Republican presidential candidate John Kasich has made a name for himself in the campaign by seeming like a nice guy who's not as extreme as Donald Trump or Ted Cruz. But just because he's not as brash as his competition doesn't make the Ohio governor a moderate. Not by a long shot.
On Full Frontal, host Samantha Bee took a moment to examine Kasich's actual policy record. And if you were hoping he'd be pretty chill about gay rights and women's rights, there's bad news: He's not. "Kasich pours on the Midwestern charm thicker than cream of mushroom soup on a casserole," Bee jokes, but that doesn't mean he's toward the middle politically.
Even though he said he's attended a same-sex wedding, he refused to accept an out-of-state gay marriage in Ohio, even though one person involved was terminally ill. That case made it all the way to the Supreme Court; that case, which originated as Obergefell v. Kasich, became Obergefell v. Hodges and ended up legalizing same-sex marriage across the country.
And he's just as far to the right as any other Republican candidate when it comes to abortion rights. He just signed a bill to defund Planned Parenthood in Ohio, but usually "hides" his anti-abortion advocacy through budget bills. And remember just yesterday, when he praised the women who "left their kitchens" to campaign for him? Yikes. Just when you thought he was different from all the other guys out there.
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