I once commented that I can’t stand the sound of John Kasich’s voice.
It’s not that it is grating on the nerves, like Hillary’s screeching chalkboard-scraping cackle.
It’s just that he reminds me and a lot of people of the relative at the dinner table who JUST WON’T STOP TALKING. And who doesn’t pick up on social cues, like people looking sideways at each other out of the corners of their eyes; gently trying to change the subject; excusing themselves because it’s getting late and they have to get up early for something or another.
When I hear him speak, I get flashbacks of childhood when an elderly relative-in-law would corral me into sitting with him for the post-meal Passover seder service. For most non-orthodox Jews, the seder meal means we’re done. But no, he’d put me on the spot because no one else would stay, and there we’d be for what seemed like eternity. John Kasich could be that guy.
John Kasich has been that guy throughout the primary season. Always hanging around, willing to talk to anyone, but never really taken seriously as a likely nominee. He never polled near the top, but unlike others who took a hint (read, Scott Walker), Kasich just kept hugging us in his warm embrace (against our will, I might add).
Quick, someone remind me what his father did.
But here he is. Teaming up with Ted Cruz to try to stop Mr. Donald J. Trump from winning the nomination with a plurality of votes but a potential majority of delegates because the delegate allocation system has worked to Trump’s YUGE advantage. What Trump calls “stealing” delegates when the system works to Ted Cruz’s advantage all of the sudden is an entitlement for Trump. But I digress.
Last night’s announcement that Cruz and Kasich were teaming up may have been the moment John Kasich became a serious potential nominee. Not because he’s going to win any more states, or because he will get anywhere near the majority of delegates on the first ballot.
Rather, HE WHO WILL NOT STOP TALKING always has had a convention strategy. Be the guy #NEVERTRUMP and #NEVERCRUZ and the establishment turn to when all else fails. The candidate of last resort.
A key part of that strategy was stealing Mr. Donald J. Trump’s theme of WINNING. According to the polls, as early as they may be, Kasich is the only one of the remaining candidates who will WIN WIN WIN versus Hillary.
It always seemed like a fantasy. After last night, I’m not so sure.
Appropos to this line of reasoning, I saw this video linked at Instapundit (via Kathy Shaidle) this morning:
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