Posted on 07/17/2005 12:57:11 PM PDT by mosquitobite
Political Commentary
Manchester, NH, July 10 - Indiana Senator Evan Bayh says it's good to be back in New Hampshire. Judging by the standing ovation he received at a small gathering in Keene, New Hampshire Sunday afternoon, Democrats there are glad to see him as well.
Who could blame them. After unsuccessful bids by Al Gore and John Kerry, Democrats in New Hampshire are hoping a new face will surface. Bayh's credentials as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a former governor who has experience balancing a budget is an alluring combination.
The would-be Presidential candidate says winning five elections in a state that clearly favors Republicans in Presidential elections proves he can appeal to Republicans and Independents. Don't forget the party is shopping for someone who can win a state in between New York and California.
"It is time for someone who really means it when they say I am a uniter and not a divider," Bayh told a small group of about 30 Democrats in Manchester.
At every stop on Sunday the Senator heard at least one person say, 'I remember the first time I met your father.' Bayh says he remembers campaigning for his dad, former U.S. Senator Birch Bayh, in New Hampshire and in Iowa back in 1976.
But when a reporter asked about the family connection he responded, "My presence today is not genetic. However I am very proud of my father and his service to his state and his country. Caring about our country is something he and I share. That is what has brought me here today. "
He is there to test the waters, to dip his toes in Presidential politics. Other Hoosiers have tried it and failed, including his father. Senator Evan Bayh has never lost an election.
The Bayh name carries a lot of weight in Indiana. It apparently will also give him a place to start in New Hampshire.
He may not be there solely because of genetics. To his credit he has built upon the foundation his father left him. Now if he wants to step out of his father's shadow he'll need to do it again.
I would prefer Bayh to Clinton any day. I'm thinking about switching my party affiliation to vote for Bayh in the primaries. If he wins, that would shift the entire political spectrum to the right.
Of course, I don't know yet who's going to be running on the GOP side, and if there is someone particularly better than the alternatives, I would probably leave my affiliation as it is to weigh in on that race.
Bayh is another word for boring!
Boring is good these days.
Not that I prefer him to the GOP alernatives... He's still to the left of center, and if elected, will govern to the center of his base, which will be on the left.
I made a point of watching Bayh when this session of Congress started, because I thought he probably would be looking to run for POTUS....
And, I was surprised at how liberal he has become in his voting....I had thought of him as more moderate, because I had heard that he had headed the more moderate DLC, as opposed to the progressive DNC...
BUT, lo and behold, he must have been listening when George Soros of MOVEON.ORG fame, told the dems after Bush won in November, that with all the money he and his group have thrown at that election, they OWN the dem party and expect their progressive policies to be promoted...
I see Bayh is a good little dem, and following orders, but I don't think it will do him any good....
Hillary is the only one that Soros will LET be the candidate, and all of this money is going to her!
He's not moderate in his voting, but only in his rhetoric. On the other hand, it is hard to press a liberal agenda while spouting moderate rhetoric.
"Bayh is another word for boring!"
Yes, but boring won all of his elections in Indiana. I'm afraid Bayh would take Indiana, and compete well in other tight midwestern states, in the '08 general election. His problem will be getting past Hillary for the nomination. For this reason, Bayh has been trying to tack left in recent months to cozy up to the lunatic Dim base. Might work, if Hitlery stumbles? But, more likely the Veep spot under Hill will be his best chance in '08. Hill would be smart to pick him as it might help her pick off red-state Indiana and nearby Ohio. And, if Hill loses, Bayh would be first in the spotlight for 2012, at age 57.
I don't know...
Hillary might not want a running mate that is "prettier" than she is! LOL
I think the GOP is going to lose several seats in 06. The question is whether it will hold onto the majority in the Senate.
The House Dems are so far to the left, they couldn't regain a majority if the entire GOP side of the aisle dropped dead.
Few people in Indiana actually know what Bayh's voting record in the Senate is. He is not a moderate and has never been one. The GOP attack team in 2008 will really hurt his image in Indiana. A Bayh presidential bid may be a good thing for the Indiana GOP for the following reasons:
Right now Bayh is untouchable, a high-profile presidential campaign will inform the voters of Indiana about his voting record, he'll loose the Republican voters who voted for him and a lot of independents in the state. If he wins in 2008, a Republican will replace him in the Senate. If he looses in 2008, he'll go down to defeat in a bid for re-election in 2010.
The Best case scenario: Richard Lugar is the VP nominee in 2008, he carries Indiana against Bayh (although Bayh won't carry Indiana in any event), Bayh's image in Indiana is trashed by a nasty presidential campaign throughout the state, he loses in 2008 and the loses in 2010 by a 10 point margin in a bid for a third-term to the senate.
End result: Lugar and Bayh are out of the Senate, out of Indiana politics and the Hoosier state will have two fire-breathing Conservative Republican ideologues representing it in the Senate once again by 2011.
The voters of Indiana only need to be educated on how liberal this guy is and then no amount of chicken dinners and professing to be a "cornpone-good ole' boy" will save him in either '08 or '10.
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