Breaking news, but the senator from Indiana won’t run again.
Any chance his replacement will be any better?
God, what a relief. The guy basically works for the health insurance companies and other special interest groups.
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071216/LOCAL1004/712160424
We have family ties to the Bayh family. Can’t say I’m a huge fan of the man personally, but still a shame to see him retire.
Why? As a Senator he’s terrible, and if you don’t like him personally either…
While I think it likely that no truly progressive Democrat will ever be elected by Indiana, I think that the state could have done better than Bayh. Basically, he was elected on the strength of his governorship, which was pretty decent. The state had a huge deficit, and he left it with a surplus. He was definitely a better governor than the current disaster.
I hated him as a senator, though, as it was clear that he’d sold his soul to Wellpoint/Anthem.
Do you guys think this could have anything to do with Presidential aspirations or a party switch? I’m just speculating.
Doubtful. Indiana’s a relatively conservative state.
Aww, the poor little moderate Democrat couldn’t handle a tough re-election campaign.
Was it going to be tough? The latest polls had him up by 20 points over his presumed opponent.
My guess is he just wants to cash in.
It looks like Bayh fucked the party on the way out - the petition deadline to get on the ballot is in two days. That means there’s no chance of the Indiana Democratic Party holding a primary for a candidate; they’re just going to have to choose somebody.
Classy.
Last I saw it was a dead heat, but I haven’t read anything about it in the last few days.
from 4 days ago: “Bayh leads Coats by 20 points”. Though there is a Politico story that says it may have been his “most difficulty campaign”.
All in all, it is pretty odd. Was he being blackmailed? Does he want to go for the big bucks as a lobbyist? Embarrassing illness? He isn’t even that old, at 54.
He’s cashing in.
In a 60-seat Democratic caucus, Bayh is quite powerful. His cloture vote is worth a lot.
In a fifty-something seat Caucus? He’s just another guy. No point in sticking it out when he can go get a job as a lobbyist and make some real bank.
Glad to see him go.
TPM has word out of the Bayh campaign that this decision seems to have made abruptly.
I wonder if there’s some scandal about to drop that he wanted to get away from.
heh, I didn’t mean personally like that, I meant I don’t really agree with his politics. My thoughts didn’t translate to type well.
He certainly didn’t leave because he feared Dan Coats, the challenger. Bayh would’ve easily walloped Coats.
Shrug. Not my fave politician, but that’s another moderate biting the dust. Good luck getting any significant legislation thru the Senate.
This is what it seems most obvious to me.
Also, Bayh has the same haircut as John Edwards.