I did it! I did it! I convinced those in New Hampshire to come out and support John Kasich (governor – Ohio). All credit can be attributed to the blisteringly brilliant column that I wrote last week. O.K. It’s either that or maybe it is the fact that Kasich did nothing last week other than go to a million coffee shops and town hall meetings with the people of New Hampshire.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that Kasich landed a second place finish in the New Hampshire caucus. He beat out Iowa favorites Ted Cruz (senator – Texas) and Marco Rubio (senator – Florida) and Jeb Bush (governor – Florida) – who by this point is just happy to be mentioned in any column.
Kasich is my favorite Republican at the moment and I was glad to see him place high in the rankings. That being said, I was disappointed by the margin (nearly 20%) between him and the guy that took first. Needless, to say I was also disappointed that the guy who took first was Donald Trump.
Regardless, it’s a good start for Kasich, currently in third place in South Carolina. In South Carolina, the rankings are as follows: Donald Trump (35%), Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio tied in second (18%) and Kasich (10%). With any luck, Kasich will hit the streets of South Carolina and start making the rounds like he did in New Hampshire and that will make something of a difference.
I’m not hoping for a miraculous finish. I don’t think that Kasich has the ability to jump to the front and take down Trump, but I would like to see him take a few numbers and maybe move up to second place. It would be more than possible. Sure, Cruz and Rubio probably have something of a favored spot given that they are both southern boys. But, if Trump – a New Yorker, of all things – can break into the crowd then I don’t see why Kasich can’t.
The obvious answer is that he doesn’t generate nearly as much press as Trump. So, I’m trying to turn that around. If you are a registered voter in Illinois contemplate casting a vote for Kasich. He is by the far the best Republican in the bunch this year. Even if you aren’t a Republican, I’d still ask you to consider voting for Kasich. I don’t consider myself a Republican (I identify myself as an Independent with left-leaning tendencies) and I’m thinking about requesting a GOP ballot by the time the Illinois primary comes around.
Why? Because I hate to think about the fact that Donald Trump or Ted Cruz could possibly be our next POTUS. And while some may say, “Well, if you lean left why would you vote Kasich? Why not throw support behind either one of the Democratic candidates?”
Let’s be honest, I think Hillary Clinton is probably going to win this primary. She’s ahead in South Carolina by at…I’m thinking a little more forward.
At this point in time, Clinton is ahead by over 20 points in South Carolina and is nationally leading by just over 13 points. With that massive lead, I’m not holding out hope that Sanders is going to win, nor am I going to vote for a candidate who is pretty much a shoe-in. I can’t, not when one of America’s two parties is going straight to hell.
This is all speculative at the moment and I’m not sure if that is actually what is going to happen come March. But it’s looking like a real possibility. I have no interest in watching one party die off and get hijacked by the most extreme pockets of society. I can’t stand idly by and watch that happens. So if that means that I have to vote for the most moderate Republican in the bunch in an effort to help stop society from swinging to far into a direction of extremely conservative views, then I will do exactly that.
Now, this is all up in the air for the moment. By the time Super Tuesday rolls around Kasich might even be out of the race. I don’t have a crystal ball and anything is possible – especially in this crazy election cycle.
But this is where I’m at at the moment. I encourage all of those interested in the future of the country (that should be all of you) to register and get educated about the candidates. March 15 – the day of the Illinois primary – is closer than it seems.
Get your head in the game and be sure to get your vote out.
Brian Laughran
Editor-in-Chief