John Kasich, the Republican governor of Ohio, says he has more experience than anyone else thinking of running for president, and he has the resume to back it up.
"I don't just talk about things; I'm doing things," Kasich said Sunday on
"Meet the Press."
Kasich represented Ohio's 12th congressional district from 1983 to 2001, and was chairman of the House Budget Committee during the Bill Clinton administration.
Kasich told "Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd he "spent 10 years of my life to balance the budget" before finally. in 1997. reaching an agreement to pay down the largest amount of the publicly held debt. He also touted his role in cutting the capital gains tax and in military reform.
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Kasich draws fire from the right in his own party, including leaflets left at an appearance this weekend accusing him of promoting President Barack Obama's agenda by accepting expanded Medicaid funding.
Kasich said he was glad to be targeted by the fliers.
"That means somebody's taking me seriously," he said.
Kasich has long maintained that his Christian background compels him to serve those "in the shadows" who suffer from mental illness or addiction. He said he believes in government funding to help those in need, including the poor who need help re-entering the job market.
He has condemned some of his fellow Republicans as "extremists," telling Todd he is referring to "people who want to divide with fiery rhetoric and attacks. What people in Ohio want to know is do you get them and their problems.
"We're not fixing anything in this country," he said, "and we can if we stop hanging out in our silos thinking we've got all the answers without realizing that you can compromise without losing your principles."
Kasich said he hasn't made a final decision on running for president, but admitted, "I'm more and more serious or I wouldn't be doing these things."
He jetted from South Carolina to New Hampshire, two early primary states, over the weekend, saying he felt like Phil Collins must have flying from London to Philadelphia during the 1985 Live Aid concerts.
The only reason he wouldn't run, he said would be family considerations and whether it is "what the Lord wants."
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