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John Kasich Says ‘Get Over’ Social Security Cuts [Video]

By Toni Matthews
Published on: 23:07 PST, Oct 9, 2015

Ohio Governor John Kasich was always going to be a longshot at the Republican nomination for president. However, his odds seem to be getting longer and longer with every subsequent “gaffe.”

Kasich previously raised eyebrows by suggesting that the quickest way to nab Latino voters is by tipping hotel maids. Even that bizarre remark pales in comparison to what John had to say about Social Security. Always a touchy subject, especially among those near or at retirement age, the idea of privatizing or cutting Social Security is widely unpopular. It appears John Kasich isn’t afraid of being unpopular — even though that’s kind of the opposite of what you want to be when competing for the GOP nomination.

CNN reports that while speaking during NH1’s “Fiscal Fridays” series in Concord, New Hampshire, John Kasich was asked about “entitlement reform.”

“We can’t balance a budget without entitlement reform. What are we, kidding?”

While other candidates have confirmed that they’ll leave entitlements alone, Kasich admits his plan calls for massive cuts. A person in the audience told him that such a plan would “be a problem” for the Republican nominee. That’s when John insisted that person and anyone else with an issue about Social Security cuts “get over” their displeasure.

“Well, you’d get over it, and you’re going to have to get over it.”

Was it a set-up? It seems within an hour of the cringe-worthy moment, liberal PAC American Bridge already had a video ready. CNN said the New Hampshire Democratic Party was also aggressively circulating the footage. One would think the question was asked with the anticipation that Kasich would inevitably put his foot in his mouth.

As easy as some would find a “gotcha moment” to believe, it appears that this was yet another example of John Kasich marching to the beat of his own drum. It’s a drum beat that’s leading him further away from contention for the Republican nomination — let alone serious consideration for the office of President of the United States.

John realizes how bad that particular soundbite is making him look, and has since spoken out against negative perception over his remarks. His tactic? Blaming Democrats for allowing programs like Social Security and Medicare to “basically allowed this program to get to a point where it could go bankrupt.” The Ohio governor chastised focus on his plans, which he technically failed to elaborate on aside from cuts. John said Democrats should instead be working to fix the problem.

Kasich had no intention of changing his tune when discussing cutting entitlements elsewhere in New Hampshire. The candidate instead declared anyone on Medicare, “wasn’t going to like him.” Apparently, John Kasich doesn’t want the group of Americans most likely to vote in an election to “like him” at all. But then, it seems that Kasich is determined to isolate core groups of voters.

The Daily Kos mentioned that John “was condescending to female college voters in Richmond, Virginia,” earlier in the week. And of course, there’s the advice he “offered” for winning Latino voters. All of this strongly suggests that Kasich either has no idea how to garner support for himself or that his campaign is managed by people who dislike him.

Perhaps being so blatantly unsupportable is his way of distinguishing himself from Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. It’s true that Trump has said quite a few offensive things during his run for president, including negative comments about immigrants and Latinos in particular. However, and unlike Kasich, the billionaire businessman has garnered a great deal of Republican support. Retired John Hopkins neurosurgeon and rival candidate Ben Carson decided to echo Trump’s questionable campaign tactics. The result is Carson is presently enjoying a surge in the polls.

John Kasich is decidedly his own man. Unfortunately for Kasich, that fact may very well cost him a chance to pretend he was remotely close to the Republican nomination.

[Image Credit: Photo by Ty Wright/Getty Images]

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