‘Two Paths’ about 2016 campaign, media, politics

Ohio Governor John Kasich has a new book coming out in April.

This book, his fourth, is called “Two Paths: America Divided or United.” It will deal with his run for the presidency in the last election and issues facing America.

Kasich has published three other books, Courage is Contagious; Stand for Something; and Every Other Monday. All made the New York Times bestsellers list. This is the first book Kasich has written since becoming governor.

Among the subjects Kasich writes about in “Two Paths: America Divided or United” include his life in politics and issues like fake news, media bias, the politics of voting, the redrawing of voting districts and “the danger of political leaders telling constituents only what they want to hear whether it’s true or not.”

Kasich wrote that there are very real problems facing the country that cannot be ignored.

“We’ve got to recognize that the very real problems facing this country cannot be ignored. We cannot be confused or distracted by bitterness and rancor. We cannot allow exclusion to take the place of inclusion. We cannot accept distorted truths and half-baked notions simply because they make us feel good or, because they make us forget for a moment how we really feel,” he wrote. “We must hold fast to our principles as a society, because without them we’re lost. The way forward is to focus on our shared moral compass, the one that points us to honesty, integrity, personal responsibility, faith, humility, compassion, forgiveness, tolerance that will get us back on track.”

The Washington Post called the book “partly a memoir and partly a call to arms for a better and more united country.”

The “two paths” theme is a familiar one for Kasich. In April 2016, he mentioned the two paths while campaigning against now-President Donald Trump and Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

He said in his speech that one path leads to darkness that is the opposite of all America has meant for 240 years and that “just as an all-consuming fear of America in decline ends in visions of America’s destruction, a political strategy based on exploiting Americans instead of lifting them up inevitably leads to divisions, paranoia, isolation, and promises that can never, ever be fulfilled.”

He said the higher path is what makes America great, not some politician or some law. The spirit of our country rests in us.

Kasich used the same two paths idea in his successful campaign against incumbent Ted Strickland in the 2010 Ohio Governor race.

Kasich was the last Republican candidate to drop out of the primary. He refused to endorse Trump, didn’t attend the Republican Convention despite it being in Cleveland and didn’t vote for Trump in the election.

However, Kasich did attend Trump’s inauguration.

“Two Paths: America Divided or United” is set to be released on April 25 by publisher Thomas Dunne Books. Kasich himself will read the audio book version.