Desperate to stand out, Ohio Gov. John Kasich kicked off the third presidential debate Wednesday by ignoring the first question posed to him and instead attacking the two GOP frontrunners, saying their plans are dangerous and don’t add up.
“My great concern is we are on the verge of perhaps picking someone who cannot do this job,” Mr. Kasich said.
He didn’t name Donald Trump or Ben Carson, but did attack the former’s plans for immigration in asking the 11 million illegal immigrants in the country to go home, and the latter’s plans for Medicare.
The former congressman is lagging well behind in the polls and squandered an opening after what pundits said was a strong first debate performance.
He said he was the only one of the 10 candidates on the stage who had a realistic plan to cut taxes and balance the budget, and said he has the track record as chairman of the House Budget Committee in the late 1990s to prove he can do it.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Carson bristled at claims their plans didn’t add up.
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“The rate is going to be much closer to 15 percent,” Mr. Carson said. “You also have to get rid of all of the deductions and all of the loopholes. You also have to do strategic cutting.”
Mr. Trump, meanwhile, fired back at Mr. Kasich, saying he contributed to the Wall Street collapse as a member of the Lehman Brothers board — a claim Mr. Kasich denied.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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