What's so great about Bayh?
The fact that his daddy was a good politician isn't going to get him much support.
Let's see:
- He is midwestern.
- He pulled a huge number of Republicans.
- He received nearly half of the evangelical vote (side note: there are evangelical Democrats?)
- He is a moderate, but does not sway with the political wind.
- He has had no scandals that I am aware of.
- He seems like a nice guy.
- He's got the groove.
DH put it well:
Bayh was elected Indiana Secretary of State in 1986 and governor in 1988 in close contests - but his re-election as governor and both Senate contests have seen him averaging around 63% of the vote
Bayh enjoys the support of around 35% of Indiana's Republicans and 45% of her evangelical Christians; percentages most Democrats could only dream of!
In sum, I think Bayh is electable as President. However, some would say he's not too charismatic but he's certainly telegenic
Ideologically, Bayh is pretty close to the centre - a man capable of reaching out to moderate conservatives (and 'Main Street' values) without alienating liberals
In 2008, should he seek and obtain the Democratic nomination and face a conservative Republican, I reckon Bayh would win comfortably
The only downer is that sitting senators don't tend to be elected President; however, Bayh was a two-term governor with a sound executive record. A criticism is that he never really used his political capital in Indiana; however, I believe governing in a cautious, as opposed to risky, fashion is a positive attribute. Besides, after eight years of Bush ruling from the ideological right, America will be ready for more moderate and steady pair of hands come 2008
Bayh is one of the best prospects that Democrats have to be elected President. Because he's a moderate, he has the capacity to be a uniter and not a divider in that he has strong bi-partisan appeal
I guess he could secure over 90% of the Democratic vote, 60% of independent vote and 15% of the Republican vote; as well as most liberals, most moderates and a significant number of conservatives
He's a strong Democrat from the "red" state of Indiana. His vote actually topped that of Bush (by around 18,000) when he was re-elected to the Senate
Dave
