I guess it's my fault Evan Bayh quit Congress
I was reading a column written by Jill Lawrence of Politics Daily and I learned that I helped cause Evan Bayh to quit his day job.
Evan Bayh and the Senate's Lonely Moderates: Bridge-Builders No Longer Needed
During the long, still incomplete march to pass a health reform bill, Democratic moderates – in particular Montana's Baucus and Nebraska's Nelson -- routinely took incoming from liberal bloggers for dragging the bill rightward. The left was especially critical of Bayh's take last month on Republican Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts. Bayh told ABC News that voters up there "just don't believe the answers we are currently proposing are solving their problems." He said Democrats would court catastrophe if they ignored the wakeup call. John Amato wrote at CrooksandLiars.com that Bayh was promoting Fox News talking points.
Yes, I am that mean and scary and Bayh just couldn't handle the heat from C&L, baby.
Look, I don't expect all Democratic politicians to vote 100% across the board, but when there is a signature piece of legislation that could help millions of Americans on a vital issue like health care, then I think the few ConservaDems should not help destroy a bill that is so critical to so many lives. Howie Klein has a breakdown of his voting record.
Last week polls showed ConservaDem Evan Bayh with a nearly insurmountable lead over lobbyist Dan Coats for the Indiana Senate seat. And this morning Chris Cillizza broke the news that Bayh had decided not to run for re-election. That must have been kind of sudden since he spent the last 6 years sucking up to every lobbyist on K Street, raised $8,911,690 and has a hefty $13 million in his campaign account. Beloved of Goldman Sachs, Eli Lilly, Allianz and dozens of corporations with anti-working family agendas, Bayh's fundraising looked extremely... Republican. But then, so does his voting record. Since Obama was elected president only Ben Nelson was a less dependable vote for Democrats when they were needed most-- on crucial, substantive roll calls where Democrats either lost or almost lost. The 3 worst scores among Democratic senators for the 111th Congress:
Ben Nelson- 47.76
Evan Bayh- 53.73
Blanche Lincoln- 59.70
Voting almost 48 % of the time against a newly elected Democratic president is beyond being a conservative democrat. it's aiding and abetting the enemy of change. Bayh whined like a teenager whose parents cut off their Internet yesterday when he gave his presser and said he was so tired of the partisanship. He could have done his part and helped President Obama and the Senate put together a good health care bill, but he did not. Politics is a contact sport and he proved he couldn't take it.
Ron Brownstein made a similar point On Andrea Mitchell this morning:
It's hard to see how he justifies this to other Democrats. But look it's more broadly what's happening with the Democratic Party. They've gone from 93-94, it took them 15 years to reestablish unified control of the House and the Senate and the White House as they did in 2009. And here they are, one year into it and the party seems to be in many respects losing its nerve. You have the Bayh thing as the latest in a series of --, Beau Biden, Lisa Madigan in Illinois, a variety of Democratic House members in tough districts walking away.
Look, politics is a contact sport and the Democrats have had the best opportunity they've had in 15 years to advance their agenda, and yet as they take all the flack that comes with that it feels like some of the party is crumbling and losing their nerve. Stunning decision.
Run for the hills you coward. And if your hero is Dick Lugar, why then is he still in Congress and you're not?
And shudder this thought by Digby:
The good news is that we are separating the men from the boys. The Democrats have everything, but it's all so icky and hard that a whole bunch of them are just walking away. Good riddance. If they don't have the cojones to stick it out when their country needs them, then they shouldn't be in politics.
I'm glad these guys weren't in charge during the Depression and WWII. We'd all be dirt farming for the Greater Axis Empire today.
Amen.
Not bad for a f#$%ing r#$%&*. :)
Corruption favors the wealthy.
dirty effing hippie leftist commie pinko
I'm sure.
;<|)
________________
common sense matters as much as truth
Since you are the all powerful Political Oz - can you do something about the other politicians? Please?
:)
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
on the board of Wellpoint.
________________
common sense matters as much as truth
they're all running away..either overtly or covertly..(as in not doing what their constituents sent them to do) Must be afraid of success..... being a congresscritter or senator is SUCH HARD work....
.......hmmmmmm...
Corporate pay is many times what the government pays.
Finding financial success in government is usually illegal.
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
The Clintons are worth more than $100 million now. Because their books and speeches were just that good. George Bush referenced Clinton when he noted that it was time to "cash in."
Corporate politics can be very lucrative.
Corruption favors the wealthy.
Silly me!
Of course they find mountains of legal $$$. (even more nowadays)
What was I thinking?
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
What happens to the reelection fund, exactly? Go to the DNC, or the next person to win the seat?
He can do several things with the campaign cash.
HERE
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
Thank you!
I suppose he could be a real dick about it and give it all to the GOP, huh?
The man is now Bragging to be a Blue Dog.
He voted against the health care bill in congress and he is a DEM?
Can we put some heat on him?
Complains about Governmental obstruction and filibustering while actively participating in it. Maybe he can take Lieberman, Nelson, Lincoln, etc. with him.
This no-account ********** did Democrats a favor.
He's always been a afraid to stand up for what is right, a coward of a politician.
Reminds me of what the great Freddie Shero said.....
"When you have bacon and eggs for breakfast, the chicken makes a contribution, but the pig makes a commitment."
I appreciate your effort. Now, could you please do something about Ben and Blance?
Scaring the poor blue dog out of politics! Shame on you!
The fact of the matter is that the Dems are crashing and burning because the Dinos like Bayh have wrecked the chances of any of the change the country is so desperate for--health care reform, banking reform, jobs bills. This is identical to the Clinton first term. The thugs undermined every bill the liberals offered, and the Dinos played along with the thugs.
The Dems have a few more months. If they don't have a string of victories before then, watch the disaster. Spineless Reid and the House of Lords aren't going to change though. I am steeling myself for a lifetime of disasters along the lines of Bush the dumber, and I want to puke.
Candideinnc
Good work John, we need less of these conservo-dems, it's too bad that Bayh felt he should screw dems by announcing his retirement a few days before the deadline to register as a candidate. But there is nothing you could have done about that John.
Now, is there anything you can do about Rahm?
don't let the door hit you on the ass, evan
now, which corporation will he work for? or will it be a think tank? maybe a lobbying firm?
i would bet that evan is only leaving the public side of DC, but he'll still retain his pro-corporate/anti-democratic position within govt-corp.
Get ready for about 10 years of "even the Democrat Evan Bayh says ..."
i didn't even think about that possibility...
... conservative "Democrats" like Bayh say they want to build bridges and make compromises and have everyone give a little, but somehow they never get around to the part where they give one fucking inch on anything they want, ever. Funny how that works.
Bayh said -- the answers we are proposing are NOT solving problems.
Logic -->
Then find new answers.... Lead.... do something different to make it work...
Bayh's logic -->
Let's have different problems.... I'm not the one Reid is courting... as a swing vote... so I will fix it...
I will announce when it is tooo late for ANY other Democrat to run...
actually put pressure on these politicians to perform. They're used to getting political fellatio from the old media in America. The work of screwing the public is much harder when people actually know you're doing it.
Goodbye, Bayh. Enjoy your centrist lobbying job.
(the lobbying job) His wife will.... she's a pharmaceutical lobbyist... guess they offered a great deal...
Must be worth more than a lousy sure-thing Senate seat.
Goodbye, Bayh. Enjoy your
centristconservative lobbying job.Fixed it fer ya.
There's an old saying that goes "with friends like that, who needs enemies?"
I shed no tears over the retirement of Bayh. Maybe... just maybe... the rest of them will see this as a wake-up call. Nahh... what the hell am I thinking? They will just continue to act like pussies and blame the big bad Republicans for taking their lunch money away from them instead of cracking them square in the nuts with a baseball bat (like they should).
Why is nobody asking this OF THEM?
Why are they so afraid to stand up for their base?
We need to make them answer this.
they're afraid of is that we're on to them and the charade is over. they're all millionaires who don't give two shits about the regular folk. This is class warfare.
The only thing they have going for them is a few million dupes known as the Republican "base".
Dems hate the base. Bayh picks on "liberal bloggers" because it's a good Fox Terror sound bite. But really who are the bloggers? They're upset that their base can speak with a voice as loud and far-reaching as the news media. No more captive audience for pretend Dems.
the 'new dems' decided that they were just as anxious to rake in corporate cash as the GOP has historically been. and policies that the base champions run counter to the profit-driven models of their corporate sugar daddies.
.
having that kind of pull John? I guess you must be a big power player in Washington D.C and a multi-millionaire also. Right? Right? Hello? Is this thing on?
Democratic moderates – in particular Montana's Baucus and Nebraska's Nelson
This sentence sums up everything that is wrong with the Democratic Party.
"Anyone that makes less than $150K in this country, has no business voting Republican."
the party in Montana and Nebraska.
"I mean Romney is the most conservative on illegal immigration and I don't think Ronald Reagan could get elected in California today."
Ann "Clipped" Coulter
confederate dems!
________________
common sense matters as much as truth
Evan!
Here is a picture of Evan Bayh …
http://images.buycostumes.com/mgen/merchandis...
psssssst pay no attention to that monkey on his back-
It`s the insurance and health care industries he sucked up to over his own constituents.
LuLu
that poor, innocent Beagle.
evAn is a smurf dog,
A SMEAGLE!
________________
common sense matters as much as truth
If he loses his day job and has a prexisting health problem he will have a hard time getting health insurance. Or do Congresspersons get it for the rest of their lives?
He can always run for president. Good luck with that. And there is always a place at the trough on K-street.
... if you serve long enough,(10 years?) and he's served long enough, my god has he served long enough.
funny, they never seem to bring up that piece of pork.
Now can you do something about Ben & Blanche?
politican. He quit because the people actually want him to do the work of the people, and it's clear that's not why he ran in the first place.
It sucks that he's preventing the Dems from finding a good candidate to replace him, but I'm nonetheless glad he's out of here.
I've never seen change without a fire
Jill seems to understand the strain Evan feels every time he steps to the right to move the mid-point evermore to the furthest right. He has his struggles only assuaged by the millions of dollars that his wife brings in from being on the board of so many corporations, but there comes a point when megablogger abuse, so unmindful of those pains that he must suffer in moving the middle of any disagreement to best aid his true constituents, the corporations.
Hey, cut this guy some slack, it's not his fault that the Republicans are more successful in maintaining their party line and that he's always ready to break with his party's beliefs since he doesn't believe in them, really. He tried hard to move his party's line to his position.
Paul C
Does anyone know where the $12 million that he raised for this election will go?
Paul C
Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet... good job John!
that the link between patting oneself on the back and carpal tunnel is real but that blogspheric pressure has not proven to grow spines in Democrats?
"I mean Romney is the most conservative on illegal immigration and I don't think Ronald Reagan could get elected in California today."
Ann "Clipped" Coulter
Coin That!
it's brilliant.
________________
common sense matters as much as truth
For Bayh's voting record I mean?
With a 20 point lead in the KOS poll and $12 million in the bank, Bayh was smart to hear the blogging footsteps creeeping up on him
and "run" for cover.
"I mean Romney is the most conservative on illegal immigration and I don't think Ronald Reagan could get elected in California today."
Ann "Clipped" Coulter
this is why dems shouldnt be afraid to invigorate the electorate by running as liberals. who was bayh trying to impress with his voting record? where are those so-called centrist (read conservative) dems now? where are the independents going to put their vote?
Do you generally consider yourself to be:
Conservative 40%
Moderate 36%
Liberal 21%
I am sure this would change if Gallup would include "Progressive"
in their question.
"I mean Romney is the most conservative on illegal immigration and I don't think Ronald Reagan could get elected in California today."
Ann "Clipped" Coulter
"conservative" were replaced with "teabagger".
Or If you eliminated the folks from the sample who think they someday may have to shoot their way out of the Red Lobster.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/virginiapoli...
My shrimp scampi better not be cold or there's gonna be hell to pay!!
got herself elected to the Texas Legislature on account of not having a legal handgun handy to stop the maniac killing people while she was eating at a Luby's cafeteria.
"I mean Romney is the most conservative on illegal immigration and I don't think Ronald Reagan could get elected in California today."
Ann "Clipped" Coulter
Or we should stop being afraid to call ourselves liberals.
Look up the tradition meaning. See if you don't find honor in that.
and I don't mean Conservative Jesus.
http://themishmash.typepad.com/photos/uncateg...
"I mean Romney is the most conservative on illegal immigration and I don't think Ronald Reagan could get elected in California today."
Ann "Clipped" Coulter
Dean, and the Dem. party should have kicked out/ worked hard to replace these DINOs w/ real Dems a long time ago! Now if a rethug had quit because: "I just won't be part of a congress that is taking us towards Democratic Socialism" and had quit just in time for another Dem Socialist to get into congress.... then and only then can John and the 'blogosphere' claim victory.
Swell, John/"we" 'purged' a dino from the party*....now what?! Another rethug takes his seat......super SWELL!
* or he just quit for more $!
We need much bigger "victories" than this!
Cue the Kabuki....
he surely did not expect to get kicked to the curb after the resounding Obama Victory. and I'm sure that it was a surprise to all of us as it was to Dean.
thank(R)ahm for much of the upheaval within the party. he is DLC operative #1.
________________
common sense matters as much as truth
If not getting progressive blog support will cause other DINOs to step down I'm all for it. These guys voted with the Rushthugliklans anyway, so what are we loosing really? A 60 vote "super majority" that couldn't get progressive legislation passed anyway?
Good riddance Bayh, now take Mary Landrieu and Ben Nelson with you.
ALL OF THE BLUEMUTTS WITH YOU!!!!!!!!!
[no insult intended to the creatures of the canine persuasion]
________________
common sense matters as much as truth
"If not getting progressive blog support will cause other DINOs to step down I'm all for it."
Every little bit helps!
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
Sooooo, he doesn't like the partisan fighting in congress?!
Well, as long as it wasn't the failed power grab or Lieberman-envy.
But, correct me if I'm wrong, wasn't this prick the same Blu-Dawg who tried to form a coalition AGAINST Pres. Obama's agenda from day one?
Maybe not. After all the media didn't mention it so that can't be right.
Let's all say
Bayh Bayh!! Mwahhhahahaha, it's like Bye Bye!! get it??
na na na na
na na na na
bayh bayh bayh
good-bye
Some stuff you can't make up!
The Democratic Party of Indiana will choose the candidate. Is it too late to bring pressure on the party to find an alternative? I know they have a Blue Dog with lots of money and no principles willing to run.
Is there a liberal in the state that is equally wealthy that is willing to offer himself as a candidate? It is a red state, I know. Surely there is someone with some clout that can express the willingness to stand up as a real Democrat who cares about something other than being the not-Rethug on the ticket.
Candideinnc
Well done, John. Now could you be mean to Feinstein too?
Don't they know that a vote for a republican no matter how nice you think he is, is a vote for more of the same bullshit we have had for the last thirty years, and especially the last 8 years. My god when I look at the last 8 years I find myself in horror of the way republican wrecked the country. Both economicly and morally. I don't think we have had such a bad government since the days of slavery and the killing of the indians. the retard party would take us back to those days in a heart beat if they could get away with it. Now they just make you credit slaves.
republicanism/conservatism is a mental illness!
1) Hurt my feelings for pointing out the truth about me, my wife and our funders.
2) Might make me spend a little out of my $13 million 'campaign' treasury rather than keep it for me and my wife's lobbying careers.
3) Are just takin' the damn fun out of prancing, dancing and pontificating like some high-toned patriarch - while selling out the health and wellbeing of Americans.
In Stage one of the multi-cycle plan, we kicked a whole bunch of Republican thugs out of office. In Stage two, we begin the much longer process of purging fake Democrats like Evan Bayh from the ranks. It won't be easy, and we will suffer some setbacks, but it must be done to regain the integrity of the Democratic party.
the Heat!
John Amato - American Badass
Thanks John. Please go to work on Ben Nelson and Blanche Lincoln next.
Of course, Rahm Emanuel will probably call you some nasty names.
Who gives a crap what Rahm thinks, says or does...
He has already told progressives what he thinks of us... so he can go Cheney himself.
Also Obama has that a$$wipe to thank for his new low in the polls.
As for Evan Byah? Buh bye... Byah. No one needs another Republithug... in DEM's clothing. And I wish all the other Blue Dogs would take his cue....
Obama is a moron! He hired Rahm Emmanuel (r) and fired the best democrat the party has had in many years - Dr. Dean.
Obama is such a corporate tool however, he cannot even fill up his empty suit enough to realize that the DLC republican-lite advisors he loves are completely out of touch with the times, and may very well cost him and his party power.
Trying to swing back the pendulum with GOP-lite, after 8 years of the most radical corporate fascist government since Hitler, is not going to win too many voters.
Rush Limbaugh is what a smart person thinks a stupid bigot sounds like.
Good work John! Thank you very much.
Now, if we can just get rid of the rest of the bluedogs.........
Rush Limbaugh is what a smart person thinks a stupid bigot sounds like.
He's probably going to join his wife and work for Wellpoint directly instead of indirectly . Hope you don't mind policyleft but I think I'll just start typing "ditto" or "me too" after your posts and call it good from now on .LOL
"Look, I don't expect all Democratic politicians to vote 100% across the board, but when there is a signature piece of legislation that could help millions of Americans on a vital issue like health care, then I think the few ConservaDems should not help destroy a bill that is so critical to so many lives."
Is that asking too much?
Glad to see another fool leave who loves to vote with republicans. Get rid of the other DINOs and maybe we can get things done. Idiots who do not support the democratic platform and refuse to break filibusters should be kicked from the caucus. Harry Reid will probably go down as the weakest senate leader ever. Bayr spit is his face and Reid does nothing. Losing Harry Reid will be a blessing for democrats.
Republicans are liars and simply cannot be trusted.
Bayh will probably donate it to a Republican PAC that he will ostensibly do some "work" for and "earn" it all back.
If he had wanted to end the obstructionism he would have voted for some of the major bills in the Democratic agenda just to break the Republican stranglehold on Congress. He did not have to agree with every element of every bill. The Health Care Bill had already been amended to include many Republican backed issues. Bayh placed political dogma above practical results, which makes his motives for waiting until the last minute to announce his "retirement" that much more suspect concerning his intent regarding his successor.
Comments are closed on this entry