Things You Need to Know About John Kasich

Many sides of Ohio Governor John Kasich

The Fiscal Times

Kasich is known for his short fuse and unpredictable tantrums. During a Koch brothers sponsored-conference, he raised his voice to Randy Kendrick, wife of Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick who questioned him about his push for Medicaid expansion. His rude response caused 20 people in the audience to walk out. Two other governors on stage, Nikki Haley of SC and Bobby Jindal of LA told him they disagreed with what he had said. Even famously fiery John McCain has acknowledged Kasich’s temper. 

·       He invoked religion into his decision to accept the Medicaid expansion money offered under Obamacare in 2013. He told a reporter, “Now, when you die and get to the meeting with St. Peter, he’s probably not going to ask you much about what you did about keeping government small. But he is going to ask you what you did for the poor. You better have a good answer.”

·      He’s a former host of a Fox News show. “From the Heartland with John Kasich” was on-air for six years, premiering in 2001 after he left Congress. The show aired on Saturday evenings and was broadcast from Columbus, Ohio.

·      Kasich began working in 2001 as a managing director at Lehman Brothers until the Wall Street firm collapsed in 2008. He returned to politics in 2010 by beating the incumbent Ohio Governor Ted Strickland by a two-point victory.

·       Already a religious man, his faith has grown since the late 1980s when his parents, two Democratic postal workers, were killed in a car crash with a drunk driver while pulling out of a Burger King. A devoted Catholic before having his faith wane in college, Kasich now attends an Anglican church.

• After pushing a bill to restrict collective bargaining rights for public workers in 2011, Kasich backed off when voters passed a referendum, 62 percent to 38 percent, to repeal the bill. The legislation would have limited the rights of 350,000 public workers, including police, teachers, and firefighters. His approval rating fell into the low 30-percent range, but he accepted the defeat and looked for other budget cuts. 
• Kasich refuses to use teleprompters, even for his State of the State addresses that can last over an hour. Either he uses a written speech, a rough outline with talking points, or he improvises the entire speech.