# And John Kasich makes 16 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 21, 2015, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801 "2015-07-21T18:01:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/1 "2015-07-21T18:01:48Z")
The 16th (serious, defined by representation in national polls) announced candidate for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination is [John Kasich, Governor of Ohio and former Congresscritter](http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/john-kasich-says-hes-running-president-n395396). [Kasich](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kasich) is considered a moderate Pub by today’s standards – at any rate he’s one of the few Republican govs to accept Obamacare funding to expand his state’s Medicaid. OTOH, his abortion record – > [@](#): > > Also in June 2013, Kasich received both criticism and praise for signing into effect a bill that included controversial anti-abortion measures such as mandating any woman seeking an abortion to have an ultrasound and cutting funding to Planned Parenthood. Meanwhile, the bill provided funding to crisis pregnancy centers, which do not provide abortion referrals and are often run by religious groups. Further, under this bill, rape crisis centers received funding for the first time in Ohio history, but a requirement instituted by the legislature stated that in order to collect the funds they would not be allowed to inform sexual assault victims about abortion options.[71] Not much else about him appears to be very interesting/controversial. He has a solid public-service resume and he could be an acceptable candidate, though he won’t fire up the base much. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/2 "2015-07-21T18:11:20Z")
> **[John Kasich makes 2016 bid official in freewheeling announcement | CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/2015/07/21/politics/john-kasich-election-2016-announcement/index.html)** > > Ohio Gov. John Kasich burst onto the Republican playing field Tuesday with a freewheeling and, at times, emotional speech that hit on two main points: Americans should be working together and he can win, despite long odds. I’m an Ohioan, and not at all a Kasich fan. He’s erratic and impulsive. He did his Walkeresque best to dismantle public employee unions, which the voters overwhelmingly reversed in a public referendum. His budget cuts were devastating to local governments, libraries and higher education. His public educational policy is crappy. He purposefully removed Ohio Job and Family Services, a huge state agency, from proper oversight and auditing. He was childishly rude to his Democratic opponent in their only quasi-debate meeting of the entire campaign last year. Medicaid expansion in the teeth of strong conservative opposition here is much to his credit, but it’s just about the only thing I can think to praise him for. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/3 "2015-07-21T19:08:04Z")
Well, now we’ve got a bracket. Let’s pair them up and let the tourney begin. Of the 16, I’d say about half are running for veep and most of the rest are delusional if they think they’ve got a chance. I’m not sure which group Kasich falls in, but I’m quite certain Bill Cosby has a better chance of becoming president of NOW. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/4 "2015-07-21T19:42:59Z")
Another Ohioan chiming in here. Kasich has decimated the public school system in the state. Granted, it was a school system that wasn’t in the greatest of shape before his governorship began but he has cut-cut-cut the pubic education system here so severely that it is in a tailspin. Naturally though he has funneled a whole lot of that money into the private “charter” schools which the overwhelming majority of them are religious schools. I seriously dislike this guy and could not believe the Ohio Democratic Party put up such a lame-duck opponent in the last election. On the positive side - he is slightly less douchey than Trump! ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/5 "2015-07-21T19:44:25Z")
That definition of ‘serious’ kinda bothers me. Using the Fox News ‘last 5 major polls’ standard, [Fiorina’s poll average is 0.8%, and Pataki’s is even worse: 0.2%.](http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/2016_republican_presidential_nomination-3823.html) But they’re in the polls, so they’re serious. But former Virginia Gov. James Gilmore isn’t serious, because they’re not polling for him. Now Gilmore is a sucky candidate, and isn’t likely to go anywhere regardless. But IMHO there needs to be a better reason to consider him ‘not serious’ and Pataki and Fiorina ‘serious’ than inclusion in, or exclusion from, major polls. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/6 "2015-07-21T19:50:54Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > That definition of ‘serious’ kinda bothers me. Using the Fox News ‘last 5 major polls’ standard, [Fiorina’s poll average is 0.8%, and Pataki’s is even worse: 0.2%.](http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/2016_republican_presidential_nomination-3823.html) But they’re in the polls, so they’re serious. But former Virginia Gov. James Gilmore isn’t serious, because they’re not polling for him. > > Now Gilmore is a sucky candidate, and isn’t likely to go anywhere regardless. But IMHO there needs to be a better reason to consider him ‘not serious’ and Pataki and Fiorina ‘serious’ than inclusion in, or exclusion from, major polls. Gilmore isn’t technically an announced candidate. He’s “announced that he’s announcing” in August. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/7 "2015-07-21T19:53:15Z")
[“Candidates featured in major polls”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2016#Declared_2) is the criterion Wikipedia is using, anyway – that is, it has a section so titled and there are now 16 candidates there; however, all candidates not so featured or not-yet-announced are also mentioned in other sections of the page. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/8 "2015-07-21T20:39:58Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Gilmore isn’t technically an announced candidate. He’s “announced that he’s announcing” in August. That man needs to put a ring on it. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/9 "2015-07-21T21:09:47Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Medicaid expansion in the teeth of strong conservative opposition here is much to his credit, but it’s just about the only thing I can think to praise him for. I grew up Ohio with Family still there (who get there water from Lake Erie). I also spent a lot of time in Michigan surrounded by Great Lakes in Michigan. I’ve liked his work on Lake Erie protections from an outside perspective to include the veto of aproposed water bill a couple years back. I could see that being well received in some of the Great Lakes bordering states. Any thoughts on that piece of his record from inside the border? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/10 "2015-07-21T22:45:15Z")
Of all these running, this is the guy they should nominate. But they probably won’t. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/11 "2015-07-21T22:55:43Z")
Yeah, I’d like to see him get the nomination, too. Or more precisely, I’d like to see a world where he would get the nomination. When I look at Kasich, I see a man who’s trying to do the best he can for his constituents. I disagree with the way he’s doing it, and think that most of his efforts would fail… but he’s trying. And that’s a lot more than I can say for most of his party-mates. We should be voting on who is going to do the most good for the nation, not on whether we should do good for the nation, and I find it baffling that we have a party dedicated to the proposition that government cannot do good. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/12 "2015-07-22T00:18:16Z")
I fear a guy like that getting the nomination. Because even if Kasich is neuro-typical, the GOP Congressional crazy tail wags the Republican dog. Moderates who don’t grasp this might end up voting for a guy like Kasich, the calm face of the nuthouse. Luckily, my fears are misplaced: like the arch conservative but neurologically normal Jon Huntsman, Kasich isn’t going anywhere. I do wonder whether he will get his bump in the polls. If he never tops 15%, the answer is no. I can see him making the top 10: in fact I predict this. A big ad buy could land him outside of the kiddie table in the upcoming debates. But can Kasich simulate crazy? I honestly don’t know enough about the guy to guess. Christie can. Bush will. Walker and Cruz won’t have to. The preceding argument did not apply during the 1950s-1980s, and probably not during the 1990s. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/13 "2015-07-22T01:34:39Z")
[The real reason John Kasich won’t win the GOP nomination: He’s way too Christian.](http://www.salon.com/2015/07/21/the_real_reason_john_kasich_wont_win_the_gop_nomination_hes_way_too_christian/) > [@](#): > > For example, here’s a report on what is the thus far the most infamous dust-up Kasich has had with a fellow conservative over Medicaid. The setting is a 2014 Koch brothers-organized conference of politicians and party donors. Kasich is taking questions from the audience, and receives a pointed one from the wife of Randy Kendrick, the wealthy GOP moneyman who owns the Arizona Diamondbacks. She apparently isn’t happy that Kasich has defended the move by citing his religion’s demand to care for the poor; and he, apparently, does not feel inclined to give a damn: > > > [@](#): > > > > The governor’s response was fiery. “I don’t know about you, lady,” he said as he pointed at Kendrick, his voice rising. “But when I get to the pearly gates, I’m going to have an answer for what I’ve done for the poor.” > > > > The exchange left many stunned. About 20 audience members walked out of the room, and two governors also on the panel, Nikki Haley of South Carolina and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, told Kasich they disagreed with him. The Ohio governor has not been invited back to a Koch seminar — opportunities for presidential aspirants to mingle with the party’s rich and powerful — in the months since. > > > > A Kasich spokesman, Chris Schrimpf, declined to comment on the episode. > > Now, obviously, just from the amoral stance of what is the right move for a professional politician, jabbing your finger at a potential donor and calling her “lady” is stupid. And just from the stance of not coming off like a sexist jerk, calling a female donor who has no less a right to be in the room than anyone else “lady” is not a good look, either. But while this anecdote shows that Kasich has a temper and does not like to be challenged in public, it also shows something else. Namely, that he takes the mandates of his faith at face value — and with the utmost seriousness. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/14 "2015-07-22T02:50:40Z")
Kasich is as anti-union as Walker is. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/15 "2015-07-22T03:37:52Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > I grew up Ohio with Family still there (who get there water from Lake Erie). I also spent a lot of time in Michigan surrounded by Great Lakes in Michigan. I’ve liked his work on Lake Erie protections from an outside perspective to include the veto of aproposed water bill a couple years back. I could see that being well received in some of the Great Lakes bordering states. Any thoughts on that piece of his record from inside the border? Hadn’t heard anything about his record on Lake Erie protections before now. His environmental record generally is no great shakes: > **[Op-Ed: Who’s Protecting the Great Lakes?](https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2015/07/10/op-ed-whos-protecting-the-great-lakes/)** > > Leaders like Jim Doyle did, but today's governors are less concerned about issues like algae and diverting water to Waukesha. [http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/07/15/kasich-defends-local-government-cuts-common-core-in-speech-today.html](http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/07/15/kasich-defends-local-government-cuts-common-core-in-speech-today.html) > **[Kasich's fracking plan comes into sharper focus](https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/kasichs-fracking-plan-comes-sharper-msna340706)** > > "If the governor were indeed opposed to fracking in state parks, why were his top officials planning a meeting to discuss the rollout strategy" on this? [http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/225073-kasich-touts-climate-belief-but-wont-apologize-for-coal](http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/225073-kasich-touts-climate-belief-but-wont-apologize-for-coal) ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/16 "2015-07-22T03:38:16Z")
Kasich is a jerk and way too conservative. He’s also snotty. But he’s not an idiot and he’s not insane. How’s THAT for a ringing endorsement? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/17 "2015-07-22T14:12:41Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Kasich is a jerk and way too conservative. He’s also snotty. But he’s not an idiot and he’s not insane. > > How’s THAT for a ringing endorsement? In this field, considerable. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/18 "2015-07-22T14:22:32Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Kasich is a jerk and way too conservative. He’s also snotty. But he’s not an idiot and he’s not insane. > > How’s THAT for a ringing endorsement? Here’s a real endorsement: I, adaher, officially endorse John Kasich for President. I flirted with other candidates, but Kasich is now officially the guy I’ll be supporting until and unless he drops out. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/19 "2015-07-22T14:57:01Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Here’s a real endorsement: I, adaher, officially endorse John Kasich for President. I flirted with other candidates, but Kasich is now officially the guy I’ll be supporting until and unless he drops out. Good thing for Kasich that’s an endorsement and not a prediction. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/20 "2015-07-22T16:12:09Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Here’s a real endorsement: I, adaher, officially endorse John Kasich for President. I flirted with other candidates, but Kasich is now officially the guy I’ll be supporting until and unless he drops out. Kasich might be one of the saner ones, but now you’ve bestowed the kiss of death upon him. Now we’re down to 15 again. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801.md?page=2)