Alright, we know who John Kasich is (governor of Ohio, former Congressman, Lehman Brothers executive, former budget director under Dumbya). Today, he's the 16th candidate to board the Republican presidential clown
We agree with Steve M. at No More Mister Nice Blog, who pegs him as 2016's (doomed) Jon Huntsman:
Can you say "Jon Huntsman"? Kasich also supports the hated Common Core. Yeah, Jeb does, too -- but Jeb has more money than God, and he's more or less locked up the votes of all Republicans who think they need to make a choice based on pragmatism rather than ideological zealotry. That's a minority of the GOP electorate, though it may be a large enough minority to get Jeb through the early primaries, at which point maybe the rest of the electorate will hold its collective nose and rally around Jeb. But there's no room for Kasich in all this. The GOP isn't a lovely garden where a hundred reasonable right-centrists can bloom. It's a cesspit of carcinogenic rage.
Mainstream political journalists can't stand the thought that GOP voters aren't in sync with them. Just as they never stop insisting that Chris Christie is poised for a comeback, they're certain Republicans would embrace Kasich if circumstances were more favorable (a smaller field, an earlier entry into the race, no Trump). That's nonsense. Kasich would be blown away even in a two- or three-candidate race. He's no GOP voter's idea of an ideal presidential candidate. He'll be lucky to outpoll George Pataki and Bobby Jindal. (our emphasis)The only real constituency Kasich has is the Republican-wired Beltway media, who can't understand why no one has the hots for Kasich like they do. But that won't stop them from promoting him at every opportunity, now that their tough-love daddy figure, Gov. Chris "Krispycreme" Christie, remains beached like a dead whale.
BONUS: Harry Enten at FiveThirty Eight has a similar take, with supporting data.
