Neel Kashkari in 2014 California Governor's race
On Education:
Side with poor kids, not union bosses
Kashkari talked about growing up as the son of immigrants from India: "I have lived the American Dream because I got a good education," Kashkari said.The two candidates clashed perhaps the most strongly over their positions on a recent court ruling
that declared the state's strong teacher-tenure laws unconstitutional. Gov. Brown last week appealed a California judge's decision invalidating the state's teacher-tenure laws. The ruling, in Vergara v. California, said the state's rules on tenure for
teachers threatened "students' fundamental right to equality of education."
Kashkari assailed Brown's decision to appeal that ruling saying "the judge got it absolutely right. You had the choice between fighting for the civil rights of poor kids and
fighting for the union bosses who funded your campaigns. You sided with the union bosses, you should be ashamed of yourself governor."
"No. That makes no sense at all," Brown responded, clearly frustrated with his opponent. "That is false."
Source: Wall Street Journal on 2014 California Gubernatorial debate
Sep 5, 2014
On Welfare & Poverty:
With $40 & no job, economy hasn't improved since 2011
Neel Kashkari went to Fresno with just $40 in his pocket to look for work, to test whether the state's economy has improved since his opponent Gov. Jerry Brown (D) took office in 2011. Brown himself has done something along the same lines before. In
1977, when he was governor for the first time, Brown showed up unannounced to a tenement building called "The Pink Palace" in San Francisco, where he met residents and stayed the night. "I get firsthand knowledge uncensored by the normal channels,"
Brown said at the time.
Kashkari said that he wished Brown would do visits like that again.: "I think it'd be great for the governor to get out of his cocoon." Kashkari said before filming in Fresno, he had also stayed in a homeless shelter for a night
in Oakland last year and worked alongside migrant workers. "I was looking for ways to bring the issues to the forefront," he said. "I only got a sliver of a taste of what they were experiencing because I knew at the end of the week, I'd get to go home."
Source: Washington Post AdWatch: 2014 California gubernatorial race
Aug 3, 2014
On Immigration:
Sensible immigration reform needed, but not open borders
Kashkari thinks smart, sensible immigration reform is needed desperately. Kashkari himself is the child of immigrants, and sees the value of immigrants in the country, but says we can't have open borders. Kashkari also called out
Gov. Jerry Brown for remaining silent on the issue of migrant children flooding through the borders. "This is one of a number of issues that he is hiding under his desk. Anything to avoid stepping into any controversy," he said.
Source: KFBK News Radio on 2014 California gubernatorial race
Jul 10, 2014
On Technology:
Day one, high-speed rail train is dead
Toward the end of the debate, one of the moderators--a local radio talk show host often aligned with conservative causes--asked the candidates, "If elected, will both of you guys promise to throw your body in front of the high-speed train?"Kashkari
replied instantly, eager to highlight his steadfast opposition to California's high-speed rail project in front of a conservative audience: "Absolutely. Day one, that train is dead."
One big question now is whether, despite spending billions already,
the project will ever be completed. Another is whether high-speed rail is the issue that can rejuvenate California's moribund Republican Party. For his part, Brown continues to embrace the undertaking, which has faced a series of legal, financial, and
practical hurdles that have driven up costs and delayed construction for years. Even news that some members of his own party have abandoned the project hasn't dimmed Brown's unyielding optimism.
Source: Real Clear Politics on 2014 California gubernatorial race
Jul 10, 2014
On Abortion:
Supports abortion rights
The same characteristics that set Kashkari apart from traditional Republicans are the factors that will make June's primary election tough for him, said one pundit.
Kashkari is fiscally conservative, but supports abortion rights and gay marriage. He owns a gun, but he's in favor of requiring background checks before all firearms sales.
Source: Mercury News on 2014 California Gubernatorial race
Jan 21, 2014
On Budget & Economy:
Ran program to bail out the nation's largest banks
"California is like a rocket ship with multiple engines running at half throttle," Kashkari said. "We need to be competitive; we need to be in the hunt. We're not, but we can be."Kashkari previously worked for Goldman Sachs and ran a controversial
Treasury Department program that bailed out the nation's largest banks. He called that experience an example of the bipartisan compromises he hopes to strike in California.
Last year, Kashkari quit his job as an investment banking executive and began
traveling across the state and mulling his run for governor, meeting with potential donors, community organizations and regular Californians. He said he formed his campaign platform--creating jobs and fixing schools--by spending time in a homeless
shelter, meeting with Central Valley farm workers and listening to average Californians discuss their unmet needs. "People don't want welfare; they want jobs," said Kashkari, who did not elaborate on his policy positions.
Source: Mercury News on 2014 California Gubernatorial race
Jan 21, 2014
On Civil Rights:
Supports gay marriage
Kashkari is fiscally conservative, but supports abortion rights and gay marriage. He owns a gun, but he's in favor of requiring background checks before all firearms sales. In the coming weeks, Kashkari's favorability among the state's
Republican and independent voters will be tested. Kashkari is a multimillionaire, but he said he does not have enough personal wealth to self-fund a campaign like GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman did in 2010.
Source: Mercury News on 2014 California Gubernatorial race
Jan 21, 2014
On Gun Control:
Require background checks before all firearms sales
Kashkari is fiscally conservative, but supports abortion rights and gay marriage. He owns a gun, but he's in favor of requiring background checks before all firearms sales. In the coming weeks, Kashkari's favorability among the state's
Republican and independent voters will be tested. Kashkari's voting record over the past two decades could also haunt him: Kashkari has failed to vote in nearly half the elections in which he was eligible since 1998.
Source: Mercury News on 2014 California Gubernatorial race
Jan 21, 2014
On Health Care:
Fix ObamaCare's fundamental flaws, or replace it completely
The Californians I've met with often mention two fundamental flaws with President Barack Obama's healthcare law:- the negative effect of the Affordable Care Act on jobs and
- skyrocketing premiums for healthy people.
I've talked to small
business owners who were concerned they couldn't afford the Affordable Care Act. Some told me they would be forced to cut hours or reduce their full-time staff.
We need to fix the fundamental flaws with ObamaCare, or if it's beyond fixing, replace it completely with something better. Going back to a system where the uninsured turn to emergency rooms for their health care doesn't make sense for anyone.
Developing a health care system that actually works starts by having an honest conversation with the American people about the trade-offs involved. President Obama has been in office five years and hasn't been willing to have one yet.
Source: Kashkari in O.C. Register: 2014 California Governor race
Jan 2, 2014
On Abortion:
Government out of our lives on abortion
On abortion: "I just want the government
out of our lives, and that's true on marriage, and on abortion."
Source: San Francisco Chronicle on 2014 California governor race
Nov 14, 2013
On Crime:
Don't release dangerous people onto the streets
On prison reform: Kashkari says Brown has "pushed the problems on to someone else. We need temporary measures'' to ensure California will "not release dangerous people in to the streets.''
He calls for a "comprehensive review of our prison system, both looking at the number of beds we have and who we locking up,'' especially when it comes to minor drug offenses.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle on 2014 California governor race
Nov 14, 2013
On Drugs:
When you legalize something, you send a signal you approve
On the legalization of pot: "I've never tried drugs of any kind, so
I'm uncomfortable with the idea of the government legalizing it. When you legalize something, you're sending a signal you approve."
Source: San Francisco Chronicle on 2014 California governor race
Nov 14, 2013
On Energy & Oil:
Climate change compelling, but do fracking & Monterey shale
- On AB32, the landmark climate change bill signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger: "The science behind climate change is pretty compelling,'' and
believes there is a human link. "But this is all about technology. Simply raising the cost of power in California is not efficient."
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On fracking: "I believe it can be done safety. We can explore our states' natural resources in a clean, safe manner. There's a lot of hysteria around fracking that's completely unjustified."
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On Offshore oil drilling: "I'm open to investigating (and the case for exploring) Monterey shale looks "extremely compelling."
Source: San Francisco Chronicle on 2014 California governor race
Nov 14, 2013
On Corporations:
Corporate rate complexity encourages investment abroad
Reforming the corporate tax code: Several Republicans and Democrats have identified corporate tax reform as a near-term priority that could help jump-start our economy. Some work is already underway in Washington.
The United States has one of the highest statutory corporate rates in the world, although the rates that businesses ultimately pay are much lower because some companies, especially large ones, are able to exploit loopholes and deductions.
This complexity encourages investment abroad while unfairly benefitting some companies over others, leading to the misallocation of capital.
An agreement that reduces statutory corporate tax rates in exchange for eliminating deductions and simplifying the code should be possible.
Source: Kashkari Washington Post OpEd: 2014 California governor race
Jun 1, 2012
On Immigration:
Expand visa programs for highly skilled workers
Revamping immigration policy for highly skilled workers: Business leaders have called for years for an overhaul of immigration policy for such workers--especially for those with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering and math.
Many politicians agree that U.S. universities attract the best students globally, yet our flawed policies force these bright people to leave after graduation.
Encouraging the best students to stay, to build new companies and to contribute to industry, will aid our economic growth, increase our competitiveness and improve our long-term fiscal situation.
Lawmakers should put politics aside, expand visa programs for highly skilled workers and provide a pathway toward citizenship for foreign-born students who earn advanced technical degrees in America.
Source: Kashkari Washington Post OpEd: 2014 California governor race
Jun 1, 2012
On Social Security:
Index for inflation; increase retirement age; means-testing
Social Security is considered the easier of the entitlement problems to address, especially if it is done early enough. According to the 2012 Social Security and Medicare Board of Trustees reports, Social Security is on significantly more sound fiscal
footing than Medicare is, and addressing the Social Security shortfall is arguably more straightforward than tackling the rise in health-care costs, a significant driver of Medicare's growth.
Shoring up Social Security requires some combination of modifying how benefits are indexed for inflation, increasing the retirement age, means-testing benefits and raising taxes--all without having to affect those close to or in retirement.
If lawmakers were to address Social Security shortfalls now, they would be able to do so in a measured, balanced way that would not undermine its function as an essential retirement savings vehicle for millions of Americans.
Source: Kashkari Washington Post OpEd: 2014 California governor race
Jun 1, 2012
On Social Security:
We must cut entitlements, to avoid national insolvency
The fiscal crisis in Europe has awoken Americans to the enormous challenge we face from entitlements. The promises our country has made over the past few decades, combined with changing demographics and rising costs, have put us on a path to national
insolvency. Most economists agree that raising taxes cannot pay for these commitments; entitlements must be cut. I believe three steps are necessary for our country to embrace any meaningful proposal to cut entitlements:-
Our economy needs to experience sustained growth, creating good jobs, so Americans feel economically secure. It is hard for anyone to think about long-term sacrifice when they are worried about how to pay their bills today.
-
The emotional bruising inflicted by the financial crisis needs to heal.
- Our leaders need to make the case for cutting entitlement spending by tapping into our shared beliefs of sacrifice and self-reliance.
Source: Kashkari in Washington Post : 2014 California Governor race
Jul 26, 2010
Page last updated: Dec 05, 2018