Kasich Can't Run From His Past

With ties to NAFTA , Wall Street And George Soros tomorrow

should be the end of Kasich's campaign when he loses the primary. John Kasich is not as loved in his state as he has portrayed in the debates. Scandals have dogged his tenure as Governor as well.

Throughout his tenure as a member of Congress, as a Wall Street banker, and as Ohio’s governor, Kasich has proven time and time again that he will always put the desires of wealthy special interests before the needs of the middle class.

While in Congress, Kasich was one the architects of the original government shutdown in the mid-1990s, calling it “one of the greatest moments of my career.” He said the Clinton budget of 1993 that created 20 million new jobs would "put the economy in the gutter." He was dead wrong then and he still doesn't understand how to grow the economy now.

After proving himself to the millionaires and billionaires in Washington, Kasich went on to be a managing director for one of the investment banks that was integral to the 2008 crash and the economic crisis that eventually put nearly 9 million Americans out of work, including 400,000 Ohioans.

When asked if Kasich had any regrets about his time at Lehman Brothers during the financial crisis, he replied, “Are you kidding? Regrets? I thought it was a fantastic time…It was great.” Just days later, Kasich doubled down on his comments saying he “just loved” working for one of the architects of the 2008 crash. He couldn’t be more out of touch with the millions of Americans who struggled to make ends meet after the financial meltdown.

John Kasich blames Washington for Ohio's troubles, but is the real problem closer to home?

The Federal Bureau of Investigation put Kasich under the radar for allegations that he accepted bribes and used political appointments to reward or punish those that helped or hurt his allies. Kasich has never been thought of as particularly ethical, but these allegations are beyond what we've seen in the past:

The FBI has been investigating claims that Governor John Kasich made promises of political influence and threatened the jobs of those who would not help him replace those in power with his cronies.

Portage County Republican Party Chairman Andrew Manning asked the FBI to investigate the situation after he was offered influence in state government appointments in exchange for stepping down and allowing one of Kasich’s operatives to take his position. Manning’s attorney, David R. Langdon, announced that the FBI is indeed investigating the claims. In a statement Langdon said,

“FBI agents interviewed Andrew Manning . He answered questions about the statements in his affidavit, which he sent to the Justice Department in March of this year, that top allies of Gov. John Kasich offered him special influence over gubernatorial appointments if he agreed not to run for the state GOP central committee.”

He will have no further comment until the investigation has concluded.

According to PlunderBund, this complaint led to several other Ohio GOP figures making similar claims:

Manning’s request to the FBI and local law enforcement was the first in a series of complaints claiming Kasich and his allies used intimidation, threats and promises of influence in order to get their own people on the State Central Committee to vote out former Committee Chairman Kevin DeWine.

While Manning’s complaint focused on Governor’s office employees Ben Kaiser and David Luketic, as well as Alex Arshinkoff (Summit County GOP Chairman) and Bryan Williams (Ohio Board of Education), other complaints have since surfaced against the Governor’s closest allies Doug Preisse and Jai Chabria as well as Mary Taylor and her chief of staff.

This mounting evidence suggests that, since his first days in power, the Governor’s main goal has been to oust Kevin DeWine and replace him with someone more willing to do the Kasich Kowtow. When Dewine refused, Kasich used his pull to get his candidates into power. After getting enough power in the committee, he effectively forced DeWine to step down. The new committee then elected Bob Bennett, former state GOP chairman for 20 years prior to DeWine, to finish out the term.

Kasich campaign records also show that he has collected more than $200,000 from a Soros Management Fund.

Kasich Can't Dodge His Past
With ties to NAFTA , Wall Street And George Soros tomorrow should be the end of Kasich's campaign when he looses the primary. John Kasich is not as loved in his state as he has portrayed in the debates. Scandals have dogged his tenure as Governor as well.Throughout his tenure as a member of Congress, as a Wall Street banker, and as Ohio’s governor, Kasich has proven time and time again that he will always put the desires of wealthy special interests before the needs of the middle class.While in Congress, Kasich was one the architects of the original government shutdown in the mid-1990s, calling it “one of the greatest moments of my career.” He said the Clinton budget of 1993 that created 20 million new jobs would "put the economy in the gutter." He was dead wrong then and he still doesn't understand how to grow the economy now. After proving himself to the millionaires and billionaires in Washington, Kasich went on to be a managing director for one of the investment banks that was integral to the 2008 crash and the economic crisis that eventually put nearly 9 million Americans out of work, including 400,000 Ohioans. When asked if Kasich had any regrets about his time at Lehman Brothers during the financial crisis, he replied, “Are you kidding? Regrets? I thought it was a fantastic time…It was great.” Just days later, Kasich doubled down on his comments saying he “just loved” working for one of the architects of the 2008 crash. He couldn’t be more out of touch with the millions of Americans who struggled to make ends meet after the financial meltdown.John Kasich blames Washington for Ohio's troubles, but is the real problem closer to home?The Federal Bureau of Investigation put Kasich under the radar for allegations that he accepted bribes and used political appointments to reward or punish those that helped or hurt his allies. Kasich has never been thought of as particularly ethical, but these allegations are beyond what we've seen in the past:The FBI has been investigating claims that Governor John Kasich made promises of political influence and threatened the jobs of those who would not help him replace those in power with his cronies.Portage County Republican Party Chairman Andrew Manning asked the FBI to investigate the situation after he was offered influence in state government appointments in exchange for stepping down and allowing one of Kasich’s operatives to take his position. Manning’s attorney, David R. Langdon, announced that the FBI is indeed investigating the claims. In a statement Langdon said,“FBI agents interviewed Andrew Manning . He answered questions about the statements in his affidavit, which he sent to the Justice Department in March of this year, that top allies of Gov. John Kasich offered him special influence over gubernatorial appointments if he agreed not to run for the state GOP central committee.”He will have no further comment until the investigation has concluded.According to PlunderBund, this complaint led to several other Ohio GOP figures making similar claims:Manning’s request to the FBI and local law enforcement was the first in a series of complaints claiming Kasich and his allies used intimidation, threats and promises of influence in order to get their own people on the State Central Committee to vote out former Committee Chairman Kevin DeWine.While Manning’s complaint focused on Governor’s office employees Ben Kaiser and David Luketic, as well as Alex Arshinkoff (Summit County GOP Chairman) and Bryan Williams (Ohio Board of Education), other complaints have since surfaced against the Governor’s closest allies Doug Preisse and Jai Chabria as well as Mary Taylor and her chief of staff.This mounting evidence suggests that, since his first days in power, the Governor’s main goal has been to oust Kevin DeWine and replace him with someone more willing to do the Kasich Kowtow. When Dewine refused, Kasich used his pull to get his candidates into power. After getting enough power in the committee, he effectively forced DeWine to step down. The new committee then elected Bob Bennett, former state GOP chairman for 20 years prior to DeWine, to finish out the term.Kasich campaign records also show that he has collected more than $200,000 from a Soros Management Fund.
Posted by Ron Dwyer on Monday, March 14, 2016