This is a rush transcript from “Hannity,” June 15, 2010. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Already this oil spill is the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced. And unlike an earthquake or a hurricane, it’s not a single event that does its damage in a matter of minutes or days. The millions of gallons of oil that has spilled in the Gulf of Mexico are more like an epidemic, one that we will be fighting for months and even years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN HANNITY, HOST: All right, that was President Obama addressing the American people just a short time ago from the Oval Office.
Joining me now with reaction and to talk about his brand new book which hit bookstores today the author of “Every Other Monday: 20 Years of Life, Lunch, Faith, Friendship”, Ohio gubernatorial candidate our good friend, John Kasich is back. How are you sir?
JOHN KASICH, OHIO GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Good to see you, Sean.
HANNITY: You’re a great American.
You know leadership is interesting to me. Because I think you learn a lot about people during a time of crisis. You want to be governor of the State of Ohio. You are up five points in the latest poll.
Obviously people in Ohio have not been happy with leadership. If you were to look at president overall 57 days into this crisis, he’s had plenty of time for concerts, plenty of time to meet with Felipe Calderon, state dinners, more golf outings than I’ve had in the last three years, plenty of time, basketball photo-ops. What do you make of the reaction leading up tonight?
KASICH: Sean, day one you call everybody in. I don’t understand why he didn’t do this. You get — you get the oil executives, you get the government folks so they are not tripping over one another which of course, they’ve been doing.
You get the best scientists, you get people around the world, you convene a meeting in the Teddy Roosevelt Room and you say we are going to fix this, we’re going to get this done. Failure is not an option. And you beat it every day. And you bring everybody in there and you — you get it fixed.
HANNITY: But — but —
KASICH: I know it is a tough problem but he is not, he was — he’s a day late and a dollar short here.
HANNITY: I think that really pretty much sums it up, 50 days in to this. He should have given the speech a long time ago. Where does that — where does this come from? Is it the fact that he has no — is it that he has no —
KASICH: The experience — it’s not just the experience that he doesn’t have. He doesn’t have the people around him with the experience. And I — frankly it’s inconceivable to me that they let this thing drift.
And now he comes out tonight and says we ought to have cap-and-trade. Instead of pulling the country together he’s now proposing a policy that will shut the Middle West down.
HANNITY: Yes.
KASICH: And that’s the way to do this. I’m — frankly, I’m shocked at how bad this has been.
HANNITY: But look at how emotional the President got to almost taking direction from Spike Lee and lashing out. And what do think about the President sitting in the Oval Office and talking about kicking, you know —
KASICH: Well, I just, I think —
HANNITY: — and I can’t suck it up with a straw?
KASICH: People used to run George Bush down but he had a couple of rules when he was in the Oval Office because he was maintaining American tradition. I think, you’ve got to be careful. And when you’re a leader you have to be especially careful because there’s a lot of people depending on you and you’re running the country.
HANNITY: You know, you did show leadership when you helped back get the country on a balanced budget, I’ll never forget. This was really important to you, I —
KASICH: A 10-year effort, a 10-year odyssey to get it done.
HANNITY: You — leadership also comes out of personal tragedy a lot of times. You lost your parents to drunk drivers.
KASICH: Yes, well you know Sean, this book “Every Other Monday” people would think I’m a — have been a public official that my book would be about politics or would be about you know public policy, it is not. It’s about faith.
In 1987 my parents were killed by a drunk driver. And I had to make up my mind whether I really thought God was out there? And if God is out there can I connect with him?
And at the same time, I got seven or eight of my buddies and said look, you go on a parallel path and I’ll join you. And let’s look at all the big issues in life and let’s look at it through the prism of the Old, and the New Testament, whether it’s ambition, whether it’s greed, it doesn’t matter what it is, how do we fulfill our purpose as human beings? And how do we reach down and raise the bar.
HANNITY: How did it change you?
KASICH: I’m calm. The single biggest thing —
HANNITY: If this is calm I mean —
KASICH: You know what, Sean —
HANNITY: What?
KASICH: — the biggest thing that’s happened to me throughout this process is my faith has deepened; it has been a 23-year search.
But secondly, there is a peace. Because if you realize — if you have faith and realize there’s an eternal destiny that you’re about to meet at some point, it calms you down for what happens in this life and I love this calmness.
HANNITY: Do you think we are destined in terms of our life on this earth, do you think it’s predestined, predetermined?
KASICH: No, but I think God has a purpose for each of us. There’s a — there’s a Psalm that says God will fulfill the purpose for my life. And I happen to believe that. Now, I didn’t get to this point by just you know, sort of putting a rabbit’s foot in my pocket. I had to actually pursue whether I thought he was there. Who started things? Who created this? Is he in charge?
These questions will help people, I think whether you are a believer or not a believer, if you’re young, middle aged or older, this book, “Every Other Monday”, EveryOtherMonday.net, I think can be very helpful to people.
HANNITY: I enjoy, I just started reading it today and I’m enjoying every minute of it. And we’re going to have you back to talk about it in full.
KASICH: Thanks Sean.
HANNITY: It’s good to see you governor.
KASICH: It’s good to be with you.
HANNITY: I’m jumping the gun a little but I’m optimistic for you.
KASICH: Well, you know I didn’t even hesitate there, did I?
HANNITY: No you did not, you accepted that.
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