John Kasich, a man who wants to be president but won’t be, spoke with the Washington Post‘s editorial board in an attempt to win its endorsement. During this conversation, he was asked by Associate Editorial Page Editor Jo-Ann Armao about statehood for D.C. and voting rights for its more than 650,000 disenfranchised residents. Here’s what he said:
ARMARO: You voted against statehood for D.C. when you were in Congress.
KASICH: Yes.
ARMAO: Is that still your position, and do you have–
KASICH: Yes, I would it say probably is.
ARMAO: What about voting rights in Congress, voting representatives?
KASICH: Probably not. I don’t know. I’d have to, I mean, to me, that’s just, I just don’t see that we really need that, okay? I don’t know. I don’t think so.
ARMAO: But you realize though that people in D.C. pay taxes, go to war and they have no vote in Congress.
KASICH: Yeah.
ARMAO: How is that–
KASICH: Well look, I am not – I don’t – I am not, because you know what, what it really gets down to if you want to be honest is because they know that’s just more votes in the Democratic Party. That’s what–
ARMAO: So if there were Republicans in the District, you would have a different position?
KASICH: Yeah, okay, well look, they send me a bill, I’m president of the United States, I’ll read your editorials.
HIATT: Okay! You’ve got our endorsement.
The Ohio governor looped back around to the issue, concluding, “Now let’s go to this whole thing of D.C. voting rights, okay? I don’t know. I’d have to look at it. I’ll look at your editorials, whatever. Fair is fair. You’ve got a point there.”
Kasich’s nonsensical-word-garbage argument—”I mean, to me, that’s just, I just don’t see that we really need that, okay? I don’t know. I don’t think so.”—is perfect. In attempting to make the case against voting rights, he bumbles and fumbles his way toward the truth: There isn’t a good reason to deny the people of D.C. a vote in Congress. I can’t believe I’m typing this but—thanks, John Kasich!
Hat tip Adam Smith; photo via