Jon Huntsman: Transcript of ABC/Yahoo News Exclusive Interview

Nov. 8, 2011 -- SHARYN ALFONSI: --good morning, Governor Huntsman. Thanks so much for-- for joining us this morning.

JON HUNTSMAN: It's an honor to with ya. Thank you.

SHARYN ALFONSI: It's-- it-- we-- we're starting off asking the candidates all the same question. And we just wanna know, when was the moment that you decided you wanted to be president of the United States?

JON HUNTSMAN: I would say it was within the first few days after coming back from China. We had served over in China for two years-- under this president. And-- we came home, knowing that we-- would be there for a couple of years. And you look at where our economy is. You look at the level of joblessness. You look at our position in the world. And then you have-- a choice to make when you have people approaching you about the possibility.

You either-- y-- you either stand on the sidelines and watch what, clearly, is the most important election of-- of my lifetime, perhaps since the '30s, play out. Or you do as Teddy Roosevelt used to advocate. You get in the arena and you add to it. You broaden the debate. And you bring some of what you've learned by virtue of being governor twice-elected, living overseas four times, working in business, and try to help shape the debate during a difficult and challenging time in our country.

SHARYN ALFONSI: Is it-- was there any thought, "Maybe just wait a few more years"?

JON HUNTSMAN: No. (LAUGH)

SHARYN ALFONSI: And so you--

JON HUNTSMAN: Because (?)--

SHARYN ALFONSI: --had to get in now?

JON HUNTSMAN: Well, I-- I'm not much into politics. You know, I don't kinda (?) plan ahead and say, "I-- I think we'll do steps A, B and C en route to something in the future." It strikes you that your country is in a very precarious situation today.

It can't wait for a few years. You know, I fear that if we-- if we defer the critically important decisions that must be made in changing our economy and addressing joblessness, which is adding to this painful divide that we have (LAUGH) in this country, which is unnatural and unhealthy, frankly, for we as Americans-- you-- you either get in and-- and address these issues based upon what you-- you-- you have to give at the time, or you stay out.

I-- I'm not into planning and plotting. Yeah, I-- you take advantage. You-- you look at where we are today. And you say, "I've got something to offer that is relevant, that is concrete-- that is solid." And you move in there and try to shape the debate.

SHARYN ALFONSI: And I'm gonna ask you about Herman Cain. Overnight-- fresh accusations-- a fifth woman came forward. I know over the weekend you said that this scandal's taking away from the bandwidth of more important discussions. So, watching what's happening now and all the attention on this, do you think at this point this is hurting the race? Is it hurting the party? What-- what does Herman Cain need to do now?

JON HUNTSMAN: It's a distraction. And Herman Cain can deal with it however Herman Cain chooses to deal with it.

SHARYN ALFONSI: Is it hurting the party?

JON HUNTSMAN: I-- I'm worried about the 14 or 15 million unemployed who are not able to tune into a discussion about how we're going to expand the economic base and create more jobs. I'm concerned about those who are concerned about losing our position in the world.

I'm concerned about those who are unable to pay their bills-- day in and day out, who don't have the dignity of employment. I mean, that's kind of how we suffer when these things come up. It takes-- all of the oxygen out of the room, and we're not able to have legitimate conversations about where this country goes. We get consumed with kinda the scandal of the moment.

SHARYN ALFONSI: So, what do you-- what do you say to-- Herman Cain, who's out there right now. What does he need to do so that we can move past this or move forward?

JON HUNTSMAN: Fa-- (LAUGH) far be it for me-- to give Herman Cain--

SHARYN ALFONSI: Do you feel--

JON HUNTSMAN: --any advice.

SHARYN ALFONSI: --he's being forthright in answering questions?

JON HUNTSMAN: Listen, he'll-- he'll have to address these issues, as-- as he will. As for me, I-- I just wanna focus on the issues that really matter to the American people.

SHARYN ALFONSI: You-- getting to you and-- and to your campaign, the New York Times called you the most viable candidate to beat President Obama. The Wall Street Journal said that your-- you had the best economic plan of any GOP candidate. You were ambassador to China-- worked in the private sector. You-- left after being a two-term governor with an 80 percent approval rating. But in the polls nationally, you're polling at two percent. What's the problem? Why haven't you gotten the momentum that everyone expected you might have?

JON HUNTSMAN: Believe it or not, people are just tuning in. We sit around. In (?) about two months you're gonna see different numbers. And it will be (COUGHS) led, I do believe, by this first primary state called New Hampshire, where we-- we got a steady rise in the polls based upon 100 events on the ground.

We've been there-- town hall meetings-- house parties, VFW, club visits. We have a steady substantive rise in New Hampshire, which I think in the end is gonna matter most. They want someone of substance, someone with a track record, someone w-- with a vision to address-- this issue of joblessness and the issue of trust.

When we're running on empty in terms of the trust that the American people have in our key institutions of power like Wall Street and like Washington, we're in a very precarious position as a country. So, we have these conversations with the people in New Hampshire. We're movin' up. We're connecting with these people. And I believe that's going to translate into how we are seen throughout the nation.

SHARYN ALFONSI: How do you convince partisans that-- the-- Obama's ambassador to China isn't a bad title, isn't a bad word?

JON HUNTSMAN: Well, I-- I-- I like to say that I was born in the Navy. I was raised with the ethos that (COUGHS) you always put your country first. (COUGHS) During a time of-- economic hardship, during a time of war, for you not to put your country first when you're asked to step up and serve in a critically important and sensitive slot like-- the U.S. ambassador to China? I think that would be unpatriotic, quite frankly. And that's a philosophy I'll take to my grave. I--

SHARYN ALFONSI: You don't think it hurt you?

JON HUNTSMAN: Well, I know that there are certain folks out there who will say, "Huntsman, no how, no way--

SHARYN ALFONSI: Yeah. (LAUGH)

JON HUNTSMAN: --"could I ever vote for--" that's okay. But there're also a lotta people in this country who say, "Thank goodness, (CLAP) there are still folks around who believe in putting country first-- ahead of partisanship. We need more of that in a country that is deeply divided." I also served President Reagan. I served President Bush. I served President Bush. I believe in giving back and helping my country where I can.

SHARYN ALFONSI: You know the criticism of you is, "He's too moderate to catch fire."

JON HUNTSMAN: Well-- (COUGHS)

SHARYN ALFONSI: Is that fair?

JON HUNTSMAN: --people should not confuse-- a-- a moderate-- temperament with a moderate record. You know, you look at my-- governing history in the State of Utah-- consistently pro-life, always have been, (CLAP) consistently pro-Second Amendment, pro-growth. I delivered the largest tax cut the state had ever seen in history.

I delivered a flat tax. I see candidates-- I hear them talking about a flat tax. You know, they're gonna do thus and such to create tax re-- I actually did it in my state. And we delivered a state with the leading-- job growth numbers in this entire country. I delivered-- the second-- voucher bill in this entire nation for education-- healthcare reform without a mandate.

I was twice elected governor of a conservative state. So, when people begin to look at that and they say-- the track record may say something else. There may have been some preconceived notions about what kind of-- person or leader he was. You drill down and you look at the track record. You say, "He's-- he's a center-right governor."

SHARYN ALFONSI: But do you think people--

JON HUNTSMAN: And all--

SHARYN ALFONSI: --are getting that message?

JON HUNTSMAN: Well, they-- (LAUGH) the-- the more they look, the more they get it. And you know what? With all of m-- I'm getting a little whiplash watching (LAUGH) everyone in the race go up and down. And you know what? They're now asking the fundamental question.

And I can hear it. I can sense it. I can feel it. They're saying, "Now that we have to go to the ballot box in a couple a short months, who can actually do this job? Who actually has the track record, the temperament-- the vision for this country-- that will allow us to get where we need to be in addressing joblessness and to bring our people together during a time of critical need?" SHARYN ALFONSI: It seems like--

JON HUNTSMAN: I think we'll be there. We'll be where we need to be.

SHARYN ALFONSI: It seems like you're betting the bank on New Hampshire. You've been to the state more than a hundred times with public events. If it doesn't happen in New Hampshire, what's next? Are you out?

JON HUNTSMAN: It'll-- (LAUGH) it'll ha-- ha-- it'll happen at (?) New Hampshire. Failure--

SHARYN ALFONSI: And if it doesn't?

JON HUNTSMAN: --failure is not an option, as they say. And if I didn't feel it in my bones, if I didn't sense a connection with the people of New Hampshire, where we started with house parties-- you get a trickle of people in and then they-- it kinda morphs into town hall meetings, which are packed. People come in, (SLAP) they hear the buzz in the state that, "Hey, this-- this crazy Huntsman guy, he's worth tuning in to, he's worth listening to. He's got a track record. He's got a vision. He's got some ideas that are worth hearing out." So, as that gets out and as that multiplies in a small state-- I like our chances. We're gonna do just fine in New Hampshire.

SHARYN ALFONSI: If you don't, would you throw your own money into-- into the campaign and keep going?

JON HUNTSMAN: Well, we put-- a li-- some in to begin with. And-- you've gotta get the machinery going. It's kind of like a start-up company in (SLAP) that sense. I-- I don't have the luxury of having-- run for president for four or six years, where you have-- a lotta the infrastructure built up.

You see a need when your country is-- in a very difficult situation. You wanna get in and try to-- help out. You gotta start from scratch. And so, I did put some in. And-- an interesting thing has happened, though-- is as we've gone up in the polls of New Hampshire-- fundraising has followed suit-- picking up about 250 percent. So, I say, as we do well in New Hampshire, people will take note of that. And-- we will become that undervalued stock (LAUGH) that people will say, "That's a pretty good investment. I think we'll make the play." And I think they're gonna drive that value up in the marketprace (SIC)-- pr-- p-- pretty quickly.

SHARYN ALFONSI: We reached out to our ABC viewers and the Yahoo users and asked them to submit questions. One of the questions we've heard over and over again was about China. And people said, "How do we get these jobs back from China?" You know China intimately. Is that where we should be focused? And how do you answer those voters?

JON HUNTSMAN: Absolutely. I believe that we (CLAP) have a unique opening in history. China is going down as opposed to up in GDP growth. They've been at eight, nine, ten percent growth for 30 years. I've lived overseas four times. I've li-- I've seen the rise of Asia and specifically the rise of China. Now, they're beginning, as you look in the next few years-- a downward trajectory in terms of economic growth-- four, five, six percent growth. That's gonna cause unemployment to-- to-- to-- to-- to spike upwards.

SHARYN ALFONSI: Well, what could you do as president--

JON HUNTSMAN: That's--

SHARYN ALFONSI: --immediately?

JON HUNTSMAN: --but that's gonna create instability. And you know what? The investment dollar that does to China for manufacturing is gonna look for another home where it can plant itself. We would be fools in this country if we didn't say, "It is time to make this the greatest manufacturing power the world's ever seen"-- r-- resorting to our roots.

That means you gotta fix your competitive environment. That means you gotta fix taxes. I put forward a tax reform package. The Wall Street Journal, of all publications, came out and said it's the best of the bunch. We need to fix our regulatory environment, because there's no predictability. There's no confidence in where this economy is going.

And we need to take concrete steps toward energy independence. If we do those three things, this marketplace will begin speaking to competitiveness. We gotta fix job training. There's no question about that. But that's completely doable. We need to make the initial steps that will speak to competitiveness, that will speak to winning back that investment that we have lost that goes to manufacturing.

And we can win (?) back our manufacturing muscle in this country. I have no doubt about it. It isn't that China's moving up. They're moving down. And I say, let's take advantage of that opening. Let's become the manufacturing power. We always have been in the past. Let's regain that position.

SHARYN ALFONSI: What areas should we be in in manufacturing right now in this country?

JON HUNTSMAN: You-- you can't predict that. As governor, I could never predict that. I could say, you gotta create an environment that speaks to competitiveness, innovation, creativity, and then you let the free people of this country decide. But I'm guessing it's gonna be more and more in the ar-- areas of-- of health sciences, in biotechnology.

Our future in part is gonna be conquering human disease, extending human life, the breakthroughs, the diagnostics, the therapies in providing a better quality of life from a health sciences standpoint. I think there's gonna be a revolution in that particular area, as there will be in how we power our economy-- natural gas, the natural gads (SIC)-- gr-- gas bridge that we can build into the future. That's a huge area of innovation and productivity for this country, along with how we power our future.

SHARYN ALFONSI: Let me just switch gears really quickly. Everybody would kill me if I didn't ask you about your daughters. (LAUGH) They are an internet sensation. They famously called David Axelross's (SIC) mus-- tache-- a flavor savor, as in the Herman Cain video has been viral. (LAUGH) Did they give you any attention (?) and say, (SLAP) "Dad, this is what you need to get some momentum going"?

JON HUNTSMAN: They're great. They're-- (COUGHS) they're terrific surrogate-- performers, I should say-- (SLAP) not speakers but perfor-- but here's the reality of my life. You know, you give a major foreign policy speech. It goes up on YouTube and you get five hits.

If my daughters do this corny ad, (LAUGH) they put it out there, it gets half a million hits and it goes viral. And I say, "I begin to understand it. The political landscape is changing in terms of (LAUGH) how you communicate and get your message out there." I love them dearly. They love their dad. They have a sense of humor. And-- and they're very creative.

SHARYN ALFONSI: Do they tell you to loosen up?

JON HUNTSMAN: Oh, they-- (LAUGH) they tell me more than that.

SHARYN ALFONSI: Okay. (LAUGH)

JON HUNTSMAN: And I say, "I like being surrounded by advisors who will tell it like it is."

SHARYN ALFONSI: (UNINTEL PHRASE) (LAUGH) your daughters. All right, so, we are reaching out to these-- to Yahoo-- users. And we wanna just kinda-- switch gears here. Light-- well, we're gonna do a lightning round, (SNAP) quick answers. Are you ready?

JON HUNTSMAN: I'll-- I'll gi--

SHARYN ALFONSI: Brace yourself.

JON HUNTSMAN: --I'll give it a try.

SHARYN ALFONSI: All right. Worst job you ever had?

JON HUNTSMAN: A dishwasher at a Japanese restaurant-- because I had to clean the toilets.

SHARYN ALFONSI: Oh, (LAUGH) geez! That's a good one. TV guilty pleasure?

JON HUNTSMAN: Curb Your Enthusiasm.

SHARYN ALFONSI: Oh. Favorite junk food?

JON HUNTSMAN: Fried-- fried Oreos, New Hampshire.

SHARYN ALFONSI: Wow, (LAUGH) nice. That's strong. Who would play you in a movie?

JON HUNTSMAN: Whooo (PH). You know, I'm not gonna say-- Lloyd Christmas from Dumb & Dumber. (LAUGH) But that does come to mind. (SLAP) I don't know, maybe Tom Hanks.

SHARYN ALFONSI: Tom Hanks? (LAUGH) That's nice. Nice casting. Do you have a personal theme song?

JON HUNTSMAN: I Won't Stand Down.

SHARYN ALFONSI: I Won't Stand Down.

JON HUNTSMAN: Tom Petty.

SHARYN ALFONSI: First thing you do in the Oval Office?

JON HUNTSMAN: First thing I (LAUGH) do in the Oval Office? I would send three measures to Congress and I'd say, "Let's get it done-- tax reform, regulatory reform, energy independence." Can't waste any time.

SHARYN ALFONSI: Okay. Name a fifth president who belongs on Mount Rushmore?

JON HUNTSMAN: Hmmm (PH). I'd have to say Ronald Reagan because--

SHARYN ALFONSI: Imagine that-- (LAUGH)

JON HUNTSMAN: --I-- I-- but I worked for him a hundred years ago. (LAUGH) And-- and I saw him up close-- as an advance man. And-- not knowing that he'd likely end up on Mount Rushmore. I think he will. A very special man.

SHARYN ALFONSI: Okay. Tell us in tweet length, 140 characters, why you should be president.

JON HUNTSMAN: Because I'm unwilling to see the end of the American century.

SHARYN ALFONSI: Very good. All right, thank you, Governor. Thanks for--

JON HUNTSMAN: It's--

SHARYN ALFONSI: --joining us so much today.

JON HUNTSMAN: --it's a pleasure to be with you.

SHARYN ALFONSI: It was great having you here.

JON HUNTSMAN: It's a great honor.

SHARYN ALFONSI: Good luck on the trail.

JON HUNTSMAN: Thank you so much. I appreciate that.