John Kasich described his fight to make a name for himself in the Republican presidential race like being the off-brand cola product while Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are Coke and Pepsi.
“Here’s how it looks right now in the race: it’s Coke, it’s Pepsi, it’s Kasich,” the Ohio governor told MSNBC host Chris Matthews during a Thursday town hall. The crowd applauded Kasich’s metaphor. “You’re not supposed to clap for that, you’re supposed to cry when I say that.”
Kasich used much of the hour-long town hall to explain how his policy views were different than his two Republican rivals who have interchangeably called for significant enhancements in border security, a ban on refugees from select countries and a religious test for newcomers.
The establishment-aligned candidate told Matthews he believes illegal immigration is a “real problem” in the U.S. and the rule of law should be upheld. But Kasich defended comments made even before he began his presidential campaign that he would not deport 12 million illegal immigrants only after border security measures and internal immigration standards were enhanced.
“In ’86 Reagan had a plan. It wasn’t enforced. We gotta say ‘you can’t just walk into this country willy nilly,'” Kasich said “I mean, we lock our doors at night so people just don’t walk into our homes. They shouldn’t be able to walk into our country.”
Immigration has increasingly become an issue of national security, Kasich said. As the off-brand option to mainstream soda brands and popular candidates, Kasich hopes to grow his base with slightly different conservative values.
