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Kasich rolls dice on presidential bid
On the side
Pancreatic cancer claim: Former U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette, who used to represent northern Trumbull County, has pancreatic cancer and claims Capitol doctors failed to inform him of a lesion on the organ three years ago.
In an administrative claim against the federal government, an attorney for LaTourette wrote that the Republican “is likely to succumb to rapid physical and cognitive deterioration.” The attorney also wrote that LaTourette’s “prognosis remains uncertain yet grave, with no definitive predictions with regard to life expectancy.”
The claim is a precursor to a lawsuit if the Navy, which runs the Capitol’s Office of the Attending Physician, denies LaTourette’s assertions. The claim contends Capitol doctors found a lesion on his pancreas in March 2012 and never informed LaTourette, 60, about it or recommended a follow-up. In August 2014, Cleveland area doctors found a tumor.
LaTourette opted not to seek re-election to a 10th term in the middle of the 2012 campaign saying he was disgusted with political partisanship.
It’s never a good idea to admit you’re running for one political office when you’re more interested in another.
That’s why Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, wouldn’t say he wanted to run for president while cruising to an easy re-election bid last year.
Kasich took his supposed lack of interest in the presidency far when he told The Vindicator in September 2014: “Honestly, I just don’t see it. I tried it once. You come with me. You can go with me out to Iowa. You wouldn’t believe it. You’d never go to Iowa again ... I don’t expect anything. I don’t even think about it.”
Kasich later told The Washington Post he liked “the people of Iowa,” but not “the system” they use for their first-in-the-nation presidential caucus. Campaigning in Iowa would be a waste of time for him. Republicans have backed losers in the last two caucuses, and are likely to do it again next year.
Kasich is taking a different approach by putting all his eggs in one basket: New Hampshire. But that’s a risk.
New Hampshire Republicans backed the party’s eventual nominee in 2004, 2008 and 2012 in the first-in-the-nation presidential primary. Before that, the state’s Republicans missed with U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona in 2000 and Pat Buchanan, a conservative political commentator and writer, in 1996.
Kasich hasn’t announced his candidacy, but that’s just a matter of time. With the first Republican debate set for Aug. 6 in Cleveland, Kasich will almost certainly make his announcement before then; the sooner the better.
Kasich is traveling to some key early primary states – New Hampshire, South Carolina and Georgia – and he’s become much more visible as a regular guest on national news shows and networks.
But a new national Quinnipiac Poll shows he’s not gaining traction. He received only 2 percent of the vote, tied for 10th. That’s been about where Kasich has been in numerous other polls. Even Donald Trump is ahead of him in the Quinnipiac Poll with 5 percent. The good news for Kasich is the poll shows five frontrunners, all with 10 percent of the vote.
The Aug. 6 debate is limited to the top 10 candidates in five national polls selected by Fox News, the event’s sponsor.
While Kasich has a good story to tell, he often goes over the top touting his success, calling it the “Ohio Miracle.”
Earlier this week in South Carolina, Kasich said, “People call me the CEO of Ohio more than governor.” Huh? That was a new one. I was disappointed the next line wasn’t: “Some people call me the space cowboy.”
Kasich seems far more focused on running for president than running the state. That’s one of the casualties of running for president.
When he released his budget proposal, Kasich sent Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor on the road to sell it to the public and media.
Perhaps Kasich should have spent more time selling it to fellow Republicans who control the Ohio House as they didn’t include much of his income tax cuts, another sales tax increase and his school formula in the budget they passed.
While saying he loves to come to the Mahoning Valley, his last appearance here was a quick invitation-only Oct. 30, 2014, campaign stop with the rest of the statewide Republican ticket.
A number of Republican presidential candidates don’t appeal to anyone but hardline conservatives, and others appeal to almost no one. With his experience, Kasich should be near the top of the list. So why isn’t he?