With Jeb Bush out of the Republican primary, Ohio Gov. John Kasich seems to be the only GOP candidate who's widely considered a moderate.
But on Full Frontal on Monday, host Samantha Bee went after Kasich's moderate label.
"Is Kasich really the huggable moderate he's made out to be?" Bee said. "She asked, in a clunky and ham-fisted attempt at foreshadowing."
Bee specifically pointed to Kasich's record on LGBTQ rights and women's health:
- Kasich has framed himself as a moderate on same-sex marriage, saying he went to the wedding of a friend who's gay. But Bee demurred: "Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage, was originally called Obergefell v. Kasich, after the governor who refused to recognize the out-of-state marriage of two men, one of whom was terminally ill."
- Kasich rarely talks about his record on reproductive and abortion rights, even though some anti-abortion advocates have called him the strongest anti-abortion candidate. Bee pointed out, "If you live outside Ohio, you don't hear much about Kasich's anti-choice record because he hides his abortion restrictions in larger budget bills, where they won't be noticed."
- Kasich has said there are exceptions to his opposition to abortion — including rape and incest. "It's not even true," Bee said, pointing out that Kasich banned late-term abortions in Ohio without such exceptions.
Kasich may be moderate on some issues compared with the rest of the Republican field — he's called out other candidates' budget-busting tax plans, and he backed the Obamacare-funded Medicaid expansion in Ohio. But if you're a same-sex couple who wants to marry or a woman seeking an abortion, Kasich may not look very moderate to you — and neither do the other candidates.
