The man I wanted to vote for President two years ago - Gov. John Kasich of Ohio - appeared on C-SPAN a few nights ago. He had been invited to a Massachusetts Town Meeting, hosted by a college and attended by Liberals and Conservatives alike.

 

What was so important about it? 

 

Kasich, a Republican concluding his last term as Ohio governor in January, probably has almsot as many allies across the aisle as in his party.

 

Why?

 

Because he’s made it his life’s work to reach across the aisle for answers to the problems facing his government.

 

The answers aren’t only with the Republicans, he said many times. The answers are with moderate-thinking Democrats and Republicans. And he feels that bi-partisanship has done well for his state, the 11th-most populated in the nation.

 

How popular has he been? He won all but two counties in his most recent gubernatorial run.

 

So, what did he have to say?

 

He promoted a five-pronged answer to the highly-charged weapons assault crimes plaguing our nation. Among them being a plea to family and friends who have a member who “could do those things,” to report them. Taking weapons from them would be a step in the right direction.

 

Andgetting rid of the assault-type weapons.

 

Kasich called America’s public education program the most vexing of all. He supports charter schools and the rights of families to steer their children to education that best-serves them.

 

His major takeaway? Ensure our students as sophomores and juniors are placed in internships of fields of interest so they may begin planning their careers long before turning their tassels.

 

And college need not be for everyone. Well-said.

 

 The border? DACA should be upheld and personnel should be sent to the border. But there shouldn’t be further wall-building.

 

Reward those migrants in our country, who have done well, to seek citizenship and continue to be good citizens. The bad people need to go.

 

Determine a foreign policy that our friends and adversaries can undrstand and abide by. Above all, America needs to be seen as a leader in the world, not in one hand of poker and out the next.

 

And above all, our American political leaders need to start thinking above their caucus levels and come to sincere conclusions about what’s right for our country.

 

Heady thinking like that will give them cause to leap above the bitter partisanship and stretch across the aisle to “the others,” who may have even-better ideas than their own.

 

His Town Meeting went on for two hours and covered much more material than I am to address. Above all, the Trump message with all its devisiveness hasn’t resonated.

 

My vote for American President in 2016 would have been John Kasich - and the Washington neurosurgeon as vice president, had they gotten to the General Election.

 

I hope a ticket like theirs arises again. He said this week he’s weighing his chances.