People need to start wrapping their heads ...

[Cosmocat]

about Evan Bayh as a VP candidate ...

Out of the gates, I am a nobody and certainly have no insight into who the Obama camp is looking at, AND, pencil me in as someone who has never really liked Even Bayh a lot - plain as yellow mustard, DLC ... AND, I also was someone who, in the recent past thought the pick should be someone as equaly dynamic, as much as possible ...

BUT, I am seeing the MSM narrative developing with BO, and one of the basic underlying themes is that they are playing that McCain has all the wisdom in the world, and that BO has bad, inexperienced judgement ...

IMO, they are WAITING to take off on in a big way on his VP pick ...

For starters, I feel very strongly that they can't and won't pick a woman ... No knock in anyway on Hill or any other candidate ... But, IMO, the media will smash him with the "this is a thumb in Hillary's eye" spin, from the day of the announcement on ... The day, the qualifications of the pick won't see the light of day as EVERY headline and soundbite will be about how Hillary and her supporters got disrespected ... The day before the election, if he is ahead, it will be DESPITE snubbing Hill, if he is behind, it will be BECAUSE ...

Joe Biden ... I think he would be a very fine VP, but the MSM already him typecast - loose lips ... Just like Wes Clark said NOTHING wrong and got smashed, just as Howard Dean did NOTHING wrong and got labeled a maniac for the "Dean Scream" ... Biden might no actually say anything bizarre, but the MSM WOULD find something to spin it that way and then beat Barrack up as having poor leadership judgement for picking a VP he can't control ...

Bayh ...

Out of the gates ...
8 years as Governor of Indiana - so there is that "executive" thing that extends beyond the Senate ...
He NEVER RAISED TAXES in 8 years (which, beyond the rhetoric IS good work), he also had the single largest TAX cut in state history and largest state surplus ...
10 years in the senate - he has GREAT committee apppointments - Armed Forces, Intelligence, Banking, and Small Business...
He has been a H I G H L Y successul democrat in a republican state ...
Out of the gates, with BO being as close as he is already, with Indiana being in BO's Illinois sphere of influence, Bayh IS the kind of pol who can make the difference to flip his state ...
Bayh has the looks, the background, the manner of carrying himself that CAN HELP BO to flip some of the red states BO is looking to flip ... The very things that make him a bit hard for US to like, make him less threatening to the those who are not left leaning ...
DITTO THE MSM ... The Scarboro interview ... You saw how by the end of the interview Scarboro treated him with respect ... Again, the thing that MSM has where it disrespects a lot of D pols, what we does not sit was well with US, works to his favor in relation to the MSM ...
To the larger point of the thread, the MSM will have a hard time painting Bayh negatively ... He DOES NOT FIT THEIR "LIBERAL" TYPECAST ... He has a lot and a variety of "experience" some military creds with his senate committee seating ...
And, again, as much we might blanche over a DLCer, far more than not, he has been properly in line with party positions ...

Again, I obviously have no inside information ... For a while I had a feeling that Richardson might be it, but other than that, I have not had a good "feeling" as to who it could be until now ...

Maybe someone else knows better, and knows Bayh is not even being considered ...

But ...

[Clark2008]

1. DLC

:puke:

[A-Schwarzenegger]

2. EXCITING!

Lemme get my no-doz.

[anonymous171]

3. Just say NO to the DLC

They need to go away. Giving on of their people a position in the Obama administration is a baaad idea.

[demnan]

4. It would be a safe decision

I can't really think of anyone who would be ideal at the moment, so he's alright with me.

[elocs]

5. Would that mean a Democratic senate seat is sacrificed?

Indiana has a Republican governor, so how would the seat be filled? If there is a special election, what are the odds of a Democrat winning that in Indiana?

[Ian David]

6. Evan Bayh... almost as bad as LIEberman

Oh dear god...

Senator Joseph 'Joe' I. Lieberman
Lifetime score: 57%
Score for 110th Congress: 36%
http://action.aclu.org/site/VoteCenter?congress=110&repId=193&session_num=0&page=legScore

Evan Bayh
Lifetime score: 60%
Score for 110th Congress: 57%
Even my douchebag congressman Stephen Lynch has a better ACLU rating than Bayh.
http://action.aclu.org/site/VoteCenter?congress=0&repId=320&page=combLegScore&lcmd=top&lcmd_cf=




Even my douchebag state rep Steve Lynch scores better:


Representative Stephen 'Steve' F. Lynch
Democrat, Massachusetts
Lifetime score: 67%
Score for 110th Congress: 89%



Senator Edward 'Ted' M. Kennedy
Democrat, Massachusetts
Lifetime score: 84%
Score for 110th Congress: 85%


Senator John F. Kerry
Democrat, Massachusetts
Lifetime score: 84%
Score for 110th Congress: 92%

Other Senators with a 57% score from The ACLU this year:

Carper, Thomas
Feinstein, Dianne
Landrieu, Mary
Snowe, Olympia Republican ME
Webb, Jim
Rockefeller, Jay



Who has a 100% score this year from The ACLU?


Thomas, Craig RepublicanWY
Lautenberg, Frank Democrat NJ
Dorgan, Byron Democrat ND


I don't trust a Democrat who has lower ACLU ratings than some Republickers:

Thomas, Craig RepublicanWY
Snowe, Olympia Republican ME

[Egnever]

7. No fucking thanks

He destroys Obamas change argument , he is the typical politician willing to say anything if its popular at the time. I'll take a big pass on him.

Obama said on CNN the other night that one of the biggest criteria they were looking for is someone that shares obamas ideology. Bayh most certainly does not.

[Cosmocat]

12. Yeah ...

Again, on the majority of key progressive issues, Bayh is right ...

That is enough to "share ideology" ...

He in NO way goes against the "change" arguement ...

People want to mold their OWN view of what "change" is, that is why it is such a good theme/messaging for him ...

Again, Bayh has no negative background relative to ethics AND he has not been a fire breathing "partisan" nor branded as such ... Sorry, that qualifies him for "change" ...

Reread my OP ... He is not my VP of two months ago by any stretch, but this is NOW ...

[bowens43]

8. never heard of him, we need someome who is recognizable.

[shraby]

9. I think you're wrong. He's too establishment.

I see someone like Richard Clarke as v.p. and a good one he'd be too. Has the creds., the experience with terrorism.

[Cosmocat]

11. Dude ...

I LOVE Richard Clark ...

Seriously, he is a warrior, but he would be absolutely evicerated by the press ... Same thing, not because he isn't smart as all heck and well spoken, but because he is typecast "liberal" because he spoke out on Bushco ... Just like Wes Clark, Al Gore, Howard Dean ...

[AndyA]

10. No thanks. Bad choice. n/m

[Danger Mouse]

13. No.

[Phx_Dem]

14. I'm okay with whomever

Obama picks because I trust his judgement. He knows what he's doing and he knows who can help him. That said, PLEASE GOD don't let it be Evan Bayh. He reminds me of the dorky kid on Little Rascals with the pointy hair.

I'd prefer him over Hillary though. In fact, I'd prefer Chuck Hagel over Hillary. Just my opinion.

(Mrs Phx_Dem)