John Kasich (PRO) VS Donald Trump (CON)

1. More Favorable than Donald Trump (and Hillary Clinton) a. In every Real Clear Politics poll projecting a Kasich vs Clinton general election, Kasich was shown to have a considerable lead. In fact, his average lead over her was +7.4% [1]. He was the only Republican projected to defeat a Democrat. As of right now, the highest lead Trump has ever held over Clinton was +1.1%, and that was with the use of his convention bounce [2]. b. From March 17-27, the Pew Research Center conducted a poll to determine attitudes toward the 2016 presidential candidates. Only 20% of those sampled said they believed John Kasich would make a poor or terrible president, compared to 46% for Clinton and 60% for Trump [3]. c. A March 16 Bloomberg poll showed that Kasich has a higher net favorability than his primary opponents (Trump and Cruz). His was 14, compared to -23 for Cruz and -39 for Trump [4]. As of today, Clinton has a net favorability of -10.2 and Trump has a net favorability of -26.0 [5] [6]. 2. Appeals to Many Types of Voters - And the GOP Establishment After Mitt Romney lost the 2012 presidential election, the Republican Party was advised: ""We need to campaign among Hispanic, black, Asian, and gay Americans and demonstrate that we care about them, too." John Kasich clearly understands this, and rather than pandering to demographics in the hope that the majority will vote for him, he speaks for everyone. Kasich has said that we often blame "people with more money or less money, people with different-sounding last names or different religious beliefs or different-colored skin or lifestyles" for our country's problems. He also said "we are, at the bottom, a country built on the principles of Christianity and Judaism, and yet we make abundant room for Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and every other faith. Good for us. Good for ALL of us. Whoever you are, and whatever your beliefs, you can come and live among us." This appeals primarily to the GOP Establishment [7]. Kasich opposes same-sex marriage, is pro-life (with exceptions), is of Christian faith, and believes in our Western Judeo-Christian values, which appeals to social conservatives [8]. He will not do anything to change or abolish same-sex marriage, which appeals to social progressives who oppose Clinton [7]. He supports immigration reform, which appeals to moderate voters and the GOP Establishment [7] [8]. He supports deregulation, tax cuts, and block-granting food stamps, which appeals to fiscal conservatives [7]. 3. Anti-Trump Contention It's common knowledge that Trump has said and done some controversial things over his years in the public eye that do not equate to 'presidential behavior'. In the early 1970's, the Trump Organization was sued - twice - by the Justice Department for not renting to African Americans. In 1992, the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino was fined $200,000 for removing African American card dealers "at the request of a certain big-spending gambler." A former 1980's Trump's Castle employee testified that all African American employees were ordered off the floor and into the back when Donald and Ivana came to the casino. A 1991 book written by former president of Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino recalled Donald referring to black casino employees as "lazy", and that he once said, "I"ve got black accountants at Trump Castle and Trump Plaza. Black guys counting my money! I hate it." He initially did not disavow David Duke's endorsement, and blamed this on a damaged earpiece. He claimed Gonzalo Curiel could not do his job effectively because of his 'Mexican heritage'. He accused Megyn Kelly of 'menstruating' at the first Republican debate (and called her a bimbo afterwards) and attributed this to how she questioned him. He insulted Carly Fiorina's appearance. He mocked a disabled reporter. This is not a man that is fit to be our president. Now I'll admit that Kasich has called people names in the past, however, he composes himself in a way that is far superior and far more professional than Trump [9]. Conclusion John Kasich has a higher net favorability than Donald Trump, and was projected to defeat Hillary Clinton in a general election. His ideas and positions appeal to a variety of voters and the GOP Establishment. Furthermore, his conduct is far superior and more 'presidential' than Donald Trump. It is for these reasons that I propose that John Kasich is a superior alternative to Donald Trump. SOURCES [1] http://www.realclearpolitics.com... [2] http://www.realclearpolitics.com... [3] http://www.people-press.org... [4] http://assets.bwbx.io... [5] http://www.realclearpolitics.com... [6] http://www.realclearpolitics.com... [7] http://www.npr.org... [8] http://www.ontheissues.org... [9] http://www.huffingtonpost.com...