Stand For Something, by John Kasich: on Principles & Values
George W. Bush:
OpEd: Will be remembered for standing tall in 9-11 ashes
Ronald Reagan's snapshot? Vision. Strength. Freedom. These are his abiding legacies. In time, no one will remember the Iran-contra scandal, but they'll remember the man and what he stood for. They'll remember JFK's youthful vigor and idealism;
Jimmy Carter and the momentary peace in the Middle East, and his humanitarian works since he left office; George W. Bush standing tall and firm against the hallowed ashes at Ground Zero.
Source: Stand For Something, by John Kasich, p. 98
May 10, 2006
John Kasich:
I don't care what you stand for, but stand for something
I can remember being in the Congress in 1994, sitting on the House floor as Pat Schroeder walked in. Pat was a liberal Democrat from Colorado whom I happened to like. I haven't seen much of her lately, but I like her, because
I have regard for people who don't think the way I think. Just so you think, that's all I ask. Take a stand. I don't care what you stand for, but stand for something. Believe in it, and work toward it, and talk me into it if you can.
That's how it was with Pat Schroeder and me, as it was with me and many of my Democratic colleagues throughout my political career. Remember, the
Democrats were in the majority at that time, and right or wrong it was seen as somewhat unusual for politicians of different striped to have a friendly conversation on the House floor, but that's precisely what we did.
Source: Stand For Something, by John Kasich, p. 19
May 10, 2006
John Kasich:
Catholic Church has been unaccountable on sex abuse charges
I was an altar boy as a child, a card-carrying Catholic from a small, working-class church-abiding community. It's unbelievable and unacceptable to me that the Catholic
Church has not been completely accountable for the various scandals that have enveloped it. The molestation and sexual abuse charges. The duplicity. It's enough to drive a mailman's son from McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, to question his faith--until
I realize that we must separate the church from the individuals who presume to be in charge. People come and go, priests come and go, but it's the religion that matters. It's the religion that sustains us.
We all need to believe in something greater than ourselves and once we define that something we need to invest in it wholeheartedly. Not in the people who preach it or administer it but in the belief itself.
Source: Stand For Something, by John Kasich, p. 22
May 10, 2006
John Kasich:
Always carries copy of St Augustine's "Confessions"
Where is our responsibility to stand tall in the face of low expectations? For me, the answer comes in a book written almost 2,000 years ago: St. Augustine's "Confessions". It's a tough little book, written in the 5th century, but I take it with me
wherever I go.St Augustine maintains that each of us has a special gift, and that it falls to each and every one of us to unwrap those gifts and share them with the rest of the world. I like that image a whole lot, because I look at gifts like I look
at stars. Have you ever seen an ugly star? I never have. They're all just magnificent. You look through the telescope and see that some of them are red and some of them are blue. And every last one seems just about as special and magnificent as a thing
can be, but none of them are quite the same.
That, to me, is a true gift. We find them in the heavens, and we find them here on earth. We find them in our friends & family, and we find them in ourselves. And, significantly, we find them in our leaders.
Source: Stand For Something, by John Kasich, p. 36
May 10, 2006
John Kasich:
As college student, wrote to Pres. Nixon and then they met
[As a college student, I wrote to Nixon and was granted a 5-minute personal meeting.] I shook Richard Nixon's hand & sat down across from him. Right at his desk. I had never before been inside such an important moment.And just what did I do? I talked.
And the President listened. He asked a couple of questions, and I offered what I hoped weren't perfunctory answers. As I spoke I allowed myself to think I was making some kind of difference. It became clear as I talked that he was taking the opportunity
to gauge the mood on college campuses, just 7 months removed from the shootings at Kent State, but I didn't dwell on his agenda. What mattered to me was the opportunity.
The good news is that meeting lasted about 20 minutes. The bad news is I would
go on to spend 18 years in Congress, and if you add up all the time I spent alone in the Oval Office with various presidents you'll see if doesn't come close to those 20 minutes. I guess I peaked out at the age of 18. That's when I should have retired.
Source: Stand For Something, by John Kasich, p. 60-61
May 10, 2006
John Kasich:
1970s: Beat entrenched incumbent state senator 56%-44%
In the 1970s, I became convinced that I could be a member of the legislature, and got it into my head to challenge an incumbent in my district named Robert O'Shaughnessy. I was 24 years old, and after only a year or two as a legislative aide I'd convince
myself that I could do a better job than any of the folks in elected office. I gave myself a two-year running start and had at it.Election night was pure pandemonium. Before the election, the local newspapers had some flattering things to say about my
campaign & about my potential, but none of the pundits figured I could pull it off. In fact, they all thought I would lose by a significant margin. The O'Shaughnessy name was too tough to beat, they all said. As it played out, though, the election wasn't
even close. I ended up with better than 56% of the vote, a giant margin in a contest like this--and a stunning victory. Took the entire state by surprise to where some folks started calling it the biggest upset in the history of the Ohio legislature.
Source: Stand For Something, by John Kasich, p. 62-67
May 10, 2006
John Kasich:
2004: If Kerry OR Bush wins, America will be fine
The 2004 presidential election was a polarizing time. Leaders of each party whipped Americans into such a hyperventilated frenzy that otherwise intelligent Republicans started to believe that if Kerry won,America would cease to exist, while Democrats fel
sure that if Bush retained the White House we were all doomed.At one point a presumably well-informed woman asked me what would happen If John Kerry won. They very thought was anathema to this concerned woman. So I looked at her and calmly said, "The
country will be fine."
"What do you mean?" she shot back, aghast.
"Well," I said, "the Republicans would still control the House and the Senate. The bench would slowly become more liberal."
The woman looked at me like I had just given her permissio
to breathe a long sigh. "You mean it won't be the end of America as we know it?" she said.
"No, ma'am," I assured her. "America will survive."
Then she thanked me profusely, and I realized she might have been over the top but she wasn't alone.
Source: Stand For Something, by John Kasich, p. 73-74
May 10, 2006
John Kasich:
2000: Ran for president until money ran out
I threw my hat in the ring as a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000. Recall, it had been one of my childhood dreams to become President, and here I caught myself thinking that even if my reach happened to exceed my grasp, I would
do well to reach just the same. I kept at it for as long as my money held out, and one of the main reasons I held on was because I believed deeply I what I was talking about. When I announced that I was folding the tent on my presidential campaign,
I also announced that I was retiring from Congress. Why? Because I had started to think there weren't enough hours left in my days for me to accomplish everything I wanted to accomplish in elected office, and that I could perhaps do some of those things
more effectively in the private sector. I could stand on outside looking in, and work to bring about change from a new perspective.Politicians have to ask themselves how they want to be remembered. What do we want that snapshot to be?
Source: Stand For Something, by John Kasich, p. 97-98
May 10, 2006
John Kasich:
I can't figure out how anyone gets along without the Bible
I read the Bible. I travel with one, in fact. Why? Because the Bible always has something new to teach me, some new way to look at the world, some ancient story that can't help but resonate in interesting ways against the backdrop of our times.
Plus, it's the greatest story ever told. Greed and charity, ruin and redemption, misery and hope.it's all right there. It's accessible, and at the same time it's beyond knowing, and I can't for the life of me figure how anyone gets along without it.
Source: Stand For Something, by John Kasich, p.151
May 10, 2006
John Kasich:
Built relationship with God after parents died in car crash
My parents brought me to the doors of our church, but like many young people, I walked away.My parents were in their late sixties, in perfect health, looking ahead to a long, fulfilling retirement, when a drunk driver crashed into their car as they
were leaving a Burger King in August 1987.
My father had been killed. My mother was still alive when I got to the hospital, but I never got to tell her I loved her. When she died I sat for a while with my parents' pastor.
He said, "John, you've got t
decide right now if you want to build a relationship with God. You have a window of opportunity now, you're open to it, but in time that window will close. This pain will ease and you'll go back to the rest of your life."
Right there, I knew he was
right. And from that moment forward, I changed. Fully and truly. I was determined to build a real relationship with God, if He could stand for me as a strength & a direction. The REAL relationship was key. I wanted real, not learned. Not rote. Not dogma.
Source: Stand For Something, by John Kasich, p.154-157
May 10, 2006
Richard Nixon:
1968: Endorsed by only one college president, from OSU
The president of Ohio State University Novice Fawcett mentioned that he was flying to Washington the next afternoon for a meeting with the President of the United States. It was Oct. 1970, and Dr. Fawcett had been the only president of a major college or
university to have endorsed Richard Nixon during the 1968 presidential campaign, and he was finally begin invited to the White House for a brief meeting as a kind of public thank-you for his support. It was a big deal to the entire Ohio State community.
Source: Stand For Something, by John Kasich, p. 54-55
May 10, 2006
Ronald Reagan:
Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant
Ronald Reagan said, "Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged."I read the Bible. I travel with one, in fact, and there's never a time that I don't have a page or a passage bookmarked or flagged for my
ready reference. Why? Because the Bible always has something new to teach me, some new way to look at the world. It's accessible, and at the same time it's beyond knowing, and I can't for the life of me figure how anyone gets along without it.
Source: Stand For Something, by John Kasich, p.151
May 10, 2006
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