Democrats hoping to see red states turn blue in November have only to look at Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh to know it can happen.
In 1988, Bayh became the first Democrat in 20 years to win the Indiana governor's office. He's gone on to build a popularity few Democrats in the state have achieved: a 79 percent approval rating as governor and, in his 2004 Senate race, more votes than President Bush in a state that hasn't voted Democrat for president since Lyndon Johnson in 1964.
Bayh's enduring popularity could help Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama win Indiana come November if he taps Bayh as his running mate, and many believe Bayh's experience on the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees could bolster an Obama-Bayh ticket's foreign policy credentials.
But Bayh's tenure as governor could provide another asset for Obama -- the executive leadership experience that some other vice presidential contenders lack.
Smith's story is completely void of any critical analysis of Bayh. This is precisely how phony politicians fool the public into believing they are something they are not. When journalists refuse to do their job, the public suffers. Any editor worth his salt would of asked Smith who paid him to write that story after submitting such a useless piece of drivel, tossed it in the trash can and told him to start over.
4 comments:
What dribble, Bayh set Indiana up for bankruptcy and O' Bannon almost accomplished the goal. My three year old grandson could do a better job of running Indiana than Bayh did.
Mike Smith is either an idiot or he's the least informed reporter when it comes to Evan Bayh. The Indy Star should be ashamed of its self for publishing this trash. I know Gannet needs cash but selling out to lame duck politicians isn’t the way to raise it.
What exactly did he say that wasn't true?
Whether you like him or not, Evan Bayh is a Democrat that has shown incredible popularity in a state that has been long known as a Republican stronghold.
Again, Jon, there is an absence of any critical analysis. The content is intended to serve as a puff piece to bolster Bayh's chances. Bayh's election in Indiana is not unique. Indiana has had many Democratic governors and many Democratic senators. He is very unappealing to the base voters in the Democratic Party nationally. He demonstrated absolutely no bold leadership on any issue while he was governor. He always chose the path of least resistence, which meant the status quo always prevailed. The manner in which the Bayh's have amassed millions during his years of public service through corporate board seats is bound to be a big issue if he is named. Smith ignores everything negative about Bayh in this story. Perhaps Bayh's biggest weakness is his refusal to engage in the partisan pit bull role required of a VP candidate. No mention of that. I suspect that alone is enough to make Obama decide to pass on him. He wants a VP who will get down in the trenches and do the dirty work. Bayh will not do that.
AI, I have no quarrel with your reasoning or some even some of your arguments on Bayh. I admit that he has been disappointing at times to me. I honestly believe that he has become a better speaker in the times that I've seen him recently. I think his campaigning for Clinton in the state really helped him as a candidate.
As far as the piece, I'm not sure it was supposed to be a critical analysis. Bayh can deliver Indiana to Obama. He is popular enough here to do that, and I think that was the point of the article.
The pitfall of analyzing the Presidential race anymore is thinking nationally. Perhaps Bayh doesn't really help Obama nationally, but he could help Obama steal some traditionally Republican states such as Indiana, North Carolina, and Montana from the Republican column. Obama can also help in Ohio which typically, at least the last few elections, runs more conservative as well.
It's state-by-state warfare that Bayh can be a good weapon of the Obama campaign. He's not my #1 choice, but I can see where he might be an asset in the hand-to-hand and state-by-state combat of the Presidential General Election.
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