Chuck Todd is joined by former Ohio governor John Kasich to discuss fixing America's broken politics, Donald Trump's disastrous tariff rollout, why Joe Biden's presidency was a failure and more!
Chuck opens with an analysis of growing global tensions, including armed conflict between India and Pakistan, and the power vacuum created by America's retreat from its traditional leadership role. He discusses Joe Biden's recent BBC comments on foreign affairs and the potential for Vladimir Putin to test NATO's Article 5 commitment in the Baltics, suggesting that increased global conflict may be on the horizon as China and Russia fill the void left by the United States.
Then he’s joined by the author of the new book "Heaven Help Us" and former Ohio Governor John Kasich, who offers candid insights on the lost art of political compromise and consensus-building. Kasich discusses the toxic partisanship exemplified by the Obama/Christie hug controversy, shares his perspective on healthcare reform, and explores how faith can inform governance without violating church-state separation.
The conversation covers the prospects for the 2026 and 2028 elections, Ohio's political landscape, and the need for spiritual renewal in American culture. Kasich offers sharp criticism of both Trump's approach to tariffs and Biden's presidency, which he characterizes as a failure due to insulation from contrarian views.
Finally Chuck responds to listeners’ questions in the "Ask Chuck" segment, addressing questions about increasing the size of the House of Representatives, how organizations earn the "non-partisan" label, and whether the national debt will trigger economic catastrophe.
Timeline:
00:00 Introduction
03:15 Armed conflict between India and Pakistan
07:30 We see more conflict when the U.S. is in retreat
09:00 If America doesn’t play the role of world police, Russia and China will
11:00 We’re likely to see more conflict around the world
13:35 Joe Biden weighs in on foreign affairs on BBC
14:45 Putin likely to test article 5 in the Baltics
16:45 Democrat loss was 10 years in the making
21:45 John Kasich joins the Chuck Toddcast!
23:15 Why have we lost the art of politics and compromise?
25:45 The Obama/Chris Christie hug shouldn't have been a controversy
27:00 Government never finds a way to get money out of politics
29:05 Faith in democracy?
31:35 The next president has the opposite traits of the prior president
33:05 What will the country look for in the next president?
33:55 Advice for 2028 candidates?
35:15 Could the MAGA candidates become toxic in the primaries by 2026?
36:15 Vivek Ramaswamy's prospects in the Ohio governor's race?
37:30 Ohio isn't ruby red
39:45 Voters care less about issues and more about personal connection
41:00 The issues John Kasich would focus most on addressing
43:30 The healthcare system is broken
46:15 For profit hospitals are less profitable than non-profits
48:30 Healthcare stakeholders need to be forced to compromise
49:55 We need politicians that can build consensus, not just offer a plan
53:05 Integrating faith into governance without violating separation of church and state?
56:15 The social gospel changed the culture from an "I" environment to a "we" society
57:15 Local journalism is service journalism, national journalism is civics journalism
1:00:30 How do we move America past its "I" culture?
1:02:00 We need a spiritual renewal
1:02:45 Pope Francis could be remembered as the most important of the century
1:04:15 Trump's tariff implementation shows his inability to listen and win people over
1:06:45 We've never updated the design for our public education system
1:08:30 The education industrial complex resists reform
1:11:00 Biden's staff kept him insulated from hearing contrarian views
1:11:45 Biden's presidency was a failure
1:16:15 College football has been turned into the minor leagues
1:20:20 Chuck's thoughts on the interview with John Kasich
1:21:50 Ask Chuck
1:22:00 How would increasing the size of the house of representatives work?
1:24:40 How do entities/organizations earn the label "non-partisan"?
1:29:00 Will the national debt cause economic catastrophe?
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