In addition, Kasich has a Kemp like focus on practical ways to effectively help the less fortunate life themselves up, in a way Bush has not.
Which still seems weird to me, as someone who remembers the budget battles of the 90s. Kasich (as House Budget Chair) was singularly focused on squeezing the federal budget above all else back then, wasn't he? I don't remember Kasich being sympatico with compassionate conservatism at that time. Seems like it's something that he embraced only as governor of Ohio. And even then, as far as I can tell, he really only started doing this "What will I say to St. Peter?" stuff in the latter half of his first term in office, when his reelection prospects were looking dicey. (Not to be cynical about this.
)
