ANOTHER ONE? – AT 9:05 A.M. ET:  Governor John Kasich of Ohio is about to enter the presidential race.  From The Hill: 

John Kasich on Tuesday will enter the Republican race for the White House needing a burst of momentum to claim a spot in the first GOP debate, scheduled for Aug. 6 in the Ohio governor’s home state.

Kasich joins the fight with the respect of establishment Republicans and conservative media pundits, who have long seen him as a potential rival to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

But he’s little known nationally, and polls have him falling outside the GOP’s top 10 — which would keep him off the debate stage in Cleveland next month.

“His central problem is that he has all of Jeb’s weaknesses and lacks some of his strengths,” said Republican strategist Matt Mackowiak.

To do well, Kasich needs to jumpstart his campaign with a successful launch from Ohio State University.

Kasich plans to pitch himself to primary voters as the only candidate in the field with experience on Capitol Hill, in the private sector and as governor. He’s putting most of his chips on a solid showing in New Hampshire, where he’ll be running in the same mainstream conservative lane as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Bush — who has so far outraised Kasich by about a 10-to-1 margin.

COMMENT:  The Republicans have an embarrassment of riches, and the embarrassment is getting greater.  There are simply too many candidates, and the field must be narrowed to give voters a coherent choice.

Kasich is a good man.  He belongs in the race.  Most of them do.  But the objective is to come out of the nominating process with the best possible candidate, and things look pretty muddled right now.

July 21,  2015