--- description: "You can't do it with empty promises" title: John Kasich Lashes Out at Opponents During Debate image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb90952a4af27888c/69886ea0e20a879755a8df1c/john-kasich.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Republican debate](/tag/republican-debate/) ## Republican debate Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # John Kasich Lashes Out at Opponents During Debate  by [Charlotte Alter](/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Oct 29, 2015 1:35 AM CUT  Republican Presidential hopeful John Kasich speaks during the CNBC Republican Presidential Debate on Oct. 28, 2015 at the Coors Event Center at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colo. Republican Presidential hopeful John Kasich speaks during the CNBC Republican Presidential Debate on Oct. 28, 2015 at the Coors Event Center at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colo.Robyn Beck—AFP/Getty Images  by [Charlotte Alter](/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Oct 29, 2015 1:35 AM CUT John Kasich went on the offensive against frontrunners Ben Carson and Donald Trump at [the Republican presidential debate](http://time.com/4091222/republican-debate-cnbc/?xid=homepage "undefined") Wednesday night, criticizing some of their proposed reforms as “fantasy.” “I’m the only person on this stage that was actually involved in the chief architect of balancing the budget,” he said. “You can’t do it with empty promises. These plans would put us trillions and trillions of dollars in debt. I actually have a plan, I’m the only one on this stage that has a plan that would create jobs, cut taxes, balance the budget, and can get it done because I’m realistic.” “You don’t just make promises like this,” he added. “Why don’t we just give a chicken in every pot while we’re coming up with these fantasy tax schemes.” The remarks come after the Ohio governor came out swinging against his Republican opponents in his first answer, criticizing Carson’s plan on Medicare and Medicaid and Trump’s plan on immigration. “I’ve watched and seen people say that we should dismantle Medicare and Medicaid and leave our senior citizens out in the cold,” he said in a response to a question about his own biggest weaknesses. “I’ve heard them talk about deporting 10 or 11 people here from this country out of this country, splitting families. I’ve heard about tax schemes that don’t add up, that put our kids in a deeper hole than they’re in today. We need somebody who can lead, we need someone who can balance budgets, cut taxes. Frankly, I did it in Washington and Ohio and I’ll do it again in Washington if I’m president to get this country moving again. Kasich’s comments Wednesday followed a line of attack from the day before. “I’ve about had it with these people,” Kasich said Tuesday at a rally in Westerville, Ohio, according to [_Politico_.](http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/john-kasich-critiques-gop-2016-candidates-215233 "undefined") “We got one candidate that says we ought to abolish Medicaid and Medicare. You ever heard of anything so crazy as that? Telling our people in this country who are seniors, who are about to be seniors that we’re going to abolish Medicaid and Medicare?” That was a particular dig at neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who is leading in the Iowa polls and has said he would support eviscerating Medicare. He also took swings at Donald Trump, saying that his plan to evict 10-11 million undocumented immigrants was “crazy. That is just crazy.” “We got people proposing health care reform that’s going to leave, I believe, millions of people without adequate health insurance,” Kasich said. “What has happened to our party? What has happened the conservative movement?” ### See the 2016 Candidates Looking Very Presidential  Sen. Ted Cruz is surrounded by stars and stripes at the 2014 Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. on September 26, 2014. Mark Peterson—Redux  Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton gazes pensively into the distance at Iowa Senator Tom Harken'a annual Steak Fry in Indianola, Iowa on September 14, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis for TIME  Jeb Bush Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush flashes a power watch before giving his keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform in Washington on Nov. 20, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Bernie Sanders waves to supporters after officially announcing his candidacy for the U.S. presidency during an event at Waterfront Park in Burlington, Vermont, on May 26, 2015. Win McNamee—Getty Images  Chris Christie New Jersey Governor Chris Christie strikes a presidential power stance at the ceremony for the opening of the 206 bypass in Hillsborough, New Jersey on October 28, 2013. Mark Peterson—Redux  Former Hewlett-Packard Co Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina listens to her introduction from the side of the stage at the Freedom Summit in Des Moines, Iowa on Jan. 24, 2015. Jim Young—Reuters  Rand Paul Sen. Rand Paul works a crowd during a campaign stop on October 24, 2014 in McDonough, Georgia. Jessica McGowan—Getty Images  Rick Perry Texas Gov. Rick Perry looks powerfully patriotic during the National Anthem before an NCAA college football game on Nov. 27, 2014, in College Station, Texas. David J. Phillip—AP  Bobby Jindal Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal looks to the future during The Family Leadership Summit on Aug. 9, 2014, in Ames, Iowa. Charlie Neibergall—AP  Martin O'Malley Maryland Governor Martin OíMalley ponders decorating ideas in front of his possible future home on CBS's Face the Nation on Feb. 23, 2014. Chris Usher—AP  Marco Rubio Sen. Marco Rubio looks determined the morning after the State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. on January 29, 2014. Melissa Golden—Redux  Ben CarsonBen Carson at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference on March 8, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Jim Webb Retiring Sen. Jim Webb imitates the presidential wave during a rally in Virginia Beach, Va. on Sept. 27, 2012. Steve Helber—AP  John Kasich Ohio Gov. John Kasich practices his presidential victory pose at the Ohio Republican Party celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, in Columbus, Ohio. Tony Dejak—AP  Rick Santorum Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum looks resolute at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 7, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis  Scott Walker Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker practices the presidential point on March 3, 2014 in Milwaukee. Jeffrey Phelps—AP  Mike Huckabee Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee fine-tunes his presidential oratory at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md. on March 7, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Lincoln Chafee, Former Rhode Island Governor, poses for a selfie with a student after announcing he will seek the Democratic nomination for president in Arlington, Va. on June 3, 2015. Jonathan Ernst—Reuters  Lindsey Graham Lindsey Graham announced his plans to join the 2016 presidential race. Alex Wong—Getty Images  George Pataki Former New York governor George Pataki listens to a question at the First in the Nation Republican Leadership Conference in Nashua, New Hampshire, in this April 17, 2015 file photo. Brian Snyder—Reuters ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4091377/republican-debate-john-kasich/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4091377/republican-debate-john-kasich/"},"headline":"John Kasich Lashes Out at Opponents During Debate","datePublished":"2015-10-29T01:35:09.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:01:07.134Z","description":"\"You can't do it with empty promises\"","url":"https://time.com/4091377/republican-debate-john-kasich/","keywords":["Republican debate","Donald Trump","john kasich","Dr. Benjamin S. 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