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Kasich: Congress needs to look in the mirror
By Lucy Madison
July 6, 2011

(CBS News)  Republican Gov. John Kasich of Ohio says Washington lawmakers need to look at themselves in the mirror and re-evaluate their political motivations. 

On CBS’ “Face the Nation” Sunday, Kasich suggested that Washington politicians were acting out of their own individual political interests rather than those of their constituents, and called on them to “start thinking about how they’re going to feel about themselves when they leave” office. 

“At the end of the day you look yourself in the mirror and you say to yourself, ‘Did I do what was right for families and for children? If I paid a political price, so what?’”Kasich said. “I mean, there’s too much posturing. There’s too much thinking about your party, yourself.” 

Kasich (who was joined on the show by fellow governors Deval Patrick, D-Mass., and Scott Walker, R-Wis., as well as Democratic Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles) echoed a recurring sentiment during the program: Outside of Washington, the guests suggested, lawmakers of all stripes are able to solve economic problems by working together and making tough choices. 

“I think in cities and states, you’re seeing a lot less of the polarization, the ideological warfare that you see in the Beltway,” argued Villaraigosa. “Really solving problems. I like to say, [voters] elect legislators to talk. They elect mayors and governors to act.” 

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