While MSNBC host Chris Matthews may be over the moon about John Kasich, seeing him as the most "moderate" and ergo acceptable choice of the Republican presidential primary field, The Rachel Maddow Show producer and msnbc.com contributor Steve Benen took to the Lean Forward network's website today to denounce Kasich as a hard-core rightie.
"Is the Ohio governor less hysterical on some issues than his GOP rivals? Yes. Is John Kasich a moderate? Not even a little," teased the caption accompanying the teaser image and headline on msnbc.com's front page.
"After last week’s debate for the Republican presidential candidates, there was increased chatter about Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s (R) 'moderation,'" Benen opened his story, "Kasich’s ‘moderation’ doesn’t reach the climate crisis," observing, "He not only doesn’t hate gay people, the Republican governor is even on board with low-income families being able to receive medical care."
But, alas, "on 'Meet the Press' yesterday, we received a reminder that the bar for GOP “moderation” shouldn’t be lowered nearly this far," Benen groused, quoting Kasich's exchange with Todd on the issue of climate change, before slamming it as the "approach [that] is arguably the toughest to defend" and which amounts to seeing "climate science" as "the result of a conspiratorial hoax, intended to undermine capitalism."
But wait, there's more, Benen insists, reminding his readers of conservative policy accomplishments that Kasich has enacted in Ohio (emphases mine), and that all without a huge backlash, handily winning reelection:
As for the Ohio’s governor’s purported centrism, the political world really ought to stop grading on a curve. Sure, on some issues, Kasich isn’t nearly as hysterical or reflexive as his national GOP rivals. It’s been a point of frustration at times for some of the governor’s in-state allies.
But as discussed a few weeks ago, Kasich really is quite far to the right on issues such as voting rights, reproductive rights, labor unions, renewable energy; and the fiscal debate.
Anyone who goes on national television and dismisses climate change as “some theory that’s not proven” does not deserve to be labeled a “moderate.”
The attack on Kasich is a bit early in the game, but you can expect that should the moderately-conservative Ohio governor advance further in the primary and best more conservative opponents that he will be thoroughly savaged by the Left as some paragon of hard-right governance. It's the same playbook liberal pundits and journalists trot out in every presidential race, no matter how moderate and milquetoast the GOP nominee may happen to be.
