Sunday, February 21, 2010

No One Gets Out Unscathed, Senator Bayh

I'm looking at you, Senator Evan Bayh. As George Will said on Sunday morning television, "I don't quite know what his problem is". He points to the man who complains that Congress is rife with paralyzing partisanship yet Bayh himself is neck deep in it.

Let's recall: Senator Evan Bayh voted against the nominations of Chief Justice Roberts, Sam Alito, Sec of State Rice, voted for all the bailouts and for the Senate health care fiasco. Bayh has no credibility on masking himself as a moderate. Or even as a little listened to moderate member of the Senate


Evan Bayh supports lowering the number of votes to break a filibuster in the Senate from 60-55. Is that a way to the path of a bipartisan meeting of the minds? Remember when, not so long ago, there was a Republican president in the White House and a Senate run by the GOP? Remember when judges were not being given hearings and votes on the floor due to Democratic obstructionism? Remember when the gang of 14 worked out a solution that gave Democrats a few of their favored nominees and the rest went to Republicans, instead of the GOP leadership using the option of the 'nuclear option', which is a 51 vote majority instead of a 60 vote majority? Back in those times, Democrats were livid that the GOP leadership was even considering that option as a way to break through the divide. Now, what a surprise. Suddenly the 60 vote tally needed to block a filibuster is not a good thing.

Hardly the idea of a moderate decrying the lack of bipartisanship in Congress.

Sounds like Bayh was having some sort of publicity seeking fit. He dropped out of an all but certain victorious re-election bid with little warning to the Indiana state Democratic party. He told his staff on Friday and Senate Majority Leader Reid on Monday, just before the announcement to the press in Indianapolis, according to reports. So, not only is Bayh a faux moderate but he is also not a team player for his party. Looks like he's burned the candle at both ends for too long.

Was some sort of personal scandal about to erupt? We don't know. Maybe nothing will come of it and Bayh will go on to work in the private sector, free to make his millions of dollars as head of something or another. His wife is a successful lobbyist in D.C. so the family has worked both sides of Capitol Hill for some time now.

Bayh used the reasoning to not seek re-election that it is just not good working in the Senate now. It sounds whiny for someone benefiting for so long in politics. Maybe it is not so much fun when you don't get to be a star or the one setting the rules. Let's remember it is the Democratic party that has large majorities in Congress. They are the one setting the agenda and making the rules to work with. Bayh's disillusionment must be with his own party, and not with the GOP, or anything the GOP does to stand up for their own agenda.

That's politics, Senator Bayh.

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