Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Kasich to reporters: Drop dead


FOR A BRASSY politician who didn't quite claim vict0ry in November by acclamation (49-47) Gov.-elect John Kasich already shown us that there isn't that much that escapes his harsh opinions these days. From his disdain for public unions to guarding the names of applicants for state jobs, Kasich has hit the post-election ground with an autocratic agenda that somehow shouldn't surprise anybody who has followed his career.

His latest stroke sliced the air with an assault on reporters who inquire about things he doesn't think he should have to answer. Such raspy official nonsense occurred, for example, when he was asked whether a certain appointee might have a conflict of interest. Not a yes-or-no moment for Kasich. Instead, he declared such intrusions into one's personal life discourage good people from entering the government. That, of course, doesn't explain why candidates spend zillions of dollars on their campaigns to win elections or happily slide into peachy government positions because of their past lobbying efforts. Can we conclude that these folks aren't the picks of the litter?

Kasich complained to reporters that "I find myself tripping over the anthills on the way to the pyramids" - his version of political correctness and transparency defeating his good efforts.".

I suspect that pyramids could become a growth industry in Ohio.







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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It'll be fun watching Kasich implode. Transparency - Who needs it? Ethics - That nonsense gets in the way?

Kasich won with less than 50 percent of the vote and was outpaced by other statewide candidates such as Josh Mandel and Jon Husted. It looks like Ohio will be going through a period of one-term governors.

Mencken said...

It's all so simple until you actually take office.

David Hess said...

One shouldn't be surprised by the Putinesque disdain of the Governor-elect's approach for responding to questions about appointees or policies. As chairman of the House Budget Committee in the 1990s, Kasich secretly devised a proposed budget that slashed federal support for a wide range of social programs, mainly serving the poor, while refusing to acknowledge what he was up to, even as he held faux "public" hearings that concealed his intentions. He harbors a Messianic streak that imbues him with an air of imperious supremacy to the degree that his own judgment is beyond criticism and should not be subjected to questions. As for his "anthill" aphorism, he certainly doesn't mind trampling on the lives of the weak and poor.