"Hillary better watch out." (Evan Bayh)

[Moooooo]

"Party officials are lusting for new blood", what with the likes of Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and John Edwards "looking a bit shop-worn."

Ms Means has a solution: Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, "a former governor re-elected last year in a Republican state with 62 percent while Bush won the Hoosier State with 60 percent." The Senator "has a centrist image ... he's a fiscal conservative, a foreign policy hawk, backer of a constitutional amendment to ban flag burning and against late-term abortions." In other words, he everything the Democratic Party needs to win - he's a Republican (no, only kidding).

In fact, there's plenty of meat to keep those a bit further to the left happy. For starters, he voted against lots of things: John Ashcroft for Attorney General, Condoleezza Rice for Secretary of State, "against the Bush tax cuts, against oil drilling in the Arctic." He also voted "for requiring gun-show background checks."

He even seems to be working on the fact that "he is a boring speaker with no juice." Ms Means reports that, speaking at a dinner in Colorado, "Bayh put on a boffo performance," which I'm almost certain is a compliment. "If Bayh can keep that up," Ms Means predicts, "Hillary better watch out."

I'm not sure I can handle three years of top politicians trying to out-boffo each other.

http://www.freep.com/voices/columnists/emeans28e_20050328.htm

[A18]

Fiscal conservative? We could have used his vote on those Medicaid cuts.

A fiscally conservative Democrat means one thing: willing to raise your taxes.

[Akno21]

He's fallen out of favor here. I did a mini-primary maybe a month ago and no Democrat was close, now he can barely get a vote in the April Poll.

[Moooooo]

He's fallen out of favor here. I did a mini-primary maybe a month ago and no Democrat was close, now he can barely get a vote in the April Poll.

Everyone ran to him because of his "electablity" and popularity in a conservative state.  He's still in my top 3, but I have found other candidates who are just as electable if not more with better resumes.

[TomC]

I still like him- he's in my top two, with Edwards. I doubt Warner will ever be in my top two, unless it's down to him and Hillary. I dunno, he just does nothing for me.

[Moooooo]

I still like him- he's in my top two, with Edwards. I doubt Warner will ever be in my top two, unless it's down to him and Hillary. I dunno, he just does nothing for me.

Is it because you dont know enough about him?  Or do you dislike his policies and positions on certain issues?

[TomC]

It's more of a personality/charisma thing. It's early- who knows what I'll be thinking in two years.

[Smash255]

I have have no real problem if Bayh was the Dem candidate, but I would much rather someone like Feingold, who is much closer to my views, and has a ton more charisma than Bayh has, and could probably fight against the GOP attack ads much better than Kerry did.  Bayh is a bit too conservative for my tastes, but  an iudeal situation for him would be if Bush's popularity is a bit higher in a couple years) when it looks like we would need a more moderate candidate

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

He's fallen out of favor here. I did a mini-primary maybe a month ago and no Democrat was close, now he can barely get a vote in the April Poll.

He might be everyone's 2nd or 3rd choice right now.

As for Biden, there's 0% chance he gets the nomination.

[skybridge]

I have have no real problem if Bayh was the Dem candidate, but I would much rather someone like Feingold, who is much closer to my views, and has a ton more charisma than Bayh has, and could probably fight against the GOP attack ads much better than Kerry did.  Bayh is a bit too conservative for my tastes, but  an iudeal situation for him would be if Bush's popularity is a bit higher in a couple years) when it looks like we would need a more moderate candidate

Agree, though Bayh is okay charisma-wise. Much unlike Warner.

[opebo]

Fiscal conservative? We could have used his vote on those Medicaid cuts.

A fiscally conservative Democrat means one thing: willing to raise your taxes.

Actually, to clarify, it means 'willing to not cut them, if you are high income'.

[danwxman]

He backs the flag-burning amendment? Another reason not to support him.

[Democratic Hawk]

He's fallen out of favor here. I did a mini-primary maybe a month ago and no Democrat was close, now he can barely get a vote in the April Poll.

Everyone ran to him because of his "electablity" and popularity in a conservative state. 

Which is exactly why, I think Bayh would be a formidable opponent. With Bayh being a centrist, there is little chance of an ideologically polarised election. A polarised election between a liberal Democrat and a conservative Republican means only one thing: an inevitable GOP victory

www.indystar.com/articles/2/234344-3682-009.html. Bayh is polling well in Indiana and 49% would vote for him as president, 33% wouldn't and the rest didn't know. Bayh would be unbeatable in Indiana unless he was opposed by Dick Lugar

Dave

[TheresNoMoney]

Bayn is definitely in the thick of things for 2008. He's among the frontrunners in the moderate wing, along with Mark Warner, Bill Richardson, Tom Vilsack, and Phil Bredesen. Bayh's lack of charisma will be a problem.

I would vote for him, although I wouldn't be all that excited about it. I'd rather vote for Feingold or Warner. Bayh is much better than any Republican candidate, though.

If Bayh could win his homestate of Indiana, that would be huge. I was under the assumption that he would NOT be able to win in Indiana.

[Democratic Hawk]

If Bayh could win his homestate of Indiana, that would be huge. I was under the assumption that he would NOT be able to win in Indiana.

Bayh has a near certain chance of winning Indiana. He has a broad bi-partisan and cross-ideological support base. Over a third of Republicans and conservatives vote for Bayh - granted he might not attract that level of support from them in a presidential race - but he'd do well enough among them (along with liberals, moderates, Democrats and independents) to see him cross the finish line

The extent to which he wins depends on who would be the GOP nominee

Some conservative columnists absurdly wrote Bayh off in Indiana when he voted against Condi Rice - but I think this poll says otherwise!

Dave

[Joe Republic]

I wonder how long it'll be before the rest of the media picks up on Evan Bayh.  Just because he's currently huge among Democrats on this forum doesn't mean anybody else has heard of him.  The media are currently still basking in the glorious superficiality of a 'certain' Hillary Clinton nomination.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

I wonder how long it'll be before the rest of the media picks up on Evan Bayh.  Just because he's currently huge among Democrats on this forum doesn't mean anybody else has heard of him.  The media are currently still basking in the glorious superficiality of a 'certain' Hillary Clinton nomination.

He's probably more known than Warner and Schweitzer. The media is pretty stupid, Howard Dean was the front runner in early January 2004.

[Frodo]

If Bayh could win his homestate of Indiana, that would be huge. I was under the assumption that he would NOT be able to win in Indiana.

Bayh has a near certain chance of winning Indiana. He has a broad bi-partisan and cross-ideological support base. Over a third of Republicans and conservatives vote for Bayh - granted he might not attract that level of support from them in a presidential race - but he'd do well enough among them (along with liberals, moderates, Democrats and independents) to see him cross the finish line

The extent to which he wins depends on who would be the GOP nominee

Some conservative columnists absurdly wrote Bayh off in Indiana when he voted against Condi Rice - but I think this poll says otherwise!

Dave

what's the average voter turnout rate in Indiana? polls mean little if the people answering those polls don't vote. 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

I'd much rather have Bayh than Bush, but he still has that traditionalist, social conservative streak that I really don't like.  To rank my choices, I'd have to say....

1) John Edwards-NC (overshadowed, deserves a chance in the spotlight, sane, mad charisma and mad liberal, my kind of Southerner)
2) Hilary Clinton-NY
3) Mark Warner-VA
4) Al Gore-TN
5) Russ Feingold-WI
6) Bill Richardson-NM