This is shaping up to be a very bad year for Democrats. Despite requests from Barack Obama and Rahm Emanuel to reconsider, moderate Democrat Evan Bayh of Indiana will not seek reelection stating that he still has a desire to serve the people, just not in Congress.
Evidently, the hostile environment in Congress is becoming too much for the moderates. Bayh only voted with his party 71% of the time and I am willing to bet he got beat up over votes against the agenda or that he felt pressured to vote in a manner that he did not want.
Bayh’s decision comes as a surprise to many as it looked like he would probably win reelection. I doubt that the possibility of a tough race had anything to do with his decision. He probably is genuinely fed up with the atmosphere in Congress.
Bayh probably did not agree with the Obama agenda, or at least major protions of it. He endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.
Plus, he is a family man and likes to spend time with his children and attend their activities. No one can fault him for that.
Bayh’s decision caps off a trifecta that began when Christopher Dodd and Byron Dorgan announced last month that they will not seek reelection.
A commenter at the source site had a great point:
“To Democrats, I would remind you that we still have the largest majority in decades, and the people expect us to solve some problems, not run for the hills,” – Obama
Oh well.
Indiana is a conservative state and usually pretty red. Bayh is a well liked moderate but the state trends Republican. Obama won the state last year becoming the first Democrat to win it since Lyndon Johnson.
I bet the folks of Indiana have buyer’s remorse and will not go Democrat again for a long time. They are probably still asking what they have done…
Or maybe they are asking themselves the question Sarah Palin posed; “How’s that hopey-changey thing working out for ya?
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