On Sunday, Ohio governor John Kasich said that Common Core was an entirely local/state affair, that opponents of it never offer any evidence to the contrary, and that the only reason to oppose it is if “you’re running for something.” None of this is true. The Obama administration gave a powerful boost to Common Core by rewarding states that adopted it, both with money and with regulatory relief; opponents point this out all the time; and obviously many people who aren’t running for something oppose it, or else those who are running for something would have no incentive to join that opposition.

I think that it’s possible for a Republican politician to support the Common Core and get the nomination. Whether you can get it while insulting the opponents is a different story. But that seems to be a pattern with Governor Kasich. When he was sworn in for his second term earlier this month, the governor noted that he could sometimes be “self-righteous” and said we should all work to overcome that quality. Good advice.