http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2016/02/24/kasich_wants_to_be_vpKasich Wants to Be VP
February 24, 2016
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RUSH: Kasich: "I'm not exactly sure what the goal is." Here's the story. It's a YouTube video. I saw this night, watching it, and I read a story. Here's the way it's written. "John Kasich’s relentlessly positive stump speeches can often feel like motivational seminars. But on a rainy Tuesday night in Georgia, the man it sounded like Kasich was trying to motivate was himself. 'Here’s what I know. I know I’m doing my best,' he told a crowd of 100 supporters who had spilled outside of the Sandy Springs City Hall that was too small to accommodate all of those who had shown up."
Are you kidding me? They're trying to make it sound like a huge crowd there with a hundred people. It was so big it had to spill out and it was held in a city hall. Anyway, Kasich said, "I’m following the purpose that I think has been laid out for me. And to achieve that goal." And then he paused. "I’m not exactly sure what the goal is. Some might say it’s being elected president. Maybe it’s a different goal." He went on to say that he's just letting things play out. He doesn't really know what the goal is.
Now, let's say you're a Kasich supporter. Let's say you've even given him money. Let's say that you've been raising money for Kasich and he's speaking at a large crowd, a hundred people, so big the overflow was spilling out the doors of a small town city hall. And then Kasich says: "I'm not exactly sure what the goal is. I'm following the purpose that I think's been laid out for me to achieve that goal." Somebody says, "What's the goal?" "Well, I'm not exactly sure what the goal is."
Politico had a story yesterday morning, headline: "GOP to Kasich: Get out." Arguing that Kasich is hurting Cruz and that Kasich is hurting Rubio and their chances to consolidate the not-Trump vote. This is gonna be a close call 'cause I'm not sure of the numbers here, but I think even if you add Cruz and Rubio right now, you still don't equal Trump, do you? Well, no, you do, depending on the poll. And there are a lot of people still running around talking about, "Okay, Trump let's give him 40%, got Nevada. It still means 60% of Republican primary voters want somebody other than Trump." That is one way of looking at it.
But then ask yourself this. Let's say that Marco Rubio, after assessing the fact that he hasn't yet won a primary, decides to exit the race. It's just an exercise here. And let's give Rubio, what, 18%. Cruz 18%, 36, so using our numbers, they're combined still a little bit short of Trump. But let's get Rubio just for the sake of this hypothetical, 18%. Are all 18% gonna go to Cruz? You know, in the Cruz versus Rubio scenario, there are some people on both sides that detest the other guy. You got some Rubio supporters don't like Cruz at all and vice-versa; you've got some Cruz supporters that really don't trust Rubio, don't like him whatsoever. Trump's gonna get some of those.
It's not enough to say -- and the establishment's relying on this. They still are in this denial. They're still relying on the fact that a majority of Republican voters want something, somebody other than Trump. And so if they get these guys out of the race, get Kasich out, get Carson out, and say get Rubio out, then that sets it up with Cruz and Cruz is gonna pick up all these votes and dwarfing Trump. But Trump's gonna get some of those. I don't know what the breakout would be, but it's not realistic to think that every anti-Trump vote is going to stay anti-Trump as candidates get out.
But it's all academic anyway, 'cause nobody's getting out, and Kasich is staying in to be asked by anybody to be VP. He doesn't want to say that. I'm sure he knows this. I'm sure this is what he wants, but he can't say it. That would not be politic. "Hey, John Kasich, what's your goal staying in the race?" "I want to be asked to be vice president by one of these guys." Just wouldn't go over well. But that's what it is. And Kasich thinks that he's got a huge carrot to dangle, being the state of Ohio, that he's a governor, he's a popular governor, and that the Republicans cannot win unless they win Ohio.
But then you might have to throw that out, because what if -- again, hypothetical -- what if Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan all of a sudden become in play for the Republicans because of Trump? Then Ohio's not singularly important. Not that it would not be a factor. But, anyway, that's bunch of offshoots. I think that's what Kasich is hanging on for, and I think he's hanging on for Trump. (interruption) Well, have you heard Kasich in any of the debates go after Trump by name? You have not.
Kasich has been pretty clever about this. He's gone after everybody else as being childlike and all this bickering, it's gotta stop. He's kind of spoken about all of them collectively as he has attempted to elevate himself as the adult and the reasonable one and so forth and the responsible choice and we gotta stop beating each other up. But he's not gone after Trump personally. He hasn't gone after Cruz personally. He hasn't gone after Rubio, and I think for a reason. Just like somebody called here yesterday, "Do you think maybe Trump would pick Cruz to be --" No. I don't know how that would happen now. I mean, Trump is getting close to defaming Cruz with some of these allegations about not being Christian, not being religious, waving the Bible while lying. Some of this stuff is really vicious.
It doesn't matter, in any campaign the most conservative guy is always gonna end up being the target, and that's Cruz right now. The unquestionably conservative candidate is always gonna be the target of the slings, the arrows, and all that. I don't know how that could happen with Cruz becoming -- well, I don't know. Cruz and Rubio are relatively young. I mean, their political futures are still ahead of them if this doesn't work out. They've got time. Kasich really doesn't. What is he, 63, 64? It would put him past 70 before the next chance, the legitimate chance to do this again would come up. So that's why I think VP is what's on his mind.
Now, there's another chapter of this, too. This from the New York Times: "Rivals No More, Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush Talk and Agree to Meet -- Since Jeb Bush's withdrawal from the presidential race on Saturday, endorsements from prominent Republicans have been piling up for Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. Just in the last day, former Senator Bob Dole of Kansas, Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah and Gov. Asa Hutchison of Arkansas have signed on. But there is one endorsement that remains elusive: Mr. Bush's."
Rubio made a point on Monday. When word leaked that some of Jeb's money was going to Rubio and Jeb might even be endorsing him, Rubio went public and said, "No, no, no, no! Jeb's not endorsed me!" He knew it was not the time for that. "No, no, no! Jeb has not endorsed me." He wanted everybody to know. Speaking of Jeb's money going to Rubio, folks, do you realize how much -- $115 million -- was spent, was raised, donated to Jeb Bush? What did the people who donated that money get?
If you look at it, I mean, these people don't give this money just because they like the family. Well, I'll take that back. Some of them do; that's the reason. But most of them give this money for access, to have some say in the leverage of power should the candidate they back win. No great mystery here. So isn't it interesting how fluidly and blithely people say, "Oh, yeah, well, the Jeb money is going to go to Rubio."
Jeb money's gone! There's only $15 million left of the Jeb money. Now, some of that could go to other candidates. They've gotta start raising it all over again. It's a lot of money we're talking about here, to ask people to donate first to some guy who doesn't get there, and now throw in again on Rubio 'cause he's got the establishment backing. But he hasn't won anything yet.
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