Wednesday, 25 January 2006
Sen Bayh for President
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Looking ahead to the Democrats' 2008 prospects for gaining the White House, political analyst Larry Sabato sees one ticket that "could be well-nigh unbeatable."
That would be former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, who was born in Indianapolis, and Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind.
Warner-Bayh or Bayh-Warner could take Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana and Ohio away from the GOP, said Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, in his latest Crystal Ball newsletter
This is not the first time I have heard people mention that Bayh would be an unstoppable candidate for the president because he would take traditionally red mid-western states. As Lee Corso says on College Gameday: "not so fast my friend".
Bayh has shifted radically from his days as governor in Indiana. He has becomeone of the more liberal senators in DC. An illustration of this shift can befound in his support of the second amendment. Two years ago, Sen. Bayh pledged to support legislation that would block frivolous lawsuits against gun manufacturers. But when S.397, Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, was introduced, he voted for Sen. Reed's amendment that would have gutted the act. And he was one of 33 senators who slapped second amendment supporters in the face when he voted against the final draft of S.397.
The reality is Bayh's race to the left has made him vulnerable in states that many think he could easily win. I suspect that if he ran for president he would have a difficult time winning his own state once his recent voting trends were widely known. My guess is he would end up like Gore who couldn't even win his home state of Tennessee.
