Why?
He pretty much terminated the Ohio Governor's already weakening campaign.
Schwarzenegger played to the center from the moment he was elected Governor during the 2003 recall.
He pushed a strong populist, anti-Big Government, Major Corruption agenda.
Yet after nearly eight years in Sacramento, the man did lasting damage to the Republican brand and the California conservative cause.
Why would Kasich embrace this guy's non-endorsement?
Then there's Steve Poizner. Like Arnold, he was elected to statewide office in 2006, but demonstrated a decent penchant for governing.
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| Sreve Poizner |
He would later run for Governor in 2010, on a strong defense and fiscal discipline platform.
Meg Whitman had all the money, however, and drowned out his candidacy.
I must admit: I voted for Whitman, in part because I believed that she was in a better position to win the general election.
She lost to Governor Brown by nearly ten points in spite of all the money that she spent.
Unbelievable. Is it any surprise that National Republicans gave up on California?!
So, we are back to trying to understanding why Poizner and Arnold love Kasich?
Kasich is the least dangerous of the four remaining Republican candidates.
He touts fiscal conservatism, and yet is staunchly squishy on the essential yet controversial cultural issues. Kasich does not want to talk about the Second Amendment. Yes, he's pro-life, but let's not talk about trying to spare lives before they are born, shall we?
And about gay marriage. Yeah, yeah, Kasich believes in traditional marriage, but he has gay friedns, and he went to his wedding.
So, Kasich is a conservative, but does not really want to govern like one. This cowardice on the social issues works for Californian Republicans running statewide, since they fear that such issues are a detrimental liability.
Granted, California Republicans need to focus quickly on security, transparency, and fiscal accountability. Kasich makes that transition easier.
The current Ohio Governor plays up his popularity , but he also does not offend anyway.
A lot of non-conservatives or pro-Establishment types have flocked to Kasich, including the former US Senate Majority Leader, Trent Lott of Mississippi. Lest anyone forget, Lott was eventually dethroned from his post because he was not aggressive enough, and his replacement, Bill Frist of Tennessee, worked harder and pledged to serve only two terms.
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| John Kasich (Credit: The Insurgent) |
I believe that he is lining up behind the least controversial Republican in the race, not for Kaisch's good, but for Poizner's.
He can reach out to the major donors after Election 2016 and then announce his own bid. He can cite his capacity to reach out without offending anyone.
Then again, what will the Republican base in California think of this mild-manner Silicon Valley brainiac who seems more like Meg Whitman eight years after his first bid for Governor of California?
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