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Posts Tagged ‘Ohio’

Red Gov Watch: Kasich’s “Bizarre” State of the State Address

Wednesday, February 8th, 2012

Ohio Governor John Kasich delivered his State of the State address yesterday, and it was an odd one—even by Kasich’s own high standards of strangeness. In the absence of an actual forward-looking agenda for Ohio, Kasich’s personal idiosyncrasies stole the show.

Here’s the lede from The Enquirer:

“Non-bluetongue cows going to Turkey. A dream about Jerry Seinfeld in the back seat of a car. Californians are ‘a bunch of wackadoodles.’

John Kasich’s second State of the State speech Tuesday was rambling and at times bizarre. Among his head-jerking references, Kasich told the first three winners of a newly-created state courage award not to sell the medals on eBay; pointed out his ‘hot wife;’ and imitated someone with Parkinson’s disease when he talked about ‘deep brain massage.’

In other words, typical Kasich.”

 

 The Associated Press reported that the speech was “mostly devoid of big initiatives “and “was peppered with Kasich’s usual array of off-the-cuff, sometimes puzzling remarks.”

 

And according to The Toledo-Blade, “The speech was heavier on looking back at 2011 than it was on proposals looking forward.”

 

 

Caught on tape

Wednesday, October 6th, 2010

What did Wall Street banker John Kasich do when he couldn’t find a steelworker to lie about Gov. Ted Strickland’s record on jobs? 

He hired an actor to play one.  We just figured Kasich would turn to his Wall Street friends to bail him out, not Hollywood. 

With Kasich’s latest desperate stunt and with new internal polling that shows Strickland up 4 points, it’s clear why the people of Ohio are giving the governor all the momentum in the race: John Kasich isn’t on their side.

From: Seth Bringman
Subject: WITH WEB VIDEO: Paid Actor in Congressman Kasich’s Attack Ad Distorts Steelworkers’ Views

The Ohio Democratic Party compiled a web video that includes footage of Congressman Kasich’s paid actor Chip Redden in other acting roles, interspersed with footage from the Kasich campaign’s ad. At the end of the ad, a real Steelworker states how he feels about Congressman Kasich.

The video entitled “Are You Kidding Me?” can be viewed at www.ohiodems.org/paidactor.

Thanks,
Seth

Strickland now leads in new poll

Wednesday, September 29th, 2010

A day after three separate polls showed Gov. Ted Strickland in a dead heat with Wall Street banker and former Congressman John Kasich, a new poll released this morning shows Strickland up by 1 point. Respected Democratic pollster Benenson Strategy Group found Strickland is winning 41 percent of the vote to Kasich’s 40 percent, with Kasich’s fav/unfav rating underwater while Strickland remains much more favorable.

 Building a Stronger Ohio, an independent group with support and funding from the DGA, today launched its sixth ad exposing how Kasich got rich working for Wall Street. The ad is available here.  

 All recent polling shows the momentum in this race with Gov. Strickland, as he has closed a gap in the high single digits to make the race a dead heat.

 New CMM Poll Shows Strickland Forging Into the Lead

STRICKLAND LEADS KASICH BY 1 POINT

Building on a recent trend of favorable public opinion survey results, Gov. Ted Strickland (D) now has forged into the lead — 41% to 40% — over John Kasich (R) in a very hot gubernatorial race, according to a recently-concluded poll by the highly-respected Benenson Strategy Group of Washington, DC.

Six (6) percent of respondents chose other candidates and 13% were undecided. The poll of 600 likely voters was taken conducted from September 25 – 27, 2010.

Speaking for Benenson Strategy Group, pollster Peter Brodnitz said, “As early voting begins, the race for Governor is a dead heat: Governor Strickland leads John Kasich 41% to 40%, including leaners. While Kasich’s ballot support and favorability are essentially the same – 40% support Kasich and 41% are favorable toward him – Governor Strickland’s 47% favorable rating exceeds both his current ballot support [41%]  and is 6% higher than Kasich’s favorable rating.”

The margin of error is plus or minus 4% (see methodology memo).  The poll was commissioned by the Campaign for the Moderate Majority (CMM.)

Strickland had a favorable-to-unfavorable rating of 47% to 43%, with 11% stating ‘no opinon/don’t know’. In comparison, Kasich had a favorable-to unfavorable rating of 41% to 31%, with a surprisingly high 28% over stating ‘no opinon/don’t know’ about him with just five weeks left to Election Day.

The new Benenson poll follows closely on the heels of The New York Times/CBS poll yesterday showing that Kasich had slipped to a one-point lead – 43 % to 42 %  — over Strickland.

http://comecleankasich.com/content/new-cmm-poll-shows-strickland-forging-lead

Reuters: Kasich’s lead shrinks to 1 point

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

A second poll out today shows that Gov. Ted Strickland has narrowed the race to dead heat, with Wall Street banker and former Congressman up by 1 point – after Kasich lead by 9 in the same poll in August. A Fox News poll showed Strickland within two points earlier today. Both polls come on the heels of the highly respected Ohio Newspaper Poll, also showing Strickland within striking distance.

Read more here.

 

GOP internal polling shows Dems in striking distance

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

Fox News polls out today in Ohio and Wisconsin show both Democrats in striking distance. According to the polls, available here:  

“But Republican John Kasich’s bid to unseat incumbent [Ohio] Democrat Gov. Ted Strickland has run into some bumps. Kasich’s lead of six points last week was cut down to 2 points, 45 percent to 43 percent, well within the polls’ margin of error.…In the race for [Wisconsin] governor, Republican Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker holds a 4-point lead over Democratic nominee Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, 49 percent to 45 percent.”

Hypocrisy watch: Kasich made $50K/year at OSU

Monday, August 16th, 2010

It’s one thing to call for colleges to tighten their belts in tough times. It’s something completely different to do it and rake in cash from them on the side. But once again, Wall Street banker John Kasich is caught putting himself before Ohio families. The Dayton Daily News reveals today that the former Congressman is calling for college cuts in his campaign for governor, but was paid tens of thousands of dollars for teaching classes that other politicians did for free.

This isn’t the first time Kasich has lined his pockets at taxpayer expense: He also made millions working for collapsed Wall Street giant Lehman Brothers, whose implosion cost Ohio’s pensions nearly $500 million.

OSU paid Kasich $4K per classroom session

By Laura A. Bischoff, Columbus Bureau Updated 9:25 AM Monday, August 16, 2010

COLUMBUS — As a candidate for governor, Republican John Kasich has called on colleges and universities to cut costs and force professors to teach more courses.

Yet for seven years Kasich served as a “presidential fellow” at his alma mater, Ohio State University, in a role that paid him the equivalent of about $4,000 per campus visit.

“It sounds like a perk program for a politician that we can’t afford,” said Matt Mayer of the Buckeye Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank that has posted government salaries in an online database.

Rob Nichols, Kasich’s campaign spokesman, said: “John was paid in alignment with what OSU thought his teaching was worth. They thought his work there was valuable — they kept asking him back.”

The job was among the many hats Kasich wore in the years after he left Congress in 2000. Although other politicians, including Republican Senate candidate Rob Portman, have taught courses at OSU for no cost, Kasich’s role paid him $50,000 a year.

Continue reading…

Kasich: Wall Street banking makes him a “better governor”

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

In a special report from Reuters today, Wall Street banker John Kasich says that his “fantastic time” as a managing director at Lehman Brothers would make him a better governor. Kasich – who also proclaims: “Thank God I spent that time” – actually spent some of that time trying to persuade Ohio pension funds to invest with the failed firm. Kasich’s lesson from Lehman? Ohio needs more Wall Street influence and management, not less.

 Special Report: Shorting Wall Street on the campaign trail

By Steve Eder

COLUMBUS, OHIO (Reuters) – As Lehman Brothers spiraled to its doom in the summer of 2008, John Kasich could not help but worry. After all, Kasich, a former Ohio Congressman turned investment banker, had a chunk of his personal wealth invested in the free-falling firm.

“I would make a few calls to friends of mine, like one guy in Chicago, and we would just sit there and say, ‘Is the stock going to go any lower?’” Kasich, 58, said during an interview at his gubernatorial campaign headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, the city where he ran a two-man investment banking office until after Lehman’s bankruptcy on September 15, 2008. “I didn’t really fixate on it. You just kept doing your job and you saw crazy things happening.”

In the wake of Lehman’s demise, some of its 26,000 employees found new jobs with Barclays, Nomura Holdings or other surviving rivals. Others headed for the unemployment lines with the tarnished Lehman name atop their resumes.

Kasich had other plans.

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Kasich’s unfavs double, Strickland leads in Q poll

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Not only does the new Quinnipiac poll show Gov. Ted Strickland maintaining his lead over John Kasich, the most significant movement is that the Wall Street Congressman’s unfavorable ratings have doubled since April. PPP is also out with a poll today showing that among voters who know Kasich, more have an unfavorable view of him – a reversal from their last poll. 

 Kasich has been under assault from Building A Stronger Ohio, a DGA-led independent expenditure that has been on the air statewide since May. You can see BSO’s ads here, here and here.

http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1322.xml?ReleaseID=1470

June 29, 2010 – Strickland Holds Off Kasich In Tight Ohio Gov Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Want Arizona-Type Immigration Law

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland holds a slight 43 – 38 percent lead over Republican challenger John Kasich, statistically unchanged from 44 – 38 percent in April, and 43 – 38 percent in March, at least partly because Kasich remains unknown to half of Ohio voters, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Ohio voters say 45 – 35 percent they would like Ohio to pass an immigration law similar to the law in Arizona, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds.

In the Governor’s race, Strickland leads among Democrats 81 – 4 percent and among independents 40 – 37 percent, while Kasich leads among Republicans 81 – 6 percent.

Continue reading…

Could Lehman collapse also sink Kasich’s campaign?

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

Congressman John Kasich’s ties to Lehman Brothers are proving to be a serious dead weight for his campaign. ABC News details how his lengthy tenure as managing director at the Wall Street firm is taking a major toll on his bid.

The analysis comes a day after the Columbus Dispatch revealed that Kasich directly lobbied state pensions to do business with Lehman.

ABC News: Lehman Brothers Collapse Haunts John Kasich in Ohio Governor’s Race

Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland Hammers GOP Rival for Wall Street Ties

Republican John Kasich, the former congressman and Fox News host who is running for governor of Ohio, used to tout his eight years at Lehman Brothers.

But in the wake of the firm’s collapse, it’s Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland who is putting Kasich’s Wall Street ties front and center in one of the marquee races of 2010.

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OH GOP senator criticizes Kasich on Lehman ties

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

Working families in Ohio have long questioned former Congressman John Kasich’s ties to failed Wall Street firm Lehman Brothers. Now Kasich’s role as a Lehman managing director before its collapse is raising hackles even among fellow Republicans.

A Republican state senator said it is “naïve” for Kasich to dismiss the Lehman connection. Said Sen. Kevin Coughlin: “To suggest to people that it is not a big deal is pretty ridiculous. It is a big deal.”

Republican Senator Kevin Coughlin rips GOP gubernatorial candidate John Kasich’s campaign strategy

Former President Ronald Reagan once said he lived according to a so-called eleventh commandment: “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.”

Apparently, Republican state Sen. Kevin Coughlin, doesn’t much respect that particular order.

Coughlin, of Cuyahoga Falls, on Wednesday insisted that he is not the author of a website bashing Ohio GOP gubernatorial hopeful John Kasich, but said he doesn’t disagree with some of the musings on the conservative site.

Coughlin, who last year had explored a run for governor and was peeved that the Ohio Republican Party backed Kasich last summer from the outset without ever fully considering him, said the party should use a better vetting process before picking its political candidates.

“When you bum rush the process you can tend to come up with a toad,” Coughlin said on Wednesday about his party’s decision to back Kasich.

The website, newsummitrepublicans.com, has the same name Coughlin coined in 2008 when he was locked in a battle over control of the Republican Party in Summit County with GOP county chairman Alex Arshinkoff. Arshinkoff is also a political mentor for state Auditor Mary Taylor, whom Kasich selected as his running mate.

The site’s home page today lifts a paragraph from an Associated Press story referencing Kasich’s employment with failed financial giant Lehman Brothers, where Kasich had worked for much of the past decade. The passage is entitled: “This is what happens when nominees go untested.”

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