Posted on 08/04/2005 11:22:47 AM PDT by Tumbleweed_Connection
Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh, a possible presidential candidate in 2008, said Thursday that his party lacks credibility on national security and needs to convince Americans that Democrats are willing to use force when necessary.
Until the party can persuade voters, it will be unable to move the debate to issues that work for Democrats, Bayh said in an interview with The Associated Press.
"Unless the American people know that we will be good stewards of the nation's security, they're unlikely to trust us with anything else," said the two-term Indiana senator. "That's a very important threshold we have to get over."
Bayh said there are legitimate grounds to criticize President Bush's approach to fighting terrorism, but until Democrats establish more credibility on the issue, many voters won't listen.
"Many Americans wonder if we're willing to use force to defend the country even under the most compelling of circumstances," Bayh said. "The majority of Democrats would answer that question that, yes, there is a right place and a right time. We don't get to have that discussion because many people don't think we have the backbone."
Bayh has spent three days in Iowa, the first presidential caucus state, attending party fundraisers and meeting privately with activists who play a crucial role in Democratic politics.
Bayh said he would make a decision on a presidential bid after next year's midterm elections, basing it, in part, on whether he has a realistic chance of winning the nomination.
"Is this a sensible thing to do?" he said. "I've never been a big person for fool's errands. I think you have to conclude you have some prospect of being successful."
Bayh said his electoral success in heavily Republican Indiana and moderate views are a model for Democrats to end their recent electoral failures. Summing up those failures are polls that show voters overwhelmingly trusting Republicans on national security, he said.
"We've got a few voices out there who would be a little bit more on the fringe," Bayh said. "Unfortunately, too often they define the entire party."
Sounds like a slap at Howard Dean...
In the last Ohio presidential election, Ohio was nearly 50/50 between President Bush and that doofus sKerry. However, defense of marriage referendum passed like 86/14. So that means many, many Democraps voted for sKerry but not for gay rights.
If Bayh would ever recommends this, the howling would run him out of the party.
yeah, they do, evan. and you ain't the one to bring 'em back.
He's running to be Hillary's VP.
Gee whiz, is Evan a really smart guy? Duh.
Let's see.
The democRATs fozzled* around in Korea until Eisenhower got in office and took it seriously.
They fozzled* around in Viernam, dragging it out into a quagmire that was nearly impossible to win.
They fozzled* around over Grenada, Panama, Haiti, Somalia, Khobar towers, the African embassies, the U.S. Cole and many others, and they wonder why Americans might not trust them with the country's security?
Wonder why!
*Fozzle - "to blither about aimlessly."
Bayh should know. He voted against Condi's confirmation.
". . .many people don't think we have the backbone."
"Many people" are right. If the Dems would get off those issues that most Americans find repulsive (gay marriage, gay "civil rights," abortion-on-demand, etc.) and get onto the issue most Americans think is importion (national security and defense, maybe "many people" would start to listen.
Wrong......sorry, but no way they run two sitting senators again as a ticket..Vilsack is positioning himself for the VP slot..as it VA gov Warner..BTW, I long maintained that the Clintons PUSHED Clark into the 2004 primary season as an audition for the VP slot for 2008, and he failed, miserably..
We'll know who is serious about running starting next Thursday with the opening day of the Iowa State Fair. Be prepared to see film of the wannabes in front of cute 4-H kids and their animals with the ever-present hay bales in the background. It is a tradition.
I didn't say he'd necessarily get it, but Bayh would like it, and would help Hillary seem more centrist. As to Clark, he's crazy. We'll see if you're right.
Uh, a "few voices"? Total bunko. They had Micheal "Hate America" Moore sitting next to Jimmy Carter at their convention for crying out loud.
He's going to win the primary as a presidential candidate, not VP.
I admire your confidence. For the sake of the country, I hope you're right. Even though I'd still prefer most of the GOP field to him, at least I wouldn't feel that the future of our country is as much at stake as if Hillary gets the nomination.
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