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. 
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Morden, cynical? Perish the thought. Badger, get your butt over here, and put in your two cents please.
He spent his first term pursuing decidedly less the gala terrian measures such as seeking to replicate Scott Walker with unions including even the teachers union. He actually went to the mat, however, regarding getting Medicaid expansion. He actually fought the Republican legislature tooth and nail on this. he actually did an end run did inn in run around the legislature by using a little known government entity call the state appropriations board, by which he was able to somehow legally get Medicaid expansion without the Legislature's approval. If he really didn't care about it, he could have campaigned on trying his best and wanting to continue convincing the Republican legislature to do so in his second term, and arguing he was the better candidate to convince the legislature to go along than a Democrat in the governor's office, etcetera etcetera. Instead he engaged in some hard nosed political executive leadership and got it passed. Yes, it certainly wouldn't have hurt his reelection chances in Ohio, but I think he genuinely went above and beyond what was necessary for him to earn political points on the issue. The fact that he's pushing such a point of view in the Republican presidential primary, and at a convention of billionaire fund-raisers no less, shows it is more than just politics to him, IMHO.
