Trump probably can't win Ohio, says state's governor, John Kasich

[RandySF]

A "divider" like GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump will have a hard time winning Ohio, an important battleground that could help decide the election in November, said Buckeye State Gov. John Kasich, a former Republican presidential candidate.

"Ohio's a snapshot of the country. People in Ohio want to see a positive agenda, a positive way to move forward," Kasich said Friday in an interview at the Union League of Philadelphia. He attended a fund-raiser for Brian Fitzpatrick, a Bucks County Republican running for an open congressional seat.

Kasich's remarks came a day after Trump accepted the Republican Party's nomination at its convention in Cleveland. Kasich, who dropped out of the presidential primary campaign in May after Trump effectively clinched the nomination, did not attend the convention.

"Without an endorsement, I thought it would be inappropriate for me to go in there and make some kind of a talk," Kasich said.


http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/presidential/20160723_Trump_can_t_win_Ohio__says_state_s_governor__John_Kasich.html

[Dawson Leery]

1. Kasich controls the state party's machinery.

He can take the state away from Donnie.

[beachbum bob]

2. I wont be surprise if Kasich endorses Hillary and campaigns for her

he understands the destructive ego of Trump....and how america would be destroyed


you heard it first here

[MoonRiver]

4. That would surprise me, but I hope you are correct.

My guess is he'll do absolutely nothing to help Rump, and that his non-action will speak volumes to Ohioans.

[beachbum bob]

6. I don't know..centrist republicans know what trump represents...and I won't be surprised

if this happens with kasich and others

[MoonRiver]

7. Crossing all appendages that you've called it!

[spooky3]

9. As a former OH resident, I think Kasich is a RWer

His voting record in congress was "conservative" as have been many gubernatorial actions. He just has a different veneer. So, no way will he endorse Clinton.

I think his comments are more about dislike, revenge, etc relative to Trump and Cruz (with the shot he took in the 4th pgh).

[beachbum bob]

12. kasich is not a blind follower..and I watched him for years in congress.....just becasue

he is a republican...doesn't mean he is an idiot automatically and can't see the danger of a trump and his zealots....many are flocking to to hillary....


I think its less about losing and more about the direction that trump would take america

[spooky3]

13. Check out his actual voting record, and his cutting pensions of teachers and attempting to

Weaken unions...

I could go on and on...

Here's a more complete report:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/11/john-kasich-ohio-moderate-voting-record-republican-president-campaign

[NEOBuckeye]

16. Kaisch is about Kasich, period.

Some people seem to think Kasich is some kind of principled, reasonable politician, but that image is a complete farce. My experience as an Ohioan with Kasich as governor here is that he doesn't give a damn about anything or anyone else that doesn't directly reaffirm and support his own ego, beliefs, ambitions and lifestyle.

Kasich boycotted the RNC not so much because of Trump, but because Kasich believed he himself was entitled to the presidency and wanted to claim the nomination for himself in a major city in the state he governs. I believe he would have done the same if it had been Cruz, but Trump gave him the added excuse, in his own mind, anyway, to act out his frustrations on being thwarted in his presidential hopes. He has shown the same diva-ish, "me first" attitude on everything else, from high-speed rail to public education and urban policy. Basically, if it doesn't directly impact and benefit his life, then he has no use for it, and doesn't care if supporting it would help anyone else. He may not be a complete idiot, but he is rather thick-headed and buffoonish about many things, and very, very self-centered.

As much as I despise Trump, I actually hate Kasich much more because I have watched him turn back the clock for the past six years on many things here in my state that would have made for a much better quality of life for so many people. Quite honestly, I cheered when he finally suspended his campaign because I was glad to see him suffer from losing something that mattered so much to him, since all he wanted was the ego trip that came with it. Kasich doesn't care about anything but himself.

[anneboleyn]

33. Trump overtly offended Kasich by calling him names and azzhole behavior

Kasich may indeed be a "diva," but his behavior was nothing compared to Trump's behavior. Kasich even worked out a deal with Cruz (who is the devil to moderate republicans) in an attempt to stop Trump, which shows just how much he hates Trump. In fact after one of the later debates, when Trump had made news yet again by name-calling his fellow republicans. Kasich refused to shake his hand post debate. It wasn't covered by the media but our conservative friends noticed it as Trump actually looked shocked when he extended his hand to Kasich, trying to buddy buddy the gov of Ohio after ridiculing his opponents yet again, and Kasich turned his back on him and walked away.

I am of course not arguing that Kasich is a great guy or has great views (certainly not!). But I do think his intense dislike of Trump helps in the sense that he is sending a clear message to the people of Ohio, which Trump must win, not to vote for Trump.

[geek tragedy]

10. that would surprise me.

refusing to support the nominee is one thing, going the full Lieberman is quite another.

[JustAnotherGen]

26. Me too

And I'm thinking he's running again in 2020.

There's nothing for him to gain by supporting either major party candidate.

[karynnj]

27. He seems to still have future ambitions in the Republican party and he is very conservative

I think he will do what he is doing -- I was going to say "damning by faint praise", but that OVERSTATES what he has done. Here, his comment explaining not speaking EMPHASIZES that he did not endorse Trump. Further, it suggests that this was not a routine or easy decision.

Consider: He is the Republican governor of the state hosting the Republican convention. As the host, he would have a position of honor even had he not run. It was a big deal to not appear at all and his comment makes it clear it was because, in good faith, he can not endorse Trump.

That is already going pretty far for a politician who wants to have a role in the future. There was a time - before the two parties were as polarized where their were across the aisle endorsements. Now, you see some that are people no longer active - like Colin Powell - or those not really firmly in one party or the other - like Bloomberg.

[RAFisher]

3. After reading Coppins' Buzzfeed article it seems this will REALLY irritate Trump

It seems Trump spends most of his time attacking haters on this shit list. Hopefully Trumps vindictive nature will implode his campaing.

Regarding endorsements I believe Kasich when he says he won't vote for Clinton. I'm really curious to see if any major republican will endorse Johnson. He was a former GOP governor but if a Republican endorses him it legitimizes the Libertarian Party as a viable alternative in future elections.

[auntpurl]

5. That's practically an endorsement for Hillary right there.

Sew up OH, VA, and PA and this thing is over.

[MohRokTah]

8. No Republican in history has ever won the presidency without Ohio.

Check it out, it's true. There has never been a Republican president who did not win Ohio, though there have been many Democratic presidents who failed to win Ohio.

[bluestateguy]

11. Swing state governor of his own party badmouths the nominee in public.

Should be helpful.

[bearssoapbox]

14. What Kashits says and does, he does for Kashits.

He may shroud it in talk about "a positive agenda, a positive way to move forward" but his 'people' are the rich.

He has done away with a deficit on the backs of the poor, elderly and those that can least afford it while giving tax breaks to big business.

He's cut money to cities, towns and counties. He cut money for schools and libraries.

He's trying his damndest to make it harder for poorer women to get convenient,affordable prenatal and regular health care.

Kashits may occasionally say something that sounds sane, but just underneath, he is as nutter as they come.

I live in Boners old district and for the life of me I can't figure why the regular people this area vote the way they do.

Kashits was here a couple of months ago and you would have thought that Raygun was making a second coming.

[TonyPDX]

15. Speaking of Ohio, has John Boehner endorsed anyone yet?

Perhaps there's only room for one Agent Orange on the stage.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

32. Jack Daniels. nt

[TonyPDX]

35. Brilliant!

[Maeve]

17. He's already running for 2020

And much as I despise the twerp, he is a pragmatist and on this, he's right. FFS, it looks like the Columbus Dispatch may endorse Hillary! It sure as hell shows no sign of leaning to Drumpf....

[ColumbusLib]

23. Wow, the Dispatch?

The Dispatch leans so heavily right that I can hardly stand to look at their political postings. That's really saying something if they endorse Hillary!

[Maeve]

24. Chck out Sunday's editorial

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2016/07/24/1-trump-has-altered-the-nations-politics.html

As noted in this space before, Trump is a demagogue, whose appeal is not based in coherent policy, but in personality. He does not argue that his ideas, vague and grandiose, will succeed because they are well-thought-out, tested and true, but because he is the Donald and he is a winner and he wills them to work.

And yet, there is reason to wonder just how committed he is to any of his policies. After all, in a bizarre and unsuccessful effort to lure Ohio Gov. John Kasich to accept the vice-presidential slot, well-placed sources told the New York Times and The Columbus Dispatch that Trump offered to give Kasich free rein over domestic and foreign policy. Which would have left Trump with responsibility for what? Redecorating the White House? The bizarre offer calls into question whether Trump is even interested in serving, or playing at it merely to see how far he can go.

[Cha]

18. Wow.. that's something coming from a repub gov. right?!

[Rex]

19. It speaks volumes imo.

Trump is going to lose by a landslide.

[Cha]

20. We need him to, Rex.. trump & putin.

[Rex]

21. I know, I've been reading about that today and it is real and scary.

That is also why all these supposed emails are probably being written by Russian and Chinese trolls. We have zero proof they are real, just some guys word for it that is too chicken to come out of hiding and face justice.

[awoke_in_2003]

29. The fact that he didn't

attend the RNC convention in his state is very telling.

[JRLeft]

22. Kasich might as endorse Hillary Clinton, he's seems to be leaning that way.

[thesquanderer]

25. OTOH, Ohio had open primaries.

Hillary won the Dem side with 679k votes, but Trump got 728k votes (despite coming in second to native son Kasich). So it would seem Trump has more fans than Hillary does in Ohio. I guess part of the question is where all those Kasich voters go... how many stay with the Republican nominee, how many switch to the ostensibly more "Kasich-like" (i.e. mainstream) Clinton.

[anneboleyn]

31. No. Primary numbers are totally different from general election numbers

Trump does not have "more fans" in Ohio. The general election numbers are entirely different. And yes Kasich squashed Trump in the primary -- AND he hates Trump with a serious passion, which means that arrogant idiot Trump will get zero help from a popular republican governor in a crucial swing state.

[awoke_in_2003]

28. For once...

I hope this guy is right. I hope my home state has a little more sense than that.

[anneboleyn]

30. Kasich loathes Trump, and Trump is so stupid he thinks he can win Ohio w/out the help

of a popular republican governor of a crucial swing state. Ohio republicans voted overwhelmingly to support Kasich over Trump during the primaries. If Trump weren't such an arrogant azz he would have apologized to Kasich a long time ago but he is seriously scr!wed on Ohio now as far as any help from Kasich is concerned.

[TeamPooka]

34. Kasich should undercut Trump in Ohio so he (Kasich) can run again in 2020.

Come on dude. think of your future