John Kasich for President!!

Generally speaking, people get more conservative in their ways when they get older. This is not the case for me. I got interested in politics and world affairs after the attacks on September 11^th 2001, when I was a sophomore in high school. The following summer I started listening to Rush Limbaugh and would have been happy to call myself a “Ditto Head.” In college I had a poster of Ann Coulter on my wall. During graduate school I traveled out to Iowa to help Mike Huckabee become president. As I get older, my views have become more nuanced, but I still identify as a Social Conservative.

With that, I now put my support behind John Kasich for President of the United States. John Kasich is the Governor of Ohio, and I want to tell you why you should support him too. First, let’s look at his resume, which I believe is the strongest in the large Republican field.

1983-2001: House of Representative Member

Kasich spent nearly 20 years in the House of Representatives. He was very successful legislator. I really like how he is touting that knowing Washington is a good thing, because it is! Kasich was the most important player in the House in terms of balancing the budget in 1997. Kasich showed time and time again that he could work with both sides of the aisle. Kasich likes to call himself a “cheap hawk,” which frankly does not sound great but it really is. He wants a strong defense, but unlike many Republicans, he has cut waste in military spending.

I like that Kasich is making it clear that having a job in Washington is a benefit. I get so sick of hearing how Washington is the problem and how we need to fix it. Yes, it is a problem, and things need to be fixed, but having experience in Washington helps you get things fixed, it does not hinder you. When you have experience like Kasich, it is much easier to get things done.

2001-2009: Private Sector

Kasich won’t highlight his time in the private sector, with good reason. First, he was a commentator on FOX News. This work is fine, but it hardly is useful experience for running the real world. He also worked for Lehman Brothers, which I am sure will be used against him if he gathers any momentum. While I prefer he worked somewhere that didn’t go bankrupt, the preponderance of the evidence shows me that he will be a great leader. He was not a major factor in why Lehman Brothers had the problems it did.

2011-2015: Governor of Ohio

John Kasich has led the state I live in well. While not perfect, he has been very good. Mostly, I really love people who are compassionate conservatives. Kasich wisely expanded Medicaid, helping those who need help, mostly the mentally ill, the drug-addicted and the poor. Kasich is relentless in cutting waste, but he is willing to help those who truly need help.

Kasich has led while Ohio has brought jobs back to the state, and his style is one of getting things done. The state is clearly going in the right direction, as he got re-elected in a landslide. The Democrats nominated a terrible candidate, but Kasich won so easily due to how he was able to gather a large swatch of voters in the king of all swing states.

Final Thoughts

I have been leaning toward Kasich for a while. He has an excellent record all around. I heard this exchange though about Hillary Clinton that pushed me over the edge:

“I have a lot of respect for Hillary Clinton,” he ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday. But, he added: “She and I disagree on many issues.”

I am so sick of disrespect. I have very strong views on many issues. I believe that abortion is wrong, including in cases of rape and incest. I believe that marriage should be defined between 1 man and 1 woman. I believe that a private company should not be able to use the government to force a person to sell their land to them. There are plenty of people who disagree with me on all of these issues. I have respect for these people. If someone is going to stand in the public square and make their views known, I respect them.

This idea that because I am a Republican I have to think Democrats are evil is getting old. It saddens me when my first political love, Mike Huckabee, says that Obama is “Marching the Jews to the Oven” with the Iran deal. This hyperbolic language helps no one.  Marco Rubio, who I like, said that we need someone now with class, taking a swipe and both Obama and Trump. Obama has shown nothing but class as a person in the White House. I disagree with most of his policies, but Obama has class. When someone asked Kasich his opinion on Donald Trump’s marital problems, all Kasich wanted to do was talk about this issue, not what happened to Trump in the past.

Now is the time for a leader that can work with both sides and get things done. Now is the time for a conservative who knows the proper use of government, and wants to make government part of the solution, not part of the problem. Most often, it is the private sector that needs to be enabled, and John Kasich knows that. He will stand up for the weak, no matter if they are unborn, being oppressed by the government or being oppressed by greed. I am excited to support John Kasich for President in 2016.