Kasich: the Bible says help the poor, you know, unless they are lazy

John Kasich was interviewed on WTVN this morning by Joel Riley.  In response to a question about Medicaid expansion, Kasich followed the formula for his standard response: I’m a religious man who reads the bible and the bible tells me I should be helping the poor.

Fair enough.  We support Medicaid expansion, and if takes some old-timey Christian guilt to get conservatives to sign on, then I’m all for it.

But during this interview, Kasich added a new caveat directed at WTVN’s largely conservative audience: we want to be careful we’re not helping out the lazy ones.

“It’s a sin not to help people who need help,” said Kasich.  “But it’s also a sin to help people who need to learn how to help themselves.”

Clearly Kasich was referring to Luke 14:12-14 where Jesus said “when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind – unless they are lazy, mooching welfare queens who drive around in Cadillacs talking on their Obamaphones.”

Here’s the audio: