As of May 4th, John Kasich has suspended his presidential campaign.
ISSUES
Environmental Regulation and Climate Change
John Kasich has stated that he does believe that climate change is occurring, but he doesn’t believe it to be a priority. He has made no specific policy proposals on the subject nor does he have a history for promoting significant environmental policies. Kasich is opposed to regulations that interfere with business, but he does have energy policy proposals with goals to further the economy.
Some have criticized Kasich for failing to address climate change and environmental threats in his energy plan. This is expressed by Dan Weiss, vice president for campaigns at the League of Conservation Voters in Washington. “His plan is a big-oil wish list that would increase carbon pollution and other pollution, ignores the biggest environmental threat to Ohio and the rest of the country, and would increase our dependence on oil.” Some have also critiqued his opposition to the Clean Air Act. Frank O’Donnell, president of the Washington-based Clean Air Watch, said that clean-air laws are “based on the philosophy all Americans deserve to breathe clean air. Kasich would turn that, that Americans should breathe clean air that economists say is affordable at the moment.” He said his plan in general is “a mishmash of recycled ideas and focus-group slogans.”
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Some have criticized Kasich for failing to address climate change and environmental threats in his energy plan. This is expressed by Dan Weiss, vice president for campaigns at the League of Conservation Voters in Washington. “His plan is a big-oil wish list that would increase carbon pollution and other pollution, ignores the biggest environmental threat to Ohio and the rest of the country, and would increase our dependence on oil.” Some have also critiqued his opposition to the Clean Air Act. Frank O’Donnell, president of the Washington-based Clean Air Watch, said that clean-air laws are “based on the philosophy all Americans deserve to breathe clean air. Kasich would turn that, that Americans should breathe clean air that economists say is affordable at the moment.” He said his plan in general is “a mishmash of recycled ideas and focus-group slogans.”
Policy Proposals
- Proposes that for one year, there are no more new federal regulations (unless they involve safety) so studies can be done weighing the environmental impact vs business profits of less regulations.
- Wants to open up federal land to more oil and gas exploration to expand the energy industry.
- Seeks to get rid of Obama’s current energy plan that says electrical companies have to lower their emissions by 32% by 2030.
- Supports the Keystone Pipeline.
Relevant History
- Kasich has a lifetime score of 27% (voting for environmental bills) on the National environmental scorecard from when he was Ohio house representative.
- Vote against the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments.
Representative Quotes
- “We are going to continue to work on cleaning coal, but I want to tell you, we are going to dig it, we are going to clean it, and we are going to burn it in Ohio, and we are not going to apologize for it.”
- “Do I think that we should use common sense and do some things that protect it? Absolutely. Do I think we oughta throw lots of people out of work and let other countries not be as sensitive as we are to it? No, I wouldn’t think that would make much sense.”
- “I am just saying that I am concerned about it, but I am not lying awake at night worrying the sky is falling.”
Gun Control and Gun Violence
Kasich’s policy on gun control is to not have any legislation restricting gun ownership. He has come out against the executive orders Obama has issued on gun control. Kasich has also claimed that enacting new laws on gun control won’t prevent gun violence because these people are already breaking the law. Kasich believes the larger problem is parenting and that government should take actions to improve parenting. One solution he proposed while in the House of Representatives was to allow businesses to create more “flexible” schedules for their workers so they could spend more time with their children. He has also said he wants to focus on keeping guns out of the hands of the mentally ill.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Policy Proposals
- Wants to allocate funding to research issues relating to mental health and violence.
- Proposes to require states to report people who have certain mental health disabilities so they can not purchase guns.
Relevant History
- As a member of the House of Representatives, Kasich voted for an assault weapons ban. Though recently Kasich has come out against this vote. He says that he has changed his view because he thinks the law had no real effect.
- Voted to decrease the waiting period to buy guns from 3 days to 1 day when bought from a gun show.
- As governor, Kasich signed into law a bill that limited the definition of an automatic weapon in Ohio, allowed citizens of Ohio to engage in interstate trade of firearms, and made it less cumbersome to buy guns.
- Kasich has gone from an F rating to an A rating by the National Rifle Association.
Representative Quotes
- After the Columbine shootings in 1999 Kasich said on gun control: “There were already a bunch of laws. The kids didn’t pay attention to the laws. I don’t think new laws will solve all the problems.”
- After the Oregon shootings in 2015 Kasich said, “the people who are going to commit crimes or have problems are always going to have the guns and more and more people feel like I'd like to be able to protect myself."
Drugs and Criminal Law
Overall, Kasich is in favor of rehabilitation for minor offenders, and thinks that the current prison systems are riddled with problems. He supports the rehabilitation of the mentally ill in prison, as well as rehab over sentencing for minor, nonviolent offenders. The bills he has signed also aid those who are ex-convicts and want to get their lives back on track. In terms of drugs, Kasich is against the legalization of drugs, including marijuana, saying that they are a scourge and he would lead a campaign to stomp them out if he became President. He believes that legalizing marijuana sends a confusing message, saying, “don’t do drugs, but this drug’s ok.” He is, however, ok with legalizing medical marijuana if it is deemed legitimate by experts. He is tough on drugs in the sense that he doesn’t want them to be legal and has cracked down on abuse, but he also doesn’t want to fill prisons with minor drug offenders; he’d rather rehabilitate them. He also supports the death penalty for certain crimes.
Policy Proposals
Representative Quotes
Policy Proposals
- Work with states to put body cameras on all police.
- Work to lower mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent offenders.
- As president, Kasich would lead a campaign discouraging all marijuana use. He has not specified on whether he would enforce state laws, but sees marijuana as a state issue.
- Proposed an Ohio budget in 2015 that would help treat prisoners during and after their sentences, in order to help ex-offenders succeed after having served their time.
- Launched Start Talking! campaign in Ohio to “give adults the tools to spark discussion” with youths about living drug-free lives.
- Dedicated $36 million to combating prescription drug abuse in Ohio.
- Supported a House bill that sought to address “pill mill” practices — “clinics” where doctors profit from selling prescription drugs for no legitimate medical purpose.
- Signed a bill clarifying the right of judges to order outpatient treatments for people over 18 who are suffering from mental illness.
- Signed a bill to reform "collateral sanctions" — penalties automatically imposed on those convicted — in Ohio, which made it easier for ex-felons to get jobs and “move on with their lives after having paid their dues.”
- Voted in favor of a bill that prohibits the use of federal funds for needle exchange programs, as well as implementing a ballot initiative to legalize the medicinal use of marijuana.
- Voted in favor of a bill that expanded the facilities of the juvenile justice systems in various states.
- Voted against an amendment to a bill that would make it easier for death-penalty prisoners to appeal their case through habeas corpus.
- Voted against replacing the federal death penalty with life in prison.
- Voted for a state bill favoring rehab over prison for nonviolent offenders.
Representative Quotes
- “Now I don’t know how many of you know people who struggle with these illnesses but if you’ve got a problem with schizophrenia and you find yourself in a prison? It’s a disgrace in this country.”
- “We believe that by treating people in the prisons and releasing them into the community for treatment, our recidivism rate could be as low as 10% with them. Our recidivism rate in Ohio in our prisons is 27%, as opposed to a 50% national average. So we give people a chance and hope, if they want to work their way out.”
- “The problem with marijuana is this: we don’t want to tell our kids ‘Don’t do drugs, but by the way this drug’s okay.’”
Civil Rights - Gender and Sexual Orientation
Kasich supports “traditional marriage” between a man and woman. However, unlike other candidates that have advocated for disregarding or overturning the Supreme Court’s ruling permitting same-sex marriage, Kasich has been significantly more willing to embrace the decision, announcing that “there are so many other things now that we have to focus on.” Kasich opposes the “LGBT” lifestyle and does not support domestic partnerships. He also is against passing federal legislation that will prevent discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation. However, as governor of Ohio, he signed an executive order banning discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace.
Kasich is “pro-life” and has consistently opposed late-term abortion, partial birth abortion, and the federal funding of abortion. He has made concerted efforts both as a Congressman and Governor of Ohio to protect unborn children. For example, the Ohio Department of Health ended their funding of Planned Parenthood while Kasich was governor.
Kasich has been criticized by pro-choice groups due to his stance on abortion. While supporters praised that Kasich demonstrated “that the health and welfare of mothers and their unborn children are of paramount importance,” NARAL argued that the exceptions in the legislation that he signed were too narrow, as they did not include exceptions for rape or incest.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Kasich is “pro-life” and has consistently opposed late-term abortion, partial birth abortion, and the federal funding of abortion. He has made concerted efforts both as a Congressman and Governor of Ohio to protect unborn children. For example, the Ohio Department of Health ended their funding of Planned Parenthood while Kasich was governor.
Kasich has been criticized by pro-choice groups due to his stance on abortion. While supporters praised that Kasich demonstrated “that the health and welfare of mothers and their unborn children are of paramount importance,” NARAL argued that the exceptions in the legislation that he signed were too narrow, as they did not include exceptions for rape or incest.
Policy Proposals
- Supports defunding Planned Parenthood (though he acknowledges that this must be accomplished without shutting down the government).
Relevant History
- Voted in favor of the Child Custody Protection Act, which prevents minors from being taken across state lines in order get an abortion.
- Voted to ban partial-birth abortions.
- Kasich voted in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
- As Governor of Ohio, Kasich signed a state bill that prevents abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, with an exception only if a doctor were to determine that a child cannot live outside of the womb
- Kasich proposed and signed an Ohio adoption reform law that shortened the adoption process from 1 year to 60 days, in addition to providing financial help with an enhanced tax credit for adoptive parents. Many pro-life activists supported this law as an alternative to abortion.
Representative Quotes
- "Because somebody doesn't think the way I do doesn't mean that I can't care about them or can't love them. So if one of my daughters happened to be that, of course I would love them and I would accept them,"
- "I’m a believer in women’s health but Planned Parenthood has become completely discredited organization."
- “I don’t approve of the gay lifestyle.”
Civil Rights - Race and Ethnicity
As governor of Ohio, Kasich has had to handle the aftermath of the shooting of 12 year-old Tamir Rice by two Cleveland police. He has spoken up many times about the issue of police brutality and in response to the Tamir Rice shooting, he put together a task force in December to get to the bottom of negative relationships with law enforcement in Ohio communities. He has also said that he is against racial profiling and that local and state governments should be given the chance to mend it themselves, but if they don’t then the federal government should step in. In regards to affirmative action, Kasich believes that is a positive concept but he is against the use of quotas to fill up spots for minorities and he believes that recruiting eligible candidates that are of a minority for a certain position is better.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Policy Proposals
- John Kasich has not introduced any ideas for policies regarding racial issues besides the task force he employed as the governor of Ohio. The task force focused on ten concepts to improve relations between police and their communities: education, community involvement, officer training, clearer standards for police tasks, transparency and accountability, oversight, the judicial process, and hiring good, qualified police officers.
Relevant History
- John Kasich’s relevant history in regards to the matter of racial tensions involves his assembly of a task force to deal with tensions between the African-American community and the police force in Ohio.
Representative Quotes
- "Now we've moved to a different collaborative, where we're trying to get the community to understand that there is a police officer whose family waits every night for them to get home, and they love that police officer because that's their mom or dad. And the police have to understand the concerns inside of the community. It's about getting people together, people talking, understanding one another, and the right policing policies."
- “Affirmative action is a positive concept when it means we recruit from all segments of our society, and give all Americans the equal opportunity to compete. It is positive when it means recruiting from Howard University as well as Harvard University. Affirmative action has a negative effect on our society when it means counting us like so many beans and dividing us into separate piles. The effect of which is to raise questions in people’s minds about the merits of individuals in quality jobs.”
Fundraising Sources
Money Raised
Kasich has raised $4,388,633 as of December 20, 2015, and 58.1% of these donations come from Ohioans, natives of Kasich’s state. The top industries contributing to Kasich are law firms ($179,772), real estate ($136,600), and business services ($69,488). The top companies donating to Kasich are Plaskolite, an acrylic sheet manufacturer ($37,100), Medical Mutual ($35,150), and Dinsmore and Shohl, the largest law firm in Cincinnati ($24,150).
Super PACs
Criticism
Kasich’s reliance on Ohioan donors has caused issues in launching a national funding campaign. Barry Bennett, a Ohio based Republican consultant helping Ben Carson has warned that Kasich's “first money would come from Ohio. Ohio has a limited supply of mega-donors, and it sounds like he’s talked to most of them. (But) the second act is harder.” The average contribution to Kasich’s campaign by Ohioans was $1,470.75 (the cap for primary contributions is $2,700). Also, Kasich has personal relationships with many of the significant donors, causing a “cronyism concern.” Kasich chartered a economic-development program called JobsOhio while governor, which has benefitted many businesses that are now donating to his super PAC. Heads of the companies L Brands, Crown Equipment Corp., and Worthington Industries have donated a total $1.25 million to Kasich’s super PAC, and, not coincidentally, all of these companies have received benefits from the JobsOhio program. Matt Mayer, president of Opportunity Ohio, a conservative research group, has criticized Kasich for this, saying, “When you design something that is secretive, it raises the classic corporate-cronyism concern because you don’t know what they’re doing and how they’re doing it.” However, Rob Nichols, a spokesman for Kasich, responded that “these were garden-variety, stereotypical charges that are leveled at a candidate in the context of an election,” and the campaign is not wrong in accepting the donations.
Kasich has raised $4,388,633 as of December 20, 2015, and 58.1% of these donations come from Ohioans, natives of Kasich’s state. The top industries contributing to Kasich are law firms ($179,772), real estate ($136,600), and business services ($69,488). The top companies donating to Kasich are Plaskolite, an acrylic sheet manufacturer ($37,100), Medical Mutual ($35,150), and Dinsmore and Shohl, the largest law firm in Cincinnati ($24,150).
Super PACs
- A New Day for America, Kasich’s personal super PAC, has raised over $11 million to add to the amount Kasich’s campaign committee has collected. $7 million, about 63% of all donations to the super PAC, is from 66 Ohio donors. Some of these donors include the owner of the Cincinnati Reds, reported on the donor list as Robert H. ($1 million), the Lindner family, who associate themselves with the United Dairy Farmers and American Financial Group ($1 million), and the Wexners, owners of the clothing store The Limited ($1 million).
Criticism
Kasich’s reliance on Ohioan donors has caused issues in launching a national funding campaign. Barry Bennett, a Ohio based Republican consultant helping Ben Carson has warned that Kasich's “first money would come from Ohio. Ohio has a limited supply of mega-donors, and it sounds like he’s talked to most of them. (But) the second act is harder.” The average contribution to Kasich’s campaign by Ohioans was $1,470.75 (the cap for primary contributions is $2,700). Also, Kasich has personal relationships with many of the significant donors, causing a “cronyism concern.” Kasich chartered a economic-development program called JobsOhio while governor, which has benefitted many businesses that are now donating to his super PAC. Heads of the companies L Brands, Crown Equipment Corp., and Worthington Industries have donated a total $1.25 million to Kasich’s super PAC, and, not coincidentally, all of these companies have received benefits from the JobsOhio program. Matt Mayer, president of Opportunity Ohio, a conservative research group, has criticized Kasich for this, saying, “When you design something that is secretive, it raises the classic corporate-cronyism concern because you don’t know what they’re doing and how they’re doing it.” However, Rob Nichols, a spokesman for Kasich, responded that “these were garden-variety, stereotypical charges that are leveled at a candidate in the context of an election,” and the campaign is not wrong in accepting the donations.
Defense and Foreign Policy
John Kasich believes that the U.S. needs to return to its former role of spreading freedom and ensuring stability across the globe. Kasich believes that this can be done by strengthening our economy, rebuilding our military, repairing our alliances, challenging Chinese and Russian aggression, and destroying ISIS. He contends that the U.S, in recent years, has failed to lead the globe. He thinks this needs to change in order to counter the stability that has swept over the world, as exemplified by the Paris terrorist attacks. Kasich sees ISIS as one of the biggest threats to our security. Thus, he advocates deploying ground troops to lead a coalition against the group along with bolstering the Kurdish army, combating ISIS propaganda, and by increasing the sharing of intelligence between our allies and us. Kasich believes by failing to lead the fight against terrorism, both China and Russia have taken the opportunity to expand their power. Therefore, Kasich believes we must strengthen our NATO allies to counter Russian aggression and increase our presence in the South China Sea to counter Chinese aggression.
Many of the other Republican primary candidates believe Kasich is far too liberal on defense issues. For example, he has been criticized for his comments about how he would keep the Iran Deal in place.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Many of the other Republican primary candidates believe Kasich is far too liberal on defense issues. For example, he has been criticized for his comments about how he would keep the Iran Deal in place.
Policy Proposals
- Kasich believes the U.S. needs to stand up to the recent wave of Russian aggression. He believes that this can be done by aiding the various, new members of NATO that are located in Eastern Europe. He thinks that by deploying more soldiers along their borders with Russia and by helping Ukraine improve its military to ensure its independence, Russian aggression can be countered.
- Kasich has said that he would not repeal the Iran Nuclear Deal on the first day of his presidency because it could potentially harm our alliances. Therefore, he would instead wait for Iran to violate the deal, which he expects it to, and then repeal the agreement.
- In order to defeat ISIS, he proposes launching a U.S. led coalition with ground troops, creating a no-fly zone, supporting the Kurds, and by countering ISIS propaganda.
Relevant History
- Kasich has often said that the U.S. needs to strengthen its economy in order to ensure U.S. security. He contends that the economy can be strengthened by budget cuts and lower taxes. Thus, it is of note that Kasich has experience in crafting budget cuts while in the U.S. House of Representatives.
- Served on the U.S. Armed Services Committee, and has supported giving aid to foreign countries such as Israel, along with increased military assistance in various countries across the globe.
Representative Quotes
- “The challenge posed by ISIS in Syria and Iraq is a symptom of a broader weakness in America’s national security policy: failing to advance what we believe and our basic national interests.”
- When speaking of ISIS he said, “An air campaign on its own is simply not enough. We will all be on the ground sooner or later. Sooner is better than later.”
Business Regulation and Corporations
Kasich would like to encourage investment and free up more capital for growth and job creation by implementing tax cuts and eliminating income taxes for new small businesses. His tax cuts are targeted at wealthy individuals and businesses because he believes those cuts will help lower income groups in the long run. Like other Republicans, Kasich believes he can make things easier for businesses and innovators with less government regulation and eliminating what he considers “wasteful” regulations by requiring congressional approval for regulations with a major impact on the economy. He has started many programs and initiatives aimed at creating jobs, and hopes to continue doing so on a national level. Unlike most Republican candidates, Kasich supports a “reasonable” federal minimum wage, which he sees being somewhere around an increase of 50 cents an hour.
As Governor, Kasich was met with much opposition in regards to his tax proposals. In 2015, he wanted state income-tax cuts of $5.7 billion over two years, offsetting those cuts with $5.2 billion in tax increases involving the state sales tax, and boosts in taxes on commercial activity, fracking, and tobacco. Tom Zawistowski, the president of the Ohio Liberty Council, said, “From a tea party perspective, to raise taxes on one group to give a tax cut to another group is simply redistribution of wealth. It is not the governor’s job to pick winners and losers; his job is to run the state government as efficiently as possible.”
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
As Governor, Kasich was met with much opposition in regards to his tax proposals. In 2015, he wanted state income-tax cuts of $5.7 billion over two years, offsetting those cuts with $5.2 billion in tax increases involving the state sales tax, and boosts in taxes on commercial activity, fracking, and tobacco. Tom Zawistowski, the president of the Ohio Liberty Council, said, “From a tea party perspective, to raise taxes on one group to give a tax cut to another group is simply redistribution of wealth. It is not the governor’s job to pick winners and losers; his job is to run the state government as efficiently as possible.”
Policy Proposals
- Seeks to free up more capital for economic growth and job creation.
- Proposes a focus on tax cuts for mainly businesses and wealthy individuals. In order to do this, he proposes to cut back the federal government's role in education and transportation funding, but to keep funding for the military. Kasich's tax plan would lower the top individual tax bracket from 39.6% to 28%, lower long-term capital gains tax rates to 15%, and lower the top business tax rates from 35% to 25%.
- Similar to other Republicans who have expressed support for the REINS Act, which would let Congress vote up or down on regulations that have a major impact on the economy, Kasich proposes a requirement for congressional approval for any regulation costing the economy more than $100 million.
Relevant History
- Signed an executive action that lowered regulations in Ohio by reducing the percentage of energy that an electric company has to provide using renewable energy resources.
- Started a job-training voucher program, inviting businesses to play a bigger role in developing job training programs.
- Created JobsOhio, a non-profit organization staffed by industry experts that have helped make Ohio “a go-to location for aerospace, advanced manufacturing, biohealth, financial services, logistics and information technology.”
- Created the Common Sense Initiative (CSI) to help create a more jobs-friendly regulatory environment in Ohio by establishing a regulatory framework that promoted economic development, transparency, and provided predictability for businesses. CSI reviewed more than 5,500 state regulations.
Representative Quotes
- “Move power, money, and influence out of Washington.”
- “Skinny-down bureaucracy & kick out special interests.”
- “Low taxes signal to job creators that Ohio is a safe and attractive place to invest. Take the small business owner, for example. The small business that has more money can hire more people. This is not a Republican philosophy. This is just a simple fact. High taxes discourage it. High taxes, especially the income tax, punish a small business owner's willingness to take the risk to hire more people, to invest in improvements, and work harder to be successful. Lower taxes incentivize all of those things.”
- On the minimum wage, Kasich said, “Have it be reasonable, because you could have unintended consequences if you start imposing a high wage, which could actually lead to fast-food restaurants putting in kiosks and middle-management people being upset that they can't get a raise. . . . I just think you have to be realistic, and management and labor can sit down and talk about what is an effective way to help.”
Education
Since becoming the Governor of Ohio in 2010, John Kasich has had plenty of experience dealing with the current problems facing education. Kasich believes that education should become a local responsibility and should not be dictated by the federal government. He disapproves of federal standards, but has come out in support of Common Core due to its creation from local educators, rather than bureaucrats. Like many other Republican candidates, Kasich believes that the future of education lies in the ability of a student to choose the institution in which they are educated. Kasich promises to expand school choice through an increase in vouchers for schools as well as the creation of more charter schools. In terms of college affordability, Governor Kasich advocates for state aid and the creation of a new funding system that focuses on helping students graduate rather than simply attracting students. Governor Kasich has also addressed the problems of dropouts in high schools in Ohio as well as across the nation. He believes that alternative methods to achieving a high school diploma through real-job experience will attract more students to complete high school or at least receive a degree.
Governor Kasich faces opposition from critics of the Common Core Initiative which are most of the other GOP candidates. In terms of trying to emulate Ohio on a national scale, The Washington Post wrote an article demonstrating that Kasich’s record concerning education is not something “advocates of public education” would favor. This is due to the approximately $500 million that Kasich has reportedly cut from public education during his tenure as governor. Democratic Candidate Hillary Clinton opposes charter schools and does not believe they further education for “hard-to-teach kids” as much as Governor Kasich does.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Governor Kasich faces opposition from critics of the Common Core Initiative which are most of the other GOP candidates. In terms of trying to emulate Ohio on a national scale, The Washington Post wrote an article demonstrating that Kasich’s record concerning education is not something “advocates of public education” would favor. This is due to the approximately $500 million that Kasich has reportedly cut from public education during his tenure as governor. Democratic Candidate Hillary Clinton opposes charter schools and does not believe they further education for “hard-to-teach kids” as much as Governor Kasich does.
Policy Proposals
- The Kasich Action Plan for education, which includes proposals to:
- Consolidate the 100 federal education programs into four block grants.
- End the Department of Education’s direct involvement in education and shrink the bureaucracy, using the Department of Education only for research and suggestions for the benefit of the states.
- Consolidate the 100 federal education programs into four block grants.
- Proposes to enact programs and policies that are similar to those of Ohio, including:
- Increasing the funding for and overall number of charter schools.
- Increasing the availability of vouchers, for students to use at private institutions.
- Reforms that seek to lower college costs, in part by providing some federal aid to on institutions with higher graduation rates.
- Increasing the funding for and overall number of charter schools.
Relevant History
- Signed the Third Grade Guarantee, a program centered on identifying students with a below average reading level from preschool to third grade.
- Signed a budget that ended up cutting about $84 million dollars in funding for public schools.
- Enacted a performance-pay system for teachers to incentivize higher performance, evaluating teachers based on how well his/her class performs on a standardized test.
Representative Quotes
- When asked about the Common Core Initiative Governor Kasich said “The state of Ohio doesn’t set it. It is local school boards driving better education, higher standards, created by local school boards. I’ve asked the Republican governors that have complained about this to tell me where I’m wrong. And guess what, silence.”
- “I’m for choice in education because I think the more competition there is among adults to fight for the right to educate our kids, the better our kids do. Our love is for the kids. Our love is not for a structure or some kind of an organization. It’s for the kids.”
Taxes and Economic Policy
Tax reform, like other issues Kasich tackles, is an issue that he takes a moderate conservative stance on. Kasich’s greatest concern seems to be having a “balanced budget.” Even though he is more moderate than most of his Republican counterparts, he still takes a traditional Republican view that his main goal is to cut taxes and limit government spending. He claims he wants to specifically cut the taxes on the wealthy and on businesses. Along with Carly Fiorina and Donald Trump, one of Kasich’s main priorities is simplifying the tax code.
T.J. Helmstetter, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, has criticized Kasich's plan for ruining critical programs that people depend on and crippling the federal government’s ability to function. Robertson Williams, who works at the Urban Brookings Tax Policy Center, criticized Kasich’s plan in noting that it does not help the middle class and seems to only cut taxes for the extreme ends of the spectrum.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
T.J. Helmstetter, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, has criticized Kasich's plan for ruining critical programs that people depend on and crippling the federal government’s ability to function. Robertson Williams, who works at the Urban Brookings Tax Policy Center, criticized Kasich’s plan in noting that it does not help the middle class and seems to only cut taxes for the extreme ends of the spectrum.
Policy Proposals
- Proposes establishing three income-tax brackets, rather than our current seven, with a top rate of 28%. He would lowering this from the current top rate of 39.6%.
- Seeks to double the research and development credit for businesses with under $20 million in revenues, and lower the rate on long-term capital gains to 15% (from 20%).
Relevant History
- While governor of Ohio, he worked with the legislature in taking fiscally conservative steps such as eliminating the estate tax, cutting income tax rates, making food stamps less readily available, reducing money for schools, and supporting less regulation on business.
- Signed into law $5 billion dollars in tax cuts in Ohio.
Representative Quotes
- "Tax cuts give us the power and the resources to fix the problems we face everyday in our own families and within our communities."
- "Tax cuts send a message to the job creators that things are headed the right way."
- "I will immediately put us on a path to a balanced budget and I will get it done within eight years. It starts by setting your priorities and then having the courage to make choices that might be unpopular."
Immigration
John Kasich is focused on securing the border. He believes that we must protect our borders through use of drones, fences, and other technology. Kasich also wants to expand guest worker visa program for legal immigrants. Kasich does not like the idea of opening up a path to citizenship, especially for new people who initially come in illegally, but says that there may be no other choice for the 11 million already here. He believes it is a “silly” argument to discuss deporting all 11 million illegal immigrants.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Policy Proposals
- ”Seal” the border by increasing man power and utilizing technology for security.
Relevant History
- As a House member, Kasich voted yes on a bill to increase skilled workers' visas.
- Co-sponsored a bill that sought to declare English the official language of the United States.
- In 1993, he attempted to eliminate birthright citizenship so that children of undocumented peoples born on U.S. soil are not automatically citizens, but he has since backed away from this effort.
Representative Quotes
- "I've always said that Hispanics are such a critical part of the fabric of the United States. They occupy jobs from top to bottom. They're God fearing and they're hard working.”
- “But for the 11 million people, come on, folks. We all know you can't pick them up and ship them across, back across the border. It's a silly argument. It is not an adult argument. It makes no sense.”
Health Care and Social Security
Kasich advocates for reduced government regulation and transferring of power to the states. Thus it is also unsurprising that this philosophy leads him to disapprove of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and firmly believe in the necessity of its repeal and replacement. Although he doesn’t approve of the ACA, Kasich does strongly feel that individuals deserve increased access to, and ability to pay for, health care. Therefore, he approves of the expansion of programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, which help to provide affordable health care services. In addition, he believes in the protection of Social Security, but seeks to reform to reduce its fiscal burden on taxpayers.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Policy Proposals
- Improve primary care systems by providing incentives to health care providers for quality of work instead of quantity. This will help to prevent more people from becoming sick and thus prevent the need to pay for the treatment that an individual may have needed.
- Reform health providers’ incentives by rewarding high quality work over high amounts of work, thus improving healthcare received while reducing overall costs of treatment by reducing the amount of unnecessary treatment that doctors suggest in order to increase their monetary gain.
- Turn the funding of Medicare and Medicaid into block grants to transfer power back to the states and allow them to alter their health care programs to best suit the people of their state.
- Reduce the payouts that high-income seniors receive from Social Security.
Relevant History
- As governor, Kasich accepted the expansion of Medicaid through the ACA in Ohio.
- While in Congress, Kasich voted for the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill that supplied billions of dollars in funding for programs such as Medicaid and the National Institutions of Health.
Representative Quotes
- “We can give people better health care. And finally, on health care, why don't we start treating — keep giving...incentives for people to keep people healthy, rather than giving the incentives to treat them when they're sick?”
- “I would [prefer to] block grant it, empowering states to deal with those who are sick and poor, so it's not a one-size-fits-all mentality.”
Poverty and Social Welfare Programs
John Kasich shares a philosophical stance with most of his fellow Republicans — aiding the poor by providing better opportunities for self-empowerment. Central to his plans are his efforts to reduce the so-called “cliffs” of economic mobility: the decreases in welfare benefits that come with an increase in income, which sometimes make earning more money less beneficial to the poor, as well as disincentivizing those unemployed and heavily reliant on welfare from continuing to collect benefits by capping welfare benefits. He also intends to give greater tax incentives towards exiting poverty, such as the earned-income tax credit, providing aid specifically for those mentally afflicted or suffering from addiction, and providing greater schooling options while moving much educational responsibility away from the federal government and into the hands of citizens and states.
Most opposition comes from Democrats concerned with reducing federal aid and education standards, as they believe assigning these responsibilities to the states risks reducing the benefits received by many.
Policy Proposals
Relevant History
Representative Quotes
Most opposition comes from Democrats concerned with reducing federal aid and education standards, as they believe assigning these responsibilities to the states risks reducing the benefits received by many.
Policy Proposals
- Seeks to provide a smoother transition out of poverty by changing how welfare is distributed (to address the concerns described above).
- Proposes limits on the amount of welfare payments one can earn over a lifetime, along with employment requirements, while giving states greater latitude in determining their own welfare systems.
- Devolving more educational control to the states, reducing national education standards and giving individuals greater options (school vouchers that can be used at more institutions by more people, for instance, and increasing the practicability of home-schooling).
Relevant History
- As governor, enacted significant state income tax credits for members of the lowest tax brackets, through an Earned Income Tax Credit program and general reductions of tax burdens for poor residents of Ohio.
- Chaired the House Budget Committee when it passed a welfare-reform bill that introduced the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families block grant program, which moved a significant portion of welfare responsibilities to the states.
- Established an agency in Ohio called the Office of Human Services Innovation, which reduced the extreme decreases in welfare benefits as families move above the poverty line by distributing benefits in a more linear fashion.
Representative Quotes
- “I’m concerned about the fact there seems to be a war on the poor. That if you’re poor, somehow you’re shiftless and lazy. You know what? The very people who complain ought to ask their grandparents if they worked at the W.P.A.”
- “I have an opportunity to do good, to lift people, and that’s what I’m going to do.”