Web viewOhio Governor John Kasich’s decision not to attend Republican National Convention (RNC) ... boldly stating his choice of principle over party without a word

Crisis Leadership Analysis“Principle over party:” The renewal discourse of

Ohio Governor John Kasich

Neely Monemi, COM 629

Queens University of Charlotte December 9, 2016

1MONEMI, N. COM 629 Crisis Leadership Analysis

I. Rationale

Controversial media mogul Donald Trump was initially considered a “celebrity sideshow,”

(Koenig, 2016) among the field for the 2016 Republican Presidential nomination. His upset victory

infused the American political discourse with a sense of unsettled shock, and presented many

Republican leaders with an unavoidable dilemma: choose their internal principles or their party

obligations. To endorse Donald Trump created a rhetorical crisis for the many leaders unable to align

ideologically with his message; to withhold support, however would certainly lead to environmental

threats of backlash within the party and public perception threats from voters.

Ohio Governor John Kasich’s decision not to attend Republican National Convention (RNC) 2016

amplified his lack of endorsement, boldly stating his choice of principle over party without a word.

Adding to the problematic nature of the decision was its inconsistency with Kasich’s prior statement that

he would endorse Trump if nominated (Fox, 2016, 2:07; Wolfgang and Sherfinski, 2016). As a former

candidate and sitting Governor of the state hosting the event, his choice carried significant influence,

rankling party leadership to the point of threats (Wolfgang and Sherfinski, 2016). Another hostile

audience emerged among Republican voters who were offended by Kasich’s refusal to fall in line with

the party process, which they perceived as an unarguable obligation. Bypassing the convention created

a rhetorical crisis of meaning management toward these two primary hostile audiences, all recorded

with intense focus by a press core not known for a forgiving stance on rhetorical or ideological

inconsistencies.

A timeline beginning with Kasich’s promise of support during the March 3, 2016 GOP debate and

ending with his press statement leaving the White House on November 10, 2016 yielded eleven text

samples for analysis using Benoit’s (1997) typology of image restoration. Comparison of televised media

interviews, written news articles and one post-campaign message provided a realistic measurement of

Kasich’s messaging consistency (and thereby the quality of his strategy). Following analysis, the


discussion on corrective action explores the effectiveness of Kasich’s meaning management strategy

using the four elements of renewal discourse as defined by Ulmer, Sellnow and Seeger (2009, p. 304).

Thorough the lens of these theorists a powerful renewal discourse emerges, one which “…looks beyond

the immediate crisis event and is concerned about more than restoring…image” (Hackman and Johnson,

2013, p. 432).

II. Analysis

News media just prior to the convention revealed no mention of Kasich’s March 2016 promise

to support a Trump nomination for Republican Presidential candidate (Fox, 2016, 2:07). Indeed, the

author was surprised to find Kasich’s statement, so ingrained was the impression of his unwillingness to

endorse the nominee. This speaks to Benoit’s (1997) assertion that in image restoration discourse,

“perceptions are more important than reality” (p. 178). Certainly, a public endorsement and convention

participation by the highest ranking Republican in Ohio would have made it easier for Republican Party

leadership to calm the ranks following Trump’s upset victory. A Kasich endorsement (via trademark

eloquent speech) may have influenced like-minded colleagues toward acceptance, helping the RNC to

create a spin that could be interpreted as unity. Kasich’s political and journalistic experience certainly

bestowed him with the rhetorical power to do so1.

However, Kasich’s view of party obligation was far from that of the ‘yes man.’ Tapping into his

well-documented viewpoint that, “the Republican party is my vehicle, but not my master” (Koenig,

2016), Kasich was primed to choose his internal beliefs over party regulations. In violating party policy

he created an offense to RNC leadership and to Trump supporters, one for which he was held

accountable. These two components, according to Benoit (1997), define a crisis of image restoration.

Under such conditions, “the key question is not if the act was in fact offensive, but whether the act is

believed by the relevant audiences to be heinous” (p. 178, emphasis Benoit). Through dogged


consistency and significant rhetorical skill, Kasich executed an image restoration strategy falling

primarily within Benoit’s (1997) typology of reducing offensiveness of the event (Table 1, p. 179).

July 2016: Speech to the NAACP convention and two samples of press coverage

Before the RNC officially opened on July 18, 2016, Kasich’s reducing offensiveness strategy was

well underway (Table 1). Crucial to the launch of this image restoration approach was the choice of

activities and speaking engagements outside the RNC. At the NAACP convention, which began just days

before the RNC, his first remarks were on the shooting of a police officer2 which had occurred that day:

I just heard … right now of the latest shooting of the police officer in Milwaukee, and I know

everyone in this arena…condemns these terrible murders that have occurred with our police

officers, across this nation of ours. The Lord wants us to heal. The Lord wants us to work

together. The Lord doesn’t want the violence, He wants understanding. (Kasich, 2016, July 17,

0:20)

Underscoring Kasich’s direct faith-based language as he spoke was church organ music: first, as he took

the podium, and again after the word “murders” (0:52). This created the aura of a Christian church

environment. Clearly Kasich understood the appropriateness of faith-based language with this audience.

Although Kasich is well-documented making unapologetic reference to his Christian faith, no other text

sample from this analysis indicates this specific shared understanding with the audience. His wording

demonstrates Kasich’s understanding that 1) he must speak to different audiences generally (Benoit,

1997, p. 178); and, 2) he prepared rhetoric appropriate for the NAACP audience specifically.

Media framing directly before and after this event bear two consistencies: framing Kasich

positively, and also framing in reference to other national leaders. NAACP leadership showed offense at

Trump’s lack of attendance, indicating that “Trump should have made time for the civil rights leaders,”

and that the convention is “’…an occasion for those running for President to speak to the nation’s most

critical issues at a critical hour…’” and, “…’a window into not only their policies, but into their heart and


character as a candidate” (Sewell, 2016). This article also mentions the NAACP event attendance of the

2008 and 2012 Republican nominees, aligning Kasich with those before him who did not cause the same

offense.

Associated Press (AP) coverage posted the same evening (following the speech) characterized

Kasich’s remarks as well received, stating first that the audience “burst into applause” and then again

that they “applauded several times during his speech and at the close” (AP, 2016, November ). Although

both articles mention Clinton’s NAACP appearance in an equally matter-of-fact tone, the post-speech

article contrasts Kasich’s faith-based wording with former candidate Mitt Romney receiving “boos”

during the 2012 NAACP event (AP, 2016, November).

Kasich’s rhetoric successfully executes Benoit’s (1997) strategy of bolstering (p. 179). In speaking

about Ohio policy relevant to the concerns of the NAACP audience (Sewell, 2016), he stressed good

traits of his leadership (Benoit, Table 1, p. 179) in a way that pointed to shared concerns. In response,

these news articles reflected not only the bolstering tactic but also the more overarching strategy of

transcendence, which implies Kasich chose to focus on more important considerations than Trump’s

upset victory (Table 1). The press in these sample texts are accepting and reproducing Kasich’s approach

of reducing offensiveness of the event (Benoit, 1997, p. 180).

July 2016: Facebook post and comments - “The greatness of America is in us” video

Using the convention as ground zero, Kasich eradicated his March 3rd promise to endorse Trump

without a single word, choosing action instead. The press offered details of Kasich’s “extensive schedule

of appearances and speaking engagements” throughout the Republican convention, which highlighted

“what the governor values” (Koenig, 2016). This activity ran current with the Facebook posting of a

video titled, “The greatness of America is in us” (hereafter referred to as GAU) on July 18, 2016.

Produced under the complete creative control of Kasich staff, this message serves as a measure of

authenticity for the overall narrative during the analysis timeline. Content is broken into segments using


transition titles aligned with transcendence strategy: Always for America, Always for Ohio, Always for

Others, Always for Renewal and closing on the tagline, “Always for us” (see Appendix for transcript). This

is a progression of the campaign slogan, “Kasich for us,” weaving together messaging from the

Republican Primary campaign and post-RNC messaging designed for image restoration. Despite the

positive tone of Kasich messaging and media responses, however, the comment feed shows examples of

offense from the public (Figure 1).

Figure 1

Facebook comment feed3 on the GAU video reveals no Kasich engagement within the 1492

comments visible at the time of this writing. Yet the post remains, allowing commenters the freedom to

engage according to their feelings about the decision not to attend RNC. In Figure 1, the transition title

“Always for America” is shown next to the comment, “You may not like Trump but he is the only one

running that is for America, because the other guys definitely aren’t.” This is interesting in that the title

“Always for America” precisely conflicts with the accusation. More interesting from a communication


perspective is that the commenter refers to “the other guys,” as though Kasich wasn’t one of “them.”

There is no possible window to the commenters mind, yet her language suggests Kasich is not in the

same negative mental category for her as “the other guys,” whoever they are.

August 2016: Video Interview with Jake Tapper, CNN

According to this interview, RNC 2016 was “the first convention in modern history” where 51%

of people reported they were less likely to vote for the nominee after the convention, as opposed to

36% stating they were more likely to do so (Tapper, 2016, 0:20). Also in the interview was a clear

example of transcendence, “which attempts to place the act in a more favorable context” (Benoit, 1997,

p. 181). Directly asked about bypassing the convention, Kasich stated:

I didn’t go because I think it’s about manners. If I wasn’t prepared to…get up and endorse the

nominee, I just thought it was inappropriate to go into that convention hall. Here’s something,

Jake, that’s really true: people want politicians to stand on principle, until the principle they’re

standing on is one they don’t agree with! (Tapper, 2016, 0:58).

For voters like those shown in Figure 1, this is language which affirms the choice to prioritize principle,

yet undermines the perception of disrespect for the nominee and the process itself. This wording is

supported by a congenial expression, light-hearted tone and a bemused chuckle from Kasich.

The negative emotions often seen in response to Trump - anger, disgust, fear, defensiveness and

concern – are absent not only from this interview but throughout all text examples. This suggests a high

level of emotional regulation (Fairhurst, 2011, p. 127) and the probability of priming for spontaneity (p.

129). Whether that priming is a deliberate part of Kasich’s leadership routine or simply the natural result

of decades in American politics, it successfully produces the alternative context indicated by

transcendence strategy. Linguistically this interview (Tapper 2016) closes the door on the original

statement of support (Fox, 2016) and connects forward to the post-election statement at the end of the

crisis timeline (AP, 2016, November 10), to be discussed later.


September 2016: Environmental threat from Republican leadership

In addition to voter criticism, an arguably more significant environmental threat was from

Republican National Committee leader Reince Priebus (who as of this writing is co-Chief of Staff for

President-Elect Trump). Priebus made it clear that “People who agreed to support the nominee…need to

get on board,” and “if they’re thinking they’re going to run again someday, I think we’re going to

evaluate our…nomination process, and I don’t think it’s going to be that easy for them” (Wolfgang and

Sherfinski, 2016). Kasich’s response to this type of party backlash is made clear during a televised

interview to be discussed in the next section (CNN, 2016).

October 2016: Official statement, media interview, mass email and online press coverage

The unflinching Kasich strategy of focusing on other matters in the face of threats to his future

leadership ambitions is shown using four texts. First, in response to Trump’s infamous ‘locker room talk’

video, Kasich released in a written statement that “Donald Trump is a man I cannot and should not

support” (Kasich, 2016, October 8). Second, in a national media interview Kasich used the same

easygoing demeanor to characterize Trump’s rhetoric as “silly,” even potentially “dangerous,” yet with

no attack on Trump as a person. He then reconfirmed that he would not vote for Trump or for his rival,

Hillary Clinton. Instead, he joked that he would enter the news anchor leading the interview as a write-in

candidate (Flores, 2016, 0:50).

Third, a mass email with the subject line “Save the senate” asked for help to “raise the funds to

ensure our Republican team wins” (Kasich, 2016, October 25). Once again, if image restoration centers

conceptually on “whether the act is believed to be offensive,” and that “perceptions are more important

than reality,” (emphasis Benoit, 1997, p. 178), then this initiative fits the definition of corrective action.

In terms of the perception of offense by Priebus and the voters (Figure 1), Kasich has communicatively

separated the notion of being on board with Trump from being on board with the party itself. In other


words, by ‘getting on board’ for Republican leaders other than Trump, Kasich sends the message that

there will be no “recurrence of the offensive act” (p. 181) to those who criticized him. From the Kasich

perspective of “standing on principle” (Tapper, 2016), however, this would be more accurately

categorized as transcendence, or focusing on “More important considerations” (Benoit, 1997, Figure 1).

Lastly, a post-election article and accompanying video serves a twofold purpose in meaning-

making. First, the written portion (dated November 1, likely a misprint) confirms that Kasich “spent the

fall campaigning for down-ballot Republicans,” gave contributions to Senate candidates and voted a

straight Republican ticket (CNN, 2016). These actions align directly with the “Save the Senate” mass

communication (October 25). Second, Figure 2 shows one of the footers of the accompanying video,

which supports Kasich’s unflinching consistency of principle over party. Concerning Kasich’s upcoming

meeting with a Democratic President, the presenter asked whether he was worried about political

backlash. Kasich responded, “Frankly, I welcome it…I welcome the fact that people will criticize me for

putting my country ahead of my party. It’s time we start doing this in this country” (1:26). This statement

suggests a rationale for leaving the hundreds of backlash comments on the GIU Facebook post

undisturbed, giving yet another view of Kasich’s consistent strategy.

Figure 2


Interestingly, the presenter’s question points to the fact that this video was recorded two

months before the election (CNN, 1:20). It also puts stubborn focus on the primary downside of this

strategy: incurring the ire of fellow Republicans. Later she takes yet another angle: “Is there concern…if

Donald Trump loses…the Presidency, Republicans nationwide are going to turn to John Kasich and say,

‘Thanks a lot!,’ and you’re gonna get blamed” (2:40)? At this point the congenial Kasich demeanor

returns, and using direct eye contact he responds clearly that although he will help other Republicans

get elected (3:25), he would not “[argue with somebody] about how they ought to vote” (3:28) if indeed

they wish to vote for Trump. By pairing this video with a post-election article confirming 1) Kasich’s

supportive campaigning efforts for other leaders; and, 2) his vote for McCain, this media source

deliberately points to Kasich’s principles and consistency of message, respectively.

November 10, 2016: Press statement outside the White House

In keeping with the notion of the perception of offense, the corrective action strategy comes full

circle with Kasich’s statement outside the White House two days post- election. In response to those

protesting Trump’s victory, Kasich says, “the office of the Presidency needs to be respected,” (emphasis

Kasich), and “…today I said my prayers on the plane for the success of Donald Trump, and I think as


Americans we all need to come together” (AP, 2016, November 10). This weaves backward to

statements about “manners,” and the inappropriateness of attending the convention without endorsing

the chosen nominee (Tapper, 2016). Kasich then specifically called on protestors to consider that,

“America works best when we are united. America doesn’t work best when we are divided” (AP,

November 10, 1:27). Again, this language threads consistently with the post-campaign GAU video, which

encourages viewers to “take strength from one another” and “reclaim our ideals that have carried us

upward before” (Kasich, 2016 June, 3:30, emphasis mine).

Beginning with activities during the Republican convention and concluding with the post-

election White House press statement (AP, November 10), Kasich accomplished credibility through

consistency. Given that behavioral integrity is defined by “[matching] what you say and do, particularly

by telling the truth and keeping promises,” (Hackman and Johnson, 2013, p. 169), it is accurate to say

that the original promise of support on March 3rd was the only verifiable inconsistency between the

Governor’s words and actions. Kasich’s resulting credibility is confirmed in two ways. First, Figure 3

shows a different comment on the GAU Facebook feed, in which a Democratic voter praises Kasich for

his “high morals” despite her disagreement with “most of [his] policies.”

Figure 3


From a communication perspective, these comments demonstrate an exemplary level of meaning

making skill by Kasich, given the commenter believes opposing political ideology. Second - and more

confirming - is the disapproval earned by Ted Cruz in taking the opposite approach: speaking at the RNC

but refusing to endorse Trump. The statement “’Don’t stay home in November…Stand and speak and

vote your conscience’” resulted in 1) Cruz’s wife being “heckled by Trump supporters” as she left the

floor; and, 2) Cruz himself being booed (Schleifer and Collinson, 2016). Kasich’s bold, thoughtful strategy

left his principles intact and avoided public humiliation.

Review of meaning-making strategy and possible alternative tactic

All text examples fall within the category of reducing offensiveness of the action (Benoit, 1997),

either through transcendence or corrective action. Clearly Kasich’s absence at the RNC was not offensive

to everyone, making this strategy realistic in spite of its boldness in the face of inherent reputational

risk. During the primary campaign much of Kasich’s strategy drew on face to face interaction with voters

in town halls, a stark contrast to Trump’s stadium appearances giving one-way speeches to large crowds.

During the image restoration timeline that Kasich ‘town hall demeanor’ was shifted to the congenial

presence frequently woven into media interviews.

This is where the crisis served Kasich well: he seized the added exposure of the intense media

scrutiny and ran with it all the way to the White House press statement on November 10 th. Analysis

shows that nothing in any other texts deviate from the controlled content of the GAU video, whether

the sample preceded or followed its posting. This gave journalists nothing to point to for inconsistency

other than the original promise to support Trump (Fox News, 2016; CNN, 2016; Wolfgang and Sherfinski,

2016). Also notable was the lack of tension during interactions with the media. Kasich tapped into his

own varied experience by readily discussing policy without evasiveness or relying on dogma.

Appreciation for this was verbalized by CBC This Morning co-anchor Norah O’Connell at the close of the


October 19th interview: “Governor Kasich, as always, we really appreciate you joining us, we wanted to

focus on the issues and, and we appreciate your time” (Flores, 2016).

As an alternative, Kasich’s rhetorical expertise would have made differentiation a plausible

tactic. This could have taken the form of a video posted on social media or press statement pointing to

Cruz’s “vote your conscience” convention gaffe. Kasich is capable of using this example without

attacking Cruz personally, and tactically it would still fall under reducing offensiveness (Benoit, 1997, p.

180), the conceptual home of the overall strategy. It might have influenced some of the more critical

voters to view bypassing the convention in a more positive light, by “[distinguishing the decision] from

other similar but more offensive actions” (p. 181). However, it would be unlikely to have any impact on

critics within Republican leadership. Given the successful outcome of full image restoration, no

alternative strategy is indicated by this analysis. Kasich executed his strategy with the communicative

skills and media savvy of a journalist, decades of policymaking experience as a public servant and an

emotional intelligence far outpacing the majority of his colleagues. As such, Kasich was well primed

(Fairhurst, 2011) to not only restore his image through this crisis, but to strengthen it.

III. Corrective Action

Kasich communication is saturated with the four theoretical elements of Ulmer, Sellnow, &

Seeger's (2008) renewal discourse: organizational learning, sound rhetoric, ethical communication, and

prospective vision (p. 304). His meaning making strategy produced four essential points, illuminated

here by quotes from the sample texts:

1. Principle over party: “…’the republican party is my vehicle, but not my master’” (Koenig, 2016).

2. Ethical disagreement: “We are not a Parliamentary system and we were never taught to hate people

because…they might be in a different political party” (CNN, 2016, 1:35).

3. Consistent word-action alignment: “I’ve said everything I need to say about…Mr. Trump, and my

actions speak louder than my words” (Tapper, 2016, 5:26).


4. Focus on others: “We need to reach out to help lift someone else. Because you know what? It comes

to us naturally, if we let it” (Kasich, July 2016, 1:57).

In terms of organizational learning, bowing out of the convention was partly paradigmatic

learning, which means there are motivational forces both within and without the organization inspiring

the change. It was also partly systemic, in that it demonstrated “learning in advance of a crisis and

preventing it” (Ulmer et al., 2008, p. 305). Although Kasich did not recognize the exigent conflict

between principle and party until after agreeing to support Trump (Fox, 2016; Wolfgang and Sherfinski,

2016), once he did that promise was withdrawn with a strategic, nuanced approach. Once the initial

ground zero effect of bypassing the convention was over, Kasich stayed consistent not only in his own

rejection of Trump but by ensuring his staff withheld support of Trumps as well, focusing on down-party

candidates instead (CNN, 2016). His rhetoric was effective enough to inspire Republicans and Democrats

to “imitate and embrace his view” to varied degrees, and he did it by “[establishing himself] as a model

of optimism and commitment” (Ulmer et al., 2008, p. 308).

The two areas where Kasich excels are ethical communication and prospective vision. Kasich’s

four essential meaning making points above illustrate the idea that “renewal is a leader-based form of

communication,” and therefore “is often based upon the leader’s established ethical character” (Ulmer

et al., 2008, p. 306). While the analyzed texts reveal Kasich’s unflinchingly direct approach to

disagreement with other leaders, there is no example of an attack on any leader as a person. His often

congenial demeanor, forthrightness in responding to reporters, and his unwavering alignment of word

and action all cohesively combined to establish his ethical character. Arguably, however, the most

striking example of renewal discourse by Kasich messaging is in prospective vision. This is signified by

“focus on the future, organizational learning,…core values, and rebuilding” (Ulmer et al., p, 307). The

vision Kasich provides is best exemplified in this excerpt from the narrative of the GAU video, which,

interestingly enough, follows the transition title, “Always for renewal” (Kasich, 2016 July):


And imagine for a moment with me that view: fear turns to hope, because we remember to take

strength from one another. Uncertainty turns to peace because we reclaim our faith in the

American ideals that have carried us upward before. And America’s supposed decline becomes

its finest hour. ‘The light of a city on a hill cannot be hidden.’ America is that city, and you are

that light! (Appendix, 3:30)

Conclusion

In the end, no candidate was able to overcome the media volume generated by Trump during

Presidential campaign 2016. But by seizing the opportunity in the crisis created by his refusal to endorse

his party’s candidate (Ulmer et al., 2008, p. 304), Kasich gained enough exposure to effectively insert a

discourse of renewal into an election season otherwise marked by divisive and unethical rhetoric. While

Trump was using sensational tweets in combination with one-way rhetoric in the largest possible

venues, Kasich was doggedly and methodically translating his face to face town hall persona over the

national media and into the hearts and minds of Americans hungry for something better. Kasich lights a

way forward by reconnecting Americans with the ideals established long in our collective past. In so

doing, he inserted a healing rhetorical influence into a badly wounded American political discourse. To

echo the words of the Democrat from Figure 3: Keep it up, John. You are winning the respect of this

[grad student].


Notes

1. Following 27 years in politics, Kasich worked from 2001-2009 as a journalist for Fox News, and as a

board member for several corporations. He returned to politics as Governor of Ohio in 2010. Source:

Wikipedia. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kasich

2. Details on this shooting can be found in the following news article from the Chicago Tribune:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/midwest/ct-milwaukee-officer-shot-suspect-

kills-self-20160717-story.html

3. Facebook video and comment feed URL:

https://www.facebook.com/JohnKasich/videos/10153595610410933/

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Appendix

Transcript: “The Greatness of America is in us” (Kasich, 2016 July)

I was raised in that small Pennsylvania steel town of McKees Rocks, where if the wind blew the wrong way, people would be out of work. It’s awful to feel that insecurity, but we Americans have overcome so many challenges and some many bigger than what we face today.

Always for America

(0:23) At each moment of crisis in America we have united as a country, and as a people. It’s been our secret weapon, all throughout our history. And it’s so simple, but it’s also invincible: we always roll up our sleeves, and get to work when the going gets tough. And we have never, never ever, seen the American spirit fail. America’s strength is that we are bound by shared ideas, by communities and families, and people who are free, creative and giving. This is what makes America great, not some politician, or some law. The spirit of our country rests in us.

Always for Ohio

(1:20) It’s the same formula that we have used in Ohio. We were facing an $8 billion dollar deficit and we had lost 350,000 jobs. In a few short years we turned that deficit into a surplus of $2 billion, and it’s the largest tax cut of any state in the country. Ohio has now created 417,000 private sector jobs.

Always for others

(1:50) You see, I believe we all need to live a life bigger than ourselves. We need to reach out to help lift someone else, because you know what? It comes to us naturally, if we let it. (Voter speaking, at town hall event) ‘Over a year ago, uh, a man who was like a second dad, he killed himself. And, then a few

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQvMtazw18w


months later, my parents got a divorce, and then a few months later, my dad lost his job. But – and I was in a dark place for a long time, I was pretty depressed. But I found hope, and I found it in the Lord, and in my friends, and now I’ve found it my Presidential candidate that I support. And I’d really appreciate one of those hugs you’ve been talking about.’ (2:40) You see, we are, as human beings, hard wired to want to give someone else a lift, give someone else an opportunity. To paraphrase an old adage, ‘I sought the greatness of America in her harbors, and in her rivers, and I did not find it. I sought it in her fertile fields and boundless forests, and did not find it. I sought her greatness in her halls of congress, and I did not find it.’ You see, I see it in us, when we come together, when we lift one another with our eyes on the horizon.

Always for renewal

(3:30) And imagine for a moment with me that view: fear turns to hope, because we remember to take strength from one another. Uncertainty turns to peace because we reclaim our faith in the American ideals that have carried us upward before. And America’s supposed decline becomes its finest hour. ‘The light of a city on a hill cannot be hidden’ (Holy Bible, Matthew 5:14). America is that city, and you are that light!

Always for us (4:09, fadeout)

Documents

Web viewOhio Governor John Kasich’s decision not to attend Republican National Convention (RNC) ... boldly stating his choice of principle over party without a word