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| Kasich sells GOP something different in New Hampshire | Kasich sells GOP something different in New Hampshire |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| RAYMOND, N.H. — John Kasich walked near the smoky bar at the local VFW post, past the bank of television cameras, and urged the crowd to ask him anything. The first questioner all but invited him to attack businessman Donald Trump, inquiring about the Republican presidential front-runner’s treatment of people with disabilities. | RAYMOND, N.H. — John Kasich walked near the smoky bar at the local VFW post, past the bank of television cameras, and urged the crowd to ask him anything. The first questioner all but invited him to attack businessman Donald Trump, inquiring about the Republican presidential front-runner’s treatment of people with disabilities. |
| Kasich declined the opportunity, prompting the audience to applaud loudly. Then Kasich choked up, on the verge of tears. He motioned for the questioner to stand, reaching out his arms and embracing her in an unexpected hug. He struggled to regain his voice. | Kasich declined the opportunity, prompting the audience to applaud loudly. Then Kasich choked up, on the verge of tears. He motioned for the questioner to stand, reaching out his arms and embracing her in an unexpected hug. He struggled to regain his voice. |
| This is an emotional time for the Ohio governor. More than any of his GOP rivals, Kasich has bet everything on a strong finish in Tuesday’s primary in New Hampshire. He opted not to compete in the Iowa caucuses, and tells voters that he will drop out if he does poorly here. | This is an emotional time for the Ohio governor. More than any of his GOP rivals, Kasich has bet everything on a strong finish in Tuesday’s primary in New Hampshire. He opted not to compete in the Iowa caucuses, and tells voters that he will drop out if he does poorly here. |
| Kasich is approaching the New Hampshire campaign in his own way. | Kasich is approaching the New Hampshire campaign in his own way. |
| While his fellow GOP candidates hurl insults at one another, the often professorial-sounding Kasich repeatedly resists engaging directly in attacks. And while his competitors jockey to bolster their conservative bona fides, Kasich boasts of his centrist credentials. | While his fellow GOP candidates hurl insults at one another, the often professorial-sounding Kasich repeatedly resists engaging directly in attacks. And while his competitors jockey to bolster their conservative bona fides, Kasich boasts of his centrist credentials. |
| “I guess sometimes when you talk about caring for people, sometimes it is not a tone we’ve heard in the Republican Party for quite awhile,” he said in an interview with The Washington Post on his campaign bus. | “I guess sometimes when you talk about caring for people, sometimes it is not a tone we’ve heard in the Republican Party for quite awhile,” he said in an interview with The Washington Post on his campaign bus. |
| Rather than railing about illegal immigration or same-sex marriage, two issues that have been a focal point for some of his opponents, Kasich hews faithfully to a longtime Republican value that often has been overshadowed in this year’s Trump-infused campaign: government spending. Kasich arrives at town-hall meetings with a large electronic sign that ticks off the increasing national debt in milliseconds. | Rather than railing about illegal immigration or same-sex marriage, two issues that have been a focal point for some of his opponents, Kasich hews faithfully to a longtime Republican value that often has been overshadowed in this year’s Trump-infused campaign: government spending. Kasich arrives at town-hall meetings with a large electronic sign that ticks off the increasing national debt in milliseconds. |
| He also does not care for the overtly religious tone of some of his opponents. Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.), for example, often speaks at churches and asks voters to pray to “awaken the body of Christ to pull us back from the abyss.” | He also does not care for the overtly religious tone of some of his opponents. Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.), for example, often speaks at churches and asks voters to pray to “awaken the body of Christ to pull us back from the abyss.” |
| Kasich, a Catholic-turned-Anglican who was nicknamed “Pope” by childhood friends who thought he aspired to the Vatican, said he had spoken at a church only once or twice in his political career. “I don’t want to combine politics with religion,” he said in the interview. “I’m not comfortable doing it.” | Kasich, a Catholic-turned-Anglican who was nicknamed “Pope” by childhood friends who thought he aspired to the Vatican, said he had spoken at a church only once or twice in his political career. “I don’t want to combine politics with religion,” he said in the interview. “I’m not comfortable doing it.” |
| In an echo of what former president George W. Bush once called “compassionate conservatism,” Kasich said the party can’t foment only anger and resentment. | In an echo of what former president George W. Bush once called “compassionate conservatism,” Kasich said the party can’t foment only anger and resentment. |
| Asked what prompted his emotional moment at the VFW hall, he said he was thinking about children with disabilities who need extra care, an issue he said he has seen firsthand many times as governor. | Asked what prompted his emotional moment at the VFW hall, he said he was thinking about children with disabilities who need extra care, an issue he said he has seen firsthand many times as governor. |
| “It’s easy to run over the weak,” he said at a town-hall meeting in Durham. “I’m not going to do it.” | “It’s easy to run over the weak,” he said at a town-hall meeting in Durham. “I’m not going to do it.” |
| Kasich is convinced that he has struck political gold by carving out a niche in the crowded GOP field. Trump has drawn large crowds to his rallies, bashing rivals. Cruz is seeking to capitalize on his Iowa caucus victory, leaning heavily on evangelical support. Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), former Florida governor Jeb Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are fighting for the so-called establishment vote. | Kasich is convinced that he has struck political gold by carving out a niche in the crowded GOP field. Trump has drawn large crowds to his rallies, bashing rivals. Cruz is seeking to capitalize on his Iowa caucus victory, leaning heavily on evangelical support. Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), former Florida governor Jeb Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are fighting for the so-called establishment vote. |
| Kasich, meanwhile, likes to say he is in his “own lane.” Asked in the interview what that means, he said he is an “inside-outside” player. Although Kasich has been a House Budget Committee chairman and is a governor, he insisted in the interview that “I’ve never been in the establishment. I’m not anti-establishment but I can work with the establishment.” He boasts of collaborating with liberal Democrats to pass legislation. He says he believes humans contribute to global warming. He is in favor of government support for those with disabilities. He accepted extra Medicaid funding available under President Obama’s health-care plan, which has brought him sharp criticism from those who oppose anything connected with “Obamacare.” | Kasich, meanwhile, likes to say he is in his “own lane.” Asked in the interview what that means, he said he is an “inside-outside” player. Although Kasich has been a House Budget Committee chairman and is a governor, he insisted in the interview that “I’ve never been in the establishment. I’m not anti-establishment but I can work with the establishment.” He boasts of collaborating with liberal Democrats to pass legislation. He says he believes humans contribute to global warming. He is in favor of government support for those with disabilities. He accepted extra Medicaid funding available under President Obama’s health-care plan, which has brought him sharp criticism from those who oppose anything connected with “Obamacare.” |
| Kasich summed up his view this way: “It is a twist and turn and a different definition of what is conservative and what it means to be a Republican.” | Kasich summed up his view this way: “It is a twist and turn and a different definition of what is conservative and what it means to be a Republican.” |
| He boasts of endorsements from the Boston Globe, the New York Times and a number of New Hampshire newspapers, rejecting suggestions that support from left-leaning and moderate editorialists could backfire. He cites polls that show him in second place, or statistically tied for that standing, behind Trump. | He boasts of endorsements from the Boston Globe, the New York Times and a number of New Hampshire newspapers, rejecting suggestions that support from left-leaning and moderate editorialists could backfire. He cites polls that show him in second place, or statistically tied for that standing, behind Trump. |
| An average of recent New Hampshire polls, as analyzed by The Post, found that Trump leads with 35 percent, followed by three candidates who are statistically tied because of the margin of error: Cruz at 12 percent, Rubio at 11 percent and Kasich with 10 percent. | |
| As he travels the state, Kasich shows allegiance to a classic New Hampshire strategy of interacting with smaller audiences. His stop at the VFW post on Wednesday was his 94th town-hall meeting in the state. | As he travels the state, Kasich shows allegiance to a classic New Hampshire strategy of interacting with smaller audiences. His stop at the VFW post on Wednesday was his 94th town-hall meeting in the state. |
| He is a happy wonk on the hustings, traveling with a handful of aides in a campaign bus fit for a rock star and stocked with plenty of snacks. Wearing a Kasich-themed fleece, he walks up to voters like a talk-show host and leans close to them when they ask questions. He veers between preachiness and corny jokes. | He is a happy wonk on the hustings, traveling with a handful of aides in a campaign bus fit for a rock star and stocked with plenty of snacks. Wearing a Kasich-themed fleece, he walks up to voters like a talk-show host and leans close to them when they ask questions. He veers between preachiness and corny jokes. |
| Wherever he goes, Kasich often seems to feel as though he is being goaded into attacking his opponents. | Wherever he goes, Kasich often seems to feel as though he is being goaded into attacking his opponents. |
| At a Wednesday breakfast with reporters, he was given the perfect opportunity to “win the morning,” as the saying goes. Television cameras rolled at an event sponsored by Bloomberg Politics as he was pressed to go after his opponents. Reporters pounced when he said that “I don’t go out and try to win a vote by using God. I think that cheapens God.” Whom was he talking about? He wouldn’t say. | At a Wednesday breakfast with reporters, he was given the perfect opportunity to “win the morning,” as the saying goes. Television cameras rolled at an event sponsored by Bloomberg Politics as he was pressed to go after his opponents. Reporters pounced when he said that “I don’t go out and try to win a vote by using God. I think that cheapens God.” Whom was he talking about? He wouldn’t say. |
| “Why don’t you figure it out?” Kasich responded. “You’re a smart guy.” | “Why don’t you figure it out?” Kasich responded. “You’re a smart guy.” |
| Did he agree with Christie’s assessment of Rubio as being a boy in a bubble? | Did he agree with Christie’s assessment of Rubio as being a boy in a bubble? |
| “Pass.” | “Pass.” |
| Still, Kasich sometimes does try to have it both ways. He lamented that a “dark and negative message is coming from Cruz and Trump. You figure it out. I’m not here to attack other candidates today. I’m sorry; I’m just not doing it.” | Still, Kasich sometimes does try to have it both ways. He lamented that a “dark and negative message is coming from Cruz and Trump. You figure it out. I’m not here to attack other candidates today. I’m sorry; I’m just not doing it.” |
| Never mind that it sounds as though he may have done just that by casting his opponents as being on the dark side. Moreover, a pro-Kasich super PAC, New Day for America, has attacked opponents such as Trump. That prompted rare attention from the real estate mogul, who tweeted, “I want to do negative ads on John Kasich, but he is so irrelevant to the race that I don’t want to waste my money. “ | Never mind that it sounds as though he may have done just that by casting his opponents as being on the dark side. Moreover, a pro-Kasich super PAC, New Day for America, has attacked opponents such as Trump. That prompted rare attention from the real estate mogul, who tweeted, “I want to do negative ads on John Kasich, but he is so irrelevant to the race that I don’t want to waste my money. “ |
| Kasich, who doesn’t control the super PAC, insists that he is walking on the “sunny side,” declaring that “I’m not all that doctrinaire.” | Kasich, who doesn’t control the super PAC, insists that he is walking on the “sunny side,” declaring that “I’m not all that doctrinaire.” |
| Interviews with voters at his events found that many are drawn to him by the perception that he is a moderate. Fred Hochgraf, 83, a retiree from Durham, described himself as a moderate “Rockefeller Republican” but said the party had walked away from him long ago. “This is the first breath of fresh air I’ve had,” he said after listening to Kasich. Similarly, Darlene Graczyk, a retiree from Atkinson, said she is “definitely moderate” and is considering voting for Kasich. | Interviews with voters at his events found that many are drawn to him by the perception that he is a moderate. Fred Hochgraf, 83, a retiree from Durham, described himself as a moderate “Rockefeller Republican” but said the party had walked away from him long ago. “This is the first breath of fresh air I’ve had,” he said after listening to Kasich. Similarly, Darlene Graczyk, a retiree from Atkinson, said she is “definitely moderate” and is considering voting for Kasich. |
| Kasich is betting his campaign on a strong showing in New Hampshire, which has a much smaller percentage of evangelicals than Iowa does, and has a history supporting independent-minded candidates. | Kasich is betting his campaign on a strong showing in New Hampshire, which has a much smaller percentage of evangelicals than Iowa does, and has a history supporting independent-minded candidates. |
| If he is “trounced” here, Kasich said in the interview, he will head with no regrets back to Ohio, where he does, after all, have a job as governor and a family that includes 16-year-old twin daughters. So, he is asked, what is the definition of trounced? | If he is “trounced” here, Kasich said in the interview, he will head with no regrets back to Ohio, where he does, after all, have a job as governor and a family that includes 16-year-old twin daughters. So, he is asked, what is the definition of trounced? |
| “We’ll all know if I’m trounced,” he said. “It’s at the bottom.” | “We’ll all know if I’m trounced,” he said. “It’s at the bottom.” |