Kasich: GOP debate a ‘demolition derby’

GOP presidential candidate John Kasich said Sunday that, based on the latest debate, his rivals are not heeding his suggestion to tone down negative rhetoric.

{mosads}“You know what, George, it was like a demolition derby, but the good news is my car’s still going around the circuit,” Kasich told host George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “This Week.”

“I had a rally at this barbecue joint out here. It was about 500 people, it was stunning. And people were just — and they were coming up taking pictures, grabbing onto me, wanting me to sign things. They said please stay positive. Please stay positive,” he added.

The Ohio governor also said he doesn’t get “fuel from the negative side.”

“I don’t disagree with [Sen. Marco] Rubio,” he said. “I mean if you’re going to be attacked, you’ve got to defend yourself. You know, but I want to climb out of that as quickly as I can to tell people what I’m for rather than spend my time prolonging a back and forth in a debate like that.”

Kasich called the debates “ridiculous,” saying they are “not a way to pick a president.”

“If you really want to pick a president, come to a town hall. Watch an interaction between a candidate and the public for 30 minutes or 40 minutes,” he said.

“I mean this whole business of who’s got the best sound bite, who has the most clever thing they said, I mean that’s just silly, George. I don’t think Harry Truman could become president through this process. But it’s what we’ve got and we’ll deal with it.”