Via Hotline OnCall:
Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) will not seek a 3rd term in the Senate next year, according to a Dem source, handing Dems yet another setback as they struggle to salvage their damaged ship.
Bayh, elected statewide 5 times, will become the 5th Senate Dem not to seek another term. His decision to step aside , first reported by The Fix and confirmed to Hotline OnCall, creates an open seat in IN, a usually-red state that broke the mold in ’08 by voting narrowly for Pres. Obama.
Details and updates to follow.
Let the updates begin – Here is Bayh’s statement via IndyStar:
“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.” …
“But running for the sake of winning an election, just to remain in public office, is not good enough,” Bayh said. “And it has never been what motivates me. At this time I simply believe I can best contribute to society in another way: creating jobs by helping grow a business, helping guide an institution of higher learning or helping run a worthy charitable endeavor.”
I think it would be a mistake to view this decision solely or even primarily as a reaction to election chances.
Rather, Bayh has seemed sick of the whole process the past year.
I have commented before that Bayh was largely missing in action, or in hiding, during the health care debate when one would have expected him to be front and center. Back in mid-December, just before the Senate health care vote, I asked:
Where is Evan Bayh? His silence has been deafening.
I even issued an Amber Alert for Evan Bayh.
We have found Evan Bayh, and he apparently didn’t want to be found.
Or how about this, “Evan Bayh didn’t leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left Evan Bayh.”
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Comments
Speaking of Bayh's wondered whereabouts? Seems some in IN were wondering were Sen. Bayh was actually residing these days?
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Where is Evan Bayh? His silence has been deafening.
I even issued an Amber Alert for Evan Bayh.
I guess he thought you'd be coming for him next.
This is indeed an interesting development.
I don't have a particularly informed opinion on Bayh but it just may be that people of conscience, even those across the aisle we disagree with, can longer contort their postures enough to disguise the incongruities between their stated positions and their actions. The corrupt one-party system is simply asking too much of those who still feel obligated to their constituencies. The Tea Party is driving out the most corrupt one by one while the grim reaper takes out a few more, but there are people of good conscience who have now lost their way and burned their bridges because of too many compromises to the party and to special interests. Maybe that is Bayh's problem.
This is going to be a very ugly year for weasels.
Byah, like many other heartland Dems, backed Hillary in the primaries. NOT because he was "raycist" but, because he knew what it would take to pull us out of our economic crisis.
This resignation signals to me that Evan knows we have lost that battle. There is no point in his sticking around to take the fall. What a terrible shame for the Hoosier state.
And Byah won't be the last of the Heartland Dems to bail on the Obamacratic party. A landslide is set to follow.
I believe Even Bayh to be a true liberal, not a 20th century Progressive that seems to have taken over the Democratic Party.
Could it be that Bayh was driven out of his own party due to his disgust for them?
The Democrats are making it easier for Republicans to take back the Senate 2 years before they should have. Amazing.
As for Bayh, I get that he had a reputation of being a centrist Democrat, but like every other "Blue Dog Democrat," in the end, only the Democrat part came through. So, having one less Democrat in the Senate is not going to be a bad thing for America.
However, looking at the decision, it is truly baffling from Bayh's perspective. He was not going to be punished by the voters, and bailed despite the fact that he was going to get another 6 years.
I love it! Run liberals Run, we will vote you out anyways as soon as possible. Democrats will be slaughtered (figuratively speaking of course, lol) for many elections cycles to come! Great piece and keep up the good fight my friend!
Insightful post, as usual!
Linked at Bread upon the Waters.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Bayh vote for the entire O package of pork, tax and regulate?
I find it amazing that so many Democrats have decided to spend more time with their families and move on to other things. Massachusetts punched and slapped them into an epiphany that the mood outside the Beltway is much different than the input the lemmings are showing them inside it.
I have been a registered democrat for 34 years, consistently and loyally voting for a "D" with the exception of Ronald Reagan and Sarah Palin.
I am now going to be reregistering as an independent. There is no "Democratic Party" now, this is a party unrecognizable now. They cheer giving terrorists constitutional rights, they cheer more taxes, more burdens on small biz, they cheer socializing industries, they cheer intruding even more into people's lives.
Through the years, the dem and repub parties varied yes, but the platform they both stood on was always pro-America, pro-free market, pro-US Constitution, pro-indiv. rights. I cannot say that anymore.
I don't trust the repubs either. I 100% support the Tea Party movement, there are millions of disgusted loyal democrats like me who feel this way. Are we conservatives? probably. If by conservatives, it is meant that we want to conserve the founding principles of this country, those principles that created this the greatest country on Earth.
I have a great deal respect for Evan Byah. But I was very angry when he too voted for that Healthcare bill. THere is no longer any room in the Democratic Party for moderates.
Professor– if you do a google search, there was a Democratic Underground blog entry about 2006 or so by Mr.Obama who wrote a post that is very revealing. He wanted to drive out all moderate/conservative democrats.
He is fully achieveing this. I will support those people who stand for America, stand for defending this country against terrorists, and not giving them American citizen's rights, pro-growth, pro-free market, pro-capitilism (not corrupt capitilism, if you fail as a biz, then fail, don't get bailed out), more defense of indiv. rights, respect the US Constitution.
I get very disgusted when people like Newt go on Hannity's show and gloat about this being like 1994. THis is nothing like 1994, people, staunch democrats like me are rooting for conservative NOT necessarily republican candidates.
(however I am a social moderate)
The corruption has infected both parties. I am tired of the condenscension and elistism by the people in DC, as well as the MSM who obviously have just a low low opinion of hard working average Americans like me and millions upon millions like me. These people who have never worked for a living telling me what is good for me and my family?
Will I vote for a republican this midterm? yes! But I trust the tea party movement more. But the socialists are more dangerous at this point and have to be stopped this midterm election in november.
–just a humble democrat's opinion
Retire05 and Paul912 are dead on correct here. The Obamacrats are driving all centrists/ Blue Dogs/ Working Class Dems from "their" party.
I do not know what they expect to have at the end of that purging…. but that won't stop them.
My working theory is that this is it. The moment of reckoning for the democrats. Do they continue down the progressive path to defeat, obscurity, and did I say defeat? Or do they get their act together, look back into the not-so-distant past and refind their true place in the American political scene? Do they shove out the progs and carry on, or do they lose every election from now until doomsday? (my guess, believe it or not, is that they'll wise up and purge the progs. Dems have heightened senses of self-preservation, developed largely during the Carter years–not coincidentally, so they'll wise up. Probably not until after they get their clocks cleaned in November, but they will.)
Paul912, I left the Republican Party 3 years ago when I saw what was happening. I didn't like leaving the party, but at the end of the day……..It wasn't the party I signed-on-to.
For what ever it's worth, Paul, you are not alone.