Buh Bayh

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/senate/evan-bayh-to-retire.html

Evan Bayh won't seek re-election, Senate majority in play?
Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh will not seek re-election this year, a decision that hands Republicans a prime pickup opportunity in the middle of the country.

"After all these years, my passion for service to my fellow citizens is undiminished, but my desire to do so by serving in Congress has waned," Bayh will say, according to prepared remarks obtained by the Fix. He will make the decision formal at a press conference later today.

In his statement, Bayh cited the lack of bipartisan comity as one of the main reasons for the decision. "There is too much partisanship and not enough progress -- too much narrow ideology and not enough practical problem-solving," Bayh will say. "Even at a time of enormous challenge, the peoples' business is not being done." He specifically cited the recent vote that killed the creation of a debt commission as evidence of the partisan gridlock.

Bayh was first elected to the Senate in 1998 and was re-elected easily in 2004. National Republicans had recruited former Sen. Dan Coats to challenge Bayh in 2010 although polling suggested Bayh began the race with a 20-point edge. He also had $13 million in the bank at the end of the year.

"My decision was not motivated by political concern," Bayh is expected to say. "Even in the current challenging environment, I am confident in my prospects for re-election."

Prior to being in the Senate, Bayh served two terms as governor of the Hoosier State. He also served briefly as Secretary of State.

His retirement is a blow for Senate Democrats who now must legitimately worry about the possibility -- although it remains a longshot today -- that they will lose control of the Senate in the fall.

The Cook Political Report, one of the nation's leading handicappers of congressional elections, now carries 10 Democratic-held seats in its most competitive categories -- meaning that if Republicans sweep those races (and lose none of their own vulnerable seats), they will have a 51-seat majority. Cook, incidentally, moved Indiana from a lean Democratic seat to a lean Republican seat in the wake of the Bayh news.

Bayh's universal name recognition and popularity -- not to mention his massive campaign warchest -- made him a favorite in the fall despite the Republican tilt of the state and the increased focus of national GOP strategists on the contest.

Without Bayh, Democrats may look to their congressional delegation where Reps. Baron Hill, Brad Ellsworth and Joe Donnelly are likely to take a look at running.

Because signatures to qualify for the ballot are due tomorrow, no Democrat will formally file -- leaving the seat vacant and allowing the state party apparatus to choose the candidate.

National Republicans had rallied around Coats in recent days and given the logistical hurdles with the rapidly approaching filing deadline are likely to stick to that plan. "I will continue to run just as hard and take nothing for granted," Coats said in a statement. "I am running so the views and interests of Hoosiers are represented in Washington."

Republican Rep. Mike Pence, who briefly considered running for the seat before deciding against it late last month, removed himself from consideration again today. "Congressman Pence believes that Republicans will retake the House in 2010 and he counts it a privilege to be a part of the House Republican leadership during this historic election," said Matt Lloyd, a spokesman for Pence. "Mr. Pence has filed for re-election to the 6th Congressional District of Indiana and will continue serve his constituents and help lead the effort to retake the House of Representatives."

No matter how the two fields shake out, holding the Indiana seat just got much harder for Democrats. Although President Barack Obama won the Hoosier State narrowly in 2008, it is generally regarded by strategists of both parties as swing territory with a slight edge for Republicans. The national playing field's tilt toward Republicans makes the seat all the tougher for Democrats to hold.

Bayh is the fifth Democratic Senator not seeking re-election. He joins Sens. Chris Dodd (Conn.), Byron Dorgan (N.D.), Ted Kaufman (Del.) and Roland Burris (Ill.) on the sidelines. Six Republicans are retiring: Sens. Kit Bond (Mo.), George Lemieux (Fla.), Judd Gregg (N.H.), George Voinovich (Ohio), Sam Brownback (Kans.) and Jim Bunning (Ky.)

By Chris Cillizza | February 15, 2010; 2:14 PM ET

Mingle, discuss, kvetch.

[DanS]

Weird. He wasn't vulnerable. Maybe he was just tired of being a Senator.

At a tactical level, this is a big blow to the Dems.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Some more cynical types are suggesting he is distancing himself from Obama claiming the need for 'Real Bipartisanship' as a run platform for 2012.

[DanS]

I know that everybody's just speculating, but running against Obama seems like a pretty dumb thing to do. Maybe in a half year, it will look like a better proposition, but I'm skeptical.

Besides, running on a platform of bipartisanship seems dumb to me. Bipartisanship doesn't make a good stump speech, to be sure.

[Drake Tungsten]

Bipartisanship doesn't make a good stump speech, to be sure.

Of course it does. Every Obama stump speech called for an end to "partisan bickering" and decried "business as usual" in a "divided" Washington. Obama's speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention that put him in the national spotlight was practically a description of every bipartisan centrist's wet dreams.

[Drake Tungsten]

I chose to run because I believed that the size of these challenges had outgrown the capacity of our broken and divided politics to solve them; because I believed that Americans of every political stripe were hungry for a new kind of politics ...

Most of all, I believed in the power of the American people to be the real agents of change in this country – because we are not as divided as our politics suggests ...

You know that we can't afford four more years of the same divisive food fight in Washington that's about scoring political points instead of solving problems; that's about tearing your opponents down instead of lifting this country up. ...

The real gamble in this election is playing the same Washington game with the same Washington players and expecting a different result. And that's a risk we can't take. Not this year. Not when the stakes are this high.

In this election, it is time to turn the page. In seven days, it is time to stand for change. ...

It's change that won't just come from more anger at Washington or turning up the heat on Republicans. There's no shortage of anger and bluster and bitter partisanship out there. We don't need more heat. We need more light. I've learned in my life that you can stand firm in your principles while still reaching out to those who might not always agree with you. And although the Republican operatives in Washington might not be interested in hearing what we have to say, I think Republican and independent voters outside of Washington are. That's the once-in-a-generation opportunity we have in this election.

For the first time in a long time, we have the chance to build a new majority of not just Democrats, but Independents and Republicans who've lost faith in their Washington leaders but want to believe again – who desperately want something new.

We can change the electoral math that's been all about division and make it about addition – about building a coalition for change and progress that stretches through Blue States and Red States. That's how I won some of the reddest, most Republican counties in Illinois. That's why the polls show that I do best against the Republicans running for President – because we're attracting more support from Independents and Republicans than any other candidate. That's how we'll win in November and that's how we'll change this country over the next four years. ...

They said we wouldn't have a chance in this campaign unless we resorted to the same old negative attacks. But we resisted, even when we were written off, and ran a positive campaign that pointed out real differences and rejected the politics of slash and burn.

http://thepage.time.com/obamas-new-stump-speech/

Bipartisanship is stump speech gold.

[dannubis]

Did you rather have the YEEEEEHAWWWW !!!!!??!! speech ?

[Guynemer]

I think it more likely he's headed for the hills before we find out he was diddling his pages or something.

The guy had a 20-point lead on his most likely challenger, it wasn't like he wasn't going to be re-elected.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Ouch

Some thoughts to mull over

CNN) -- Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Indiana, said Monday afternoon that he won't seek a third term in the Senate -- a major blow to Democrats worried about losses in the midterm elections.

"Congress is not operating as it should," Bayh said at a news conference in Indianapolis, adding there's too much partisanship and "the people's business is not getting done."

Bayh said he loves public service but does "not love Congress" and is "not motivated by strident partisanship or ideology."

He cited the Senate's recent failure to pass a jobs bill and legislation that would have created a deficit reduction commission as evidence of what he characterized as a broken political system.

Bayh, a former two-term governor, was first elected to the Senate in 1998, taking 62 percent of the vote. He won re-election with 64 percent six years later.

In his two terms in the Senate, Bayh cut a centrist path and worked across party lines, which at times frustrated liberal Democrats.

"He hates the Senate, hates the left bloggers," a friend and longtime adviser to Bayh said. "They are getting their wish, pure Democrats in the minority."While Bayh had been mulling retiring for a "good part of last year," he made his final decision not to seek re-election Friday, said another source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Bayh was scheduled to appear Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union With Candy Crowley," but his office canceled the appearance late Friday afternoon.

Bayh is the third Democratic senator to announce he is retiring when the curtain drops on the 111th Congress. Sens. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and Byron Dorgan of North Dakota previously said they would not seek re-election.

Democrats will have to defend five open seats in November, as Roland Burris of Illinois and Ted Kaufman of Delaware have said they will not run for their own six-year terms. Burris was appointed to Obama's former Senate seat, while Kaufman was appointed to Vice President Joe Biden's old seat.

Meanwhile, Republicans will be forced to defend six seats in the midterm elections. Sens. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, Kit Bond of Missouri, Jim Bunning of Kentucky, George Voinovich of Ohio and Sam Brownback of Kansas are all retiring at the end of the year.

Sen. George LeMieux of Florida -- who replaced Sen. Mel Martinez after he resigned before the end of his term -- also will vacate his seat.

Former Republican Sen. Dan Coats recently announced a bid to challenge Bayh this year. Coats served from 1989 to 1999 but chose not to run for re-election. Bayh won that contest.

Former Rep. John Hostettler and state Sen. Marlin Stutzman also are bidding for the GOP Senate nomination in Indiana.

Bayh probably would have faced a difficult re-election due to the anti-incumbent political climate, but an Indianapolis Star/WTHR poll conducted in November indicated that 61 percent of Indiana voters approved of the job the senator he was doing, with 24 percent disapproving.

Bayh also had nearly $13 million in his campaign war chest.

He seemed to face the same frustration many former governors experience when they are elected to the Senate. Instead of being able to make singular decisions, they find themselves members of a slow-moving legislative body where political lines are dug deep.

"I'm an executive at heart," Bayh said. "I value my independence. I'm not motivated by strident partisanship or ideology. These traits may be useful in many walks of life, but they are not highly valued in Congress."

A source noted that Bayh is unclear about what his next step might be but said he would entertain the idea of becoming a university president, running a private business or heading up a charitable endeavor.

Another source added that Bayh could consider another bid for Indiana governor.

A White House source confirmed Bayh discussed his retirement with Obama well before announcing the decision.

However, a Democratic Party source said Bayh's announcement took national Democrats by surprise. The source added that Democratic Reps. Baron Hill and Brad Ellsworth and Evansville, Indiana, Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel all may consider making bids for the Democratic Senate nomination.

"I appreciate the support of those Hoosiers who have already encouraged me to run for Sen. Bayh's seat," Ellsworth said in a statement.

"The next step will be taking a few days to talk to my wife and to folks in Indiana about where I can best serve our state."

The deadline for a candidate to submit the required number of signatures to have his or her name placed on the Indiana primary ballot is noon Tuesday.

But if no candidate meets that goal -- and no Democrat is expected to do so -- then the Indiana Democratic Party will be able to choose its nominee.

Bayh, a centrist Democrat, reportedly was considered a possible running mate for Obama in 2008. Bayh's father, Birch, served three terms in Senate.

[MrFun]

Why can't we have a strong, viable third party that is strong on civil rights and more moderate in spending while still supportive of essential reforms?

[MrFun]

Frank Agrees with Bayh, But . . .

By STEPHANIE REITZ, Associated Press Writer Stephanie Reitz, Associated Press Writer – 2 mins ago
AMHERST, Mass. – U.S. Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts said Tuesday that Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh is right that partisan politics on Capitol Hill are getting out of control, but Frank said his fellow Democrat could do more to change that by staying in Congress than by stepping out of politics.

"I don't understand how you make things better from the outside. I share the frustration, but I would have hoped he would have stayed around and voted to change the filibuster rule," Frank said Tuesday, shortly before appearing at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst to sign copies of his biography with author Stuart Weisberg.

Bayh said Monday that he plans to retire when his term runs out.

Frank, who is seeking his 16th term in the U.S. House of Representatives, addressed about 125 people at UMass with recollections ranging from his days as a Boston mayoral aide to his current spot as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.

But partisanship was a theme to which he returned again and again, saying he believes a clear shift began under Republican Newt Gingrich's tenure as House speaker in the second half of the 1990s.

Before that, he said, Democrats and Republicans could disagree but remain cordial and work toward compromise. Now, though, the pressure to please the party's base to win primary elections has spawned a Congress in which the sides are "very ideologically differentiated," he said.

He believes that's also evident in the electorate, in which the most ardent liberals and conservatives are getting their news from such different sources that they often seem to be discussing completely different topics.

"People are almost in a parallel universe. They are not getting a common set of facts and most of the people they talk to are those who agree with them," Frank said.

Frank supports changing the rules on filibusters, which the minority party — in this case, Republicans — often use to debate bills for so long that an actual vote is prevented.

In the Senate, a filibuster can be ended only with three-fifths approval, or 60 votes. Any Democratic effort to change that would require a change to the Senate rule, which in itself takes a two-thirds majority, or 67 votes.

Such a change seemed to slip further from Democrats when Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown won a surprise victory to capture the late Democratic U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy's seat.

Frank said he has written to Brown but has not met him; nor has he had the time to finish reading the biography he was signing Tuesday, "Barney Frank: The Story of America's Only Left-Handed, Gay, Jewish Congressman."

Brett Berchin, 37, of Springfield, attended the event carrying a sign, "Barney Frank: Poster Boy for Term Limits." He and a few other people criticized Frank, though the audience was largely friendly toward Frank.

"This is not a government that's supposed to exalt people. Allowing a man to serve 20, 30, 40 years goes against what the fabric of this country is about," Berchin said.

Some attended to hear more about Frank's experiences as head of the House Financial Services Committee during the economic meltdown, while others said they had no idea what to expect.

"He's had a lot of ups and downs in his career, but he's always fascinating," said Janice Brickley, 56, of Amherst.

[Ben Kenobi]

Why can't we have a strong, viable third party that is strong on civil rights and more moderate in spending while still supportive of essential reforms?

I believe the Democrat party is for you. Are they not far enough to the left?

[ZEE]

damn i thought the OP was leaving

[Theben]

Parts bolded for Oggie, it ain't just the left that frustrates him.

Disillusioned Bayh advocates electoral “shock” to broken system
Tue Feb 16, 7:35 pm ET


In an interview on MSNBC this morning, newly retiring Sen. Evan Bayh declared the American political system "dysfunctional," riddled with "brain-dead partisanship" and permanent campaigning. Flatly denying any possibility that he'd seek the presidency or any other higher office, Bayh argued that the American people needed to deliver a "shock" to Congress by voting incumbents out en masse and replacing them with people interested in reforming the process and governing for the good of the people, rather than deep-pocketed special-interest groups.

Bayh's announcement stunned the American political world, as up until just last week he looked to be well on his way to an easy reelection for a third term in the Senate, and his senior staff was aggressively pursuing that goal.

But Bayh had apparently become increasingly frustrated in the Senate. In this morning's interview he noted that just two weeks ago, Republicans who had co-sponsored a bill with him to rein in the deficit turned around and voted against it for purely political reasons. He also stated repeatedly that members of his own party should be more willing to settle for a compromise rather than holding out for perfection.

"Sometimes half a loaf is better than none," Bayh insisted.

It's no secret that the Senate has struggled to take action this year. With the two major parties unusually far apart in their substantive proposals for the direction of the country, even finding half a loaf to agree on has been difficult. Though the Democrats have had a substantial majority in the Senate for the last year, Republicans have escalated their threats to use filibusters (by forcing a cloture vote, see the graph below) to force Democrats to come up with 60 votes to pass any major legislation. And after Scott Brown's election to the Senate last month gave Republicans a 41st seat, health-care reform and other Democratic goals were stopped dead in their tracks.

Bayh blamed the current atmosphere of intense partisanship on the need for senators to constantly campaign to be reelected to another six-year term. Citing his father, a popular liberal senator in the '60s and '70s, he noted that "back in the day they used to have the saying: 'You campaign for 2 years and you legislate for 4.' Now you campaign for 6!" He noted that the need for constant fundraising made it nearly impossible to focus on passing legislation.

Frustration over the increasing amount of money being spent on political campaigns isn't exactly a new thing, as spending by candidates in the 2008 presidential election nearly quadrupled the amount of money spent by candidates in the 2000 election. Additionally, winners of House races in 2000 spent an average of $849,158 to do so, while House winners in 2008 spent an average of $1,372,591. Enhancing the concerns of many on the left and the right has been a recent Supreme Court decision to strike down the country's existing campaign finance laws. Put simply, the ruling opens the door for an even greater influence of money by allowing corporations spend money directly on campaigns.

Meanwhile, voter frustration is high, making the fight for campaign cash all the more crucial to politicians hoping to remain in office. A recent poll found that 44% of Americans believe incumbents should be voted out of office.

However, reforms of Congress appear unlikely. There doesn't appear to be any significant momentum at this time behind efforts to change the rules that govern passing legislation or Congress's need to constantly campaign and fundraise. With an election year beginning, it's also unlikely that congressional leaders will begin to see eye to eye more often on major legislation.

Perhaps a "shock" is indeed called for in order to change that.

[DanS]

Frank is the very definition of a pugilistic partisan.