The co-hosts of CBS This Morning on Tuesday devoted an exhaustive seven minutes to Republican presidential candidate John Kasich. What Charlie Rose really wanted to know, however, is just why GOP voters are "following the path to darkness.”
An eager Rose quizzed, “I want to get to this. You were saying in a speech today there are two paths.... One is a path of darkness.” He wondered, "Who is articulating a path to darkness?" After Kasich concluded that it was both Trump and Cruz, Rose jumped in: “Both of them?” He added, “Why are so many Republican voters voting for them? Following the path of darkness?”
Notice that when the moderate-sounding GOP governor bashed his fellow Republicans, Rose didn’t offer any skepticism or question whether “path of darkness” is an apt description. Instead, he immediately embraced the term.
Later, when Kasich seemingly did not want to discuss possible riots at the convention, O’Donnell reminded, “You're talking about the two men who you are running against, who have compiled most of the votes, are leading to a path to darkness.”
A transcript of the April 12 CBS This Morning segment, which aired at 8:03am ET, is below:
CBS This Morning
4/12/16
8:03am ET
NORAH O’DONNELL: John Kasich says he has the best chance of any Republican to win in the fall. He believes that would sway delegates at a contested convention. Kasich would have to win 126 percent of the remaining delegates to clinch the nomination before then. He has not added a single delegate in the last six primaries and caucuses.
CHARLIE ROSE: Kasich has won just one of the 36 contests so far. That was his home state of Ohio. Elsewhere he's been the top vote in only six counties. Two in Michigan and four in Vermont. Ohio Governor John Kasich is with us at the table. Welcome.
JOHN KASICH: Good to be with you, Charlie.
ROSE: How much pressure are you under to get out of the race?
KASICH: Zero.
ROSE: None? They’re not trying to get you out?
KASICH: I just had 4,000 people in Grace New York — I'm sorry — Greece, New York. Here's the thing. For the first time since I have become a candidate because I don't get in the mud and call names, people are finally starting to hear my message. And you know, it’s interesting. I'm the only one who consistently beats Hillary Clinton and I beat her decisively. And I think when we get to a convention, which I said we were going to get to since a couple months now, people are going to look at who can win in the fall because I believe with these other two guys, we have a chance to lose not just the White House but Senate and the many other things.
ROSE: Okay. There's also speculation if it becomes a contested convention, they're going to look at Paul Ryan.
KASICH: Well, I don’t know. It's hard to say who the delegates are going to look at.
ROSE: But do you think it ought to be someone who's been in the race?
KASICH: It's kinda up to the delegates. I think a wide open convention is something that is good for the party and allows people to determine who it is who can unite the country, who is it that can elect the president. I mean, we tend to think of this as some sort of game. I mean, this is not a game. If we have to pick the commander in chief, the leader of the free world and the president of the United States. I mean, these are important decisions. So, you know, look, for the first time I'm being heard now. The crowds are growing. We’re doing fine. Am I under pressure? The person that under pressure is a woman with a couple of kids and her husband has walked out on her. That’s pressure.
ROSE: We totally agree with that. I just asked the question.
KASICH: No, I don’t have any pressure, Charlie. I’m having a great time, too.
ROSE: No party leaders are saying, “Look, Cruz —
KASICH: Who are the party leaders? I'd like to know who the party leaders are. The party leaders haven't been doing so great here for the last few years.
O’DONNELL: What do you mean?
ROSE: We’ve got a lot of questions for you.
KASICH: What do I mean? What are we doing? Where have our ideas been? What are we doing to solve a lot of the serious problems? I mean, I'll just give you one example. How is it possible that the Republicans did not come up with a plan to make sure that anybody that has a pre-existing condition in health can — should not ever be denied health insurance? I mean, how did we never do that?
O’DONNELL: President Obama did that under ObamaCare, the Affordable care Act.
KASICH: I'm just saying the Republicans should have been doing that. They should have been doing that when they had control. You know, they spent too much money, they blew the budget. And look. All I'm trying to say is the party has a tendency to be against things more than being for things, and I think it's very important in a political party or with a candidate, what are your ideas. What is it you're going to do to lift people, to fix the country?
O’DONNELL: The convention is ultimately about delegates. You haven't added a delegate in six weeks.
KASICH: Well, you know what's happening in New York, we're rising.
O’DONNELL: You’re way behind in third place. I mean, according to —
KASICH: Well, I mean, so was Lincoln when he went to the convention as well. Look, the point is that we've had ten contested Republican conventions and seven times the person who was not the leader, the front-runner, was selected. Only three times did the front-runner get picked.
O’DONNELL: The only path to victory for you is a contested convention.
KASICH: For everybody.
O’DONNELL: Donald Trump says that he would consider picking you as his vice presidential candidate. Would you run with him?
KASICH: Zero chance.
O’DONNELL: Zero chance?
DANA JACOBSON: What if that’s the best chance for the party? If at the time, the Republicans say this is best for our party?
KASICH: Zero chance. Look. I'm running for president of the United States and that's it. If I'm not president, which I think I have an excellent shot to be, I will finish my term as governor and then maybe I'll be a co-host on your show. You never know.
JACOBSON: Could you be more effectual as a vice president than governor?
KASICH: I've served my country for a very long time and people will have an opportunity to let me serve as the president.
ROSE: I want to get to this. You were saying in a speech today there are two paths.
KASICH: Right.
ROSE: One is a path of darkness.
KASICH: Correct.
ROSE: Who is articulating a path of darkness?
KASICH: Trump and Cruz.
ROSE: Both of them?
KASICH: Oh, I think so. Look, on the one hand, you are targeting Muslim neighborhoods. Secondly, you're deporting 11 and a half million people or you’re making crazy promises that are not going to be fulfilled.
ROSE: Then why are so many Republican voters voting for them? Following the path of darkness?
KASICH: Well, I think first of all, Charlie, I think people are frustrated. And the issue is when you walk into a room. And you’ve done this. You can either drive people into a depression. You can drive them into a ditch, or you can go in and you can tell them, “Yeah, we have problems, but we can fix them, and the problems we have in the country are not anywhere as near as severe as they were in the past. Somehow we got into this bad mood which we shouldn't stay in because it’s not that hard to fix the things. It just means we have to be Americans rather than Republicans and Democrats and knock off all the partisanship we see. These things are not hard to fix. Not Social Security. Not the economy. None of it is hard. It's the politics that's hard and with a leader that has experience and ability to get people to work together, we can get — easily get beyond this.
O’DONNELL: The convention is going to be in your home state of Ohio.
KASICH: Right.
O’DONNELL: In Cleveland. Are local law enforcement ready for a contested convention?
KASICH: We would be local. The local Cleveland police. It would be our highway patrol, the Secret Service.
O’DONNELL: Are you concerned about riots? Are you concerned about violence?
KASICH: I mean, we don’t sit around and say we’re worried about a riot. We are going to be ready for what comes up. You know, I think the more we talk about the fact — why are we talking about it?
O’DONNELL: We're talking about a path to darkness. You're talking about the two men who you are running against, who have compiled most of the votes, are leading to a path to darkness.
KASICH: That’s why they are not going to be the nominees, because they can’t win in the fall. Okay? And look, the simple fact of the matter is —
ROSE: Frequently people are nominated who don’t win in the fall.
KASICH: Well, I know, Charlie, but I would not sit here and say, “Oh, I'm just spending all day thinking about we may have riots.” I mean, that's just hyperbole. That's what we are today who can say the thing that gets everyone stirred up and get eyeballs.
ROSE: There are people who raise the question. There are people who support the candidates. There may be riots. Days of rage and all that.
KASICH: We'll be ready as is humanly possible to deal with whatever comes our way. But, look. The point of the story is this: And I think people should know this. I have run a campaign on the high road. I have not taken the low road to the highest office. And you know as a result of that, I didn't get attention for six months. Even after I finished second in New Hampshire, we didn't get the bump. You know why? No name calling. Now we're down to three. And finally people are getting a chance for people to hear my message and you see the crowds that are rising and here in New York, we're running second. We’re running strong in Maryland. We’re doing well in Connecticut, we're going to compete in Pennsylvania and we're going get more delegates and go into the convention with momentum. You know why? Because it's the message and the record and the hope.
ROSE: Trump doesn't get it on a first ballot?
KASICH: No. You know he’s not.
ROSE: Okay.
KASICH: I mean, you know he's not. Nobody's going get it. We're going to go to a convention and people are going to learn how we pick a president.
