Jack Welch: Just 3 Serious GOP Presidential Contenders

CNBC ^ | June 24, 2011 | Michelle Fox

[ejdrapes]

Jack Welch: Just 3 Serious GOP Presidential Contenders
Published: Friday, 24 Jun 2011 | 11:52 AM ET Text Size By: Michelle Fox

There are three real contenders in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, according to former General Electric chairman Jack Welch.

He thinks Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney or Jon Huntsman will top the GOP ticket in November 2012.

“Each of them has their pluses and minuses,” Welch said. “Only time will tell over the next six months of grueling campaigning” who will emerge as the better leader.

All are former governors. Pawlenty spent two terms in the Minnesota statehouse, where he was credited with tackling a $4.3 billion deficit. He has set an ambitious goal of boosting the US economy by 5 percent annually. His economic plan includes generous tax cuts for individuals and corporations and slashing government spending.

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has pushed his business experience when attacking President Barack Obama’s handling of the economy. During his one term as governor, Romney says he eliminated a $3 billion deficit without borrowing or raising taxes. He has promised to cut taxes, reduce government bureaucracy and create jobs, as well as cap federal spending at 20 percent of gross domestic product.

Huntsman, the last of the three to throw his hat into the ring, is the former governor or Utah and a former U.S. Ambassador to China. While he was the state’s chief executive, Utah was named by the Pew Center as the Best Managed State in America. The millionaire businessman has vowed to create jobs, streamline the tax code and work to keep the federal budget from being swallowed by entitlement programs and interest payments on national dept.

If Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas, enters the race, Welch would also count him as a viable candidate.

Campaign promises aside, Welch said the most important thing the person occupying the White House needs to do is articulate a vision for the economy.

“Show the country why the vision is worth it,” Welch said, “and equally important, what’s in it for everybody to do it.”

That’s the bottom line of any business, and he thinks it applies to leading the country.

“People need to know where they are going, why they are going there and what’s in it for them to go there,” he said.

Right now, he doesn’t think the Obama Administration has shown the right leadership because it hasn’t clearly expressed where it wants to take the country. Instead, he thinks the administration has created a series of “piecemeal” initiatives that have created too much uncertainty.

For one, he believes financial regulation is a good idea, but he doesn’t think the Dodd-Frank law or other laws that were written “in the back room somewhere” are the answer.

He also thinks that for green energy to work, leaders need to invest in research and development while allowing drilling and power plant operations to continue.

Two other “piecemeal” initiatives on Welch’s radar are multilateralism, which he said hasn’t helped the situation in Libya, and the health care law. He questioned how millions of people will be added to the government health care rolls without a tremendous cost to taxpayers.

Welch was more sympathetic towards Ben Bernanke. He called the Federal Reserve chairman’s job “brutally tough.” Bernanke was a hero during the crisis, he said, and now he’s just trying to do what he can with the Fed to “keep things going.” But Welch does have his concerns.

“The question is, is money too cheap for too long and what will be the downstream implications of this easy money policy…going forward?” he asked.

As things stand now, we’re in the early stages of what would be a normal recovery, Welch said. But he emphasized the country has to have policies that “don’t scare us.”

“We want to be the most innovative, competitive country in the world—creating jobs and better lives for everyone,” he said.

[MNJohnnie]

There are three real contenders in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, according to former General Electric chairman Jack Welch.

Proof positive that you can be a CEO of a multinational corporation and a total moron at the same time.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

What’s so new about 2010? American elections tend to favor the minority party and even gain leverage in their when the economy is in trouble.

According to MOST of the predictions, Republicans were supposed to take both houses and gain a fair advantage in the Senate. But the House did not add up to the projected number and fewer seats were won that many claimed would surely belong to the GOP.

So, 2010 was good, but not nearly as big as was projected.

[dangus]

Jon Huntsman is the Republicans’ Mike Gravel. Amazing how everyone in the Republican Establishment loves this little treasonous liar.

[TexasFreeper2009]

lol

Those are the three that will for sure lose!! what is this guy smoking?!?

[Diogenesis]

The author makes false statements about Romney:

"Romney says he eliminated a $3 billion deficit without
borrowing or raising taxes. He has promised to cut taxes,"

Bad Gov. Romney devastated Massachusetts (see CATO)
and Romney raised taxes even for victims ..... in NH.

INCONVENIENT FACTOID OF THE DAY:

Bad Gov. Romney, in another of his “hit and runs”
managed to even raise taxes on New Hampshire residents
while Gov. of Massachusetts.
Believe it or not.

Proven-Failed Governor Mitt Romney should be NOWHERE near government in the USA.

"As U.S. real output grew 13 percent between 2002 and 2006, Massachusetts trailed at 9 percent.
* Manufacturing employment fell 7 percent nationwide those years, but sank 14 percent under Romney, placing Massachusetts 48th among the states.
* Between fall 2003 and autumn 2006, U.S. job growth averaged 5.4 percent, nearly three times Massachusetts' anemic 1.9 percent pace.
* While 8 million Americans over age 16 found work between 2002 and 2006, the number of employed Massachusetts residents actually declined by 8,500 during those years.
"Massachusetts was the only state to have failed to post any gain in its pool of employed residents," professors Sum and McLaughlin concluded.
In an April 2003 meeting with the Massachusetts congressional delegation in Washington, Romney failed to endorse President Bush's $726 billion tax-cut proposal."
[Cato Institute annual Fiscal Policy Report Card - America's Governors, 2004.]

[dirtboy]

But the House did not add up to the projected number and fewer seats were won that many claimed would surely belong to the GOP.

Hardly. The projections were pretty spot-on.

But, once again, please tell us who you think we should rally around.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Well, considering that Welch played around, got caught by his missus, and lost over half of everything he owned, I’d say that his opinion counts for squat.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Fox News reported this morning that under Huntsman state spending in Utah was growing by over 10% per year. Even in a deep blue state like Massachusetts, Romney was able to keep it under 3%. Huntsman is toast.

[ejdrapes]

Obsessed much?

[Baynative]

Does this guy make money for what he does?

[ejdrapes]

Where did I bash Palin in this thread?

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

I favor Bachmann at this point, and also think Perry will be a contender. (Don't bother informing me about Perry's conservative Democrat past, since I have researched his background already.)

Perry's record speaks for itself, running a state that is about to overtake California in economic statistics. But more importantly, Perry has set records for the longest term as Governor and has been very much responsible for it's current condition. (Which is good, considering it's size and rapidly increasing population.)

[ejdrapes]

Um I responded to someone who said this campaign will become serious if Palin announces. I just stated the obvious that Welch doesn’t think so. Doesn’t mean I agree with him. I’m a Bachmann supporter and he didn’t mention her either. Palin supporters need grow a spine and quit being so thin skinned. Thank god Palin’s not that way.

[DaxtonBrown]

Don’t quit your day job, Jack.

[ejdrapes]

Huntsman is a true vanity exercise. He won’t win jack in the primaries.

[Elsie]

He thinks Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney or Jon Huntsman will top the GOP ticket in November 2012.

Dang!

I didn't know that Jack was a MORMON; too!?

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

I would also question Huntsman's name recognition problem.

He barely polls above 5% at this critical stage. In my book, Perry may become a real threat to most of the lesser known candidates. Bachmann is also rising much faster than many predicted.

[Elsie]

He thinks Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney or Jon Huntsman will top the GOP ticket in November 2012.

Perhaps Welch has it right; for the MSM would SURELY love to waller a MORMON around it the mud like they've done Sarah!

[Elsie]

The guy seriously believes Huntsman is a potential winner?

He really didn't say this - just that he'd BE there...

[Elsie]

GE is essentially a client company of the Federal government.

Pish...

Tell me just who ISN'T!!!

The Fed's get about 1/3 of MY money every year. How about you?