Opina el padre

El industrial y filántropo Jon Huntsman padre, ha hablado con Forbes sobre las ambiciones presidenciales de su hijo:

(...) On Huntsman Jr.’s political career so far:

“When he left Utah as governor he had positive ratings from 80% of Republicans and 80% of Democrats. The state had a AAA credit rating.”

On his other experience:

“He has been ambassador to Singapore and China. He was a rockstar over there. He had to manage Sino-American relations including the trillions of trade dollars, the Dalai Lama, the Koreans, the Russians. The Chinese loved him. He is an exceptional individual. He was also president of our Huntsman Cancer Center.”

On his likeability as a person:

“He’s a motorcross rider, he does these long jumps. He’s a keyboard player. He had long hair and dropped out of high school to play in a band…He played with REO Speedwagon. I made sure I told him this was a temporary thing.”

Would Jr.’s campaign overlap too much with Mitt Romney’s? (Huntsman Sr. was co-chairman of Romney’s effort in 2008 and they all share the same Mormon faith.)

“Mitt and Jonny are third or fourth cousins. Mitt’s father was a dear and special friend to me when I was in the Nixon White house. But they are very different individuals. Jon Jr. is raising one his daughters as a Hindu [she's adopted from India]. He feels all people should exercise the faith of their heart. Also Jon’s issues are foreign policy. Put the two of them [Jr. and Romney] on the David Letterman Show and the public would think they are two very different people. One would arrive on a motorcycle and play the keyboard and have fun. It would be a fascinating campaign.”

So is he going to run or not?

“When you are in China for two years you are out of circulation. Before he gets too far out he wants to understand America’s needs and understand them thoroughly and deeply. I think he wants to be extremely well-prepared. If he finds there are challenges here and that he can put his arms around them…In a few weeks if he finds he can, then he wil feel comfortable proceeding. His father is clearly cheering him on.” (...)