If this were, say, May of last year, (even) I would say, This is a veiled attack on Barack Obama by Hillary Clinton, using her favorite lap dog, Evan Bayh. Hillary, however, has thrown all her chips down on Obama, so it means something else. What people may not yet fully have in mind is this: during the Bush years, moderates were to the Left of the president, now they are to the Right. And, in the playground pecking order, that may well make John McCain the de facto leader of Moderates. The things I didn't like about McCain kept me from voting for him. Regardless, there are quite a few things I like about him, and one of them is his willingness to work with anyone, regardless of party. Agree or disagree with his politics, McCain openly cares about the things he cares about, and he is eager to work with anyone who also cares.
The GOP as we know it, I believe, was dealt a death blow in November. Barack Obama is going to change how things are done. He already has in many ways. Again, agree or disagree with him, you at least have to admire how well he is accomplishing what I would classify as regime change in America. Meme change, even. I think even the casual observer can see that Republicans are casting about desperately looking for a new image, a clearer, more successful platform, and a change agent to carry it out. I would also say that all early contenders have been less than stellar. Ironically, the more they flounder, the more John McCain looks correct. (I was going to say, "right," but he's floating toward the middle.) Conservative talking heads tried to pin failure of the GOP ticket in November on Sarah Palin, but it was McCain who lost, and a lot of Moderates deserted him. Not only to save face, but to bring credibility to the claims of being a "loyal resistance," the GOP needs to come to the middle a little more, and lose some of their tired old rhetoric that even they don't believe any more. I don't think John McCain has any future presidential aspirations. However, I do think he may have the ability to hold the GOP together long enough for them to get a new message, and messenger.
How does this apply to Evan Bayh?
Well, I would say, first of all, seeing Bayh and McCain together is both jarring and expected in a way. Bayh is his own politician, but he is also an on-record Moderate and member of the DLC, a former chair. He is also clearly a Clinton surrogate, and a standard bearer for Moderate Democrats. The cordial relationship between Hillary Clinton and John McCain lives on. We can speculate til the cows come home about what might have happened, but I am fairly certain, had Hillary won the Democratic nod, ballots would have had the name Evan Bayh under hers. And, this sounds like an early campaign pitch:
As Indiana's governor, I balanced eight budgets, never raised taxes, and left the largest surplus in state history. It wasn't always easy. Cuts had to be made and some initiatives deferred. Occasionally I had to say "no."
But the bloated omnibus requires sacrifice from no one, least of all the government. It only exacerbates the problem and hastens the day of reckoning. Voters rightly demanded change in November's election, but this approach to spending represents business as usual in Washington, not the voters' mandate.
Now is the time to win back the confidence and trust of the American people. Congress should vote "no" on this omnibus and show working families across the country that we are as committed to living within our means as they are.
-- Sen. Evan Bayh, The Wall Street Journal, March 4th, 2009
I believe that as with many an election, both the upcoming mid-terms, and the 2012 presidential cycle, will be framed on the economy. If Obama crashes and burns, it will be because of his economic leadership (or lack therof.) If he sails on it instead, it will still be Moderates who end up with the ball in hand. The GOP, for now, has staked its claim on fiscal conservatism, and interestingly, seem to have co-opted the pork / earmarks debate to their side. Personally, I would much rather listen to Conservative prattle on about money than embryos. And, if the debate stays this lively, it could be anyone's game two or three years from now. Evan Bayh may look like a "traitor" to the Democratic caucus for the moment, but I see Moderates from both sides of the aisle working together. No one filibustered this omnibus bill. Instead, a concerned bipartisan minority got together and said, "Can we get some more time?" Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, agreed, and readily. I call it progress.
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