Kasich Lehman TV ads: "I just worked there. "

THE PLAIN DEALER reports today that John Kasich, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, has opened his TV campaign in Columbus and Cincinnati with an attempt to set the record straight about his non-intrusive work experience with his past employer. As you might suspect, he's quite sensitive about criticism that he was a well-paid human satellite when Lehman Brothers tanked in 2009. He continues to insist that "Don't blame me, I just worked there" from his isolated Columbus office. But his 2008 tax returns strongly suggest his usefulness as a Lehman manager who did more than to turn out the lights at the end of the day. The firm paid him $182,692 salary plus a bonus of $432,200 that year. (In addition he was a Fox News commentator that paid him $265,000).

Since Kasich is not a professional athlete, his income from Wall Street in the year that his soaring company flamed out seems a little extravagant for a self-described bench warmer. Still, he goes on likening himself to a detached hypothetical Zanesville car dealer who is blamed for General Motors' woes.

Nearly a decade has passed since the hypothetical Kasich left congress. Considering the voters' shrunken memories these days, it would be a good guess that he is not well known by many folks outside of the right wing spin bin. So you can be assured that some of his assistance will be coming from his friends at Fox as well as his Tea Party allies.

The Plain Dealer quotes him as saying that he denies dodging the mainstream media, except when he is asked a dumb question. That category, I would guess, includes asking him when he will release his full 2009 tax return. Or an honest assessment of what went wrong at Lehman Brothers. Or why he was paid so much to do so little. Or how the state can survive a 40 pct. loss in revenue if his idea to end the income tax is ever enacted (a disaster waiting to happen?).

All dumb questions, I know. But where do you start?