I think the '08 nominee may very well be Evan Bayh

[WI_DEM]

No doubt he is going to run. Whatever you think of him he does have the credentials--two term Governor, in his third Senate term. Well respected in his state. He comes from a state that Dems never win in a presidential race. He is trying to win some brownie points with party activists by voting against Rice. He is the only name among those who voted against her who was somewhat surprising. Yes, he is going to run and if he does he will be formidable.

The big issue in the '08 primary will be "Can democrats win the values campaign?" why will this be the issue? because the press will make it the issue based on '04. It is just like they very much made the issue in the '04 primaries electability over anything else.

Bayh will be annointed as the most electable by the media because he is 1) A moderate 2) represents a Republican state 3) Favors parental notification and is against late term abortions--and supposedly could compete better in red states.

The question is if there is a strong liberal alternative will the rank and file opt again for voting for the candidate who is considered by the pundits "the most electable" or will they follow their hearts and vote for the candidate they favor on the issues.

[AntiCoup2K4]

1. In order for me to vote for Evan Bayh....

...his vote yesterday would have to become the rule and not the exception, and he would have to renounce the corporatist neocon whores known as the DLC. So it's not impossible, but highly unlikely.

[veteran_for_peace]

2. I agree.

He better come from the Democratic wing of the democratic party for me to vote for him. Otherwise I will vote Green

[Alpharetta]

3. He voted in favor of the Iraq War Resolution

http://www.womenagainstwar.org/issues/votes.htm

Sorry, but it was spineless and political. He should have stood with Byrd and the other Senators who voted against it.

I don't need chickenshits who are afraid of the current power structure. Bayh can go to hell.

[jfern]

11. Kerry voted for that too

Yeah, trying to be "electable" sometimes makes Democrats do stupid things.

[robbedvoter]

20. He actually co-sponsored it - with Joementum and Edwards

http://www.congress.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:SJ00046:@@@P

[cally]

4. Depends where the first primaries or caucuses are

I think they might be held in a western or southern state instead of Iowa/NH. I hope so. If a southern state, then I think Warner has a shot or maybe Clark. If a Western state, then I think Clark will win. I don't believe Hillary Clinton or Kerry will win the next time. Bayh may win if NH and Iowa continue to dominate.

[WI_DEM]

6. But many people consider parts of Indiana

to be southern, especially the areas which border Kentucky

[Cocoa]

5. I agree he's going to run

he's on TV a lot, plus all those things you mention.

Whether he'll win is another question. He seems to me like a Joe Lieberman without the warmth and without the civil rights background (as far as I know).

[DemDogs]

8. Agree and . . .

I don't know how he appeals to primary voters, unless, like some on DU, his change from voting for tax cuts twice and Santorum's late term abortion bill last term to voting against Rice this term is enough for them. In a field that might include Kerry, Clinton, Edwards, Gore, Clark, where does he get his support or his money? And there will be several red state former governors in the race, too, Vilsack and Warner among them. Plus Richardson. If he was charismatic or had a top issue with which he is associated, then maybe I see where he gets room. But as of now, I just don't see it. In the end, I don't even expect him to run.

[truebrit71]

7. I HIGHLY doubt that...

..a pro-life, war-enabler had better NOT be the Dems choice for Prez...

Because if they are they had better not count on money or support from me...

[Larkspur]

9. He voted for IWR and despite his votes against Rice, I'm not convinced

to vote for him in either the primary or GE. Bayh has as many hurdles to get over to win the Dem Nomination as Joe Lieberman does.

[saltpoint]

10. I think you've got a workable theory here, Wi Dem.

Bayh is electable where Boxer is threatening.

I'd vote for Boxer, for example, in the primaries, and then watch as the mainstream forces in the party nudge it towards the middle.

I suppose a Bayh-Warner ticket would be formidable.

That's not to say that Bayh won't evolve. I was fairly shocked that he voted against Dr. Rice. Would have lost that bet for sure. I'll not write him off until I see what's up, but it's always a case of deciding which candidate can be elected vs. which one I personally prefer.

Damn! If I were the lone arbiter of the universe, this dilemma wouldn't be necessary!

[JPZenger]

12. Someone who can relate to the common man

We need someone who is not from the Northeast or California, and someone who can relate to the common folk, and someone with a mix of domestic and international experience.

I don't know enough about Bayh, but my impression is he is a little too conservative. Some of that can be explained because he needed to keep getting re-elected in a solidly Republican state.

My preference so far is for Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Richardson_(politician)

I liked Wesley Clark's resume when he first announced his run. However, he proved to be a weak campaigner and had some definite quirks. Also, there were just TOO MANY people who had worked with him closely who didn't like the guy. That was the reason that Kerry did not propose Clark for VP (I believe the source of that was Newsweek).

[saltpoint]

16. I think Richardson is a distinct possibility for the ticket --

-- but I don't know if he's charismatic on the stump or not. I respect the man's intelligence and his resume is hefty, so I think he's in the chase, definitely, and at least two or three notches ahead of Hillary Clinton.

Bayh may be taking some tips from his father, who also ran for president and did fairly well in the primaries.

If Iowa's caucuses are still first in late January, it may favor Bayh.

I can argue Bayh's strategic possibilities apart from my own preferred candidates.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

13. Bayh? What does he possibly have to offer? Unflavored Jello?

I'm less impressed by his one vote against Condi than his vote for the war.

[WI_DEM]

14. I'm not promoting him, I just feel he will be a very credible candidate.

[Vinnie From Indy]

15. Bayh is a Masterful Politician!

He has never lost a political campaign, that I am aware of, in a state that is heavily Republican. He has been A.G., two term Gov. and two term Senator. That being said, he is not his father's style of Democrat. Birch Bayh was the real deal in regard to progressive causes when he was in the Senate.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

17. Birch was a true liberal and he lost.

Sad, isn't it. But that's Indiana.

[WI_DEM]

19. well he also served three terms in the Senate

it's not like Birch was a liberal who served only one term. He had to be a pretty masterful politician too to survive that long in Indiana.

[DaveinMD]

18. I'm sure he'll fail the DU purity test again

at some point. Of course the same will be said about everyone running.