# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/21 "2015-07-22T16:55:38Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I, adaher, officially endorse John Kasich for President. Will you stick to that \*after \*you find out something more about him than his name? Or you could just tell us _why_. If it’s because “he’s the most like a sane Democrat”, that will do fine. Just remember, that’s why you used to support Christie and Jindal. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/22 "2015-07-22T16:58:21Z")
Kasich is this year’s Jon Huntsmann- a fairly conservative guy who enjoys mocking conservatives far too much to win any of their votes. It’s NOT a coincidence that so many of Huntsmann’s right-hand people are working for Kasich. “Vote for me because I’m not an idiot like everybody else in the GOP” is not likely to be a successful slogan. Kasich will be liberal journalists’ favorite candidate… which will only persuade most Republicans that he’s not to be trusted. ---
**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, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/23 "2015-07-22T17:20:19Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Will you stick to that \*after \*you find out something more about him than his name? > > Or you could just tell us _why_. If it’s because “he’s the most like a sane Democrat”, that will do fine. Just remember, that’s why you used to support Christie and Jindal. Kasich has a long history. I supported Christie and Jindal, and still like them. But Kasich is my endorsement. I know enough about him to know he’d make a fantastic President. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/24 "2015-07-22T18:23:49Z")
What happened to Christie and Jindal that won’t happen with Kasich? And who will be next down your list when it does? ---
**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, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/25 "2015-07-22T18:33:05Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Kasich has a long history. I supported Christie and Jindal, and still like them. But Kasich is my endorsement. I know enough about him to know he’d make a fantastic President. Could you tell us the top three? ---
**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, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/26 "2015-07-22T20:03:06Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > What happened to Christie and Jindal that won’t happen with Kasich? First-round elimination, I should think. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/27 "2015-07-23T03:57:52Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > What happened to Christie and Jindal that won’t happen with Kasich? > > And who will be next down your list when it does? Christie had a scandal, Jindal’s record in Louisiana had deterioriated and I didn’t know about it. Kasich, by contrast, has the highest approval ratings in Ohio since he took office, plus a long Congressional career. He’s like John McCain in that I’ve known him and followed him a long time, whereas Christie and Jindal are relatively young candidates with less time in the spotlight. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/28 "2015-07-23T03:59:14Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Could you tell us the top three? 1. Balanced Ohio’s budget 2. Played a big part in balancing the federal budget. 3. Doesn’t speak politicianese. Straight talker. 4. 30 years in public life without a major scandal 5. Willing to buck the base. Mavericky. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/29 "2015-08-21T03:39:18Z")
Kasich wins the Charles Barkley endorsement: > **[Charles Barkley says he prefers John Kasich](https://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/charles-barkley-john-kasich-2016-election-121576)** > > He said that in general, Democrats are more “open-minded.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/30 "2015-09-01T17:54:24Z")
Can someone please explain to me why Kasich is being considered a top contender? This morning, I was surprised to read this in a [FiveThirtyEight](http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/when-donald-trump-attacks-gop/) piece on Trump: “His main competitors (Bush, Walker, John Kasich and Marco Rubio) have been pretty hesitant to ding Trump (at least on Twitter).” I was further surprised to see that on [predictit.org](https://www.predictit.org/Home/SingleMarket?marketId=1233#sthash.8GgkTZB0.XAhmRmAZ.dpbs), Kasich is, indeed, right behind Bush, Trump, Walker, and Rubio. But when you look at [actual polls](http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/2016_republican_presidential_nomination-3823.html), Kasich is in 8th place with only 5 percent. Is there a reason why he’s being singled out as a more credible contender than other nominees? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/31 "2015-09-01T18:02:16Z")
Resume, home state popularity, broadly acceptable to the party. Has some fans in the Tea Party, the mainstream, K street, and the religious right. The polls right now show outsiders dominating and Jeb looking particularly weak. So if we assume that the nominee won’t be the outsiders, and won’t be Jeb, that leaves Rubio and Kasich as the primary contenders who are broadly acceptable. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/32 "2015-09-01T18:07:14Z")
> [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > Is there a reason why he’s being singled out as a more credible contender than other nominees? He hasn’t been scrutinized yet, mainly. And he hasn’t, so far, joined the scramble to out-hate Trump. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/33 "2015-09-01T18:08:59Z")
Not scrutinized? I think that Kasich has been in public life long enough that there’s not much to scrutinize that hasn’t already been. He’s probably the most experienced candidate in either party. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/34 "2015-09-01T18:13:19Z")
By the _national_ media, the ones covering _national_ elections and shaping \*national \*opinions, of course. The lack of national reporting on Kasich only reflects the lack of voter interest in him. If that changes, so will the reporting. And then the Adaher Effect will guarantee he goes the way of Christie and Jindal. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2015, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/35 "2015-09-01T19:21:29Z")
I can’t find the link but around the time of the first debate he was already in the top half of the field for fundraising and endorsements. Since then there’ve been claims by his super PAC that some of Bush’s donors have come sniffing around. He’s also continued to pick up endorsements including a recent one from the Governor of Alabama. At this point of the campaign fund raising and endorsements are probably a better measure than nationwide polls. That’s especially true when you don’t have much in the way of nationwide name recognition, most of the country isn’t paying attention, and there’s such a big field to get lost in. Running strong in NH with the attention that would get him before most of the country votes doesn’t hurt either. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/36 "2015-09-16T14:01:25Z")
[Forget Donald Trump: John Kasich is the man who should really be keeping Jeb Bush up at night](http://www.salon.com/2015/09/16/forget_donald_trump_john_kasich_is_the_man_who_should_really_be_keeping_jeb_bush_up_at_night/) > [@](#): > > Though Trump’s rise coincided with Bush’s decline, it does not follow that a Trump plateau (or collapse) will fuel a Bush resurgence. Bush hasn’t slipped into single digits nationally solely because of Trump’s political skills; for Jebworld, the inconvenient truth is that their guy has also been a lackluster or even stumbling candidate. His bumbling answers on the war in Iraq, Social Security, women’s reproductive health and the “need” for Americans to “work longer hours” show a candidate who hasn’t exercised a campaign muscle since 2002; it’s little wonder that despite vacuuming up hordes of campaign and super PAC cash, Bush failed to scare away the largest GOP field in recent history. Kasich’s late-July entry was as vivid a demonstration as any that Bush’s much-ballyhooed “shock-and-awe” strategy had failed: Even with a strikingly similar message of pragmatic conservatism, policy innovation, party inclusiveness, and swing state appeal, Kasich bet that Bush could still be beaten within the establishment lane. > > That bet is looking, well, better and better. To be sure, Kasich’s support in national polls remains modest: Real Clear Politics’ polling average finds him in the middle of the pack at 3.5 percent — although he’s not far behind Bush, now in third place behind Trump and Carson and registering just 7.8 percent support. But the truly dire numbers, if you’re a Bushie, are in New Hampshire, a state whose relatively moderate GOP primary electorate has been proven fertile ground for maverick Republicans in the mold of Kasich and John McCain. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/37 "2015-10-06T15:17:42Z")
[John Kasich is a racist and general waste of oxygen.](http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/09/law-john-kasich-wrote-now-keeping-food-stamps-minorities-ohio) Short version: 1. The 1996 welfare reforms, which Kasich helped write, instituted a 3-month limit on how long in any 3-year period healthy, childless adults could get food stamps, unless they were employed or in a training program for at least 20 hours a week. But the 1996 laws allowed states to seek waivers to this time limit for areas with especially high unemployment. 2. Ohio has been eligible for a statewide waiver every year since 2007. But for 2014 and 2015, Kasich only asked for waivers for 16 and 17 counties, respectively, out of Ohio’s 88 counties. Most of these were rural counties with small and predominantly white populations. Urban counties and cities, most of which had high minority populations, did not get waivers. And Kasich’s people rammed this policy through for 2014 before anyone had any chance to object. 3. And, funny thing, across the 16 counties the state had selected for waivers, about 94 percent of food stamp recipients were white. So just like all other Republicans, really, the problem for Kasich isn’t big government, but rather making sure that Federal boodle goes to all the Right People and none of the Wrong People. That’s the GOP’s ‘moderate’ candidate. Wears a suit, not a sheet, while engaging in separate-but-unequal policies. What a worthless excuse for a human being. ---
**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:** [October 6, 2015, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/38 "2015-10-06T15:53:52Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > 1. Ohio has been eligible for a statewide waiver every year since 2007. But for 2014 and 2015, Kasich only asked for waivers for 16 and 17 counties, respectively, out of Ohio’s 88 counties. Most of these were rural counties with small and predominantly white populations. I don’t know the counties, but as a guess they are among the Appalachian counties. There are lots of different rules and supports in Ohio for the Appalachian counties. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/39 "2015-10-07T04:09:32Z")
Yes. In some states, the only places with persistently high unemployment are white rural areas. I still don’t think he should have asked for waivers. Those ignorant hicks need to move where the jobs are(as well as adult literacy classes). I’ve got a cousin living in an area of Kentucky where she’ll never find work and she refuse to move, just stays on welfare. I bet she’d move if a cutoff was threatened. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801/40 "2015-10-07T15:30:50Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Yes. In some states, the only places with persistently high unemployment are white rural areas. As it says at the link, that was not the case in Ohio. If they’d just picked the 16 counties with the highest unemployment rates, they would have included some counties with high minority populations, along with the rural counties. > [@](#): > > I still don’t think he should have asked for waivers. Those ignorant hicks need to move where the jobs are(as well as adult literacy classes). I’ve got a cousin living in an area of Kentucky where she’ll never find work and she refuse to move, just stays on welfare. I bet she’d move if a cutoff was threatened. Well, the cutoff happened back in 1996, when AFDC was replaced by TANF. So tell us more about your cousin and exactly what aid she gets. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-john-kasich-makes-16/725801.md?page=3)