Kasich retreats from politically charged health law comments

After telling the Associated Press that he didn't think a repeal of the health law was going to happen, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, took aggressive steps to attempt to correct the record. His statement, he said, was meant only about attempts to repeal the Medicaid expansion, which Ohio has implemented. 

Politico: Gov. John Kasich: Repeal Obamacare, But Not All Of It
A political firestorm broke out Monday when The Associated Press quoted Kasich as saying that Obamacare repeal was "not gonna happen." That view is almost unheard of -; at least in public -; among most Republicans, let alone those who might run for the White House in 2016. Kasich said AP got it wrong, and he called POLITICO Monday night to correct the record. He said he was talking specifically about repeal of the expansion of Medicaid -; which Ohio has implemented -; and not of the Affordable Care Act more broadly (Wheaton, 10/21).

The New York Times: Ohio Governor Backpedals On Repeal Of Health Law
Wait, that's not what I really meant. Gov. John Kasich of Ohio said his comments about a Republican-led Congress being unlikely to repeal the Affordable Care Act -; which commentators on the right and left pounced upon Monday -; were taken out of context. Mr. Kasich, a Republican mentioned as a 2016 presidential hopeful, in an interview distanced himself from the notion that he had accepted the health care law as a fait accompli. The idea is anathema to almost all Republican officials, and especially the party's base (Gabriel, 10/20).

The Washington Post: Kasich: I 'Don't Back Obamacare' And I 'Want It To Be Repealed'
Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) is pushing back on reports that he'd said Obamacare was here to stay, saying Monday night that he opposes the federal health care law and believes it could be repealed and replaced under a Republican president and GOP-controlled Congress. "I don't back Obamacare. I never have. I want it to be repealed," he told The Washington Post in a telephone interview (Sullivan, 10/20).

CNN: Kasich In Interview: Obamacare Has To Stay
A repeal of President Barack Obama's signature health care law is "not gonna happen" even if the GOP takes the Senate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich said. The Republican governor's comments, in an interview with The Associated Press published Monday, are a major departure from the rest of his party -- and stunning for a potential 2016 presidential contender (Bradner, 10/20).

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Does John Kasich Still Want To Repeal Obamacare?
So it was surprising Monday to see Kasich quoted in an Associated Press story that characterizes his position as shifting even farther to the left. "That's not gonna happen," Kasich reportedly told the AP when asked about a repeal of Obamacare, something many GOP candidates for president and Congress favor. ... But when it comes to the Affordable Care Act in its entirety, Kasich has in the past expressed support for "repeal and replace" -- a standard Republican stance. What's changed? Nothing, said Kasich press secretary Rob Nichols. "He's for repeal and replace," Nichols said Monday afternoon. "He always has been." Nichols said Kasich was speaking specifically about Medicaid expansion when interviewed by the AP (Gomez, 10/20).

The AP story that quoted Kasich also looks at other GOP governors who face a similar pull between their choice to expand Medicaid and their positions on the overall health law -

The Associated Press: GOP Governors Don't See 'Obamacare' Going Away
While Republicans in Congress shout, "Repeal Obamacare," GOP governors in many states have quietly accepted the law's major Medicaid expansion. Even if their party wins control of the Senate in the upcoming elections, they just don't see the law going away. Nine Republican governors have expanded Medicaid for low-income people in their states, despite their own misgivings and adamant opposition from conservative legislators. Three more governors are negotiating with the Democratic administration in Washington (Alonso-Zaldivar, 10/20).