Host Chuck Todd closes out each show with the tagline: "If it's Sunday, its 'Meet the Press.'"
The same might be said of Ohio's governor: "If it's Sunday, it's John Kasich."
Ohio's governor continues to be a staple on the NBC News fixture, and other cable TV shows, as a Republican willing to dis party policy and President Donald Trump.
The lame-duck governor professes his high profile involves no "end game" — such as another run for president — but rather a desire to speak out against wrongs ranging from health care to immigration to foreign policy.
Kasich loves the TV lights. His number of national TV appearances, and out-of-state visits on a host of issues, outnumbered the official appearances he made as governor last year.
Kasich was interviewed at least 62 times on an assortment of national TV networks in 2017, eclipsing by eight the number of times he delivered speeches, cut ribbons, toured factories and the like as Ohio's CEO.
The governor bristled a bit last week when asked what "end game" fueled his desire to accommodate the TV talking heads.
"Where is my end game? My end game is to have a voice as much as I can where I feel motivated," Kasich said, proceeding to denounce as "disgraceful" the prospect of deporting the "Dreamers," immigrants who came to the U.S. as children with their parents or other adults.
"I'm going to continue wherever I can to raise a voice as long as my friends and as long as the Lord gives me a voice to talk about things that I think are not just or fair. We’re all screwballs, including me. I'm going to make mistakes. But when I see this, I’ve got to say something about it," he said.
Kyle Kondik, an Ohio native and managing editor of the newsletter Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, believes otherwise.
"As somebody who ran for president and as governor of a prominent state and someone who has been very critical of Trump, he continues to be in demand" by the TV pundits, he said.
"You would have to be naive to look at his national profile and think there was no way he would run for president. Only he knows what he might be up to, but it certainly seems possible he would run for president again," Kondik said.
"Questions about him running for president certainly are legitimate. Whether it's as an independent or gadfly challenger to Trump remains to be seen."
Texan John Weaver, Kasich's presidential campaign strategist who continues to advise the governor on political matters, says Kasich is not out to promote Kasich for 2020.
"It's about keeping that voice, which is sadly under represented, in the marketplace. You don't seen him on TV talking about running for president. You see him passionately talking about issues and common-sense solutions."
Kasich rarely seeks out TV appearances, Weaver said. "We're not soliciting these. He's not trying to find anything but solutions on big problems that matter to the American people and if that offends some people, so be it."
The governor seconds: "With most of these stories that come about, whether it's Anderson Cooper, whether it’s 'Meet the Press' or any of these stories, they call me. We don’t go around calling them. Now, once in awhile we may a call when I want to say something. But what’s the end game? There is no end game that I can think of."
Kasich has talked, seemingly seriously, of perhaps becoming a member of the media again after he departs office in about a year. He hosted "Heartland with John Kasich" on Fox News from 2001 to 2007.
In a footnote to the new year, Kasich has made five national TV appearances so far in 2018 as compared to two public appearances as governor. Kasich also traveled to Detroit on Wednesday to sell auto executives on locating in or expanding in Ohio.
rludlow@dispatch.com
@RandyLudlow