* Imagine you are a small town newspaper and suddenly a candidate for statewide office pops into your newsroom. John Kasich was the candidate that just happened to make an unannounced visit to the Definance Crescent-News offices to try to show his critics that he can handle the press. With Kasich's unexpected stop into the small newspaper office, reporters are caught without prepared notes or questions to ask the candidate. That is just the way Kasich wants it. He wants them fawning over him. He'll keep playing it safe and use the element of surprise to win praise from these small town newspapers. When will Kasich set an appointment with the Pulitzer Prize winning reporters from the Toledo Blade?
Here are a few excerpts from the very friendly "interview" Kasich did with the Crescent-News with some of my comments placed in parentheses:
Republican John Kasich is confident he can win Ohio's gubernatorial race in November, but you'd expect that from a candidate facing an incumbent with lukewarm poll numbers....
(There is that Kasich over overconfidence. It is well-known that Kasich has an ego larger than the state.)
...Asked if he could cover a projected deficit that large quickly without one-time money, he says: "Oh yeah, I know we can close the hole. I believe we can not only close the hole, but we can pass a package. Yes, but again we're to a point we have all these sacred cows. We're not going to have sacred cows."...
(No "sacred cows"? Then he was asked about Medicaid.)
..."Medicaid is a very inefficiently run program right now," he said. "When we get into the fall I'll be able to spell out a lot more about what exactly I mean by that. That program can deliver much better services at lower costs."....
(Really? However, he will not reveal that information now because you'll have to wait until just before the election for him to hatch his plans.)
In the past, Kasich's proposals to save money came on the back of cutting programs (see CBPP.org) by targeting "low-income working families" and "weakening health care coverage for low-income families." Will he do it again?
Kasich also uses the word "force" in the newspaper article to indicate that he will "force" certain departments within the state to follow his proposals. Does it bother you that Kasich uses the word "force" in his proposals for cuts? What are the "sacred cows" that he plans to destroy or cut?