Gov. John Kasich has always tried to be the nice guy on the campaign trail. He’s never resorted to name calling or smearing his opponents like most other GOP candidates have done at some point. And yet, it seems this ‘nice guy’ approach has gotten him into a bit of trouble.
Speaking with NBC and CBS over the weekend, Kasich said Republicans ought to at least have a meeting with Merrick Garland, Obama’s pick for the Supreme Court. He even went on to say maybe he’d be under consideration during a potential Kasich administration.
“I think they can go ahead and have a meeting with him," Kasich told Chuck Todd. "The senators can meet with this gentleman. And then maybe ultimately, if I'm president — which I think we have a good shot at being — maybe he'll be under consideration for the Supreme Court. I don't know. But they ought to meet with him. Show him that amount of respect."
After pushback, Kasich was forced to clarify that his comments were simply him being “polite.”
"In an effort to be polite today, I've created little bit of a situation," Kasich said after a campaign event on Saturday. "Look, you know, Garland is — I'm gonna have my own picks for the Supreme Court. You know, the fact is, I said that they ought to meet him and talk to him and, you know, I'm not gonna pick somebody who's, you know, obviously not a respecter of the Second Amendment. I don't want people making law and so, nobody should be confused, worked up or upset. He's not gonna be my pick for the Supreme Court."
“I'm just trying to be polite sometimes, you know? There's nothing wrong with that. … Everybody just take a chill pill,” he added.