NBC News "Meet the Press" - Transcript: Government Budget and Economic Growth

Interview

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CHUCK TODD:

Welcome back. As we said, 19 Republican presidential hopefuls have been making their case in New Hampshire this weekend. We'll give you extra points, if you can name all 19 that addressed the New Hampshire crowd there. There were some household names, like Jeb Bush, Rand Paul, and Marco Rubio.

There were some long shots there, like John Bolton and Jim Gilmore. And one name that shouldn't be discounted was also there, Ohio Governor, John Kasich. He says he's seriously considering joining the 2016 race. The 62-year-old married father of two boasts a 65% approval rating after winning reelection by a stunning 40 points last fall in the key swing state.

His resume includes 18 years in Congress, including a stint as chairman of the Budget Committee. After Congress, he went to Fox as an anchor and then became a managing director at Lehman Brothers before it collapsed. He's evolved from a budget-balancing congressman to a bit of a combative governor in the first year or two of his first term to being now seen as a more pragmatic conservative who is now exploring a run for the White House in the way that he did 16 years ago.

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TIM RUSSERT:

Do you have an announcement?

JOHN KASICH:

Yeah. Tomorrow, I'm going to formally announce my exploratory committee to run for president of the United States.

(END TAPE)

CHUCK TODD:

Well, Governor Kasich joins me now. That was Congressman Kasich. I hope we've provided you a video, so you can see your old self there. Governor, 16 years ago and two months, that was your response to Tim Russert. What do you have? Are you running for president?

JOHN KASICH:

Well, I still haven't decided. That was great. I wish I could've seen it. But my hair didn't look very good. I haven't decided yet. But listen, yesterday, I was in South Carolina in the morning. And then I was in New Hampshire in the afternoon. It reminded me of Live Aid. Remember when Phil Collins jetted from England over to Philadelphia?

CHUCK TODD:

You're dating yourself with Live Aid, yeah.

JOHN KASICH:

Yeah, I know. I know. I know. But anyway, look, all my options are on the table here. And I'm, you know, more and more serious, or I wouldn't be doing these things. And I have a pretty heavy schedule coming up, Chuck. And look, you know, the reason why I feel I should be in there is I've had foreign policy, national security experience.

I was chairman of the Budget Committee. We actually balanced the budget, got results. And the economy got better. As governor of the state, I inherited a total mess. And at the end of the say, we're running surpluses, the largest tax cuts in the country.

We've reformed government. And of course, as you know, we have not ignored those who live in the shadows, the mentally ill, the drug addicted. And as a result of the growing economy, and as a result of giving people in Ohio, increasingly, a sense that they're included, you know, I had a terrific election victory, 86 out of 88 counties. And I won Cuyahoga County, which Barack Obama won by 40 points, you know? So it's pretty cool.

CHUCK TODD:

16 years ago, your candidacy didn't get off the ground. And much of it had to do with a guy named Bush. And much of it had to do with a fundraising juggernaut that was a guy named Bush. 16 years later, you're thinking about running for president again. And there's a guy named Bush in the field. Is his fundraising--

JOHN KASICH:

It's déjà vu all over again.

CHUCK TODD:

If you thought he was the best candidate to be president of the United States, would you be exploring a run for president?

JOHN KASICH:

Well, Chuck, I have more experience than anybody in the field. I mean, that's really what I have that stands out. I mean, I don't just talk about what I want to do. I can tell people what I've done. I mean, you think about it. I was chairman of the Budget Committee, spent 10 years of my life to balance the budget.

And then in '97, we got an agreement where we paid down the largest amount of the publicly held debt. We cut the capital gains tax. I was involved in military reform, got one of the best records in the country as a governor. So I don't just talk about things. I'm doing things.

And as a result of that, I think that qualifies me to be able to run the country, not just talking about what I've done but the whole concept of leadership Chuck. Because that's what we desperately need in this country is leadership that can bring people together to solve problems.

CHUCK TODD:

Well, it's a big question mark about your candidacy. Forget resources a minute, it has to do with ideology. I think there were anonymous fliers handed out at your South Carolina event yesterday that basically said, "Why do you promote Barack Obama's agenda?"

They were talking about you deciding to take the Medicaid money and having to do that was connected with health care. But you said something to this when you were asked about whether you were conservative enough. You said this to CNN. "A republican can't be elected president without winning Ohio. And if they're going to cover Ohio, extremism isn't going to work." What did you mean by extremism? What is extremism in the Republican Party these days?

JOHN KASICH:

Dividers, people who want to divide with, you know, flowery rhetoric and attacks and all that. The people in Ohio want to know is do you get both them and their problems? See, in other words, I love the fact that they put those fliers out. That means somebody's taking me seriously, Chuck. I thought that was really terrific.

But here's the thing. Everybody knows somebody who suffers, in some way or another, from the problem of mental illness, whether it's depression, bipolar. Everybody, unfortunately, increasingly in America, knows about somebody who has an addiction problem.

Everybody in America knows we need to get the working poor on their feet, so they can do better. And everybody knows that we have to have a strong economy. Because it all starts with that. Now, that is a message that no only, in my opinion, appeals to conservative republicans. I think it appeals to Americans.

And remember, Ohio is a microcosm of America. Now, if you cannot convince people that you understand their problems, and you're going to try to fix them. You're not going to win anything. So you know, I'm not so much into the attack mode and all that other business. I'm into solving problems.

And frankly, Chuck, if we don't solve problems, our children suffer. Our families suffer, our communities. And look at our country. Around the world, our friends think we're confused. And our enemies are emboldened. Because we're not fixing anything in this country. And we can, if we stop hanging out in our silos, thinking that we've got all the answers without realizing that you can compromise without losing your principles.

CHUCK TODD:

Now, the job you had before you started running for governor was managing director at Lehman Brothers. Lehman Brothers, of course, famously collapsed, started the financial fall. Can you tell me this? You were at Lehman Brothers. What did you learn from that experience that makes you think that this won't happen again? Have we corrected the problems to make sure this won't happen again? And should we have rescued Lehmann? Should the government have bailed it out?

JOHN KASICH:

You know, look, that's past history. Here's what I will tell you. Wall Street is necessary. Because it helps move the financial operations of America forward. But I'll tell you the problem with Wall Street. It's too much about, "I've got to make money." There's too much greed. And that's just part of what happens there. So I've always argued, when I was--

CHUCK TODD:

Lehman was too greedy?

JOHN KASICH:

Oh, I think, on Wall Street, most of the bankers have to fight off the concept of greed. Because you know what they say all the time up there? They say, "Am I going to get paid?" And that means, "What's my big bonus going to be?" Nothing wrong with that.

But here's the problem. If all you seek is money without values, then you're bankrupt. And so what I think is our financial community has to realize that there's a moral underpinning. You know, Michael Novak, the great theologian, talks about it.

Free enterprise, free markets, exactly what we ought to have in America. But there has to be a conscience that underlays it. Now, let me tell you the greatest thing I got from Lehmann is I spent a lot of time in the Silicon Valley, Chuck. And you know, when I went out there, I could see the future. And that's what we have to be about in America, bringing ourselves together, innovating, you know, in terms of innovation and vision.

CHUCK TODD:

Very quickly, why wouldn't you run? You're exploring now actively. What would convince you not to run?

JOHN KASICH:

Well, my family is a consideration. And number two, the most important thing, what does the lord want me to do with my life? You know, he puts on Earth, all of us on Earth, to achieve certain purposes. And I'm trying to determine if this is what the lord wants.

And I'm not going to figure that out lying in bed and hoping lightning strikes. So I'm out there, one foot in front of another, traveling aggressively. We'll see what happens, Chuck. And you know what? If it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press.

CHUCK TODD:

Well, I appreciate that. As soon as you're ready to announce your decision, we'll see you right back here, sir.

JOHN KASICH:

Thank you.

CHUCK TODD:

Thanks for being on.

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