John Kasich right about staying out of budget

Plain Dealer report after John Kasich spoke at the Cleveland City Club:

Former Congressman John Kasich has lots of plans if he becomes governor of Ohio. He just won’t use the state’s immediate budget crisis to preview his ideas for the voting audience.

Kasich, a candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, trumpeted his work as chairman of the House Budget Committee while in Congress in a speech at the Cleveland City Club Friday.

But his lunchtime talk avoided any hints of how he’d handle the budget debate going on in Columbus right now to resolve a projected deficit of $3.2 billion by June 30.

“I’m not messing in that,” he told reporters after his speech.

He said Gov. Ted Strickland is responsible for the money troubles. Kasich said he would be criticized if he injected himself in the issue now – more than a year before the election.

“It isn’t my job now to be micromanaging this process,” he said.

I think this is absolutely right.  The media and the Democrats want to pull him into a very difficult budget situation to obscure his message and hope he makes a mistake.  Strickland in particular would love to have someone else take some heat for the cuts.

But that is not Kasich’s job or focus.  He is not a day-to-day politician who has a responsibility to balance the budget.  He is laying out a big vision for state; a way to think about leadership going forward.  I am sure he will lay some very specific positions and policies out as the campaign continues.  But to expect him to have detailed analysis and program funding numbers at this point is unrealistic.

Kasich is setting a theme and style for his campaign.  This is putting the pressure on Strickland.  The difference is that Strickland is an ellected official with direct responsibility.  If he wants to prove to voters that he is deserving of re-election then he needs to prove it now.

By the nature of elections 2010 is going be about Strickland and the future.  There is nothing to be gained by his entry in to the budget neogtiations.

Video of the discussion after the jump.