Evan Bayh

[cj's dad]

decides not to seek re-election !!

Another lily-livered democrat who can't stand the thought of being trounced by the opposition (read-teabaggers) in the upcoming election.

These phonies have no heart or soul.

[Hurricanefrank]

I'd call it a politically astute move. If you are associated with the "(D)" you are a losing proposition in this country right now, a political version of Zippy Chippy.

[johnhannibalsmith]

Zippy Chippy had supporters.

[Golf and Horses]

Here's an interesting take on this:

Many capitalists, freedom lovers and individualists are gleeful about all of the early retirements of statists and crooks in the Democrat party. Rats bolt a sinking ship. They believe this indicates victory. It does not. While Republicans are rubbing their hands in glee at the sheer number of Democrat incumbents not running for re-election, I am not.

more at the link.
http://biggovernment.com/pgeller/2010/02/15/the-democrat-strategy-for-2010-bye-bye-bayh/

[lamboguy]

first they all try to steal, now they all run like rats. this looks like we are in for big trouble. these guys are going down to easy without any fight to them at all. this latest casualty wasn't to bad a guy, for him to dixie do means big trouble a comin. i would say that within 3 years the republican's are going to have at least 70 seats in the senate. if you go further out you actually might have more. the 2 party system will be completly gonzo. that is big touble.

[boxcar]

Here's an interesting take on this:

Many capitalists, freedom lovers and individualists are gleeful about all of the early retirements of statists and crooks in the Democrat party. Rats bolt a sinking ship. They believe this indicates victory. It does not. While Republicans are rubbing their hands in glee at the sheer number of Democrat incumbents not running for re-election, I am not.

more at the link.
http://biggovernment.com/pgeller/2010/02/15/the-democrat-strategy-for-2010-bye-bye-bayh/

The Repugs aren't called the Party of Stupid for nothing. (In fact, the party makes BO seem brilliant by comparison.)

I agree with the writer's analysis 100%. Very well written piece. The Dems know they're in for a bloodbath come next election. They now know that most people in this country want no part of Socialism. As the writer said, the Dems' strategy will be to lay the blame (at least partly) upon the likes of those who are resigning. The Republicans' job will be to not to let them get away with that nonsense. A lib is a lib is a lib. The Republicans will have to get out the message that the Democrat Party is nothing less than a socialists workers' party -- pretty much on par with the ideology of the Communist Party. The Republicans are going to have to learn to play hardball and play the game better than the Dems if they hope to survive -- but more importantly if this country hopes to survive.

Having said this, however, the Dems aren't exactly sitting in the catbird seat. They're not in an enviable position. They're going to have to come up with replacement candidates who will appeal to the hardcore left. If they don't, the radicals will stay home on election day. But if their strategy is toss the radicals under the bus for an election cycle to try to appeal to the "independents" instead with tempered, moderate sounding platforms that, too, could backfire on them, especially if the Repugs play their cards right. (But that is a big "IF" :rolleyes: ).

Boxcar

[Rookies]

Let's see whether the baggers have what it takes in the reddest of red states:

Texas School Board District 9, where the creationist lunatic is going to get a Repug challenge from the centre.

Coming up in 3 weeks...

[Golf and Horses]

But if their strategy is toss the radicals under the bus for an election cycle to try to appeal to the "independents" instead with tempered, moderate sounding platforms that, too, could backfire on them, especially if the Repugs play their cards right. (But that is a big "IF" :rolleyes: ).

Boxcar
This sounds like what the writer of the article believes is the strategy.

[prospector]

bahy would not have won reelection..he voted always with obama..that will still come back to haunt him if he tries to run for pres or governor..
the real battle is for the repub vote..coats is an establishment repub..he should have stayed retired..

[Dave Schwartz]

I read a statistic somewhere that only 17% of people born after 1976 are conservatives. A second statistic said that after 1980 that figure is less than 7%.

The next elections will really tell a lot about the young voters in this country.

Will they vote with their hearts or their heads?


Regards,
Dave Schwartz

[riskman]

Republicans claim they are the anti-big-government, anti-stimulus, anti-Wall Street, pro-Tea Party tribunes of the common folk.This G.O.P. populism is all smoke and mirrors.The party is exploiting the Tea Party movement to reinvent itself as Washington outsiders while doing business as usual in the capital. Republicans in office now, have gorged themselves on federal pork, catered to special interests, and pursued policies having no particular interest or concern, to the sufferings of recession-battered Americans. It is unbelievable the Repugs are getting away with their populist phony image. This is in part due to the economic anger and anxiety in the country.

House Republican leader Senator, John Boehner, Richard Shelby of Alabama, Susan Collins of Maine and Thad Cochran of Mississippi sponsor so much "pork" that they now vote with the words, Th- th-th-that’s all folks!”

The Democrats also do not make a persuasive argument that offer anything better. The Democrats are now linked to corporate interests, thanks to all the backroom deals over health care. More Americans have heard of the Medicaid money shoveled to the Democratic senators Ben Nelson (the January “porker of the month”) and Mary Landrieu in exchange for their health care votes.Democrats are too busy reading the writing on Sara Palin's hand to see or respond to the real problems facing America. The political writing is on the wall come the mid- term elections. Lets see if the Repugs will blow it.

[PaceAdvantage]

Holy Shit!

And to think, just a mere handful of months ago (ok, 15 to be exact), you had all the hardcore left-wingers proclaiming from the top of the mountain how the party of the Republicans was "DEAD AND BURIED" for the foreseeable future and WELL BEYOND.

Some clowns were even predicting a 100-year reign of Democrats...

What a complete and utter BUST!

Too bad some of those folks acted like total JACKASSES and had to be kicked off...I would be interested in their take on things right now...

[jballscalls]

Holy Shit!

And to think, just a mere handful of months ago (ok, 15 to be exact), you had all the hardcore left-wingers proclaiming from the top of the mountain how the party of the Republicans was "DEAD AND BURIED" for the foreseeable future and WELL BEYOND.

Some clowns were even predicting a 100-year reign of Democrats...

What a complete and utter BUST!

Too bad some of those folks acted like total JACKASSES and had to be kicked off...I would be interested in their take on things right now...

The republicans haven't done anything to merit a comeback in the last 15 months other than make themselves look like whiners really. Everytime i see a republican senator or even a republican pundit, they are screaming and fear mongering and blaming (and yes Boxcar, Obama does this too) They haven't put forth anyone who resembles a potential party leader/potus nominee for 2012.

Right now they are getting by on just letting Obama shoot himself in the foot (which oddly enough is how Obama got elected, relying on Bush shooting himself in the foot)

They should make a full on comeback in 2012 if they can put forth some good candidates, but so far we haven't seen anyone that resembles a strong viable alternative.

I guess it's too much to ask for a politician of either party to just be honest, up front and not play the muckraking games of politics.

[ArlJim78]

I guess with Bayh stepping aside it shows us that there is no room for moderates in the Democratic party anymore.

[lamboguy]

I guess with Bayh stepping aside it shows us that there is no room for moderates in the Democratic party anymore.
there will be no room for the democratic party in this country pretty soon. after the republican's gain complete control there will be no room for them either.

[boxcar]

I guess with Bayh stepping aside it shows us that there is no room for moderates in the Democratic party anymore.

Don't kid yourself: Bayh was no moderate. He almost always sided with the other radicals in his party. Good riddance to him!

Boxcar

[boxcar]

there will be no room for the democratic party in this country pretty soon. after the republican's gain complete control there will be no room for them either.

Good! This should give us enough time to prepare for the next civil war so that we can purge the land of freedom and capitalism-haters -- everywhere and on both sides of the aisles.

Boxcar

[ArlJim78]

there will be no room for the democratic party in this country pretty soon. after the republican's gain complete control there will be no room for them either.
what did the Republicans do when they had complete control? I don't remember anything like this.

[ArlJim78]

Don't kid yourself: Bayh was no moderate. He almost always sided with the other radicals in his party. Good riddance to him!

Boxcar
I was being facetious. He was known as a moderate in the media, and they always claim that it's the Republicans who purge the moderates from the party with their far right litmus tests.

i think its hilarious all this talk about gridlock and partisanship coming from Democrats, considering that they don't need a single Republican vote to pass any bill they want.

[NJ Stinks]

I don't blame anyone for getting out of Congress. Especially if you felt you could make a difference by being a member.

Healthcare reform is a great example. Democrats can't get Blue Dogs to sit up and heel. Republicans just say no. Senior citizens only care about keeping what they have no matter what party they are in. Lots of young people only care about the fact that they don't really need healthcare today so why should they have to pay for anything.

In the end premiums keep going up as the cost of healthcare escalates. Millions of Americans stay on the outside looking in while many millions more say I've got mine and that's all I care about today.

If you went to Washington hoping to make a difference, how can you be anything but disillusioned in today's Congress and in the American people? Better to find something more constructive to do with your life/time.

[johnhannibalsmith]

With all the ass you had to suck and soul you had to sacrifice to run a successful campaign to become elected, if you went to Washington still under the impression that you had any chance of making any difference... you aren't disillusioned, you are comatose.

[lamboguy]

what did the Republicans do when they had complete control? I don't remember anything like this.they didn't operate any differently than this disaster going on right now. they stole your money just as well as the democrats and took away more of your rights as citizen's here in the name of terrorism. actually the democrats flunked the part at stealing your money, they are really inept. the republicans are great at that.

i am sure you understand what has happened in a nutshell power corrupts

[boxcar]

With all the ass you had to suck and soul you had to sacrifice to run a successful campaign to become elected, if you went to Washington still under the impression that you had any chance of making any difference... you aren't disillusioned, you are comatose.

:lol: :lol: :lol: Truer words never spoken! :ThmbUp:

But it even gets worse. Remember now, our liberal buddies believe in their heart of hearts that liberal politicians are the saviors of the people. These politicians have our best interests at heart at all times -- 24/7. They only want to do what's best for us. This is what foolish, naive liberals believe about the Dems, right? Now, back to the real world....Today Bayh had an interview on MSNBC, and here's an excerpt of that interview:

In an interview on MSNBC this morning, newly retiring Sen. Evan Bayh declared the American political system "dysfunctional," riddled with "brain-dead partisanship" and permanent campaigning. Flatly denying any possibility that he'd seek the presidency or any other higher office, Bayh argued that the American people needed to deliver a "shock" to Congress by voting incumbents out en masse and replacing them with people interested in reforming the process and governing for the good of the people, rather than deep-pocketed special-interest groups.

Note the phrase "PERMANENT CAMPAIGNING". Let's read on, though:

[i]Bayh blamed the current atmosphere of intense partisanship on the need for senators to constantly campaign to be reelected to another six-year term. Citing his father, a popular liberal senator in the '60s and '70s, he noted that "back in the day they used to have the saying: 'You campaign for 2 years and you legislate for 4.' Now you campaign for 6!" He noted that the need for constant fundraising made it nearly impossible to focus on passing legislation.[i]

Yeah...I bet it's difficult to focus on legislative matters. In fact, I'll go a step further and say flat out that being in perpetual campaign mode doesn't do great things for the mind and soul either. When in campaign mode, who is first and foremost on the campaigner's mind: The People or the campaigner himself!? Being a politician today is NOT about serving the people. It's first and foremost about politicians serving themselves. And it's all about catering to the big moneyed interests. (Read the first paragraph again.) Yet, misguided, delusional libs insist that liberal politicians are virtually saints.

Mosty recently made a statement that he'd trust politicians in the public sector long before he'd trust any corporate interests. I asked him point blank: Why? What makes politicians differ from their human counterparts over in the private sector? What makes a politician better than some CEO? Mosty never got back to me on that one. Why? Because he himself is unable to come up with a rational answer for why he'd rather trust a politician over some bigwig in the corporate world. In short, he knows and I know that his trust is irrational. His trust isn't grounded in any rational, justifiable reason.

Here is the link to the full interview with Bayh.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_ts1134

Boxcar

[PaceAdvantage]

The republicans haven't done anything to merit a comeback in the last 15 months other than make themselves look like whiners really. Everytime i see a republican senator or even a republican pundit, they are screaming and fear mongering and blaming (and yes Boxcar, Obama does this too) They haven't put forth anyone who resembles a potential party leader/potus nominee for 2012.

Right now they are getting by on just letting Obama shoot himself in the foot (which oddly enough is how Obama got elected, relying on Bush shooting himself in the foot)

They should make a full on comeback in 2012 if they can put forth some good candidates, but so far we haven't seen anyone that resembles a strong viable alternative.

I guess it's too much to ask for a politician of either party to just be honest, up front and not play the muckraking games of politics.Well, something is making all of these Democrats declare their impending retirement.

Shoot, you would think these guys would want to stick around and revel in the 100-year liberal renaissance that Obama brought to the fore...:lol:

[sandpit]

With all the ass you had to suck and soul you had to sacrifice to run a successful campaign to become elected, if you went to Washington still under the impression that you had any chance of making any difference... you aren't disillusioned, you are comatose.

If you want Soul Sacrifice, check out Santana from 1971: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4TwOclvdNg

[johnhannibalsmith]

If you want Soul Sacrifice, check out Santana from 1971: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4TwOclvdNg

Thank you Sandpit :ThmbUp:

[rastajenk]

I don't think John Boehner is a big sponsor of pork. He may wink and nod at the egregiousness of his colleagues, but he has not been one to "bring home the bacon."

[jballscalls]

I don't think John Boehner is a big sponsor of pork. He may wink and nod at the egregiousness of his colleagues, but he has not been one to "bring home the bacon."

I love that you made a pork joke about a guy named Boehner :)