Politics & Power Quote by Jon Huntsman, Jr.

A politician trying to pick a fight without throwing a punch, Huntsman frames disagreement as civic hygiene: normal, contained, even patriotic. The first move is prophylactic. "I respect the president" is less a tribute than a shield against the era's default accusation that criticism equals disloyalty. By naming a "difference of opinion" instead of a moral breach, he drains the drama out of partisan combat and recasts it as a managerial argument.

The line "the country we both love" does quiet work. It's a pledge of allegiance offered on behalf of both men, a rhetorical embrace that denies the opposition the chance to paint either side as anti-American. That matters in the post-9/11, culture-war political climate Huntsman was navigating, when "real American" talk wasn't just cable-news noise; it was a campaign weapon.

The sharpest subtext arrives with the pivot to the voters: "better president, not... better American". He's anticipating the ugliest framing - that elections are referendums on patriotism, identity, even legitimacy - and attempting to disqualify it preemptively. It's also a subtle rebuke to his own party's incentives: stop auditioning for outrage, start arguing competence.

Huntsman isn't claiming moral superiority; he's setting rules for the contest. The intent is strategic moderation: appear steady, respectful, and adult, while implying that anyone who makes the race about "who belongs" is already confessing they can't win on governance.