Presidential candidate John Kasich tells
Newsmax TV that Republicans should "fight like crazy" to defund Planned Parenthood but says shutting down the government over it will likely not work and may backfire — infuriating most Americans.
"Government shutdowns are things that should be few and far between and they should only happen when you have a pretty good sense that you can be successful," Kasich said in an interview with J.D. Hayworth Monday on "Newsmax Prime."
Segments of Kasich’s interview with Newsmax TV are being broadcast each weekday night on “Newsmax Prime” at 8PM, 11PM ET, carried on DirecTV Ch. 349, DISH Ch. 223, and Verizon FiOS Ch. 115. [Get Newsmax TV on your cable system —
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Kasich has been rising in the polls since his entrance into the race this past July. The latest NBC News/WSJ poll has him in fifth place.
The Real Clear Politics rolling average of New Hampshire polls has the Ohio governor in fourth place, ahead of Jeb Bush but behind Trump, Carson and Fiorina.
Kasich, who previously led the House Budget Committee in balancing the federal budget and abolishing welfare, says he has made defunding Planned Parenthood a top priority in Ohio.
"I'm for getting rid of all this Planned Parenthood funding and to be able to shift it to other kinds of family planning institutions. But if you shut the government down, the president is not going to give on this," Kasich said.
"Shut the government down and then open it up without achieving anything — there may be some people that think that's great. I do not and neither do the vast majority, I believe ,of American voters and Americans themselves...
"Fight like crazy to defund Planned Parenthood," he said, cautioning that it's a separate issue from shutting down the government.
A shutdown would also damage the nation's credit rating and further enrage voters about the state of political dysfunction of Capitol Hill, Kasich said.
"People don't want to read about all this government fighting. They got their own problems out there and now the government can't get along and it's shut down," he said.
"What's going to happen to the credit rating of the United States? I don't think this is the right time."
Kasich promised as president, his budget would "absolutely" have no federal money for Planned Parenthood, which now receives around $500 million.
The group has been under fire after controversial videos purportedly showed its officials discussing the sale of aborted fetuses.
"I do not support that organization's funding from the government. I don't believe in it," Kasich said.
Kasich told Hayworth one of his top priorities will be to ease the nation's debt.
"We're going to be swallowed up with debt and we need to have a legitimate game plan … I want to do what is possible within the first 120 days," he said.
"It is possible to get those corporate profits that are stuck in Europe back to America, let them come home, don't double-tax companies — that'd be a big stimulus package."
"Secondly, depreciation and expensing, writing off equipment will help our workers be more productive. That we can do."
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