Having long been playing defense on Obamacare because he expanded Medicaid in his state, Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) went on the offensive Wednesday and attacked Republicans for promising in the 2014 election cycle that they would repeal Obamacare.
“You’ve been supporting conservative candidates,” Kasich said on an appearance on Jay Weber’s Wisconsin radio show, by way of BuzzFeed. “They told you in 2014 they were gonna repeal Obamacare. Do you realize, that’s just—that’s a big joke?”
Kasich also called the 2014 repeal vow “a stupid promise,” since President Obama would have still been in the White House.
“We’ve got all these conservatives all stirred up and angry because they didn’t keep their word,” he said.
Kasich has been pounded throughout the Republican primary for his decision to expand Medicaid in Ohio. The issue came up again at Tuesday’s CNN town hall, where he was questioned by an attendee for choosing a “Washington-based solution.”
Kasich defended the move, saying he had a choice: “Could I bring money back, which is frankly our money, Ohio money, back to Ohio to solve some of our problems.”
He pointed to the money saved in Ohio on people who now benefit from the Medicaid expansion, like the mentally ill, drug addicts and the working poor.
“They’re in a better position, they’re not in our prisons, and at the same time, they’re getting on their feet, they’re becoming taxpayers and our Medicaid program is completely under control,” he said.
He added, nonetheless, that he did “reject” Obamacare by refusing to “go along with the exchange that they were trying to force on me.”
