I made a couple of brief comments on Facebook about this this morning and quite a few folks wanted to know a bit more about what I think on the subject, so I decided it was a worthy enough topic to bring me over here to jot down a few more words.
John Kasich has been a huge, massive, gigantic, enormous, colossal, substantial, hefty, voluminous, enormous, whale of a disappointment to me. He went around the state preaching from the gospel of conservatism, but like every other Ohio Republican on the Big stage, he governs like a liberal. This dude still thinks we can find prosperity by spending money we don't have and his ideas for getting more money involve tax schemes that ultimately shut out everybody but Big Oil.
The last straw for me is his smug defense of his Medicaid Expansion. That this tool thinks it is okay to invoke religion to justify his backdoor support of Obamacare is sickening. It makes me want to vomit. How can you tell when John Kasich is lying about Medicaid Expansion? His lips move.
However, none of that is enough for me to support no-name challengers who have zero chance at winning in a primary. NOBODY outside of a small section of Cincinnati and a handful of Tea Party people even know who this guy is and while the Ohio Liberty Coalition of the Alliance of the Forces for Good (or whatever they are calling themselves this week) has managed to pony up some decent support for a few state legislature candidates, there is no history that they are in the same league as the fat cats supporting Governor Kasbama.
Furthermore, I'd almost be willing to bet dollars to donuts that this guy says or does something that damages the reputation of the Tea Party movement in this state. Just call it a gut feeling. I've got nothing else to go on, but a sense that when Not Ready For Primetime candidates get on the stage, they have the tendency to make things worse for the people who brought them there.
And let's face some hard facts, a loss in a GOP primary by a former Generalissimo of the Tea Party would deliver a message loud and clear regarding just how little influence these groups actually have on the system and the process. Don't get me wrong, I think the movement is still growing stronger everyday. But it is just large enough now that it can lose a LOT by overplaying their hand.
I guess I am just not convinced that this is the right step at this time. I much rather see the Tea Party stay focused on issues rather than get dragged through the mud of electing candidates. Education is what the Tea Party ought to still be about. I have always felt that the Tea Party is at its best when it is teaching others about the principles of liberty.
Your mileage may vary...
