Posted on 11/11/2015 6:47:17 PM PST by markomalley
John Kasich, polling nationally at about 3 percent for the Republican presidential nomination, made a gamble during the last GOP debate that if he fought to be heard, even out of turn, it might help his chances.
The conservative media heard him clearly, but they didn't like the noise.
Republican pollster Frank Luntz concluded from one of his focus groups in New Hampshire that Kasich "nosedived every other time he spoke."
"John Kasich couldn't help himself — interrupting, interjecting, intruding or worse," Luntz wrote at FoxNews.com on Wednesday, a day after the debate. "According to our voters, he was 'rude ... pushy ... he just butted in ... he seemed very desperate.'"
At several points during the event, Kasich attempted to cut in when one of his rivals was speaking or when the moderators were about to pivot to a different subject on which he had yet to give his two cents.
"Excuse me," Kasich said when moderator Maria Bartiromo turned attention to Jeb Bush 15 minutes into the debate and after Kasich had spoken twice. "I'd like to comment."
"You've already made two comments, John," said Bush. "It's my turn."
Bartiromo interjected that Kasich would receive more time later.
"I appreciate it, Jeb, I'm all for you," Kasich went on, talking over Bush who said he wanted to take his question. "But I want to some point talk about a value-added tax and $11-$12 trillion dollar tax cuts that will put our kids way deeper in the hole than they have been at this point. So, I'd like to talk about it at some point because that's what leadership is."
Kasich, the current governor of Ohio, used much of his and others' time to portray himself as the politically realistic alternative to the candidates with hardline positions that would not gain support from Democrats in Congress.
Responding to party front-runner Donald Trump's immigration proposal, which includes attempting to deport millions of illegal immigrants currently in the U.S., Kasich said there was no way it would work.
"Come on, folks," Kasich said at the debate. "We all know you can't pick them up and ship them across, back across the border. It is a silly argument. It is not an adult argument."
The conservative activist Breitbart News website said Kasich's remarks were offensive to Republican voters and said that "the audience got tired of his preaching."
Conservative radio host Erick Erickson wrote a column that said Kasich came across as an "insufferable angry man."
"Kasich tried to stand out by yelling and interrupting, but it did not work for him," Erickson said. "He came across as a temper tantrum-prone child while claiming to be the adult in the room by dismissing any new ideas."
Glenn Beck, a conservative commentator, wrote on Facebook that Kasich was the night's "epic loser" and that he "looked rude, old, desperate, cheap and wildly wrong on many fronts."
"You know, there are times I scream at the TV during these things," said conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh. "I was screaming at the TV a lot when Kasich was on last night." He said that both Kasich and Bush, who are both in favor of granting some legal protections to illegal immigrants, were "running as Democrats."
Funny, this is the kind of thing that FOX was thinking Trump would do in the first debate. They were all giggley about how they were going to ask him to leave the stage.
I was thinking Kasich needed to leave before somebody smacked him. Geesh, he was a nincompoop.
My summary of Kasich’s performance:
Knock knock.
Who’s there?
Interrupting Cow.
Interrupting Cow, wh...MOOOOOOOOO!
“Glenn Beck, a conservative commentator”
I think the author will get a lot of blow back on that whopper.
Kasich is a hand grenade with a quarter second fuse.
Rush is right - Kasich and Bush weren't even running as RINO's - they were doing a full blown Democrat bit...
My son, the freaking liberal, has watched the debates with me. A couple of times he has liked some of Kasich’s ideas, of course, as they were liberal.
Last night after a few of Kasich’s rude interruptioins he said, “He’s just not presidential.”
Kasich said it himself, he’s all for Jeb. He will drop out AFTER the Ohio primary and not a day sooner. That’s been the plan all along.
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