Ted Strickland

John Kasich For Republican Presidential Nomination? Not To Be Overlooked!

As the Republican Party seeks a potential Presidential nominee for 2016, one that is starting to come to mind is Ohio Governor John Kasich, elected in 2010.

Kasich is a very engaging person, who served 18 years in Congress, including heading the House Budget Committee in the mid 1990s, and working for gun regulations against the wishes of the National Rifle Association. Kasich has always shown an independent streak, and also was a substitute on Fox News Channel talk shows for Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly, and briefly, had his own show, often making more sense than the typical right wing hosts on that cable channel.

Kasich has made mistakes as Governor, including the attempt to curb collective bargaining rights for labor, soundly defeated in a referendum; and rejecting funding for a high speed rail project; and his 2010 gubernatorial victory over Governor Ted Strickland was won by only 77,000 votes statewide. Like any politician, one can find weaknesses in his record and background, but he could give any Democratic Presidential nominee a good challenge, although the Democrat would still be heavily favored, ultimately, in the Electoral College.

Kasich had a business career in the first decade of the 21st century after leaving Congress, so he has had Congressional experience, business experience, and state government experience, and has decided, unlike most Republican governors, to allow expansion of Medicaid. He has also refused to align himself with the Tea Party Movement, which is in his favor.

Considering that Ohio is a true “swing ” state that could go either way in future Presidential elections, Kasich would have a good chance to perform better than many other potential GOP candidates, and considering that Ohio had six Republican Presidents from the 1870s to the 1920s, the “Buckeye” state cannot be ignored, so should Kasich win another term as Governor, he would have to be considered seriously for President, which he briefly sought in 1999 before dropping out.

Since personality and communication abilities really matter, Kasich should be in the front of the pack. Even if one does not agree with Kasich, it is hard not to like him personally, something one cannot say about many of the potential GOP Presidential candidates!

What An Inspiring, Emotional Night At The Democratic National Convention!

It was hard not to be emotional about the speeches at the Democratic National Convention this evening.

There were so many good speeches, that it is hard to rank them, as they all hit home!

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, and San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro all did a magnificent job in their speeches!

Many of the above can be seen as potential future rivals for the Presidency in 2016 or beyond, with particular attention given to Booker, Castro, and O’Malley. There is a lot of “fresh blood” in the Democratic Party to follow Barack Obama, along with the “Establishment” figures, including Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden!

And First Lady Michelle Obama gave the best public speech ever delivered by a First Lady, including Hillary Clinton, and she made us all proud, that we are fortunate to have such a talented, brilliant First Lady available to help her husband when he needs advice, counsel, or just a friendly pat on the back or a hug, in difficult times!

The Major Losses Of The Democratic Party In The Midterm Elections! :(

It is true that the Democratic Party had major losses in the Midterm Elections of 2010, particularly in the House of Representatives, but it is also true that much of the loss in that chamber was of “Blue Dog” Democrats–moderate to conservative Democrats who were afraid to take a stand for the Obama Administration on many issues, tried to act like Republicans, and were rejected by voters who preferred the “real” Republicans to phony Democrats!

So if one looks at who were the major losses for the Democrats, they are as follows:

Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin
Congressman Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania, Senate nominee
Governor Ted Strickland of Ohio
Alexi Giannoulias of Illinois, Senate nomineee
Jack Conway of Kentucky, Senate nominee
Bill White of Texas, Gubernatorial nominee
Scott McAdams of Alaska, Senate nominee
Congressman Ron Klein of Florida
Congressman Tom Perriello of Virginia
Congressman John Boccieri of Ohio

At the same time, there were many satisfying victories for Democrats, and the advantage now is that the Democrats who survived or were elected, in most cases, are REAL Democrats with sharply different views of issues than the Republican Party!

What the country does not need are TWO Republican parties, one “real” and one phony! 🙁