The Mainstream Media developed some backbone since we last wrote -- after being brutally manipulated by Donald Trump -- and finally brought full-time 2020 presidential contender, and occasional governor, John Kasich down to size.

Chuck Todd, host of NBC's venerable Meet The Press, recorded an interview with Kasich on Friday Sept. 9 and posted part of it online on Sept. 10. Politico and The Columbus Dispatch reported about it and said it was broadcast on Sunday morning, Sept. 11, but it was never shown and never even mentioned during the hour-long broadcast.

I'm sure Kasich's people would blame it on the breaking news of attempted bombings in the New York City metropolitan area that was covered for a few minutes by Meet The Press, but in the two-thirds of the show devoted to politics, Kasich never came up.

My guess is that MTP's Todd, who has fawned over Kasich in past interviews, finally had enough of Ohio's Prince of Glibness, and realized that Kasich's insincere answers punctuated with Biblical references would not forthrightly address the Big Lie that Kasich told when he promised to support the Republican nominee for president during the primary campaign and then stiffed Trump, after the New York real estate magnate stomped Kasich on the way to the nomination.

Todd should have asked the pious Kasich why he blatantly violated the Biblical Commandment to “not bear false witness.”

Footnote: Kasich calls Trump a defective candidate to justify not endorsing, but look back at Kasich's four decades in politics and you will find several Republicans far more defective than Trump that Ohio's Hypocrite In Chief supported.

Todd gets the pitbull award as the first prominent journalist in a long time to put Kasich in his place.

Gomez shows blatant favoritism toward Kasich

Meanwhile, Henry Gomez, of cleveland.com, co-leader of the Ohio poodle brigade (a Kasich sufferer along with Darrel Rowland of the Dispatch), embarrassed himself with his one-sided account of GOP chairman Reince Priebus taking Kasich to the party woodshed. Gomez labeled it "Reince Priebus' Ohio troubles," showing maximum bias in favor of Kasich. It should have been more accurately described as "Kasich in trouble with national GOP leader." Gomez seems to think he is a sports writer in Columbus covering the Buckeyes (where most readers expect bias even though sports journalists should refrain from being "homers"). No wonder the public's respect for the news media continues to crater.

The story that Gomez and Rowland are remiss to cover is that Kasich's refusal of endorse Trump represents Kasich's selfish attempt to help Hillary Clinton win the presidency so that Kasich can take up nomination mantle in 2020. If Trump wins the presidency, Kasich's chance of ever becoming the Commander in Chief evaporates. He'd be too old by 2024.

If by some quirk of fate, Trump loses Ohio by a razor-thin margin and thus loses the presidency by a few electoral votes, the goat in Republicans' eyes would be Kasich, whose support would have been worth a few thousand votes and likely would have pushed Trump over the top and into the Presidency.

Republicans all over Ohio and throughout the country would be furious with Kasich for undermining Trump and costing the party the top job (and forcing them to endure at least four years of Hillary Clinton). Kasich would become persona non grata and his political career would be over.

Kasich fronting for big donor Wexner in TPP support

Just to prove to Ohioans dislocated by the global economy that he really does not care about them, Kasich was off to Washington DC in September to endorse the Trans Pacific Partnership treaty that would cost more working Ohioans their jobs much like the NAFTA treaty did two decades ago.

Explanation: Kasich wants to please his mega-donor Les Wexner, the Columbus billionaire who makes a fortune from importing Asian-made underclothes for his Victoria's Secret brand.

Dispatch cashes in on addiction-related ads with series 

The Dispatch ran a worthwhile six-part series in September about drug addiction. Sadly, it drew revenue for the Dispatch by attracting advertising next to the articles from the makers of Narcan, an antidote to heroin overdoses, and Dublin Springs, an entity that treats addicts.

Imagine what the upwards of $2 million spent secretly on Kasich's security and travel expenses running for president over the last two years could do to fight the drug epidemic.

Kasich would repay the money from his campaign funds and designate it for treating addiction if he cared more about addicts than his 2020 presidential campaign.

The Associated Press published an article by Julie Carr Smyth Sept. 18 about how the pain care lobby that sells Narcan and the like had pumped $3.5 million into Ohio politicians, mostly Republicans.

So far, the Dispatch has not published it as if not to take away from its series.

DeWine keeps details of Pike County murders secret

The murder of eight people in Pike County remains a mystery with no apparent clues. The Dispatch deserves credit for trying to get the autopsy results by dragging Attorney General Mike DeWine into court.

Kasich was too busy campaigning in New Hampshire to minister to the family and neighbors of the victims. He could get this investigation going with a visit and a phone call.

Quickies

Three years ago Channel 4 brought in Duane Pohlman as its chief investigative reporter and he quickly shook up the market. Then new management curtailed the I-team and moved Pohlman to the 5 p.m. anchor slot, wasting his talents.

Recently, Pohlman left the moribund Channel 4 news team to take over as investigative reporter for Channel 12 in Cincinnati. Cincy's gain is Cbus's loss.

Ted Strickland, now an underdog in his Senate campaign, stated that VP candidate Tim Kaine was well qualified to be president in the event something happened to Hillary Clinton in the wake of Clinton's recent illness. The Dispatch's Rowland latched onto to this as if it showed Strickland to be careless with words, citing its mention on the Drudge Report, a GOP propaganda site. Cleveland.com's Gomez quickly picked it up. Rob Portman must be smiling as Ohio's leading political reporters do his bidding for him.

If you speak GOP, Rowland is looking for a new public affairs reporter.

Poetic injustice

If it's Sunday,
Chuckie T.
Left out
Johnny K.

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(ColumbusMediaInsider, copyright, 2016, John K. Hartman, All Rights Reserved)