Why John Kasich Deserves Another Look!
February 27th, 2016 // 7:14 am @ Oliver DeMille
The Real Outsider
The men were talking a bit loudly, and I don’t think they even realized it. Almost everyone in the restaurant could hear them. In fact, a lot of people were obviously listening.
“I know what you mean,” the man with the deep voice said. “But I’m seeing something totally different in this election. You’re right that the outsiders like Trump and Cruz are really getting a lot of support. I just don’t think they’re the true outsiders.”
“What do you mean?” the man with the higher voice asked. “Who else is an outsider? Do you mean Bernie Sanders, because he’s a socialist?”
“No, I wasn’t thinking of Sanders,” Deep Voice replied. “But let’s just look at this whole election from a different angle. We’re calling Trump and Cruz outsiders because Trump has never held political office and Cruz is a Tea Party guy who constantly attacks what he calls ‘the Washington Cartel,’ meaning the establishment from both parties. Right?”
“Right.”
“Well, I’m not sure that’s a very good criteria for being an outsider. I think the reason a lot of voters want an outsider this year is because they’re tired of the political establishment, of both parties, and of politicians who get into office and just do more of the same—like the people they replaced. They promise real change, but it doesn’t happen. In fact, a lot of the bad things just keep getting worse, election after election.
“What we need is a real outsider. Not just someone who hasn’t been in office or always attacks other politicians, but someone who is the kind of leader we really want…”
He paused, and Higher Voice asked, “But what do you mean? I’m not sure what your point is.”
Class and Leadership
“Okay,” Deep Voice responded. “I’ll get right to the point. Our politics has become a disaster. The politicians fight all the time. They are constantly attacking each other. Attack. Attack. Attack. And we’re supposed to believe that this is just the way things are.
“But they shouldn’t be this way. We shouldn’t want leaders who are all about attacking people all the time. We vote them into office, and they just keep attacking each other in Washington. That’s not leadership. Not really. If they attacked a lot and then got really important things done, and made a lot of things better, that would be one thing. But that’s not what happens. They attack, and attack, and attack—and that’s pretty much all they get done.
“We need a president who gets the right things done, and who also doesn’t go around attacking people. We need the kind of leader we can look up to, someone who can bring people together in this nation. We’re so divided. So angrily divided. We need a real leader to get the nation back on track.”
Higher Voice replied: “That’s too idealistic…”
“Reagan did it,” Deep Voice interrupted. “He wasn’t the Attacker in Chief. He fought for what he wanted, but he did it with class. Not with name calling. Not with personal attacks. He stayed above that kind of junk. He was too good for it. He fought back, yes. But never by stooping to name-calling and personal vendettas. And that allowed him to lead the nation in big ways, and do big things like bring an end to the Cold War. We need a classy president who is also tough and confident.
“And a truly classy president would be a true outsider, very different from the attacking years of Bush, Clinton, Bush, and Obama. Just look at the 2008 election. We watched Obama and Hillary attack each other mercilessly in the campaign and debates, and we should have realized right then what kind of president Obama would be.
“We need a real change. And I don’t think that means making our politics even more focused on attacks. It means electing someone who isn’t an attacker. A fighter, yes. But classy, like a true leader.”
Higher Voice sighed loudly. “That’s so far from the current election that I don’t know what you’re proposing. What do you want to happen?”
To Act or To Attack
“First,” Deep Voice said, “let’s divide the candidates into those who attack and those who refuse to get down in the muck and act like jerks. Hillary, Trump, Cruz and Rubio are often on the attack—in the debates, in interviews, in their campaign rallies and speeches. They attack a lot. Regardless of how you feel about their politics, or their reasons for such attacks, they are consistently attacking, attacking, attacking. So put them in the jerk category, at least for this discussion.
“Second, the three candidates who usually aren’t on the attack are Bernie Sanders, John Kasich, and Ben Carson. So if we want a classy president, one whose focus is always on building people instead of tearing them down, it has to be one of them. I really dislike Sanders’ politics, so throw him out of the mix. He’s a socialist, and proud of it, and his proposals would drastically hurt the nation.
“So, third, we’re left with Kasich and Carson. Both are classy. And both go out of their way not to attack other people. They focus on building people up. They really do.
“And before you roll your eyes, really think about what I’m saying. If we want our politics to be built on people acting like jerks and fighting each other—and not really improving our nation—we should keep electing people who attack, attack, attack.
“But if we want real change, the kind that we can truly be proud of, we need to change the way our top leader acts. We need class. Depth. Virtue. We need a Washington, a Lincoln, a real leader. Tough, yes. But focused on building others, not attacking them.
“You can call this idealistic if you want, but what I’m saying is true! If we don’t have a true leader, a classy, uplifting Reaganesque example that we can tell our kids to emulate, we haven’t put our best leader in the Oval Office. Imagine telling your 12 year old son: ‘Be like Donald Trump’ or ‘attack people like Ted Cruz—as long as you win, it’s okay.’ Or even: ‘If you get behind, like Marco Rubio, find out everything bad you can about the other person and loudly tell everyone.’
“Ridiculous. We need a real president. And both Carson and Kasich are the kind of men you can tell your children to emulate. To be proud of. To follow—even into battle and death if necessary to defend our nation. To admire.
“We’ve become so used to something less that the highest character in our leaders that we seem ready to accept mediocrity in character and behavior and simply shrug it off. We need to do better than that!”
The Question of Class
Higher Voice interrupted: “I just don’t think Carson has enough experience in doing the kinds of things a president has to do.”
“Maybe he doesn’t. Or maybe he does. His understanding of freedom principles is deep, like Cruz or Rand Paul, and he might surprise you. But let’s say you’re right, just for the sake of argument. That still leaves Kasich…
He paused. Then he spoke a bit more quietly, and I noticed people leaning forward to hear. “John Kasich is everything you would want a president to be in terms of character. He’s classy to the core. He’s a man of principle and morals. And he never attacks others to tear them down or try to get himself ahead. Not ever. When others attack him, he answers their charges, clarifies the truth, and then turns to the policies our nation needs. Like Carson.
“Kasich doesn’t do what Trump, Hillary, Cruz and Rubio frequently do in the same situations—start counter-attacking whoever attacked them. When the media tries to get him to attack, he refuses. He consistently calls us to our better angels, as Madison put it.
“Kasich is classy like Reagan. He’s above petty name-calling and attacks like Reagan. He focuses on building people. Pretty much always. Yet his history proves that when it’s time to fight—against real enemies, like terrorists—he doesn’t shrink or back down. He is deeply principled. Again, like Reagan.
“But here’s the real kicker. Kasich is actually the most experienced leader out of everyone running for president. He was the architect of balancing the U.S. budget in the 1990s. He led it, and he planned out the details. He knows how to balance our national budget! He’s already done it once. Nobody else can say that. Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich took credit for negotiating it, but John Kasich ran the numbers and developed the plan.
“He also balanced the budget of Ohio as governor. He started out with a major deficit, and turned it around very quickly. And made it last. Nobody else in the race has ever done that—with a state, or with the United States. Only Kasich has done it. Twice!
“He also served on committees that oversaw military and international affairs, and has more national defense experience than anyone else running for president, including Hillary Clinton. And beyond all this, he’s a true conservative, and has been for decades. He also worked many years in private business as a leader—he’s not just some lifetime politician.”
America The Great, Again
Higher Voice asked: “Why hasn’t he caught on with the voters?”
“I’m not sure,” Deep Voice replied. “Part of it is probably that he’s not loud and constantly attacking people. Part of it is probably that a lot of voters don’t really know much about him. I’m not sure. He did do well in New Hampshire, and the race is far from over.”
He paused. Then kept talking: “Kasich has class. He has dignity. He is the kind of person we can look up to and tell our kids to look up to—and mean it. He’s tough. He’s a proven leader. But he’s really, really nice. And, again, he’s the only person in the race who has ever balanced a major government budget, and he’s done it at both the state and the national levels. That’s huge!
“I’ve really given this a lot of thought and research. Go back and read Kasich’s speeches. He’s the kind of man who would tell Mr. Gorbachev (or Putin) to ‘Tear down this wall!’ He’s the real deal.
“Conservatives need to step back, take a deep breath, and give Kasich another look. If we want the kind of America that truly is great again, we need the right kind of leadership. And that means the right kind of leader! A true leader, one who isn’t just going to get the job done but who’ll get it done with class, dignity, and an infectious smile.”
I left the restaurant mentally kicking myself. In all my reading and watching of the election, over many months, I hadn’t done what I always tell others to do—really go study the records, writings, and speeches of all the candidates. Really get to know them. At least, I hadn’t done this with Kasich. I’m remedying that.
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sue
8 years ago
Thank you so much for that thought provoking article. I knew nothing about him, and now my views have changed.
Doug
8 years ago
Thank you for your article. I really dislike the negative aspects of the presidential campaign. I appreciate your positive focus.
Ben
8 years ago
Presidents are important, but I feel as a country we put too much emphasis on that position as the one to steer the country. It’s because we allowed the position too much power, much more than the constitution dictates.
Our real problem and opportunity as a nation is the people. We need a collective and individual revival towards correct principles. We need to stop relying on government and start doing for ourselves. This presidential race is simply a reflection of our status as a nation.
Thomas
8 years ago
Thank you Oliver. Being in business with Orrin Woodward and everyone from Life Leadership they teach us this. Don’t take everyone’s view to heart, go out and read and learn and come to the facts yourself. Yet on this race I haven’t done that. I knew virtually nothing about him but now as I read and am learning my eyes are opening not only to the virtual unknown but to the one who has all the rooms necessary to lead this nation forward instead of backward. . Thank you again and Good bless
ChristopherDwyer
8 years ago
The problem with John is he is a progressive.
What we need is a return to the U.S. constitution.
John will not take us there. I hope you don’t
believe I’m name calling, I’m simply telling
you how John thinks.
Judy Hodgson
8 years ago
I agree with you up to where your not sure about Ben Carson, he is the only one to talk about the physical gap, he sat on the board of Kellogg and Costco for over 15 yrs each. He and his wife Candy have ran the Carson Scholar Fund , a nonprofit for 20 years and twice have won an award that is only given out to one nonprofit a year. They have also established Ben Carson Reading Rooms. Over 138 reading rooms in 17 States and DC have been established in schools across the country since 2000 ”
We shall know them by their fruit” .
Awards and honors
Carson is a member of the American Academy of Achievement,[221] Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society,[222] and the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans.[223] Carson has been awarded 38 honorary doctorate degrees and dozens of national merit citations.[224] Detroit Public Schools opened the Dr. Benjamin Carson High School of Science and Medicine[225] for students interested in pursuing healthcare careers. The school is partnering with Detroit Receiving Hospital and Michigan State University.[226]
In 2000, he received the Award for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged, an award given out annually by Jefferson Awards.[227]
In 2001, he was elected by the Library of Congress on the occasion of its 200th anniversary to be one of the 89 who earned the designation Library of Congress Living Legend.[228]
In 2004, he was appointed to serve on The President’s Council on Bioethics.[229]
In 2005, Carson was awarded the William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership.[230]
In 2006, he received the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP, their highest honor for outstanding achievement.[231]
In 2008, the White House awarded Carson the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.[232]
In 2008, Ford’s Theatre Society awarded Carson the Ford’s Theatre Lincoln Medal, for exemplifying the qualities embodied by President Abraham Lincoln—including courage, integrity, tolerance, equality, and creative expression—through superior achievements.[233][234]
In 2008, U.S. News & World Report named Carson as one of “America’s Best Leaders”.[235]
In 2010, he was elected into the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine, considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.[236]
In 2012, Carson was the Influential Marylander Award recipient from The Daily Record, Baltimore’s legal and business newspaper.[237]
In 2014, a poll of Americans conducted by Gallup ranked Carson sixth on a list of the most admired men in the world.[238]
He is an emeritus fellow of the Yale Corporation.[239]
“We the People” drafted him to run and continue to fund him, We are praying the people will wake up in time, he has been totally mistreated by the media because they can’t find anything bad about him. Our Nation is about to go over the cliff and the media is worried about ratings and a reality show atmosphere. Dr. Carson points out, the people of Rome were at the Coliseum watching blood and guts as the city crumbled around them. I first learned of you through Orrin Woodward.
https://www.bencarson.com/issues
domingo isip
8 years ago
Everything starts with money and monetary policies. This postulate touches on the mismanagement of the economy by the Federal Reserve for decades and I don’t see this kind of understanding in any of the candidates except Rand Paul, who has withdrawn from the contest.
Lacking a firm grasp of how the FED has gotten us this deep in a downward spiral of the American economy, no president can get us back to where we want to be fiscally speaking. Not Kasich, not Trump, not Rubio, not Cruz, not etc… only Rand Paul.
Allen Levie
8 years ago
Thank you. I also hadn’t known much about him and this makes a lot of sense. Charisma and electability currently seem tied to ones ability to attack. It’s as if we are narrowly trying to elect someone to head up the continued success of our military industrial complex and an authoritarian who can manage our nationalistic “keep out” campaign. This non-attack angle is helpful.
Tom
8 years ago
Nicely written!
Greg
8 years ago
You know Oliver. I considered your evaluation of Rubio but especially Kasich as fair. However, with time we see the true colours. they have ganged up on the other candidates. And Rubio actually encouraging people in Ohio to vote for Kasiach. Rubio knows he can’t win. Kasich knows he can”t win fair and square, so they go for an under handed way to steal they election away from “uneducated, non eliteist aristocracy. A real failure in class and unwillingness to trust the system they subscribe to: the will of the people or let the same old “no term limits polititians” who love all the benefits that no common person has or any that come from all the lobbyists, who should be thrown out, totally removed from our system of government, along with the federal reserve, which has NO reserve and not federal but a cartel of BIG money that should have no business controlling our economy. Look at the shape we’re in. Someone hard nosed is needed. It would be better if they had more class but never forget Ben Franklin and what he was like.
Just wanted to respond,
Greg
Hunting.Targ
8 years ago
Superb Narrative commentary. Chris and Judy, you provide excellent counterweight to this article, and help me make this point off of everything already said: An election between Carson and Kasich would be a “real” election, a choice between statesmen. An election between either of them and an other candidate would be a fateful decision for America. But any election between the other four names is very much nearly more of the same.
“Politics is medicine for a sick state.”
-C.S. Lewis
James Thompson
8 years ago
Something to consider… On May 5th, 1994, President Bill Clinton sent a letter to then, Representative John Kasich, thanking him for his support of H.R. 4296 which is a ban on assault weapons. Along with that, Governor Kasich has also been supportive of socialist efforts such as Common Core. I’d be hesitant to support any candidate that is in favor of those two things.
Andrew
8 years ago
Very interesting. I think though that you misread Ted Cruz’s supposed “attacks.” Unlike Trump, Rubio and Clinton, Ted Cruz never gives in to personal attacks. He only attacks the other candidates records which I think is fair game. People need to be called out on their pasts but only if it’s actually true. Rubio and Trump are always reporting lies as truth but Kasich and Cruz never do. I like them both a lot but at this point it makes no sense to vote for Kasich. It’s just too late in the race and there really is no way for John to win.
Tyler Schlosser
8 years ago
I agree with some and disagree with some on this article. i was trying to find out from oliver his views of governor kasich on common core, and his social stances. not sure how i can ask oliver himself without him reading the comments.