Ohio Governor John Kasich traveled to California to speak at an event for Latino outreach and it appears things were going well until he shared a personal anecdote.
Kasich told the audience a story about tipping his hotel maid where he was staying in Los Angeles.
"A lot of them do jobs that they're willing to do and, uh, that's why in the hotel you leave a little tip," said Kasich before a small group inside the Shady Canyon Golf Club, nestled in a gated Irvine neighborhood. [...]
"This lady wrote me in my hotel there in L.A. She wrote this note. It said, 'I really want you to know that I care about your stay.' Is that just the greatest thing?" he said. "So, you know, we can learn a lot and she's Hispanic, 'cause I didn't know it at the time, but I met her in the hallway -- asked her if I could get a little more soap,” said a chuckling Kasich.
Obviously I wasn't there so I can only interpret the story as it's been reported by the Los Angeles Times, but it appears to me Kasich spoke about tipping his maid and then, after realizing his mistake, he made up a story about not knowing she was Hispanic until he met her in the hallway.
He wouldn't want it to look like he automatically assumed his maid was Hispanic, right? Even if that's the truth.
Local Latino activists interpreted it that way as well according to the Times, saying that Kasich's comments lack a "vision where immigrants are more than just 'the help.'"
This is not quite as offensive as comments made by most of the other Republicans presidential candidates who've called for mass deportation and giant walls, but it is amusing in that you could replace Kasich with Mitt Romney in this story and you'd be none the wiser.