Kasich's Final State Of State Address Was "Odd"

LORAIN, OH — State Representative Dan Ramos, a Democrat from Lorain, did not like Governor John Kasich's final State of the State address. He called the speech a "philosophy lecture" that failed to address some of the key factors affecting Ohioans.

The term-limited Kasich did spend much of his speech discussing American values, and philosophy, in the era of President Donald Trump. He called being alive today one of the "craziest" experiences of his life.

"I want to go back to those days when many of us were in college. Do you remember being in the dorm? Do you remember late at night when you would look at your friends and you would say, "What's life all about? Why are we here? What is our purpose? What is my responsibility as a human?"

Kasich then spoke about philosophers, like Aristotle and Plato, and discussed the human soul. He then discussed Friedrich Nietzche, Albert Camus, Soren Kierkegaard and John Locke before jumping into theologians like Saint Augustine.

“I, like most Ohioans, wanted to hear the Governor’s plans and priorities for his final year in office; what we got was a philosophy lecture," Ramos said. "When the Governor finally did mention policy, it was glossed over and obfuscated."

Kasich wasn't just name dropping philosopher though. He spoke about these thinkers for several minutes before connecting them to the concept of equality and kindness, saying hot button issues have divided people to the point they can no longer remember love and compassion.

He said life is all about connectiveness. He then spoke about the incredible virtues of the Parkland survivors and student advocates. Kasich also brought up the 2012 Chardon shooting that saw one student kill three of his peers.

Ramos was not impressed. "Elected leaders can’t just preach compassion, they have to back it up with the action of their position. The simple fact is after eight years with Governor Kasich at the helm, and his party in total control of both houses, far too many problems haven’t been solved, and many have gotten worse. We need to do better. Ohioans deserve better,” he said in an emailed statement.

Kasich's speech has generally been received similarly by major media outlets. The Cincinnati Enquirer quipped that Kasich traded his "podium for a pulpit" in its recap of the address. NBC4 called the speech "odd." The speech sounded like a "philosophy lecture" according to cleveland.com.

Photo from Governor's Office