[OPINION] On immigration, Kasich just as extreme as Trump

A resident of Summit County, Isabel Framer is a Latina community activist whose expertise springs from her work in language access in the justice system.

It’s a sad state of affairs in the Republican Party today when the candidates are falling all over themselves to out-Trump one another on the issue of immigration. The GOP’s anti-immigrant xenophobia has gone so far, the candidates are now attacking families and innocent children. The Republican outrage du jour concerns “birthright citizenship,” which is a right guaranteed under the 14th Amendment to “[a]ll persons born or naturalized in the United States.”

Donald Trump, Chris Christie, Rand Paul, Rick Santorum, Bobby Jindal, Ben Carson, Lindsey Graham ... nearly half of the GOP field have come out recently in favor of amending the U.S. Constitution or passing legislation to take away citizenship rights from children who are born in America. Early last week Scott Walker voiced his support for ending birthright citizenship, then seemed to reverse course and now is claiming he won’t take a position on the issue. Meanwhile, Jeb Bush says folks should “chill out a little bit” with criticism of his use of the derogatory term “anchor babies.”

One of those who has seemed slightly less offensive with his comments has been John Kasich. However, a quick look at Kasich’s record reveals he has been just as extreme as Trump and the rest of the GOP. In the early 1990s, Kasich was on the leading edge of anti-immigrant fever as a co-sponsor of legislation to end birthright citizenship. The former Fox News host continued his support for this policy during his 2010 run for governor.

CINCINNATI.COM

Kasich defends immigrants as ‘contributing significantly’

Now that Kasich is running for president – against a field that offers him no room to maneuver on the right – he’s trying to sing a different tune on immigration. While Kasich says he wouldn’t take a path to citizenship off the table, he has also said he opposes it. Kasich added, “I don’t favor citizenship because, as I teach my kids, you don’t jump the line to get into a Taylor Swift concert.”

Many immigrant families have been working for decades, waiting to come out of the shadows as Republicans have failed to act, but Kasich thinks that’s somehow equivalent to teenagers cutting the line for a concert.

Now let’s take a look at Kasich’s actual record as governor on the issue of immigration. Ohio is one of the states challenging President Obama’s executive actions that have deferred action for young people who arrived in America as children and parents of U.S. citizens. To date, Kasich has stood on the sidelines while Attorney General Mike DeWine joined a lawsuit against Obama’s executive orders.

CINCINNATI.COM

Kasich clear on immigration, less on Common Core

Kasich loves to talk about balancing budgets, but he’s ignoring a real benefit for Ohio taxpayers from deferred action. This process, which requires undocumented immigrants that qualify for the program to register, undergo background checks and pay taxes, would bring in an additional $41 million in revenue for the state of Ohio. Add to that the fact that earlier this year a study by UCLA found Ohio was the worst state in the country for promoting the health and well-being of undocumented immigrants.

So ultimately, actions speak louder than words, and Kasich’s actions shouldn’t fool anyone that he’s suddenly a moderate on immigration. If Kasich wanted to do something about immigration, he could pick up the phone and tell DeWine to drop his ridiculous lawsuit. He could make it easier for immigrants in Ohio to access health care and higher education and obtain legal documents. Until then, I’ll view Kasich as a flip-flopping opportunist who can’t be trusted.

Via: CIncinnati.com

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JOHN KASICH’S OBAMACARE MEDICAID EXPANSION SLAMMED AT OHIO AFP EVENT

Americans for Prosperity (AFP), one of the largest conservative activist groups in the United States, held their annual “Defending the American Dream Summit” in Columbus, Ohio, this week, but the state’s Republican Governor John Kasich was not invited.

Kasich’s decision to expand Medicaid under Obamacare—a move that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled was optional and up to state discretion—is a sore subject for fiscal conservatives and led to him being, not just left out of an event held in his backyard, but attacked by several of the event’s speakers, including former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and AFP President Tim Phillips.

Obamacare critics do not like how the law allows Medicaid, originally enacted as a safety net to provide health coverage for poor mothers and children, to be expanded to cover able-bodied, working-age adults. Federal funds cover the costs of the new enrollees but will start scaling back in 2017. Moreover, states are on the hook for administrative costs for signing up the new enrollees, whose numbers have far exceeded estimates.

For fiscal conservatives, like the activists at the AFP conference, the massive spending incurred by Medicaid expansion is especially distasteful, and Kasich’s support of it is viewed as a heretical departure from conservative principles, much like the way school choice advocates view former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s support for Common Core.

Kasich has defended his decision to authorize Medicaid expansion in Ohio on religious grounds, a rationale that has fallen flat with conservatives. According to a report by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, when Kasich was questioned about Medicaid expansion at a California conference sponsored by the Koch brothers, AFP’s benefactors, he replied, “When I get to the pearly gates, I’m going to have an answer for what I’ve done for the poor.”

Groups like Watchdog.org, a project of the Franklin Center for Government Accountability, and the Foundation for Government Accountability have joined AFP in criticizing Kasich. Nearly half a million Ohioans signed up under Kasich’s Medicaid expansion, and the plan was already 33 percent over budget in just its first year.

According to Watchdog’s Jason Hart, Ohio’s Medicaid enrollment numbers under Obamacare now exceed 600,000 and have cost taxpayers $4.4 billion.

Phillips, the AFP President, mentioned Kasich’s Medicaid expansion when he addressed the nearly 4,o00 activists on the conference’s first day. Even though he never said Kasich’s name, the implication was clear when he vowed that they would continue to fight against Medicaid expansion: “Whether proposed by a Democrat or a Republican, we’ll continue to oppose it with all we’ve got.”

“President Obama and some Republicans want to take millions of the most vulnerable citizens and they want to throw them into a Medicaid bureaucracy where the care is substandard,” continued Phillips, as the audience cheered in agreement. “They call that compassion. We call it immoral.”

Perry also took a swipe at his fellow Republican presidential contender during his remarks on Saturday. Kasich has repeatedly claimed that the federal funds going to pay for Ohio’s Medicaid expansion “belong” to Ohioans and would be spent in other states if Ohio had not claimed them. Perry rejected this argument as “just nonsense.”

“That money doesn’t come from an endless vault of money in Washington. It is borrowed from bankers in China and children in Cleveland and Columbus,” Perry added. “Justifying Medicaid expansion on the grounds of returning federal money to your home state can only be done if you turn a blind eye to the fact that we are $18 trillion in debt.”

Avik Roy, Senior Advisor to Perry’s presidential campaign and well-regarded as a health care policy expert before joining the campaign, spoke on a well-attended panel Saturday morning on the issue of Medicaid expansion. Like Perry, Roy found Kasich’s justifications wholly unconvincing.

Via: Breitbart

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FIORINA, JINDAL, CHRISTIE, WALKER STAND AGAINST COMMON CORE, UNLIKE BUSH AND KASICH

With educational reform and Common Core being top issues in the 2016 election, several GOP presidential candidates attended a summit in New Hampshire on Wednesday where they stressed different options for how they plan to improve the educational system across America.

The American Federation for Children, an organization that promotes school choice and advocates for school vouchers, partnered with The Seventy Four, a non-profit and non-partisan website that covers news about education, to host the 2015 New Hampshire Education Summit where experts in education reform and GOP presidential candidates spoke about reforming the educational system.

“Today’s education summit is an unprecedented opportunity to have a serious, dedicated conversation on the issues impacting America’s 74 million children,” said co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of The SeventyFour, Campbell Brown.

Several GOP presidential candidates spoke one-on-one with Brown on the topic of education reform, who appeared to forcefully and repetitively question the rejection of Common Core.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush stressed accountability in the educational system.

Bush – who has gone against most Republicans in supporting Common Core – stressed accountability during his discussion with Brown. Bush said what is most important in his opinion is, “a simple requirement of accountability … a test to measure student learning.”

“If you don’t measure, you basically don’t care,” Bush explained, arguing there must be some basis of measuring a student’s success. He said he supports two bills – one in the Senate and one in the House – because both have testing as a measure. On tests for students, Bush said they “should be based on learning games.”

Bush left stressing accountability in terms of testing measurements, and discussed the importance of skilled teachers. He said the best tool for a classroom is a “capable teacher in a classroom that is well trained.”

Bush stated that aspects of education are “state by state issues, the federal government can be a partner in reform.” He said unions don’t support education reform because they don’t want teachers measured by student success.

Brown asked Bush whom he looks to on guidance and advice in terms of education reform, and if he would name who he would choose as Secretary of Education if he is elected President.

“Researchers who do extraordinary work,” Bush responded, not directly saying who he would choose as Secretary of State, but brought up “Mitch Daniels” who he said told him he took what Bush did in Florida and made it better in Indiana. Bush said Indiana’s success on improving education has been extraordinary, calling Daniels a “wonderful guy.”

On the topic of what future classrooms should look like, Bush said “more hands on, more exciting for kids.” He added that he believes future classrooms should be “more creative.”

“I think it is … I can envision … a system where a child starts with a cohort of kids – all are unique, all are different…and that you use technology, you have a trained teacher that is harnessing the technology that is available today to make sure every child reaches their maximum ability.”

“I think we need to reform higher education as well,” Bush said. “When a third of our kids…are only college and career ready…these are huge challenges.”

Carly Fiorina encouraged more creativity in the classroom.

Fellow GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina spoke with Brown next on the topic of secondary education where she stressed that children need the ability to be creative.

As former CEO of Hewlett Packard, Fiorina was asked if she would say education right now prepares someone to enter the workforce. Fiorina answered, “Not uniformly.”

“We know that every child has vast potential…and the goal of this nation is to allow every single American regardless of their circumstances to find and use their God given gifts,” Fiorina stated, saying that is the first step in the process for education.

Fiorina explained that if children live in a poor community, they are far less likely to get a quality education. She referenced a program, which existed at Hewlett-Packard, where the company reached into underprivileged communities to get involved with children who were interested in science, technology, engineering and math

Via: Breitbart

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Why Liberals are Dangerous

The Left (liberal mainstream media) practically had a ticker tape parade for Ohio Gov. John Kasich for answers he gave on two issues during the GOP debate. Liberals' praise of Kasich shows they have chosen emotion over logical, reasoned thinking. This makes liberals irresponsible and dangerous. These people must never be in charge.

The Left praised Kasich for his entitlement program that is $1.4 billion in the red, thus far -- in only 18 months. Kasich defended his program saying it was the Christian thing to do.

First of all, the Bible does not support stupid business practices and irresponsible spending of other people's money. Proverbs 22:29 “Have you seen a man who is expert in his business? He will take his place before kings; his place will not be among low persons.”

In 1972, Hurricane Agnes flooded our small black Baltimore suburban community. Dad and my brother rescued residents from the roofs of their homes in a rowboat. As a community leader, my dad, Rev. Marcus, assisted residents in acquiring relief checks from the Red Cross. My parents were among those who lost everything in the flood. What if Dad took his family's relief check and distributed it among needy neighbors? Liberals would praise Dad for his compassion for the poor. The reality is Dad's behavior, though well-intended, would be irresponsible to my mom and younger siblings living at home. Such common-sense adult thinking seems to escape liberals.

Gov. Kasich is furthering an entitlement program that is void of economic sense is irresponsible to taxpayers, no matter how well-intended. Feelings trump common sense these days in America. Liberals will call me a mean Republican who does not care about people for suggesting that politicians spend responsibly. Most liberals are brain-dead emotion-driven fools.

Kasich's answer regarding gay marriage was the second issue that won him great praise from liberals. Kasich said while he is a traditional guy, the courts made gay marriage law and he will comply. Kasich added that he attended a friend's gay wedding because we must love people. I am sorry, Gov. Kasich and Leftists, but it is absurd to suggest that loving someone means embracing everything they do. Once again, more brain-dead emotion-driven liberal reasoning. Sometimes, love means rejecting a friend or family member's behavior.

My daughter married a woman. I explained to my daughter why as a Christian, I could not support their union. She understood. We still have a great loving relationship, though we differ when the Patriots play the Broncos. Go Manning!

Here is an interesting observation. Like many youths, a handful of Dad's adult grandkids have gone through a rebellious stage; straying from their Christian upbringing like the prodigal son. Each of them hid their sinful behaviors from my dad. They hold Dad's opinion in high regard with a desire to make him proud. Even my daughter seems to care more about my dad's opinion of her than mine.

I asked myself, why? Dad is not a tyrant in any way. He is loving and easygoing. So why do the millennials in our family care so much about their granddad's opinion of them?

The answer is all of their lives, they have witnessed the consistency in Dad's Christian walk and his commitment to biblical standards. The grandkids know Dad loves each of them dearly, but is faithful to his commitment to Christ. My daughter and the other grandkids love Dad greatly and give him their utmost respect.

Perhaps, millennials are looking for trustworthy leaders/politicians who stand for something. GOP presidential contender Sen. Ted Cruz comes to mind. Too many wimpy baby-boomers embrace every Leftist anti-Christian and anti-American socialist/progressive agenda item; desiring to be thought of as modern and enlightened.

People in positions of power who place feelings above common sense, responsibility and reasoned thinking are dangerous. They (liberals) must never be in charge.

Take sanctuary cities. These are liberal-governed U.S. cities that have officially decided to disobey federal law by sheltering illegal aliens.

Liberalism has been described as a “mental disease.” For whatever reasons, liberals who run sanctuary cities feel it is unfair that we in America have so much. Consequently, they roll out the red carpet to illegals; gifting them welfare, college tuition, and benefits unavailable to legal American citizens.

Years ago, a businessman friend moved to California. He made more money than ever. And yet, he had to move back to the east coast because the cost of living was too high. Amazingly, my friend said if he had been an illegal alien, he and his family could have survived just fine in California. Does that make sense? Of course not. I wrote a satirical song about his experience titled, “Can't Afford the Sunshine.”

Talk about crazy brain-dead thinking – even with epidemic high numbers of murders, rapes, and assaults on Americans by repeat criminal illegals, nothing seems to soften sanctuary cities' commitment to welcome and protect illegals. Wacko liberals in charge are dangerous, folks.

Liberals wrongfully get high marks for compassion. The truth is real compassionate leadership makes wise responsible decisions. Liberals define a compassionate nation as how long that line is of people showing up for their daily allotment of free fish. In America today, 94 million Americans are unemployed. And yet, they have all the necessities and many of the luxuries of working Americans. Forty-seven million Americans are on food stamps. Millions of capable Americans are receiving disability. 

Conservatives define compassion as liberating citizens from government. Government handouts are always accompanied with government dictates and controls. There ain't no free lunch.

Conservative government says, we will gladly give you fish for the short term. However, our greater goal is to help you experience the dignity, pride, and independence of catching your own fish. We will get rid of the overreaching government controls on catching fish and help you acquire a fishing rod.

Who do you want running the show (your county) folks -- brain-dead emotion-driven liberals or adult conservatives?

Lloyd Marcus, The Unhyphenated American

Via: American Thinker

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John Kasich to announce presidential bid July 21

Ohio Gov. John Kasich will jump into the crowded Republican presidential field on July 21 at the student union at his alma mater, The Ohio State University, in Columbus, advisers tell POLITICO.

Kasich, 63, who was overwhelmingly reelected in November, will aim to appear less scripted and guarded than the leading candidates. Advisers say he combines establishment appeal with a conservative record going back to his stint as House Budget Committee chairman, during his 18 years as a congressman from Ohio.

Despite his late start, Kasich will be one of the most closely watched candidates — partly because Ohio is such a crucial presidential state, putting Kasich on many short lists for vice president.

Kasich briefly pursued a presidential bid in the 2000 cycle, but got no traction and dropped out in July 1999, endorsing then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush.

For Kasich’s announcement on July 21, doors will open at 9:30 a.m. at The Ohio Union at Ohio State.

The announcement date puts Kasich a week behind the other Midwestern governor in the race, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who plans to announce the week of July 13.

The July launch gives Kasich a shot at raising his national profile enough to qualify for the first GOP debate, on Aug. 6 in his home state. But participation in the Cleveland debate will be based on national polling, and Kasich advisers admit that qualifying will be tough, even with his announcement bump.

Kasich, who graduated from Ohio State in 1974, can expect an excited crowd in the Buckeye capital. He’ll follow his kickoff rally with an announcement tour that includes Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Michigan.

The GOP talent pool is getting shallow, with so many credible candidates vying for the nomination. But Kasich landed two of the best-known names in Republican politics:

His chief strategist will be John Weaver, mastermind of John McCain’s insurgent campaigns of 2000 and 2008. And the lead consultant for Kasich’s super PAC, New Day for America, will be ad maker Fred Davis, based in the Hollywood Hills, who worked on McCain ’08 and has had several viral hits. Both worked on Jon Huntsman’s presidential campaign in 2012.

Via: Politico

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GOP gov.: "Time to move on" from same-sex marriage

Possible Republican presidential candidate and Ohio Gov. John Kasich believes it's "time to move on" from the same-sex marriage issue in the wake of the Supreme Court's landmark ruling.

"I do believe in traditional marriage and the court has ruled and it's time to move on," Kasich said on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday, adding that there's "so many other things now that we have to focus on."

Kasich, who has not yet officially announced a bid for the White House in 2016, believes the country needs to wait and see "how this evolves."

"I think everybody needs to take a deep breath to see how this evolves," the Ohio governor, who was the named defendant in the original lawsuit brought by Jim Obergefell over same-sex marriage, said. "But I know this. Religious institutions, religious entities - you know, like the Catholic church - they need to be honored as well. I think there's an ability to strike a balance."

But while the Republican governor has conceded that "it's the law of the land and we'll abide by it," some in the conservative wing have expressed their willingness to take on the same-sex marriage fight over the long term.

Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Convention told CBS' "Face the Nation" that people of faith "are not going to simply surrender" their traditional marriage views because of the Supreme Court ruling.

"We didn't make up our views on marriage and sexuality, and we can't unmake them," Moore said Sunday. "We understand that in the short term, things are very stacked against us here, but we ought to have the pluralistic American environment where we can agree to disagree."

Instead, Moore added, "we're going to have to take a page from the pro-life movement and see this as a long-term strategy."

"I don't think that an infinitely elastic view of marriage is sustainable," the evangelical leader said. "I think we have to be the people who keep the light lit to the old ways when it comes to marriage and family and that's going to be a generation-long skirmish."

Via: CBS News

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[VIDEO] Jeb Bush prepares to launch candidacy, regain lost momentum|

The best political campaign logos convey a feeling or a message, a memorable bit of information about the candidate running for office.

Jeb Bush is going with his old standard — “Jeb!” — to harken back to his tenure as Florida governor (and to avoid spelling out “Bush”).

But will his campaign be worthy of an exclamation point?

Bush will try to energize his supporters Monday when he formally launches his 2016 campaign in Miami, after spending six months exploring a candidacy but failing to position himself comfortably ahead of a crowded and ambitious Republican field that so far boasts 10 candidates, without counting Bush.

“I thought Jeb would take up all the oxygen,” Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a potential candidate, said in New Hampshire earlier this month. “He hasn’t.”

To be sure, Bush has scored big political donors. But he hasn’t scared off other challengers. He’s stumbled trying to distance himself from his brother’s unpopular Iraq war. And he’s struggled to reintroduce himself to GOP voters in a party much changed since his last time on the ballot 12 years ago.

“It will take time. It always does,” Bush told CNN’s “State of the Union” in an interview aired Sunday.

Monday at Miami Dade College’s Kendall campus, Bush will portray himself as a doer, a politician who put conservative ideas into action in a diverse state and who seeks public office to govern rather than pontificate. He will then take his pitch on the road, visiting New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina between Tuesday and Thursday.

“This is what leadership is about — it’s not just about yapping about things,” he said in a campaign video unveiled Sunday. “There are a lot of people talking, and they’re pretty good at it. We need to start fixing things. I said I was going to do these things and I did them, and the result was Florida is a lot better off.”

Via: Miami Herald

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Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/elections-2016/jeb-bush/article24259312.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/elections-2016/jeb-bush/article24259312.html#storylink=cpy

Democratic governor says 'chill out' over health care rollout debacle

Kentucky's Democratic governor says Americans need to "chill out" and "take a deep breath" over the disastrous rollout of the new health care law.

Gov. Steve Beshear said fixing the health care program "is going to take some time," but he believes it will eventually work.

"These plans and Medicaid are directed toward prevention and wellness, and that is the future of health care, and I think everybody knows it," Beshear said Sunday on NBC's "Meet The Press."

Beshear appeared on the show with Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich to talk about the glitches that have plagued the implementation of Obamacare insurance exchanges that opened for business on Oct. 1. Few have been able to navigate the website and sign up, and many who have done so have discovered higher premiums and deductibles and limited choices.

Unlike Beshear, Kasich called the program a "disaster."

"The problem is Obamacare, it doesn't control cost," Kasich said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "Secondly, it's going to drive up the cost for the vast majority of Ohioans. It threatens the ability of small business to grow beyond 50 employees."

Kasich said the troubled health care law rollout, combined with the recent government shutdownand the news that the United States has been tapping the phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other world leaders "is a creating an issue of confidence in the minds of the American people and doubt with people around the world, which is really serious."

Beshear said the health care law will eventually succeed.

A third of those who will sign up for the new health care law in Kentucky, including those enrolling in Medicaid, are under 35 years old, a key demographic needed to help the new system function, he said.

"And that's what's going to happen all over this country," Beshear added. "People are going to sign up for this. It'll take us a while to get it in process, but I guarantee you, we're going to make it work because it's good for the American people, and it's good for Kentucky."

Via: Washington Examiner

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Hey, let’s elect a new Speaker from outside the House

Ed’s headline in the Greenroom for this piece (written by the co-author of “The Republicans Are the Problem”) tells you all you need to know about what an unserious bit of trolling it is, but I’m oddly comforted to see it show up on WaPo’s op-ed page. It’s proof positive that even the most celebrated newspapers aren’t immune from having to scrounge for content in the news desert between Christmas and New Year’s. Coming tomorrow, presumably: “Let’s repeal term limits for Obama.”

Still, it’s worth writing about for two reasons. One: Conservative dissatisfaction with Boehner is real. We may well end up with a new Speaker on January 3. No harm in thinking about alternatives. Two: It’s a useful prism through which to consider the leadership void in the GOP right now.

What if Boehner doesn’t survive? Go to Article I, Section 2: The Constitution does not say that the speaker of the House has to be a member of the House. In fact, the House can choose anybody a majority wants to fill the post. Every speaker has been a representative from the majority party. But these days, the old pattern clearly is not working…

The best way out of this mess would be to find someone from outside the House to transcend the differences and alter the dysfunctional dynamic we are all enduring. Ideally, that individual would transcend politics and party — but after David Petraeus’s stumble, we don’t have many such candidates. It would have to be a partisan Republican.

One option would be Jon Huntsman. By any reasonable standard, he is a conservative Republican: As governor of Utah, he supported smaller government, lower taxes and balanced budgets, and he opted consistently for market-based solutions. As a presidential candidate, he supported positions that were in the wheelhouse of Ronald Reagan. But a Speaker Huntsman would look beyond party and provide a different kind of leadership. He would drive a hard bargain with the president but would aim for a broad majority from the center out, not from the right fringe in. He could not force legislation onto the floor, but he would have immense moral suasion.

Another option would be Mitch Daniels, the longtime governor of Indiana and a favorite on the right. Daniels has shown a remarkable ability to work with Democrats and Republicans, and he is a genuine fiscal conservative — meaning he does not worship at the shrine of tax cuts if they deepen deficits, and he would look for the kind of balanced approach to the fiscal problem put forward by Simpson-Bowles, ­Rivlin-Domenici and the Gang of Six.

Via: Hot Air
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