Brookhaven

Ron Paul did not bus in people. They also didn’t “pay them”

In case you’re actually interested to see if Ron Paul has enthusiastic, motivated, and organized supporters, look at ronpaulforums.com . You’ll see a lot of people there.

Ron Paul has organized supporters. They talk to each other, and help the campaign in ways that they find best. That includes dragging their own butts to these straw polls.


19 posted on 06/21/2011 10:46:05 AM PDT by truthfreedom
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To: Brookhaven

I think that if u ask Ron Paul and his supporters about who was financing/supporting his campaign they would be more honest and forthcoming with the answer.

Something tells me that these libs pay much lip service to public SERVICE and transparency but manage to consistently work to undermine those things because socialism in and of itself relies on coercion so their approach to civil discourse and civil affairs reflects that approach to life.


20 posted on 06/21/2011 11:22:55 AM PDT by defendit (America is undergoing a REVERSE Glasnost/Perestroika. Wake up and smell the B.O.)
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