Washington (CNN) - With the Tea Partiers throwing their weight around in Republican primaries nationwide, a number of GOP candidates have spoken at Tea Party rallies and huddled with the small government activists who make up the movement.
But John Kasich, the Republican candidate hoping to topple Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland this November, was apparently the very first.
"I've been all over the state, including with our friends in the Tea Party movement," Kasich said Thursday during a press conference in Columbus announcing his running mate, state Auditor Mary Taylor. He added: "I think I was in the Tea Party before there was a Tea Party."
Kasich - a former congressman, talk show host and Lehman Brothers investment banker - praised the movement for "saying enough of the same old tired promises, pushing problems down the road. Let's fix things now."
I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess he's not playing up the Lehman Brothers portion of his resume.
We need a change from Strickland. He is incompetent. Ohio is the third highest taxed state in the nation.
Wow, you don't often see people openly brag that they are delusional.
Like true wall street insider, he joins a party that will have a closed door convention to begin it's political life. These loonies will further crater the GOP. Much movement down this tea path will get the US to a four party system.
Hahaha....."in the tea party before there was a tea party"....well, in a sense it is true.....you've been heard from before....Carry on Solider! lol
I thought they where still pretending to be a bi partisan group? Ha. That's the problem with the tea baggers, this is not a new movement or a new direction. This is just a new marketing campaign from the people that are the worst of the worst on all the issue they pretend to care about. No different than the Contract with America or the restore integrity bush campain. Empty slogans and people acting like fools is not going to help anyone but the people that created this mess in the first place.
"a Lehman Brothers investment banker" huh? That confirms what a lot of folks already know – the so-called "grassroots" Tea Party is just another fake Republican front AND that the financial corporate libertarians would like nothing better than to have an audience of people who don't bother to check facts so that they can spout their BS nonsense without worrying about reality or truth.
"Let's fix things now?" Actually, it would have been better to not have broken them in the first place, sir - with your deregulation and greed and lack of care about anyone's future but your own.
Another nut job. Now we can fight over who had the idea first. Im a better tea bagger than you! They all have tea for brains. I see ol Newt is jumping into the race too. Hopefully they will kill each other off. The party of no never ceses to amaze.
Ah,a Lehman Brothers investment banker, fabulous! yup enough is enough, please go away! Mr. Kasich, "You should go all over e state and apologize to the American people for your greed and stupidity."
Boy, Republicans are really sucking up to the teabaggers, just like they sucked up to the evangelical Christians.
The GOP knows all of their policies and ideas are proven failures, and that all they have left is fear-mongering, manipulating people's ignorance and lies.
Pretty pathetic!
Kasich is smart to align himself with the Tea Party movement.
The Tea Party movement has become more powerful than either political paryt realizes and it will continue to grow in power and numbers. I find it amazing that the Democrats in Mass. are running ads tying Brown to the Tea Party movement like that is a bad thing. Polls show that the Tea Party movement is more popular around the country than the Democratic party, maybe not in Mass., but I would not bet on it. Pretty stupid to insult a movement that is more popular and has more voter support than your own political party. No one ever said he Dems were smart.
Oh god breaking more laws bribery and extortion.
kasich meant to say he was a fascist before the teabaggers were fascists. maybe they will really like that he worked for our failed investment banking friends at lehman. looks like a marriage made in pat robertson's heaven.
TEA PARTY IS ( purist republican core party of NO ).. what a joke LOL 🙂
investment banker, ex congressman, this guy should get ever vote.
Tea-baggers are all full of Horse-scat. Where was all your outrage during the last 8 years??? Little issues like that destroy your credibility.
"talk show host and Lehman Brothers investment banker – praised the movement for "saying enough of the same old tired promises, pushing problems down the road. Let's fix things now."...
Ok, start banging your gums with specific plans ... the same old "low taxes – small government" without the how to – are words written on the wind and worthless!
Only way this country will be saved
Sounds like another rogue. : -)
Thanks for letting me know. Now you don't have to worry about me voting for you.
Yeah, John. Tax cuts seem to be your party's answer to everything. You guys had 12 years to fix everything and you didn't do it. What makes you think that we think you can do it now?
Yes, you are a moron among morons Kasich.
All I heard was 'Lehman Brothers'.
Well we can all take the word of a Lehman Brothers investment banker at his word to do whats best for the people and not just lining his own pockets and supporting big bank legislation.
Oh yeah, let's get a Lehman Bros. banker running Ohio. That can't fail!