If he is elected president next year, Gov. John Kasich promises to do for the country what he has done in Ohio. For all but the richest Americans, that isn’t anything to celebrate.

The ostensibly moderate Republican’s tax plan, unveiled last week, would hand massive tax breaks to the wealthiest families and corporations. He would pay for them by slashing essential programs for middle-class and poor Americans, and eliminating entire functions of the federal government.

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This campaign season has shown that such an approach is the opposite of what voters want. Most Americans say they don’t believe the wealthy pay enough taxes, and don’t trust politicians to represent the interests of ordinary citizens.

Governor Kasich has attempted to distinguish his plan from those of other GOP hopefuls, such as billionaire front-runner Donald Trump and Sen. Marco Rubio, who would blow a massive hole in federal revenue without any intention of repairing it. Mr. Kasich claims his plan would create a balanced budget in eight years, to distract voters from its real effects.

There is nothing responsible or pragmatic about his proposals. While economists call for higher taxes on the ultra-rich, Mr. Kasich wants to cut their share of income taxes, slash the already inadequate capital gains tax, and eliminate the estate tax on millionaire and billionaire heirs.

His obsession with a balanced budget, even if it could be achieved, would impose austere conditions on millions of Americans and impede economic growth. His plan doesn’t explain how it would raise enough revenue to eliminate the deficit, according to an analysis by the budget-hawkish Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

Mr. Kasich and the General Assembly have eliminated Ohio’s estate tax, which was used primarily to finance local governments. He reduced taxes for wealthy households — for the top 1 percent of Ohioans, by nearly $12,000 on average — while increasing what the bottom half of earners pay. He brags that his tax cuts have made Ohio friendlier to businesses and job creators, although they have left hard-pressed cities such as Toledo struggling to provide basic services.

One policy area in which Governor Kasich has shown courage and strong leadership — his decision to expand Medi-caid coverage to a half-million working-poor Ohioans — could help him appeal to reality-oriented voters. Yet the Republican Party’s extreme base has forced him to defend that achievement against ideological attacks, and distance himself from the successful Affordable Care Act, without which the Medicaid expansion could not exist.

Mr. Kasich pledges to repeal Obamacare and replace it with a program with fewer “conditions,” so that states could easily impose monthly premiums and new restrictions on eligibility, as his administration has sought to do in Ohio. His budget would convert Medicaid to a block grant controlled by states, opening the door for states to limit coverage.

At a campaign event last week, Mr. Kasich counseled an audience member concerned about Social Security cuts  to “get over it.” This appears to reflect the vision for America of the entire GOP presidential field: Wealthy campaign donors would prosper, while the rest of the nation would be left to deal with the consequences of bad policy, and be forced to get over it.

First Published October 21, 2015, 4:00 a.m.