Posted on 02/15/2010 1:05:00 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President Barack Obama suffered another setback Monday as a fifth Democratic senator, centrist heavyweight Evan Bayh, decided not to run for re-election in dismay at the bitter political climate.
Obama, who reportedly tried to talk Bayh out of retiring, faces a looming Republican resurgence and risks watching strong majorities in Congress crumble in November mid-term elections, and with them his ambitious reform agenda.
With his tearful wife and two sons at his side, Bayh, 54, expressed disenchantment with excessive partisanship in the Congress as he announced his decision at a press conference in the state capital Indianapolis.
"For some time, I have had a growing conviction that Congress is not operating as it should. There is too much partisanship and not enough progress -- too much narrow ideology and not enough practical problem-solving," he said.
"Even at a time of enormous challenge, the peoples? business is not being done."
Democrats expressed shock at the development, seeing it both as the loss of a key consensus builder in the Senate and of a candidate strongly favored to win re-election in Republican-leaning Indiana.
A top White House official said Bayh, who called Obama on Monday morning, was "by nature a governor not a senator."
The New York Times reported that both Obama and White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel tried to convince Bayh to run again, but to no avail.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
“excessive partinship” on the left side of the aisle.
Now, now...he could mean that he was upset that the democrats treated the Republicans so badly.
Things are looking up, Freepers.
Why spend campaign money to lose an election? It’s best to take the cash right now and let someone else lose.
That one's STILL got me giggling!
"For some time..." I'd say it's been since Nov. 5, 2000, when Al Gore told George Bush not to get "snippy" about his rescinding of his conceding the election of 2000.
-PJ
In other words, Bayh was sick and tired of having to toe the Dem party line. I wonder what sort of stuff they had on him to blackmail him for his DeathCare vote?
Indy Ping
Are you in the game?
Disturbed by the partisanship in Washington? The DIMs have owned both a majority, and for the last year, a super-majority in the congress since 2006. Partisanship aside, the DIMs have only themselves to blame for not passing legislation, the Repubs have been castrated for years.
Another article made a good point. The DIMs have been blatently spending billions and billions of taxpayer dollars, pushing through 'stimulus' and partisan projects for the last year that have only served to make the economy worse. Faced with an almost lynch-mob-like backlash from the voters, the RATs are abandoning ship in droves in an attempt to hold to some shred of their political careers.
Ditto.
SOBs know they ruined the economy and don’t want to be around to face the consequences
Evan quits because Republican’s grow a backbone and in turn sets the stage for Republican’s to secure another senate seat.
It really doesn’t get much better than this.
Maybe he voted for it anyway? Sometimes it’s hard to tell who is who.
With his tearful wife and two sons at his side, Bayh, 54, expressed disenchantment
Just think, those two sons might have been future senators if Evan Bayh hadn't been forced to quit.
What’s happening on the Rat side is about as close as we have to a “no confidence” vote on the leadership in this country.
At first I thought it was odd that they continually pushed their agenda, against the peoples wishes, because they had something up their sleeve and didn't care.
However, after VA, NJ, MA, and even NY (although we didn't win) I think they saw the writing on the wall. I wish they'd ALL "retire"!
......Bayh, 54......
Time to cash in and live the good life.
Yeah, I'm sure that went well... LOL!
"Evan, you're an f-ing retard if you don't want to run again!"
So why did the little wimp QUIT (in re: Sarah Palin) and whine about partisanship as if that is new in DC?!
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