1. Welcome! Please take a few seconds to create your free account to post threads, make some friends, remove a few ads while surfing and much more. ClutchFans has been bringing fans together to talk Houston Sports since 1996. Join us!

Evan Bayh (Senator-Indiana) Will Not Seek Reelection

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout: Debate & Discussion' started by MojoMan, Feb 15, 2010.

Tags:
Page 1 of 4
  1. MojoMan

    MojoMan Member

    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2009
    Messages:
    7,746
    Likes Received:
    2,153
    Another Bomb goes off in the Democratic Caucus.

    Seriously, this guy was frequently spoken of as a legitimate Democratic Presidential candidate. And to be fair, I think he still can be.

    But, at the present time, he is pulling the ripcord and bailing out of this flaming wreck.

    [RQUOTER]Evan Bayh Will Not Seek Reelection

    Sen. Evan Bayh will not run for re-election, a decision that will shock Democrats and Republicans alike in Indiana.

    In prepared remarks, Bayh, 54, cited excessive partisanship that makes progress on public policy difficult to achieve as the motivation for his decision.
    Advertisement

    “After all these years, my passion for service to my fellow citizens is undiminished, but my desire to do so in Congress has waned,” he said.

    “My decision was not motivated by political concern,” he added. “Even in the current challenging environment, I am confident in my prospects for re-election.”

    Bayh had never lost an election, from his first win in 1986 as secretary of state, his wins for governor in 1988 and 1992 and his election to the U.S. Senate in 1998 and 2004.

    ....(See the dots? That means there is more to the article, if anyone is interested in reading more).[/RQUOTER]
     
    #1 MojoMan, Feb 15, 2010
  2. Depressio

    Depressio Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2009
    Messages:
    6,416
    Likes Received:
    366
    Hmm, I remember something about Democratic Senators retiring/not running again on the Daily Show a month or two ago...

    Wasn't there 2 Democrats retiring, and everyone was like "DROPPING LIKE FLIES!!!"? And then it was noted that 6 Republicans are. I'll see if I can scrounge up an article.
     
    #2 Depressio, Feb 15, 2010
  3. Depressio

    Depressio Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2009
    Messages:
    6,416
    Likes Received:
    366
    Ah, yes, here we go:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_elections,_2010

    Retiring Democrats:

    Christopher Dodd of Connecticut
    Ted Kaufman of Delaware
    Roland Burris of Illinois
    Evan Bayh of Indiana
    Paul Kirk of Massachusetts (resolved Jan, 2010)
    Byron Dorgan of North Dakota

    Retiring Republicans:

    George LeMieux of Florida
    Sam Brownback of Kansas
    Jim Bunning of Kentucky
    Kit Bond of Missouri
    Judd Gregg of New Hampshire
    George Voinovich of Ohio

    Looks even to me. I guess both parties are "pulling the ripcord and bailing out of this flaming wreck"?
     
    #3 Depressio, Feb 15, 2010
  4. MojoMan

    MojoMan Member

    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2009
    Messages:
    7,746
    Likes Received:
    2,153
    No, the Democrats are "pulling the ripcord and bailing out of this flaming wreck," while the Republicans that are retiring are "taking their well earned repose during their twilight years."

    :)
     
    #4 MojoMan, Feb 15, 2010
  5. Depressio

    Depressio Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2009
    Messages:
    6,416
    Likes Received:
    366
    Does the smiley mean sarcasm? I hope so. Let's assume "twilight years" is 70+.

    Republicans:

    George LeMieux is 40.
    Sam Brownback is 53.
    Jim Bunning is 78. (twilight years)
    Kit Bond is 70. (twilight years)
    Judd Gregg is 63.
    George Voinovich us 73. (twilight years)

    Democrats:

    Christopher Dodd is 65.
    Ted Kaufman is 70. (twilight years)
    Roland Burris is 72. (twilight years... interim anyway for Obama's seat)
    Evan Bayh is 54.
    Paul Kirk is 72. (twilight years)
    Byron Dorgan is 67.

    Republican average age retiring: 62.8
    Democrat average age retiring: 66.7

    So again, twilight years? I hope you were sarcastic. And if you were, what's the point of this thread again? And if not, why does the "twilight years" argument work for the Republicans, but not the Democrats who are actually older (only one under the age of 65)?
     
    #5 Depressio, Feb 15, 2010
  6. vlaurelio

    vlaurelio Member

    Joined:
    Jan 26, 2005
    Messages:
    21,310
    Likes Received:
    11,755
    [​IMG]
     
    #6 vlaurelio, Feb 15, 2010
  7. Depressio

    Depressio Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2009
    Messages:
    6,416
    Likes Received:
    366
    Also let me point out that 2 of the 6 Democrats were interim appointments with Burris taking over for Obama and Kirk taking over for Kennedy. To be fair, George LeMieux was an interim appointment after Mel Martinez (also Republican) already retired.
     
    #7 Depressio, Feb 15, 2010
  8. A_3PO

    A_3PO Member

    Joined:
    Apr 29, 2006
    Messages:
    47,038
    Likes Received:
    12,788
    Dems will lose this seat.
     
    #8 A_3PO, Feb 15, 2010
  9. basso

    basso Member
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    May 20, 2002
    Messages:
    33,578
    Likes Received:
    9,428
    obama primary challenger?
     
    #9 basso, Feb 15, 2010
  10. Batman Jones

    Batman Jones Member

    Joined:
    Sep 9, 1999
    Messages:
    15,937
    Likes Received:
    5,491
    In a lot of ways, Dems didn't even have this seat. Good riddance, IMO. DLC sucks.
     
    #10 Batman Jones, Feb 15, 2010
  11. Batman Jones

    Batman Jones Member

    Joined:
    Sep 9, 1999
    Messages:
    15,937
    Likes Received:
    5,491
    That would be fine with me. It would give Obama an opportunity to demonstrate what fools his intra-party opponents are.
     
    #11 Batman Jones, Feb 15, 2010
  12. MoonDogg

    MoonDogg Member

    Joined:
    Nov 12, 1999
    Messages:
    5,167
    Likes Received:
    495
    [​IMG]
     
    #12 MoonDogg, Feb 15, 2010
  13. A_3PO

    A_3PO Member

    Joined:
    Apr 29, 2006
    Messages:
    47,038
    Likes Received:
    12,788
    This is why the Dems are barely capable of keeping a working majority in Congress. Now you will have a Republican that will oppose everything Obama does, which I guess makes you happy.

    This illustrates why I could never be a Dem or Republican. If you don't march lockstep or if you try to represent your state more than your party, people write you off.
     
    #13 A_3PO, Feb 15, 2010
  14. Space Ghost

    Space Ghost Member

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 1999
    Messages:
    18,380
    Likes Received:
    8,702
    Its good to see these congressman bail out on their parties. Conservative individuals have been jumping the republican ship for quite awhile now. When are these die hard posters here realize that (both) of their parties are going up in flames?
     
    #14 Space Ghost, Feb 15, 2010
  15. rhino17

    rhino17 Member

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2006
    Messages:
    18,035
    Likes Received:
    4,443
    I actually like evan bayh and would consider voting for president if he ever ran
     
    #15 rhino17, Feb 15, 2010
    1 person likes this.
  16. Depressio

    Depressio Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2009
    Messages:
    6,416
    Likes Received:
    366
    It's interesting that "politics as usual" is a concept under heavy scrutiny these days. The BS partisanship that goes on in Congress is a major source of disdain, it would appear. There are still wingers that blindly support one side or the other (MojoMan/basso vs. Batman Jones), but I think a good chunk of the population is getting sick of politicians in general.

    Why is that? Is it because partisanship is especially bad right now? Or is it because of information being more rapidly exchanged/discussed (Internet)?
     
    #16 Depressio, Feb 15, 2010
  17. Batman Jones

    Batman Jones Member

    Joined:
    Sep 9, 1999
    Messages:
    15,937
    Likes Received:
    5,491
    If you think I blindly support (or even just plain support) Democrats, you obviously haven't read many of my posts.

    Obama is the first Democratic presidential nominee I've supported with any enthusiasm at all. I never even voted for Bill Clinton.

    And during the Bush admin I was as hard on Democrats as anybody.
     
    #17 Batman Jones, Feb 15, 2010
  18. Depressio

    Depressio Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2009
    Messages:
    6,416
    Likes Received:
    366
    My apologies. In my defense, see my "Member Since" date. :grin:
     
    #18 Depressio, Feb 15, 2010
  19. MojoMan

    MojoMan Member

    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2009
    Messages:
    7,746
    Likes Received:
    2,153
    Yes. It did.

    While I do believe that Evan Bayh "is pulling the ripcord and bailing out of this flaming wreck," the part about Republicans retiring to a well earned repose was a clear exageration, and well over the top. I was being sarcastic, and I had hoped that the dramatic contrast between the two characterizations would be a source of amusement for someone on this board.

    Well, I laughed anyway.

    :)
     
    #19 MojoMan, Feb 15, 2010
  20. MojoMan

    MojoMan Member

    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2009
    Messages:
    7,746
    Likes Received:
    2,153
    Here is an interesting report on this story from left-leaning Mother Jones Magazine. This is really a pretty powerful perspective on this story.

    [RQUOTER]Evan Bayh Quits in a Huff

    The big political news today is that Sen. Evan Bayh (D–Ind.) has decided not to run for reelection. He made this decision four days before the deadline for candidates to qualify for the June primary ballot, leaving Democrats in a considerable bind. Dave Weigel:

    Here are two measures of what a surprise this is. One: Ken Spain, spokesman for the NRCC, simply tweets “unreal” as he begins a series of observations about what this means for Democrats. Two: a Democratic strategist confirms to me that Bayh didn’t let anyone at any level of the party know about this, and shares with me an expletive I won’t share about the man himself.

    Luke Russert tweets: "Amazing, Bayh told his staff he was done on Friday and didn't call Harry Reid until 25 minutes ago!!!" If that's true, it's pretty remarkable behavior even for someone as famously callow as Bayh.

    So why did he quit so suddenly? His official statement says he's frustrated with the Senate because there is "too much partisanship and not enough progress — too much narrow ideology and not enough practical problem-solving." Maybe. Alternatively, he's tired of taking hits from party liberals, who aren't exactly fans of his ostentatious centrism and bipartisan preening. That's pretty much Marc Ambinder's take: "He wanted to be POTUS and came to hate the Senate and liberal activists. He wanted no mas."

    In any case, Bayh had already raised $13 million for his reelection campaign, and up until a few days ago he was assuring party leaders that he would run. Pulling out at this late date is a pretty explicit show of pique, and an obvious gift to Republicans, whose odds of picking up Indiana in November just went way up. Bayh didn't quite give Democrats the finger on his way out, but he did everything short of it.[/RQUOTER]
     
    #20 MojoMan, Feb 15, 2010
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)
Page 1 of 4

Share This Page

Style
ClutchFans Dark

  • About ClutchFans

    Since 1996, ClutchFans has been loud and proud covering the Houston Rockets, helping set an industry standard for team fan sites. The forums have been a home for Houston sports fans as well as basketball fanatics around the globe.

  • Rockets Content

  • Support ClutchFans!

    If you find that ClutchFans is a valuable resource for you, please consider becoming a Supporting Member. Supporting Members can upload photos and attachments directly to their posts, customize their user title and more. Gold Supporters see zero ads!


    Upgrade Now