John Kasich Sounds Like He's Over The Republican Party

[SirLinksALot]

SOURCE: BUZZFEED

URL: https://www.buzzfeed.com/henrygomez/john-kasich-sounds-like-hes-over-the-republican-party?utm_term=.knbAqZRA4#.crx6o4M6L

by Henry Gomez


The Ohio governor ran for the Republican nomination and lost. Now, in his new book and on the road, he's critical of the party and frequently noting the day will come when an independent could win the presidency. Is there space for Republicans like John Kasich in the party anymore?

Is John Kasich still a Republican?

The Ohio governor and mainstay of the party’s mainstream is out this week with a book that at times reads like an angry breakup letter.

“Oh yeah, I’m a Repub… ,” Kasich trailed off, conspicuously unable to finish the word in his rapid-fire stream of consciousness from the front seat of a big SUV barreling toward New Hampshire on Wednesday night. Kasich finished second in the state’s hugely important presidential primary last year. That was enough to make it one of the few high points of his campaign and, also conspicuously, one of the first book-signing stops on his national tour.

“I’m pro-environment, I’m pro-trade, I’m anti-debt, I’m pro-immigration, I’m pro-NATO,” Kasich continued. “And when I look at the party, I see it moving in a different direction. But I’ve always said I have the right to define what it means to be a Republican and a conservative.”

At a time when he clearly wants to remain a player on the national stage, Kasich is struggling with his political identity — and so is his party. If and where he fits in a GOP led by Donald Trump will say a great deal about the kind of Republicans who can succeed in it, and whether there’s still space for the open and internationalist values Kasich and other Republicans long have cherished.

Twice Wednesday — once during a forum at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and later in the SUV — Kasich said the day is coming when a well-funded independent can win the White House.

“Both parties, I think, are missing it,” Kasich said. “That’s why I said tonight, and I’ll say again in this car, that I think they’re going to matter less and less unless they get their act together.”

The big story of Kasich’s big media week isn’t the predictable swipes he takes at President Trump in the book. And it’s not that he is refusing to rule out a Republican primary challenge to Trump in 2020, though his visit here Thursday raises such speculation.

It’s that Kasich seems tempted by the idea of running for president as an independent.

(Excerpt) Read more at above link ....

[skeeter]

Kasich is a political cliche.

He's for whatever sounds good.

[Frank Cannon]

Here's the problem. No one cares a wit about Kasich except for maybe a handful of people in Cleveland.

[driftdiver]

Here's the problem. No one cares a wit about Kasich except for maybe a handful of people in Cleveland.

He took money from George Soros.

[SirLinksALot]

He took money from George Soros.

Now, that's new to me. Do you have a link for this?

[Bigun]

Here's the problem. No one cares a wit about Kasich except for maybe a handful of people in Cleveland.

Postmen everywhere care!

And hopefully the RTP is over him as well!

[driftdiver]

Now, that's new to me. Do you have a link for this?

@SirLinksALot
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/02/06/records-soros-fund-execs-funded-paul-ryan-marco-rubio-jeb-bush-john-mccain-john-kasich-lindsey-graham-in-2016/

Other sources say he didn't however the reports show he accepted money from Soros controlled organizations.   I attribute it to the push for Globalism.

[Cripplecreek]

Only John Kasich could enter an anti establishment driven election and think he actually had a shot at winning by constantly reminding us that he's been a part of the establishment for a really long time.

[SirLinksALot]

.... by constantly reminding us that he's been a part of the establishment for a really long time.

Did he tell you that he was the son of a mailman?   

[Jazzhead]

There's a constituency in this country that's unserved by either party - those of us who are conservative on taxes and other economic issues,  but moderate on social issues. 

Could those folks be attracted by an independent candidacy, especially nowadays where the two parties are in stone-cold, no compromise opposition to each other?   Could be, could be - the Dems are frog-marching pro-lifers out of their party,  and the GOP is closing its ranks as well.   

[truth_seeker]

There's a constituency in this country that's unserved by either party - those of us who are conservative on taxes and other economic issues,  but moderate on social issues. 

Could those folks be attracted by an independent candidacy, especially nowadays where the two parties are in stone-cold, no compromise opposition to each other?   Could be, could be - the Dems are frog-marching pro-lifers out of their party,  and the GOP is closing its ranks as well.   

That philosophy had its candidate; Gary Johnston.

He lost, so he has gone full time into the Marijuana advocacy vocation

When he failed to remember "Aleppo" and stammered, he reminded me of the guy in the first Cheech and Chong album. "Dave's Not Here."


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACfNSqsi_mE

[Sanguine]

There's a constituency in this country that's unserved by either party - those of us who are conservative on taxes and other economic issues,  but moderate on social issues. 

Could those folks be attracted by an independent candidacy, especially nowadays where the two parties are in stone-cold, no compromise opposition to each other?   Could be, could be - the Dems are frog-marching pro-lifers out of their party,  and the GOP is closing its ranks as well.   

Conservative on taxes and other economic issues?  Aren't you the guy who is adamant that the federal government should run our healthcare system?  How can you claim to be conservative on taxes and other economic issues?

[libertybele]

Kasich's term of governor will be up in 2018.  Unless he run's for president or another political office and wins ... it's see ya! 

[Frank Cannon]

Kasich's term of governor will be up in 2018.  Unless he run's for president or another political office and wins ... it's see ya! 

[Maj. Bill Martin]

There's a constituency in this country that's unserved by either party - those of us who are conservative on taxes and other economic issues,  but moderate on social issues.

That is true.  The problem is that I'm not sure there is agreement on exactly where you're drawing the line between "economic issues" and "social issues".  What it seems like you're describing is a form of libertarianism.  The problem, though, is that "economic conservatives" like Kasich really aren't, because their definition of "social issues" has broadened to included truly economic issues like health care.

What has happened with Kasich is that he was a budget hawk in Congress.  But now that he's become a Governor, he wants to remain a budget hawk on the state level, but now supports even more federal spending because it's not coming out of his pocket/budget.   That's why I've really turned on the guy as my own governor.  He is fighting hard to preserve the federal financing of the Medicaid expansion, when there is no early reason why any such expansion shouldn't be paid for on the state level.  And it's simply because he wants to claim the mantle of being a fiscal conservative, while actually sucking greedily at the federal teat of infinite decifit spending.

[Fishrrman]

John Kasich has less of a future in politics than does Mike Huckabee...  ;)