Saturday, June 2, 2012

John Kasich: RINO

At least, somebody seems to thinks so. There is a rumor going around that a few well known Ohio conservatives or organizations are grumbling about the governor, and saying that, get this, he isn't conservative enough.

I have reached out to a lot of sources, and have not been able to nail down who it is, although there is some indications that the people pushing for a Right-to-Work amendment on this years ballot are part of it. Nevertheless, what we're hearing is that there is a press release or interview coming out in the media soon.

Of course, the very idea that Governor Kasich is not conservative is preposterous. So, we thought we would review some facts to consider when judging Kasich's conservatism.

  • An honest balanced budget. Governor Kasich and his team had the Herculean task of filling a gaping $8 billion hole left by the outgoing Strickland administration. Instead of using trickery, raiding other funds and using one-time federal Obama dollars like Strickland did, Kasich actually had to be responsible.
  • Kasich's budget actually cut spending. Not counting Medicaid spending, which is dictated by the federal government, Kasich's budget for FY 12-13 contains $683 million less spending than the previous administration's FY10-11 budget.
  • Smaller State Agencies. Over half of all GRF-funded agencies have lower GRF appropriations under Gov. Kasich’s FY12-13 budget than their actual spending in the previous biennium.
  • Governor Kasich cut taxes. The death tax has been eliminated and income taxes were also reduced, for a combined savings of $800 million. He has also proposed an additional $500 million in tax cuts currently pending in the Ohio legislature.
  • Government union reform. Governor Kasich signed one of the most ambitious reforms in the nation. He also continued to advocate and raise money for the issue. Due to an onslaught of Big Labor money flowing into the state to lie and demagogue this issue, this was an issue we lost at the ballot box before getting a chance to see them work, like they have in Wisconsin. But Governor Kasich wasn't afraid to take a stand for what was right for Ohio's taxpayers.
  • Guns. Governor Kasich signed a law removing the ridiculous restriction on Ohio's concealed carry holders that forced them to disarm if they wanted to enjoy a meal in a restaurant that happens to serve alcohol. This has been the #1 battle Ohio gun owners have been fighting for for the last several years.
  • Governor Kasich killed the flawed 3C rail plan. He was the first among other conservative governors to turn down federal dollars for "high speed rail". He knew that the costs to build the system would soar, just like in California. He kept Ohio taxpayers from being stuck with the overruns and the cost of subsidizing a system that few people would use.

Ohio is on the rebound under John Kasich's leadership. He will be the first one to tell you that we have a long way to go, but we are headed in the right direction. One thing that shouldn't be in question is whether he is conservative or not. We have one word to describe someone who thinks that's even a thought worth considering:

Ridiculous.

12 comments:

  1. As a bartender, still think the guns in bars issue is the dumbest thing ever allowed...

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  2. He did a marvelous job on meet the Depressed this morning.

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  3. Wing nuts, and anyone else who uses the term "RINO" are, in fact, morons. Scientific fact.

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    1. people who post anonymously and use invectives like "wing nuts" and "morons" are obviously too ignorant to form a decent argument

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  4. Does anyone know where Kasich stands on social issues? He might not talk out loud about it but he sure doesn't mind hiring high profile GLBT campaign workers and now the same gay crowd is part of the ORP, where Kevin DeWine still makes the rules with Bennett. The Kasich term in office is a smoke screen for the "moderates", much much like his Senate: Neihaus, Seitz, Coley, Lehner, etc.

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    1. Kasich is pro-life and supported the amendment to define marriage in Ohio as between one man and one woman. You sound ridiculous.

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    2. While I consider myself to be a good bit right of center, I can not help but recoil from the vitriol directed my way when I voice (or type) my pro choice stance. One thing I have noticed in debating this issue: The most vocal, loud, vicious, and and UNRELENTING when it comes to this issue are almost exclusively men... and it just stinks of using ones religion as a means to control their women...Also, the death penalty demands a level of perfection that no justice system can provide, therefor I feel it should be abolished. Call me what you want, I'm quite comfortable in who I am :)

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    3. The comment "you sound ridiculous" is "vitriol" that makes you "recoil?" Please. I don't think any of that was directed at you because you are pro-choice. I could not even tell if you were PC or PL from your first post. You were talking about LGBT stuff and sounding like a conspiracy theorist. I was wondering if you were wearing a foil hat. Bytor's response sounded like a pretty harmless response. And I definitely did not hear him call you anything. He just used an appropriate adjective to describe your comment. I guess that is your tactic, though. Make a fairly ridiculous comment, then play the victim when anyone challenges you. How about a decent discussion explaining yourself instead of a second "ridiculous" post whining about being victimized? And you are still anonymous, even if you try to call yourself "not."

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  6. Kasich being a RINO is one of the most outlandishly inaccurate things I've ever heard.

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  7. Not sure RINO is the correct term, but Kasich's profound disrespect for the Ohio Constitution and rule of law in the whole casino/VLT deal has seriously called into question his conservative credibility. Whether or not you support gambling and casinos, when our "conservative" governor makes backroom deals that violate the Constitution, it's a problem.

    I agree with much - even most - of what Kasich has done. I'm thrilled that we have a balanced budget and that we're adding jobs and the economy is improving. But he and the legislature have been permitted to enact policies that clearly violate the Constitution in order to make a quick buck for the state.

    A judge last week threw out a lawsuit challenging this, basically saying "we the people" don't have standing to challenge unconstitutional laws passed by the legislature or deals made by the governor that violate the Constitution.

    We should all be very concerned about that and wonder what they'll do next.

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