Bye, Bayh

Democratic Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, still a very popular figure in the largely conservative-leaning state, has decided not to run for reelection this year, clearing the way for the Republicans to pick up one more Senate seat in the November 2010 general election. Ironically, much of the reason that he gave for not staying on is that the GOP is stonewalling everything in the Senate and very little can be accomplished. So how is Bayh leaving going to help things? By adding another intransigent senator who will just sit there twiddling his/her thumbs between "no" vote after "no" vote?

Evan Bayh is entitled to leave the Senate after serving for two full terms for whatever reasons he wants to have, twelve years probably being the optimal span anyway for a senator. And he, unlike Alaska's ex-governor Sarah Palin, isn't just walking off the job, either. Also, he shouldn't just run to assure his party of holding on to that seat in the future, just to sit on it and do nothing. But the senator has made two errors with his decision, in my opinion.

The first error is that Bayh has reached the conclusion that his presence there is meaningless, so why hang around. But by doing this, he is sending a double message: one, if a Democrat wins the 2010 Indiana senatorial election, that senator won't be able to make a difference either. And if a Republican wins, as will probably be the case, that senator's vote can't matter as well. But there is an outside chance that the Republicans could pick up just enough seats in the 2010 to take the Senate back. And that seat would weigh heavily in importance, especially since the ruling party has control over the Senate's agenda and who controls the powerful committees. So just by "being there", Bayh has helped to prevent his opposition from achieving that power. And had he run and been reelected, he would have been in a position to wield more power in various committees, possibly even leading some. Also, being a United States Senator automatically gives one a bully pulpit from which to express opinions about issues and how the government should work. Bayh's words will be largely ignored by the media once he leaves office (unless, of course, he jumps over to be part of the media).

The second error that Bayh has made with his decision was to publicize it in such an angry, self-righteous manner. He could have simply stated that he felt that two terms were adequate for Senate service and that he would urge others to follow his example. Instead, he blasted the body as a whole and also singled out several senators for their fickle behavior. How will that help things (unless, of course, he had an ulterior motive behind his display)?

I fail to see how being on the outside will allow Evan Bayh to have a more positive influence on what goes on within the Senate. But now, even though he will still be a senator for ten-plus months, I'm not sure he will have very much influence anyway, not after he publicly flailed his colleagues this way. Talk about burning your bridges behind you!

On the other hand, maybe Evan Bayh got an "offer he couldn't refuse" and will resurface as--say, a lobbyist for an international conglomerate or the like. And the pious, holier-than-thou act we've just witnessed from him is nothing more than a smoke screen to cover his exit! It wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened in the political world. Is Evan Bayh pulling his own strings, or has he handed them over to someone else?

Or maybe Mr. Bayh saw what Palin did and is jealous of her lucrative career as an "ex-politician/political commentator" while simultaneously flirting with running for president in 2012. If so, look for Mr. Bayh to magically pop up on Fox or MSNBC next year. About the time his "tell-all" blockbuster book The Audacity of Giving Up comes out!

Let's see how this plays out!