Which is more democratic? Indiana Democratic Nominee Selection Process

[Lunar]

I was just curious which result of this low-profile primary challenger's signature campaign would be more democratic.

http://www.redstate.com/erick/2010/02/15/lets-help-tamyra-dippolito-get-the-500-votes-he-needs/

[Хahar 🤔]

The latter.

[Vepres]

Neither, though I guess the latter is less un-Democratic

[Franzl]

the former is more democratic, in theory.

Voters have a choice, even if the candidate is running unopposed. If the candidate were to get zero votes, he would not be nominated. (At least I think that's right....?)

The backroom deal is entirely undemocratic.

(Note: I would support the undemocratic backroom deal )

[Хahar 🤔]

It's not like the people who are going to make the decision are self-appointed or something.

[You kip if you want to...]

Surely that's a bit of a leading question...

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Third-tier candidate barely qualifying and winning an uncontested primary due to incumbent's choice of retirement day

[JSojourner]

Surely that's a bit of a leading question...

Of course it is.  But that's part of the fun.

And the answer is, it depends.  When it's Democrats doing backroom business, it's undemocratic.  When it's Republicans, it's fighting for freedom, truth, justice, the American way and kittens.

[Lunar]

I asked a leading question?  Not possible!

[Torie]

This Hobson's choice depresses me. So I guess all I will say, is F you Bayh one more time. You disrespected the public square with the timing of your actions. There is no excuse, or if there is one, you did not share it. Jerk!

[Bo]

The latter.

[JSojourner]

This Hobson's choice depresses me. So I guess all I will say, is F you Bayh one more time. You disrespected the public square with the timing of your actions. There is no excuse, or if there is one, you did not share it. Jerk!

This is why I am doubtful that he withdrew from running because he wants to be Governor again.  Democrats, admittedly, have very short memories when it comes to powerhouses like Bayh but still...with no shortage of Baron Hills thinking it's their turn to be Governor, does Bayh really believe the party will simply award him the nomination on a silver platter? 

I'm still leaning toward the "manila envelope" or the desire to run for President as a Republican in 2012 as the two most likely reasons for his departure.

[Torie]

This Hobson's choice depresses me. So I guess all I will say, is F you Bayh one more time. You disrespected the public square with the timing of your actions. There is no excuse, or if there is one, you did not share it. Jerk!

This is why I am doubtful that he withdrew from running because he wants to be Governor again.  Democrats, admittedly, have very short memories when it comes to powerhouses like Bayh but still...with no shortage of Baron Hills thinking it's their turn to be Governor, does Bayh really believe the party will simply award him the nomination on a silver platter?  

I'm still leaning toward the "manila envelope" or the desire to run for President as a Republican in 2012 as the two most likely reasons for his departure.

Please elucidate for  me the details of the  playbook JS by which Bayh secures the GOP POTUS nomination in 2012. Perhaps you could do one of those "timeline" thingies. Thanks in advance.

[JSojourner]

This Hobson's choice depresses me. So I guess all I will say, is F you Bayh one more time. You disrespected the public square with the timing of your actions. There is no excuse, or if there is one, you did not share it. Jerk!

This is why I am doubtful that he withdrew from running because he wants to be Governor again.  Democrats, admittedly, have very short memories when it comes to powerhouses like Bayh but still...with no shortage of Baron Hills thinking it's their turn to be Governor, does Bayh really believe the party will simply award him the nomination on a silver platter?  

I'm still leaning toward the "manila envelope" or the desire to run for President as a Republican in 2012 as the two most likely reasons for his departure.

Please elucidate for  me the details of the  playbook JS by which Bayh secures the GOP POTUS nomination in 2012. Perhaps you could do one of those "timeline" thingies. Thanks in advance.

No playbook.  Just thinking out loud here. Hopefully in chronological order...


Bayh reads the tea leaves in 2008 and sees that his party prefers Hillary or Obama.  Hell, at this point Edwards and Richardson poll better than he does.

Bayh endorses Hillary.  Hillary narrowly loses.

Obama snubs Bayh as VP.

Obama snubs Bayh for a cabinet job.  (Maybe he didn't want one, but it is such an ego stroke to be asked.)

Bayh decides to push back by becoming a conservative stalwart and representing big insurance and Eli Lilly (his biggest backers anyway) in defeating health care.

Bayh criticizes other administration proposals and, when he agrees, offers only lukewarm support.

Bayh abandons his Senate run hours before the filing date, leaving his own party in an almost certain position of being screwed come November.  

He waits to see if there is a 1994-style Republican sweep of the 2010 elections.  If so, he waits another six weeks or so and pulls a Richard Shelby.  "I haven't left my party.  My party has left me." He says some things about being fiscally conservative, hating big guv'mint and believing that when you help corporate America, you help "real America". He categorically denies any plan to run for any office.

Ignoring the fact that Bayh is still pro-choice, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, James Dobson and Glenn Beck ejaculate on their microphones.

Bayh "prays about it", talks with his family and close friends and decides that he has been wrong about abortion.  He cites his extensive work on the National Fatherhood Initiative as moving him in this direction all along. He still has no interest in elective office any longer.

James Dobson has another orgasm.

A little more time passes and once the first extreme wingnut declares his intention to run for President, Bayh announces. He didn't really want to run but too many of his new Republican friends have urged him to get in.  The party needs a fresh, new face that can work with Democrats. Bayh positions himself as the candidate with the integrity to leave the Senate when he had a 20 point lead in the polls...the candidate who became utterly disenchanted with President Obama's failure to give Republicans whatever they wanted work in a bipartisan fashion.

I'm not saying this will happen.  I'm just suggesting it's a snake in the grass move that wouldn't surprise me one bit. Would Republicans go for it?  Hell, they adore Bayh right now and he's still supposedly a Democrat. And the GOP is dying for some sort of new face.  Romney is atrocious. Pawlenty is as exciting as a box of hair. Palin was supposed to be the new face but she derailed that whole thing entirely on her own. Huckabee has the soft on crime label hanging over his head.  Piyush Jindal inspired absolutely no one with his televised response to the nation following Obama's first major speech as President.  Brown and McDonnell are new faces, true.  But Brown is nominally pro-choice and both he and McDonnell are incredibly new to elective office.  (I know, I know...the same was true of Obama...but the GOP will look pretty hypocritical for running someone in a similar position after declaring that Obama had not paid his dues.)

I have no idea what the future holds for Evan Bayh.  I am reasonably certain he will not content himself with being a University President or something like that for long.  Unless the real reason for his departure is that manila envelope scenario I originally alluded to.  And that's still a possibility, though I hope not.

[Torie]

That is most excellent JS. Come to think of it, voters are symps for epiphanies in which the errant one returns home, and will forgive and forget everything. Voters like me who are cynical, and tend to think epiphanies are either a cynical re-marketing scheme, or a sign of psychosis, are rather thin on the ground.

In any event, I have this vague  (it's vague because I don't recall Bayh ever saying much of interest, and certainly not saying anything I found compelling or persuasive) impression that Bayh isn't very smart, and while not as dumb as some in the Senate, is probably in the bottom half. What do you think?   

[Lunar]

I agree with Torie above, Bayh sort of forced this undemocratic process by (A) being such a behemoth that no primary challenger took him seriously and (B) being such a behemoth that no serious Republican challenger really took him that seriously.

If Bayh had announced his retirement two months ago, not even that much of a time difference, the Republican field would have looked utterly different as well. 

[milhouse24]

Does Bayh have any brothers that could run for his spot?

[milhouse24]

Also, if voters don't like it, they would just vote for the GOP nominee.

The only people that would complain are democrat primary voters.  That's a very small part of the Indiana population.