Bloomberg
By Sahil Kapur
June 25, 2015
Ohio Governor John
Kasich traveled to Iowa for the first time as a potential presidential
candidate, making the case that his practical “human” approach to issues
doesn’t mean he’s not conservative enough
for Republican voters.
“Are there too many
things aligned against somebody like me to win?” Kasich asked during a
speech to a small group at Iowa Western Community College in Council
Bluffs. “I don’t think so.”
On the same day
that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal became the 13th Republican to enter
the race for president in 2016 saying he will be a true Christian
conservative, Kasich was in Iowa saying he can balance
budgets and cut taxes while still caring for the least among us.
“Is it possible for me to win? Yeah, it is.”
Kasich, who is
still deciding whether to run, said his moral and practical stance on
issues such as immigration and expanding Medicaid under President Barack
Obama’s health care overhaul, doesn’t mean he
can’t appeal to conservative voters or provide leadership needed to get
results in a gridlocked Washington.
“Because I care
about people who are addicted and mentally ill?” Kasich told reporters
in Council Bluffs when asked whether he’s conservative enough for Iowa
voters. “How does that make you anything but a
conservative?”
Asked about
immigration during an appearance at an event sponsored by the Iowa
Caucus Consortium in Des Moines, Kasich repeated his position that while
he wants a more secure border with Mexico and thinks
law-abiding people who came to the U.S. illegally should pay a penalty,
he doesn’t think it’s practical or compassionate to deport them.
“Should they become
citizens? I wouldn’t favor that,” Kasich said. “But I’ve said I
wouldn’t take it off the board because if you’re going to solve this
problem, you’ve got to have both parties involved.”
Border Drop
Earlier, in
response to a question from a reporter about what should be done with
the 11 million people in the country illegally, Kasich said, “I’m not
for putting them on a school bus, driving them to the
border, opening the door and just telling them to get out.”
That answer, along
with his stance on issues such as expanding Medicaid and support for the
Common Core education standards, may not sit well with some Republicans
voting in the caucuses, said Audrey Rosenberg
of Des Moines, 80, who came to hear Kasich speak at the forum.
She said she’ll back Kasich if he runs because he is more moderate like she is.
“I know that’s a bad word,” she said.
Early Primary
Kasich has spent
most of his time in the early primary states of New Hampshire and South
Carolina. Yesterday’s trip to Iowa, which has the first-in-the-nation
caucuses, was his first since he ran for president
in 1999. It’s raised questions about how hard he would run in the state
or how competitive he would be there.
While other
Republican candidates have made dozens of trips to Iowa, it’s not too
late for Kasich to mount an effective campaign because there’s still no
clear front-runner, said Steve Roberts, a Des Moines
lawyer and former Iowa Republican state chairman and Republican
National Committee member.
“Nobody’s caught the comet,” he said. “It’s still wide open.”
Kasich, 63, a
two-term governor and former congressman who also was a managing
director for Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and a Fox television host,
has both legislative and executive experience that can
set him apart, Roberts said.
“When you’re a governor, you can’t say, ‘the dog ate my homework,’” Kasich said in Des Moines.
Kasich would start
near the bottom, based on recent polls. A May 30 Bloomberg Politics/Des
Moines Register Iowa Poll showed Kasich well behind the leaders at 2
percent.
Speaking to the group at the Iowa Western Community College, Kasich was asked what he was doing there if he’s not a candidate.
“I came here
because I wanted to show respect to the people of Iowa, you’re very
important, and I’m trying to assess whether I can do this,” he said. “Is
it possible for me to win? Yeah, it is.”
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
No comments:
Post a Comment