Frankly, I think I’d prefer Huntsman to Romney. Huntsman arguably has the best tax plan of any candidate, and unlike Gingrich, he didn’t wait until he was getting killed in the Iowa polls to announce it.
Of all the disappointments I’ve had in this year’s field, it’s been on taxes. It was just four years ago, in a FAR more hostile environment for conservatives, that virtually EVERY Republican candidate, Romney included, was proposing very significant tax reform or at least tax cuts. Now they’ve all retreated - no candidate other than the erstwhile Cain came out in favor of a non-optional flat tax, only a few are in favor of eliminating the capital gains and dividend taxes, and only Huntsman would really simplify the tax code in any meaningful way.
I was particularly disappointed in Bachmann on this issue. She must be the first tax attorney I’ve ever heard from who did NOT have a strong opinion on simplifying the tax code and ending double taxation, and I know quite a few tax attorneys.
If he didn’t go on that “anti-science” rip over global warming, I might be considering him.
But you’re right, even after all his moderate pandering, he’s still preferable to Romney.
So far, the entire field has been very weak on the issue of the federal budget, taxation, spending, Wall Street corruption, the out-of-control Federal Reserve and other financial/fiscal issues. They’re all off in the weeds on such trivial nonsense, it boggles the mind that they cannot see the elephant in the room that we’re approaching a point where, once we’re in a little more debt, we have no path forward but those similar to Greece, Italy and Spain. It further astounded me that Perry couldn’t think of three agencies to cut to nothing when there’s a list a dozen long. If you can’t remember one on stage, then name another, fer cryin’ out loud. Just start swinging an axe in DC, and fast.
Ron Paul appears to get the idea... sometimes... but then he gets a hair up his nose and he’s chasing butterflies out into the deep grass again.
Thad McCotter gave the only voice to the fiscal & financial issues early in the campaign, but he was hazed out rather early (and deservedly so - he has no executive experience). Huntsman appears as of this past week to “get it” WRT to the “TBTF” bankers.
I agree that Bachman was a huge disappointment on taxation.