Re Evan Bayh: The sky is officially falling.
Dionysus
HEAD: Evan Bayh's shocker
Steven G. Calabresi
Professor of law, Northwestern University :
Senator Bayh�s decision to retire is a stunning blow to Senate Democrats and
the Obama Administration. It moves a seat which was leaning Democrat or a
toss up to the leaning Republican pick up column. This is a real boost to
GOP hopes for regaining a majority in the Senate. Republicans now need only
to recruit strong Senate candidates for the two New York seats and in
Wisconsin and Washington State to put themselves within striking distance of
reclaiming the majority.
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Peter Fenn
Democratic media consultant :
I am shocked, shocked.....usually this is said in sarcasm -- from the line
in the movie Casablanca to most Washington events that really cease to
shock. But this one comes as a very big surprise and should engender more
than the typical political horse race analysis.
If what Evan is saying about the political environment in Washington is
truly the reason for his departure, and I believe it is, that should mean
something to people on both sides of the aisle. This is not the same Senate
that his father served in for 18 years, this is not the same public service
career that Evan signed up for at age 30. Partisan gridlock, vitriol
dripping from nearly every press release, 60 votes accepted to rename a post
office in the U.S. Senate, serious problems swept under the rug because
Congress can not function -- this is not a blip, this is a sad commentary on
our politics. When will the current crop of elected representatives realize
that the public is truly fed up with their inability to solve the health
care crisis, attack the deficit, create an economic climate that creates
good paying jobs, improve out education system, the list goes on and on.
Of course these aren't easy, of course they will take time and real effort,
of course they will be hotly debated and discussed. But, after all, why did
these folks run for office in the first place? Hopefully, not simply to get
reelected again and again, with little to show for the personal sacrifice
and tough campaigns.
---------------------
Diane Ravitch
Historian of education, NYU and Brookings :
Evan Bayh's retirement is not a good sign for the future of bipartisanship.
He is a centrist, and it seems that the center is not holding. If senators
such as Bayh leave or lose, the rancor in Washington will get louder and
meaner. Not good for the country, and not good for President Obama's agenda.
-----------------------
Robert Zelnick
Journalism Prof, Boston University, Research Fellow, Hoover :
Evan Bayh's decision against seeking a third Senate term hit me like a blow
to the solar plexus. Over the years I have seen many sure winners step down
out of frustration with their inability to get things done, but most were
members of whatever party happened to be in the minority at the time, and
most had been members of the House of Representatives, where the majority
determines the rule for each bill and, therefore, the fate of each item. The
Senate, on the other hand, was created by God as a place of work and play
for many whose egos would make them dysfunctional if forced to find gainful
employment outside.
Bayh is not that sort. The son of Sen. Birch Bayh, pretty much a doctrinaire
liberal, who campaigned for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1976,
Evan Bayh ran and tried to govern from the center, both as governor of
Indiana and United States Senator.But a rumored presidential quest never
found much support. Most of his fellow Democrats found his centrist, good
government nostrums quite boring, lending credence to the late Senator Jesse
Helms' observation that the only thing likely to be found in the center of
the road are dead possums.
Ironically Bayh's exit from a race he was expected to win easily comes as
Dan Coats--a Hoosier who served as a member of the House and Senate before
retiring for reasons sounding very much like those of Bayh--has been
dropping hints he may be up for a contest against Bayh. With Bayh out, a
Coates campaign and plausible Republican victory now seem to be shaping up.
Even with other possible GOP pick-ups, the likelihood of the Democrats
losing "control" of the Senate still seems a long-shot (6-8 seems more
likely). But having shown a total lack of political technique--even with a
10 seat margin-- in dealing with GOP defensive tactics, "Bayh's Disease" may
become contagious.
---------------
Lou Zickar
Editor, The Ripon Forum :
I wouldn't be surprised to see some major shake-up in the Democratic party
ranks as a result of Senator Bayh's retirement. The bleeding continues for
the Democrats, and no speech by the President is going to stop it. If I had
to lay money on it, I'd say Rahm Emanuel is going to be forced out and an
elder statesmen is going to be brought in to replace him. Someone like
George Mitchell might make sense. He's respected on both sides of the aisle
and would help calm nerves among Democrats on Capitol Hill. Moreover, to the
extent health care is still a priority for the Administration, he might also
help bring in the two Maine Senators and give the President something he
desperately needs at this point in time -- a victory.
----------------
Mike McCurry
Former White House press secretary :
Evan Bayh is part of the glue that holds an increasingly polarized place
like the U.S. Senate together. My old boss in my Senate days, Daniel Patrick
Moynihan, was fond of saying that �a principal question of American
democracy is whether the center can hold.� Centrism is not much in fashion
these days but the lack of it is wrecking our country. I know Senator Bayh
is right that he can make some outstanding contribution outside of the
Senate � in commerce, academia or charity. But his departure will further
diminish an institution that is not so much any longer the world�s greatest
deliberative body.
----------------
Martin Frost
Attorney, former Democratic congressman :
re Evan Bayh:
The sky is officially falling.
----------------
Larry J. Sabato
Professor of Politics, University of Virginia :
Anybody who says Evan Bayh is retiring because he feared being defeated by
ex-Sen. Dan Coats is dead wrong. Bayh was the clear favorite in that
match-up, and Coats has been damaged by the lobbying and residency
revelations about him over the last couple of weeks.
And that�s why this is such a setback for Democrats. The Crystal Ball has
immediately re-categorized this seat from Likely D to Toss Up, pending a
clearer picture of the party nominees. 2010 is going to be a Republican
year, and despite Obama�s narrow 2008 victory in Indiana, the Hoosier State
is still GOP territory overall. At the very least, Democrats will have to
spend big bucks to hold the seat, if they can hold it at all. The logical
Democratic candidate would probably be an incumbent House member, perhaps
Brad Ellsworth (age 51), Joe Donnelly (age 54), or Baron Hill (age 56). Hill
has already run against Senate appointee Coats in the 1990 special election
(following Sen. Dan Quayle�s resignation to become Vice President), and lost
to Coats by a respectable 54% to 46%. Since Hill faces yet another tough
rematch with former GOP Cong. Mike Sodrel, Hill might be especially tempted
to make the run. But this is all speculation.
On the Republican side, the instant frontrunner for the nomination (and
maybe the general election) is none other than former Sen. Coats. However,
Coats is no longer the inevitable victor after the facts that have surfaced
recently. It will be interesting to see if ex-Cong. John Hostettler (R) or a
third candidate can make hay out of Coats� difficulties. If Indianans think
they are choosing the next senator in the GOP primary, they�re going to be
picky�and Coats has given them a lot to pick over in his past.
Overall, Bayh�s announcement is another body blow to Democratic chances of
maintaining any substantial margin in the Senate that convenes next January.
A couple of more surprises like Bayh�s and we�ll all be talking about the
possibility of the Democrats losing the Senate entirely�but we�re not there
yet and may never be. The Crystal Ball�s estimate of a 7-seat gain for the
GOP is still a reasonable one, but under ideal conditions for the GOP, it
could expand to 8.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That needs repeating: Martin Frost Attorney, former Democratic congressman:
"re Evan Bayh: The sky is officially falling."
Hehehe......
No surrender!
Dionysus
zzpat
Dionysus wrote:
> FROM POLITICO'S ARENA
>
> HEAD: Evan Bayh's shocker
>
>
>
Bayh was a conservative right wing nut. The party will be far better
off without him. He opposed almost every thing Obama proposed. Like
all conservatives in Congress, he seemed utterly intent on keeping us
at war in Iraq at a cost of trillions but couldn't see spending a few
dollars on Americans for health care.
Bayh even cosponsored the resolution to take us to war in Iraq...a war
based entirely on lies.
Anyone who calls him a centrist is lying. He was as close to the
fringe as they get.
Just recently Bayh warned Democrats to give in more on health care to
get more republican support. The man was totally delusional if he
thought the GOP would lift a finger to do anything productive.
I can't imagine a single liberal being concerned that this right wing
nut is leaving the Senate.
Dionysus
"zzpat" <zzpa...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:272e9085-eb21-499b...@d27g2000yqn.googlegroups.com...
And that, folks, is a wonderful example of "whistling past the graveyard."
Hehehe!
No surrender!
Dionysus
Daniel
> Dionysus wrote:
> > FROM POLITICO'S ARENA
>
> > HEAD: Evan Bayh's shocker
>
> Bayh was a conservative right wing nut. The party will be far better
> off without him. He opposed almost every thing Obama proposed.
You are one stump dumb lying piece of shit. Bayh voted in lockstep
with nobama and has seen the writing on the wall.
Henway
To you far left fringe uber-progressives anybody to the right of
Stalin is "too far right" !! ROTGDFLMMFAO !!
John Galt
Well, liberals are accustomed to being tiny minorities. Ergo, no reason
to be concerned about Bayh leaving.
JG
Day Brown
> Hehehe......
>
> No surrender!
Which also means no reasonable compromise, which is the basic problem.
The vast majority of the posts here are by zealots of one kind or the
other, either of which would result in defacto fascist tyranny. Most of
the electorate is too neurotic to deal with the ambiguity of political
or economic reality, and this is reflected in a neurotic congress.
Part of the problem is that we dont have a 'free press' but corporate
media, which loves sensationalism because that drives up ratings, and
therefore ad revenues. Compromise to get anything real done is just too
damn boring.
Systemic failure would be inevitable were it not for the fact corporate
media is global and so many other governments are even more corrupt and
inept. There's some hope as well that venues such as this can inform the
voters of how this all works and thus encourage more rational candidates
with more reasonable policy rather than partisan rhetoric.