8:25 – Strickland asked what he likes about John Kasich. Gets laughs from press. Says “I like John. I think he’s very bright.” Hits Kasich for being “impulsive and reckless.” Hits Kasich for forgetting what his parents taught him when he was growing up. Disclaims personal animus. Most positive he’s been all night.
8:26 – Kasich: “I like the Governor. What do I admire about him? I think he has a heck of a background coming from a poor area. Our backgrounds are very similar.” Kasich even mentions he used to be a Democrat. “I’m not running against Ted Strickland. It’s never been about Ted Strickland. It’s about fixing Ohio and doing my duty.” The relentlessly positive tone is not stopping.
8:28 – Strickland shakes Kasich’s hand in the middle of the debate. No comment.
8:28 – Question 6 for Kasich: “How much will you privatize?”
8:29 – Kasich: “It’s not just cutting. It’s reforming. That’s what we think JobsOhio does.” Clarifying the intention. Says “Of course it’s constitutional. Some people think that change is unconstitutional. I don’t.” That line could have come straight out of an Obama speech. Again, surprising how much Kasich is sounding positive.
8:31 – Strickland: “We have the sixth-fastest growing state economy in the nation. We ought to be proud of that.” Goes on the attack, and says Kasich wants to appoint 12 of his “corporate friends” and attacks Kasich for having no cap on how much they’re paid. Turns this into an attack on Kasich’s salary at Ohio State University. “Not sure we can afford that.” Seems obsessed with how much the idea resembles Wall Street, as opposed to whether it will work.
8:32 – Kasich: “Three separate Presidents of Ohio State thought it was worth having me there. But that’s the politics of distraction.” Hits how Strickland’s Department of Development has failed to keep jobs in Ohio.
8:32 – Question 7: Strickland asked whether school districts remain too reliant on property taxes. Strickland says that when his plan is fully phased in, the state of Ohio will not be overly reliant because that “creates inequities.”
8:34 – Kasich smacks Strickland down again for using stimulus money to fund his school program rather than actually paying for it. Goes after unfunded mandates. Cites the Brookings Institute saying Ohio is 48th in putting dollars into classrooms. The policy wonkery is doing well, but not quite as commanding as it could be.
8:36 – Strickland says “External evaluators call Ohio the 5th strongest system in America.” Claims Kasich is using dated information. Interesting to see a Democrat going after Brookings.
8:37 – Question 8: Kasich asked whether he’d accept stimulus money.
8:37 – Kasich: I might accept stimulus money, but not to expand programs, just to patch up existing holes. Goes after how the Federal Government has used stimulus to expand government. Claims he’s bipartisan, talking about how he worked with Bill Clinton. Hooo boy. This must be embarrassing for Strickland.
8:38 – Strickland: “Kasich just described my administration.” AGAIN talks about how Ohio has fewer government workers than nearly anywhere. Amazing how Strickland’s auditioning to be the Dewey of 2010. Everything’s “Me too, me too, me too!”
8:40 – Kasich says that 9000 employees have left state service. Says Strickland hired 4000 back and “if I were Governor, we wouldn’t hire anyone back.” The dueling narratives are getting extremely confusing.