Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) announced yesterday that he has decided against seeking a third term in the United States Senate.
In his statement, Bayh explained, “To put it in words I think most people can understand: I love working for the people of Indiana, I love helping our citizens make the most of their lives, but I do not love Congress.”
While Bayh dismissed any idea that he is frustrated with the partisanship of Congress, considered with the increasing number of Democrats and Republicans hanging it up as of late, many of them with seemingly safe re-election races, it could be a poignant message about the state of Congress currently. Chris Cillizza, writing for the Washington Post, already predicts that the number of House retirements this year will exceed the totals of 2004, 2006, or 2008. We can only hope the new members will be more motivated to work together.
My immediate reaction to Bayh’s announcement was that this is not such great news for the Democrats. Bayh was golden for the Dems in traditionally red-leaning Indiana with his moderate views, impressive fundraising, and a powerful name (not only did the current Bayh serve two terms as Indiana’s Governor, but his dad served three terms in the U.S. Senate). These factors likely combined in the poll released just last week that showed Bayh with a 20 percentage point lead over his Republican challenger, a former Senator himself. Bayh’s retirement leaves Democrats really on the defensive, already potentially conceding seats in North Dakota and Delaware, where they have not found adequate candidates.
Even if you now consider Indiana to be a long shot, the possibility of the Democrats losing control of the House or the Senate still seems remote. Though from what I can remember, this is what 2006 looked like for the Republicans at this stage, and then a number of bad breaks, mostly self-inflicted, led to a previously improbable sweep of both chambers by the Democrats. Let this be both a reminder and a call to action to Democratic officials and party supporters alike that 2010 is going to be a critically important year. While we have gotten used to enjoying great electoral success as of late, George Bush is gone, and it is time that the Democrats in Congress find something to run on and that we, as the wheels that move the masses, prepare to convince everyone that the Democrats still need more time to make this all right.
Posted by Travis Serebin 
Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) revealed this afternoon during a meeting of the Senate Finance Committee that she will vote in support of the health care overhaul bill currently being debated. After months of attempting to solicit bipartisan support, this is a huge victory for Democrats and President Obama, who has personally appealed to the Republican Senator in recent weeks. Could this defection lead to more breaks in the iron curtain of Republican opposition to health care reform in Congress? Not likely… but we can certainly hope.
