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Kasich Is The Adult In The Presidential Race

With the field of contenders for the Republican nomination down to four, two of them have adopted a strategy that helped propel one, Donald Trump, to the lead. Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio have begun making the same sort of harsh, personal, sometimes vulgar attacks against Trump that he used to force several other candidates out of the race.

But one of the four has not stooped to that. He is Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who is gaining a reputation as being the adult in the race.

That is because he has refrained from the type of personal aggressiveness that in the past was seen more often in high school hallways than among candidates for the highest office in the land.

Rubio and Cruz tried to do that, too, for many weeks.

But the dismaying truth is the technique has worked well for Trump. Among about one-third of Republican voters, it has gained him an image of being a tough guy.

So Cruz and Rubio cannot be blamed, in a way. They are merely trying to fight fire with fire. Nor should Trump be censured, for that matter. Politics always has been a rough-and-tumble affair. Trump has merely found what may be this year’s winning formula.

But while the other three candidates trade verbal punches, Kasich in scores of personal appearances has stuck to the issues, laying out a thoughtful, detailed plan to move the nation forward and to defend us from our enemies.

Will voters finally decide the issues are more important than great stage presence and name calling? That remains to be seen. Whatever happens, however, Ohioans can take pride in having provided the candidate who prefers to stick to issues, not invective.

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