Huntsman joins the race.

As the latest Republican to jump into the presidential race, Jon Huntsman is working to make a name for himself.  And who is Jon Huntsman?  Well apparently he is different.  When logging on to his website, after watching a clip from his announcement speech in Liberty Park (a view similar to that of Ronald Reagan’s announcement speech in 1980), you are taken to the “HTV” (after looking at it, I think this means Huntsman TV) section of his website and shown the first of a series of clips on this page.

            This first clip shows a person riding through fields on a dirt bike.  This is Jon Huntsman.  We learn he is a family man, a rock-and-roller, and a lover of food-trucks.  This five minute video is set to slow-paced music with a slow-paced narrator sticking to a four-count throughout this video (and the next two).  He goes on and on about how Huntsman and his wife talk everyday, detailing how they use Skype, and re-emphasizing that yes, everyday they talk.  The video shows Huntsman being active and explains his passion for different things, but the video itself, with the music and the slow narrator, exuded anything but excitement.  In fact, I found it quite boring.  I appreciate that he wants to prove himself as a “different” type of Republican, one without the drama.  But a lack of drama does not need to mean a lack of energy. 

            The rest of his site is sleek looking, with a timeline of his life, his daily blog, a press section and opportunities to volunteer and donate.  Though it is sleek, I feel it lacks the same key ingredient that the video lacks- excitement.  It is very mellow seeming.  There is no section for his stances on the issues.  Again, it is one thing to want to avoid drama, but to be a presidential candidate, you need to be able to talk about the controversial topics and this means the issues.

            Now as I said, I appreciate Huntsman’s wanting to play a different type of politics.  I agree that the rhetoric in many these campaigns, and in other aspects of politics, has gotten out of control and off topic.  But there is a middle ground, where the rhetoric is not based on hate to bring people together, but on hope- and not a boring hope that Huntsman shows, but an inspirational hope- and the man who did this, was non-other than the President, and I have a feeling he will do it again.