The veteran pol John Kasich ambushes, schools Walker

[Updated from 10:13 p.m. Wednesday.] Remember the other day when there was discussion on the conservative-leaning "Morning Joe" MSNBC program that Scott Walker was too immature to be President?

Sounds like that meme played out again when a reporter saw Walker shoot his mouth off at a GOP Governors meeting a few hours ago, only to have a more seasoned competitor, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, put Walker down:

BOCA RATON, Fla. — It was almost as if John Kasich wanted to reach out and pat Scott Walker on the head...

Kasich had suckered Walker into a discussion of a piece of political history in which the Wisconsin governor was not an expert by issuing a somewhat subtle reproach to Walker and perhaps Jindal — the two most provocative rhetorical bomb throwers on the stage — and pointing to his own role in the 1996 budget deal. 

“You gotta be careful with the rhetoric,” he said, “because you get too far out on that and people don’t want to deal.”

Ohio media took note of Kasich's more thoughtful moderation compared to Walker's right-wing talking points:

Kasich also was on the hot seat for his acceptance of federal dollars to expand Medicaid to those earning up to 138 percent of the poverty level. Walker rejected expansion and asserted Wednesday that his state has overseen a better program. 

"I believe [Obama] measures success in government by how many people are dependent on the government, on how many people are on Medicaid, on how many people are on food stamps," Walker said. "I personally believe we should measure success in government by just the opposite, by how many people are no longer dependent on government."

Kasich repeated past defenses – that he took the money from Washington because he could spend it more wisely and that he is proud of helping "people who live in the shadows." But for the first time ever he crafted a political argument on the matter. He held up his 31-point re-election win this month as proof that his way works. 

"You know, I did alright. I won 86 out of 88 counties in a state that's been decided by that much," Kasich said, holding his fingers close together to illustrate Ohio's close votes in past presidential elections and in his first gubernatorial race. 

He added later, after Walker's response: "Ronald Reagan expanded Medicaid."