Gov. John Kasich has fewer delegates than Sen. Marco Rubio, who dropped out of the presidential race last month. In the upcoming primaries, Kasich is sure to split the anti-Trump vote with Sen. Ted Cruz, which could have the effect of handing precious delegates to Donald Trump. He takes on a holier-than-thou attitude toward those who disagree with his more expansive approach to using his fellow citizens’ taxes, basically telling them they’ll have to answer for their views in the afterlife. He claims he can beat Hillary Clinton, citing numerous polls. But he’s played so far back in the shadows of this presidential race that I wouldn’t be surprised if name recognition is a problem for him in some areas. In short he’s arrogant and delusional.  And he could end up handing the nomination to Donald Trump.

RedStater Leon Wolf provides a roundup of Kasich’s potential mischief-making if he stays in the race, here. Read it and weep.

This all leads me to suggest conservative voters should start focusing their “never” campaigns on Kasich. Let’s get the #NeverKasich ball rolling. Here’s why I think it’s important: Kasich won’t be  persuaded by mere factual arguments about his slim chances in this race. He is delusional about his ability to win. He seems to think that going into a contested convention he’ll have an upper hand because of those national polls showing that an unknown, uh, make that him, could beat Hillary Clinton in the general election. He really believes those polls, despite the fact that we’ve seen the collapse of good polling results over and over in this and previous seasons.

So, arguing that he just can’t get there from here, using the maths, will fall on deaf ears. He really believes he can get there — to the nomination, that is — with the polls behind him and a few delegate wins here and there (emphasis on “few”).

The only way I figure to really knock him out of the race is to begin a #NeverKasich campaign that focuses on pushing him out of public life entirely. Never Kasich as vice president. Never Kasich as high-level cabinet officer. Never Kasich as important ambassador. Never Kasich on advisory committees. Never Kasich as an RNC officer. Never Kasich as dog catcher.

Nothing, nada, zilch for this man whose ego won’t let him see the reality of what’s happening — that he has no chance. Not now. Not in the general. Can you imagine him in a debate with Hillary? His “aw, shucks,” shoulder-shrugging, “can’t we all get along” schtick will be no match for Clinton’s glib performances. He’ll look like yesterday’s news, and that’s saying something when she already is yesterday’s news. And…he might end up agreeing with her if she starts attacking Republicans. Because, golly gee, we all know those nasty Medicaid-expansion-stopping Republicans can’t get past St. Peter unless they follow Kasich’s example, right? I’m sure he’d be happy to place that halo over his head.

So, I’m on the #NeverKasich train now. Who’s with me?

Libby Sternberg is a novelist, and, okay, she’s proud to announce that her Jane Eyre-inspired book, Sloane Hall, was one of only 14 books featured at a Simon & Schuster blog about Bronte’s 200th birthday (and she’s not even published by S &S). Too excited not to share.