The Other McCain

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Soon to Be a ‘Downfall’ Video Parody: Huntsman Campaign Goes Broke!

Posted on | October 14, 2011 | 20 Comments

The man I dubbed “Governor Asterisk” in August has spent more than $4 million dollars to achieve a Real Clear Politics poll average of 1.6% and is now about half a million bucks in the red:

Jon Huntsman’s presidential campaign is verging on broke after burning through more than $4 million since the former Utah governor entered the race for the Republican nomination in June.
The Huntsman campaign, which re-trenched last month by laying off staff and moving its national quarters to the must-win primary state of New Hampshire, finished the third fundraising quarter in September with just $327,000 in the bank and $890,000 in debt.
Since joining the race on June 21, Huntsman raised $2.26 million and contributed $2.25 million of his own money to the campaign for a total $4.51 million.
But a campaign official told CNN Friday that they have spent $4.18 million, leaving Huntsman with a paltry war chest as the GOP nomination fights heats up.

Wait until Hitler hears about this. He’s gonna be pissed.

UPDATE: Just checking the archives, it was while live-blogging the debate at Ames, Iowa — Aug. 11, at precisely 9:10 p.m. ET — that I wrote: “Jon Huntsman, asterisk.” And then subsequently:

9:29 p.m. ET: Question for Jon “Asterisk” Huntsman. He talks about how wonderful his record is in Utah. . . .
9:33 p.m. ET: Susan Ferrichio asks a question of Governor Asterisk, who says . . . eh, something.

The guy’s poll numbers never exceeded the statistical margin of error, and yet here he was chewing up valuable debate time as if this lightweight who had accepted an ambassadorship from Barack Obama had a snowball’s chance in hell of becoming the Republican 2012 nominee to oppose his former boss? Who could believe such a thing? So on the morning before the Sept. 12 debate in Tampa, this was how my American Spectator column began:

Governor Asterisk
Jon Huntsman doesn’t belong in the GOP debates.

TAMPA — CNN’s Wolf Blitzer should begin the Republican presidential debate tonight by asking Jon Huntsman a simple question: “Why are you here?”
The former Utah governor’s campaign has no obvious political rationale and is barely a statistical blip in national polls. Since he officially announced his 2012 presidential bid in June, Huntsman has only once (in early August) polled as high as 4 percent. Five of the six most recent national surveys show Huntsman’s support among Republican voters at a mere 1 percent — less than the margin of error. Despite the effective non-existence of his support, however, Huntsman will be among the eight candidates on stage tonight (8 p.m. ET) for the debate at the Florida State Fairgrounds sponsored by the Tea Party Express.
Of course, Blitzer would never question the legitimacy of Huntsman’s candidacy for the simple reason that the CNN anchor is a leading member of Huntsman’s most important constituency, the media. . . .

Like I said: Wait until Hitler hears about this.

UPDATE II: Jon Huntsman: I Am the 99%

UPDATE III: Hitler probably won’t take this news too well, either: Cain Campaign Finished Third Quarter With $1.3 Million Cash on Hand, No Debt

UPDATE IV: More bad headlines for Der Führer:

Huntsman Campaign $550K in the Red
— ABC News

Huntsman campaign reports nearly $1 million in
debt, even after donating $2 million to himself

— Associated Press

Jon Huntsman campaign nearly broke
— CBS News

Comments

20 Responses to “Soon to Be a ‘Downfall’ Video Parody: Huntsman Campaign Goes Broke!”

  1. Anonymous
    October 14th, 2011 @ 11:44 pm

    Is this enough to make him drop out? He’s bet the ant farm on NH and keeps insisting that he’s making progress there does he believe that?

  2. Christy Waters
    October 14th, 2011 @ 11:46 pm

    In other news, the orange guy has decided to boycott the debate in Vegas. Maybe he couldn’t hitch a ride from New Hampshire. Well, at least I won’t have to adjust the color on my TV.

    http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/187601-huntsman-to-skip-nevada-debate-in-protest

  3. Joe
    October 15th, 2011 @ 12:12 am

    I want to see Bachman and Santorum drop out so Herman Cain can sweep to victory. 

  4. Anamika
    October 15th, 2011 @ 12:14 am

    Wait until Hitler hears about this.

    He’s been dead for a long time. Can’t help but laugh at the deranged fantasies of neo-Nazi conspiracy theorist right wing loons….

    Well…excuse me for a moment while i edit a bin laden video.

  5. Adjoran
    October 15th, 2011 @ 12:15 am

    If Huntsman ever did gain any traction, someone would pull up the text of his notes to Obama and Clinton.  He sounded like a fawning sycophant to Obama and was brown-nosing Clinton so hard it would make even Barney Frank squirm a bit.

    Read those, and then tell me the jerk could win a Republican nomination for dogcatcher.

  6. Anonymous
    October 15th, 2011 @ 12:17 am

    Huntsman’s more like beige, not the pure Crist orange.

  7. Anonymous
    October 15th, 2011 @ 12:18 am

    Nobody ever accused you of getting a joke, Anamika.

  8. Anonymous
    October 15th, 2011 @ 12:23 am

    Do you suppose she knows that’s not actually Hitler in those downfall parodies?

  9. Adjoran
    October 15th, 2011 @ 1:08 am

    Yes, I believe Huntsman actually spent time in a tanning booth, whereas Crist only had time for the spray treatment.

  10. Adjoran
    October 15th, 2011 @ 1:09 am

    Please stop.  You’re giving idiots a bad name.

  11. Christy Waters
    October 15th, 2011 @ 1:31 am

    I think Huntsman’s about to launch his career in stand-up comedy. After those hideous oneliners at Bloomberg, he was feeling quite proud of his “hipness quotient.”

  12. Rose
    October 15th, 2011 @ 2:22 am

    LOL!

  13. Dancing over Jon Huntsman’s political corpse | BitsBlog
    October 15th, 2011 @ 6:28 am

    […] Robert Stacy McCain  blogs a victory dance over Huntsman rotting political corpse, from Other McCain: Soon to Be a ‘Downfall’ Video Parody: Huntsman Campaign Goes […]

  14. Anonymous
    October 15th, 2011 @ 9:10 am

    Cain, Cain, Cain, Cain, Cain….

    That’s the Herman Cain Train!

  15. William_Teach
    October 15th, 2011 @ 9:27 am

    Wait, Huntsman is still running? I thought that was just a long running media April Fools Day joke that they refuse to give up.

  16. McGehee
    October 15th, 2011 @ 9:27 am

    She’s the 99% (that give the other 1% of idiots a bad name).

  17. ThePaganTemple
    October 15th, 2011 @ 10:04 am

    At least we know he’s not being financed by the Chinese.

  18. McGehee
    October 15th, 2011 @ 11:14 am

    Unless he’s where they finally started cutting their losses.

  19. Anonymous
    October 15th, 2011 @ 11:31 am

    Apparently not.

  20. Proof
    October 15th, 2011 @ 3:36 pm

    Jon Huntsman was a candidate,
    His campaign was quite brisk.
    Four million dollars later and
    he’s just an “asterisk”.