Posted on 06/21/2015 6:31:45 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Ohio Governor John Kasich is still officially unofficially running for President, at least until next month when he plans on making it officially official. But in the intervening time, it seems that he’s running into some headwinds when it comes to donors who have long since committed their resources to one of the candidates who got into the starting blocks early. (In the case of Kasich, he’s looking mostly to tap Jeb Bush’s donor pool.) And with the lack of results has come what appears to be a sense of desperation. (Politico)
Sensing the window of opportunity is closing, John Kasich is on a last-minute dash across the country to convince party donors and power-brokers that there’s room for one more candidate in the most crowded Republican presidential field in decades.
The Ohio governor, who’s expected to formally announce his White House bid next month, is jetting to America’s political money capitals — from Dallas to New York City to Palm Beach — with the goal of securing the financial support he’ll need to wage a 2016 campaign.
He’s huddled with Ann Romney at a lavish Utah ski resort and pushed to win the backing of a powerful longtime friend, media mogul Rupert Murdoch. He’s also tried to convince Ohio’s deepest-pocketed donors to keep their powder dry and not commit until he gets into the race.
A big push for funds is nothing disqualifying… it’s just part of the business of running for the presidency. But one other report seems a bit more disturbing. Apparently the Governor’s temper has been showing a bit.
During one meeting, which took place about two weeks ago, the governor grew angry when a major Republican Party contributor pointed out that others had already formally launched their campaigns and built expansive teams of political advisers. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kasich snapped at the donor, who wished to remain anonymous because the meeting was private. It was still early, Kasich insisted, and Bush, who had endured a rocky rollout, was “losing steam.”
Kasich’s temper has made it harder to endear himself to the GOP’s wealthy benefactors. Last year, he traveled to Southern California to appear on a panel at a conference sponsored by the Republican mega-donors Charles and David Koch. At one point, according to accounts provided by two sources present, Randy Kendrick, a major contributor and the wife of Ken Kendrick, the owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks, rose to say she disagreed with Kasich’s decision to expand Medicaid coverage, and questioned why he’d expressed the view it was what God wanted.
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.”
That episode put a number of GOP participants off their feed, including fellow Governor Nikki Haley. (Bobby Jindal was also reported to be miffed over it, but since he was planning on running himself I’m willing to discount that one a bit.) But it’s not a stretch to see how donors might be worried. If you can’t hold your temper in front of a group of potentially supportive donors and lose your balance, how will you react in front of aggressive, liberal journalists? How will you fare on the debate stage when people are attacking you non-stop for two hours and questioning everything you’ve ever done or said? It’s not all that shocking if some of those deep pocket folks weren’t willing to throw their fortunes into the mix on his behalf.
So did Kasich just wait too long? I thought that one was a no brainer, but clearly some in the professional political class disagree. It may seem like a terrible thing that the elections begin so early now, but the first debates are coming up in less than two months. The race has long since begun and the pressure has been on the donors to pick a side and get their guy (or gal) off to a good, early push. Assuming that just because you are the governor of an important swing state you have the luxury of announcing a few weeks before the first debate seems short sighted at best.
Taking money out of working people's pockets and giving it to others is doing something for the poor? And how does that make you more conservative than Mr. Obama or Mrs. Clinton?
Listened to Kasich on Hannity several weeks ago. Definitely not impressed. Full of himself and vacillates.
Get lost John.
The lack of donors will drive several of the wannabes to the sidelines.
There will still be the low-budget hangers-on who will probably remain through most of the early primaries.
He has NO role to play on the national stage. He barely shines in Ohio...
So you’re saying he’s the Cleveland Browns of politicians. ;)
I thought Kemp was a great choice (for VP) in 1996. I won’t get fooled by a version of Kemp in drag.
Now if John had been a conservative, he might have been able to attract more financial resources to his campaign.
I was a supporter in 1999. I met him briefly in Tampa and was not impressed with his demeanor. Scott Walker, on the other hand, was very congenial.
But when I get to the pearly gates, I’m going to have an answer for what I’ve done for the poor.
Ok then use your own money to do that.
If there is one thing the American people are calling for, shouting for, crying out for... it’s a John kasich presidency.
Not.
The full answer he’d given to the question as reported by Jonathan Chait also included the thought that St. Peter was going to be more impressed by what you did for the poor rather than what you did to limit government. Other than it’s totally anti-scriptural to assign a role to any man as to judgment, Kasich fails on the merits of what is in scripture :I Samuel 8:4:
Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord.
7 And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
God thinks a lot more of limited government than Kasich has any idea. Thomas Paine uses the passage as one of the central arguments of Common Sense. And the very week that the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta was celebrated, mutedly.
I’m going to have an answer for what I’ve done for the poor.”
I suspect that answer will be how he ENSLAVED THEM IN DEPENDENCE!, as he sits on Lucifer’s knee
He’s either an idiot for ever thinking that he had a chance, or simply a spoiler to make sure that a conservative does not win Ohio.
He’s an open borders guy. He did a shameful thing in CA back in the 90s by turning his back on a roomful of conservatives who were pleading with him as a house leader, to get on board & crack down on the illegals flooding that state. Just a typical RINO.
Kasich has slip-slided away into statist. Prime example—he aligned with Obama and expanded Ohio’s Medicaid under Obamacare. Of course, his rationale was that it was “other people’s money” (mostly federal money) and not (initially anyhow) significant amount of money from Ohio’s taxpayers.
He ENABLED Obama and the progressives to INCREASE THE NUMBER OF OHIO RESIDENTS DEPENDENT ON GOVERNMENT. But he lives under the delusion that he is conservative.
Let him split the Republican primary RINO vote with the other RINOs and faux conservatives running.
Poor guy. Hope he likes worms.
Sorry, can’t be serious, gone manic again.
A socially conservative welfare statist is indistinguishable from Dennis Kucinich. Kucinich was pro-life prior to his attempt(s) at the Presidency.
Kasich has been a BIG disappointment. A RINO-RAT masquerading as a conservative. He was just re-elected to govern the State of Ohio, not run all over the country trying to raise money for his dream of being POTUS.
“Kasich has been a BIG disappointment. A RINO-RAT masquerading as a conservative....”
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At least he has shown his true colors before it was too late. It’s better for all of us.
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