Grist: Ohio Gov. Kasich wants state to be ‘cool,’ fails to get what that means

[marmar]

Ohio Gov. Kasich wants state to be ‘cool,’ fails to get what that means

by Sarah Goodyear
14 Apr 2011 12:04 PM


Is there anything more uncool than a 50-something politician in a suit talking about wanting his state to be "cool"? Nah. Probably not.

Witness Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a newly elected Republican whose union-busting policies have made him pretty unpopular, as he delivers one of the more delicious soundbites in recent memory. The video moment was captured by Mark Kovac of the indispensable Capital Blog (via @rustwire):

We've got to make Ohio cool. You know, I was down at Lexis-Nexis down in Dayton, I'm meeting with the CEO of the company, and he says, you know, a lot of these, these young people, you know, they want to head for the coast. Why do they want to go to the coast? It's cool. Why do they want to go to Austin? You ever been to Austin? It's very cool. You want to go to the Triangle of North Carolina, go down there and check it out, it's cool. We need to make Ohio cool.

Here's a tip on one of the things that makes those places "cool," Gov. Kasich. They tend to have a lot of walkable communities and public transportation, something that your administration has not done much to support so far.

On the contrary. Take that streetcar in Cincinnati, the one that you pushed to gut state funding from, even though Ohio's own transportation advisory committee rated it the highest-ranking project in the state just last December. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.grist.org/transportation/2011-04-14-ohio-gov.-john-kasich-says-he-wants-state-to-be-cool-fails

[CBGLuthier]

1. I was born there. It hasn't been cool since I left.

Not that it was all that cool pre 1970. :-)

[liberal N proud]

3. But I moved here in 2000 and made it cool again

But with idiots like Kasich here, it sucks.

[we can do it]

2. What a Fucking Idiot

clueless rat bastard.

[Betty]

4. Native Ohioan here..

I love my home state but it is in no way as cool as my adopted home state of Massachusetts. I could never go back, except to visit family.

[Drale]

5. He's trying to hit it off with the "young people"

bet he starts wearing his hat backward and baggy jeans next.

[NC_Nurse]

6. Perhaps he could come and get Michael Steele to come there. He was all

for trying to sell Repub ideas to "cool" young people. I think he's out of a job now too...

[madrchsod]

7. clueless in ohio....

[CaliforniaPeggy]

8. He's a fucking idiot...no way will he ever be cool...

I feel awful for my family and friends in Ohio.

:-(