John Kasich (Ohio governor) is declaring his candidacy for president this morning. He's probably the smartest one of the whole crowd. Does this mean his candidacy is doomed?

“Moderate”? Took a quick look at his positions and it seems he’s anti-choice, voted to ban adoption by same-sex couples, supports capital punishment, against separation of church and state, very regressive economically, etc. (on the issues). This guys appears to be extremely right-wing economically and socially. Yikes.

My answer is everything @DoNotKnow just said.

Kasich is “moderate” only by comparison. He too tried union bashing, and the voters there handed him his hat. Kasich IS smarter than the average Republican bear, but as we’ve seen, the days of preference for the “smart” candidate have long since passed in the Republican camp, where the trait is now regarded with suspicion. All of the “brighter” bulbs in the parade are going to be faced with the accusations of “not conservative enough”, with conservative being a euphemism for the former definition of crazy.

There must be some sort of financial benefit to jumping in the clown-car. This is fucking absurd. Raise a few million, spend a quarter of it, drop-out, buy a yacht?

I don’t think Kasich is as moderate as you believe.

He is certainly a pragmatist. And that is good for a politician.

But at the end of the day, he is sort of a “Bible-thumper”. I say that, not because it bothers me but because I think it will wind up being an obstacle for him.

Probably yes, but in any event, it means the Clown Car is just about filled to capacity. Oh—it’ll be a little roomier when Trump gets thrown out of it.

I’m going outside the two party system this time with Jill Stein. She won’t make it, but by supporting her I give her a louder voice and this candidate needs to be heard. I’m not crazy about a lot of the Green Party platform, but their policies on healthcare and Stein’s sane approach to other problems are both practical and humane. Voters need to support their third parties loudly up to the time of election and insist they get heard in the debates or things will never change. We need more of Stein’s kind of dialogue and move farther away from the cynicism and games that are being played to the point of paralysis in this country.

At a time when the Republican front runner attacks hispanics and prisoners of war, this guy is moderate!

Dick Lugar was the smartest candidate I ever remember. He refused to do any sound bites. He was so boring that his own supporters didn’t sit through his speeches. It was very sad.

@DoNotKnow THAT is why the GOP has put Trump up to running for Prez. Compared to him even people like Kasich SEEM to be moderates.