"'He's among those moderate Republicans that people in the mainstream are looking for,' Stephen Weatherford ... said ..." Well, maybe .....

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COMMENTS: 
*  Ohio has 5 cities out of top 20 Kids in Poverty, Ohio is Number 2 in destroying the middle class. He balance the budget on the backs of the poor just the facts look it up.
*  ...  yes Kasich did cut the deficit but passed that deficit onto local communities. He cut monies going to local governments and they in turn either had to cut services, raise taxes or both.
*  He took $14 billion from the federal government to get to his so called surplus. He actually lost $6 billion. Too bad this reporter doesn't like to actually do research.
*  I think he's probably the only guy on the Republican side that can get a decent number of independent votes against Clinton or Sanders. He's the only one on that side I would consider at this point, and trust me as an independent I don't like my options on the other side either!
*  Kasich is a man who can get votes from both sides of the aisle because he is not bats--t crazy, like the rest of the pack. Remember the Right Wingers are the MINORITY Party now, and if they have someone who can draw Dem votes, you better think strongly about nominating him.
*   Lol! Kasich is an old establishment crook, and won't even win in own state. His 'swindles' and fake endorsement won't help him. A crook is a crook, and last thing that we need is an establishment crook like Kasich, playing both sides of the isle. Kasich was the one that ushered Obama care into Ohio because as he said "Jesus told him" (what a wacko) and expanded Medicaid. Google up "Kasich, Obama's man in Ohio", "Kasich establishment crook", or "Kasich swindled Ohio again".  Again, the facts to liberals and establishment crooks are what crosses are to vampires
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If Ohio Gov. John Kasich Was President, Here's What Would Happen to the U.S. Economy
By James Passeri, February 14, 2016

Editor's note: This story was originally published in October. Considering John Kasich's surprisingly strong finish in this week's New Hampshire primary, we thought it would be a good idea to revisit how his economy policies might shape the U.S. if he were to be elected president. The story has been updated at the top with some recent context. 

After months of being sidelined by more vocal Republican presidential contenders such as Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, Ohio Governor John Kasich nabbed a silver-medal finish in New Hampshire's Republican primary Tuesday night.

Winning roughly 16% of the vote in New Hampshire, Kasich now sits in fourth place among Republicans for the presidential nomination, after having secured a total of four delegates.

Kasich characterizes the finish as a victory, primarily because it's a sign that more optimistic rhetoric has begun reclaiming a contest dominated by acerbic one-liners and personal attacks among candidates.

"We never went negative because we have more good to sell than to spend our time being critical at somebody else," he said in New Hampshire to a crowd of supporters Tuesday night, following news that his second-place finish was confirmed.

"And maybe, just maybe, at a time when change is in the air, maybe, just maybe, we're turning the page on a dark part of American politics -- because tonight the light overcame the darkness of negative campaigning," he added.

It's a tough claim when Trump garnered about a third of the vote in the granite state, but we'll let it stand during Kasich's big week. Here's a better question: With this momentum, can Kasich win? And what will he do with the economy if he does?

Kasich's bid for the lead spot on the Republican ticket relies heavily on his success creating jobs in his home state. The question is whether he can replicate that nationwide if he becomes president.

December's unemployment rate in Ohio was 4.7%, according to data compiled by the Federal Reserve, a significant improvement from 9.2% when Kasich took office in 2011 and Ohio's joblessness and the national rate were tied.

Joblessness nationwide dropped to 5.0% in the same period, and it hasn't been as low as Ohio's current rate since April 2007.

"The anemic growth we have today isn't because the federal government failed to do enough but because it succeeded in doing too much," Kasich said in an Oct. 15 blog post, citing a $787 billion stimulus package from 2009 that he says delivered lackluster growth and high deficits. "If we want to get serious about economic growth, we need less government and more 'us.'"

So far, Kasich's plans to boost employment in the U.S., should he win election and convince Congress to back him, consist largely of the "job friendly policies" he used in Ohio: cutting income taxes and eliminating regulatory red tape that he says impedes small business growth and job creation.

"He's among those moderate Republicans that people in the mainstream are looking for," Stephen Weatherford, a professor of political economy at the University of California-Santa Barbara, said in a phone interview. Kasich has a long history in politics, including 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives.

He was elected at age 30, according to a biography on the Westerville, Ohio, Public Library's website, and became chairman of the budget committee when Republicans took control of the House in 1994.

"He has political experience in both the state and federal level, and I think he would be more explicit about his policies if the campaign was more policy centered," Weatherford said.

So far the run for the Republican ticket has been dominated by personalities, with businessman Donald Trump capturing the lion's share of media attention, according to Weatherford.

"I think, certainly, that the national electorate will be likely swayed by a policy-centered debate, but at this point the Republican electorate are much more conservative and unitary on the role of government," he said. The 63-year-old Kasich "has a chance, but he needs to emerge from the Republican nomination fight," Weatherford said.

If elected, Kasich said at a recent Nashua Community College event, he can put the U.S. on course for a balanced budget and "will get it done within eight years." The key, he said, is "setting your priorities and then having the courage to make choices that might be unpopular."

$5 Trillion Surplus

In Ohio, Kasich made nearly $5 billion in tax cuts, including paring state income levies and eliminating the so-called death tax, a duty applied to large inheritances. He and other lawmakers contended that the valuation of those inheritances was based on buildings and equipment as well as financial holdings, and that heirs of small farms, for instance, often had to sell some of the business's assets just to pay the tax.

Kasich's campaign estimates he saved taxpayers roughly $650 million through inheritance tax cuts alone.

In terms of balancing the federal budget, Kasich points to his success in plugging an $8 billion shortfall in Ohio and his stint on the House budget committee, which included the 1997 federal balancing of the federal budget, a feat that had not occurred since 1969.

"I'm the only person on this stage, and one of the few people in this country, that led the effort as the chief architect the last time we balanced the federal budget," Kasich said during September's CNN Republican debate.

"When I left Washington, in 2000, we had a $5 trillion surplus and the economy was booming," Kasich has said.

Business tax rates would also get pared under a Kasich administration, with the top rate falling to 25% from 35%, he said. Kasich envisions a 15% ceiling on the long-term capital gains tax as well as helping low-income earners by raising the earned income tax credit by 10%.

On individual taxes, Kasich said, he will trim the top rate to 28%, which would be a drop of more than 10 percentage points from the current level.

Lehman Brothers

While Kasich's resume is impressive, no candidate's record is immune to criticism, especially in matters of finance. Along with the political experience, Kasich's includes an eight-year stint as managing director of investment banking at the Ohio office of Lehman Brothers following his departure from the House of Representatives.

Lehman became a byword for financial industry excesses after its 2008 bankruptcy during the collapse of the subprime mortgage market precipitated a global credit crisis. To be sure, Kasich's Republican rival, Jeb Bush, also held a position at the bank after completing two terms as Florida's governor.

Those are experiences both candidates are likely to be questioned about further as the campaign progresses.

In April, however, the Ohio governor brushed off a question about the ill-fated firm during an interview on NBC's Meet the Press. "That's past history," he said. "Wall Street is necessary because it helps move the financial operations of America forward. But I'll tell you the problem with Wall Street: It's too much about, 'I've got to make money.' There's too much greed."

On the upside, Kasich says, his tenure at Lehman was a learning experience, particularly because it helped him to better understand the developing tech world.

"The greatest thing I got from Lehman is I spent a lot of time in Silicon Valley," he said. "And you know, when I went out there, I could see the future. And that's what we have to be about in America, bringing ourselves together, innovating, you know, in terms of innovation and vision."

Defense Spending

Spending on transportation, education, and health care  would all be cut under Kasich, and the only budget increases he has endorsed so far would be to build up the military. For starters, he said at an event hosted by Americans for Peace, Prosperity and Security this summer, he would remove military spending caps that threaten national security.

"The changes I am proposing are admittedly big -- unleashing the economy, strengthening our military and alliances, engaging our adversaries and, if all else fails, being more willing to project force decisively," he said in an August column for CNN's website. "But I am confident we can do it, because America's national security transcends partisanship."

Improving the economy, Kasich says, is the key to increasing military spending and renewing global alliances, pointing to President Ronald Reagan's pursuit of growth to fund an armed-forces buildup that helped end the Cold War.

"No realistic look at the world today will leave us feeling good about America's security," he said. "The U.S. has neglected both our military and our alliances and has apparently decided, instead, to try to lead from behind."

Nonetheless, Kasich says, his military spending wouldn't be profligate.

As a member of the House's Armed Services Committee, Kasich earned the moniker "Cheap Hawk" after spearheading investigations into overspending, which helped cut costs of tools and parts and eventually led to the banning of "fraudulent military contractors," according to his campaign site.

Health Care

While Kasich wants to limit health-care spending, he maintains that access to affordable health insurance is vital and can be provided less expensively than it is through the Affordable Care Act.

Obamacare drove up the cost of health insurance approximately 80% in Ohio's individual and small group market, he said, and raised taxes to help subsidize health insurance coverage for families making up to $94,000 annually.

"Too often Obamacare mistakes treating symptoms for solving problems which only worsens the overall, long-term problem," he said on his campaign website.

"In terms of health care reform, I think we need to start practicing quality health care and not quantity health care," he said in a recent radio interview. "Primary care physicians should be empowered to guide us through a complicated health-care system getting results to keep us healthy but at the lowest possible prices."
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