Four years ago, Ohio Gov. John Kasich famously refused to attend the national convention of his own party in his own state in protest of Donald Trump’s coronation with the Republican presidential nomination in Cleveland.
This time around, the former two-term governor has found a convention and candidate he can embrace – the Democratic National Convention and Joe Biden.
Kasich, the last man standing against Trump in the 2016 GOP primaries, says he is choosing conscience over partisanship in speaking virtually to support Biden’s bid to dump Trump on Nov. 3.
Unconcerned about being a pariah among some in his own party, Kasich will deliver recorded remarks on the opening night of the Democratic convention on Monday evening. The “We the People” themed-night also includes liberal socialist U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Michelle Obama.
In an interview with The Dispatch, Kasich said he had hoped for a Trump transformation that would temper his tongue and dampen his divisiveness once confronted with the gravity of the Oval Office.
“I was hoping he would change, but he has not united us, he has divided us,” Kasich said. “The level of vitriol, the fighting between citizens and the partisanship is just not good. I think we need to take another tact.”
With both natives of blue-collar Pennsylvania, Kasich says his brand of compassionate conservatism meshes with former vice president Biden and what Kasich he sees as must-haves – a good heart and empathy.
Kasich, who arrived in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1983 while Biden was a senator from Delaware, says he has known the No. 2 to Barack Obama for close to 40 years and finds no artifice in him.
“Biden is a guy who can unify us. It’s his personality, that’s who is,” Kasich said. “There won’t be all this fighting and demonizing going on all the time. It’s not his history. It’s not his style.”
While he has concern over some of Biden’s stances on issues, Kasich said he expects Biden to reach out to Republicans to forge consensus.
Kasich said last week he had not spoken with Biden about his prime-time remarks at the virtual Democratic National Convention after being approached by Biden campaign officials to speak in an apparent appeal to swing voters and to broaden the Biden base.
Democrats hope Kasich – a favorite-son, 11-percentage-point winner over Trump in the 2016 Ohio GOP presidential primary – can sway some Ohioans to abandon the president in the unexpectedly competitive state. Trump went on to beat Democrat Hillary Clinton by 8 percentage points in Ohio.
The fact the former Ohio CEO and nine-term congressman is not a fan of Trump, who he faced during 11 Republican presidential debates, is nothing novel.
Kasich positioned himself for a DNC speaking spot by spending nearly four years as a political commentator with CNN, supporting the impeachment of Trump and denouncing his lack of leadership in handling the coronavirus pandemic.
He largely tears down Trump over what he portrays as his divisive and nasty approach to governance.
“He’ a divider, not a uniter. The name calling and personal attacks, they don’t work.
“This is not about the issues, it’s about the fact we need someone to bring people together. Because without that, the issues don’t matter if all we are doing is fighting one another,” Kasich said.
“I believe this an election about getting the country back together so we can have an effective conversation about things. The best years we have are when people work together.”
Many Democrats grumble about a conservative Republican being afforded a say amid the party’s crowning of Biden and running mate Kamala Harris, senator from California.
“I’ve spoken out over so many of the Kasich policies for years. There are a lot of things the governor and I don’t agree on,” said Ohio Democratic Chairman David Pepper.
“I don’t think that Biden or the DNC would have done this unless they think it will help them win Ohio,” Pepper said. “If Kasich is endorsing our side because he thinks Donald Trump is a horrific president, I am glad he is with us. He’s speaking to a lot of voters in the middle trying to make the same decision.”
Asked about Kasich’s defection, Trump Ohio campaign spokesman Dan Lusheck said simply, "Nobody cares.“ Ohio Republican Party spokesman Evan Machan likewise offered a near-identical response: ”No one cares.“
Leading abortion opponent Michael Gonadakis, appointed by Kasich to a near-decade-long term on the State Medical Board of Ohio, cares.
“He doesn’t have a conscience ... he has an ego and that ego is still bruised from getting his butt beat by the President in 2016. He should not get a free pass for acting like he is a ’nice guy!’ He treated everyone like crap in Ohio for 8 years,” Gonadakis wrote in a tweet.
Kaisch said the Republican Party he once knew has become mired in Trump’s brand and has lost its way with its unwillingness to challenge its president, but that he has not changed his GOP stripes.
Last week on CNN, Kasich said he believed Biden to be a fellow man of faith, adding, “A lot of people scratch their heads about why some of these very conservative evangelicals support Trump. It seems not to be consistent with the things that they believe in as promoted in the Old and New Testament.”
Noting he has received both praise from Republican never-Trumpers and criticism from the president’s loyal base, Kasich said it is not a “cardinal sin” to vote for a member of an opposing party.
“The things I represented throughout my entire career, I still believe in and I have not abandoned those principles ... it’s a matter of conscience.
“This is just the way I’ve been all my life. Leadership means you can walk a lonely road. I’m perfectly happy with where I am. My decision is the right one and a good one.”
After casting a write-in vote for the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, in 2016, Kasich confirmed he is casting his ballot for Biden this year in hopes of ousting Trump from the Oval Office.
This report was provided by the Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network.
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