Is Bayh being considered for Veep just because he's boring?

[Bicoastal]

Hear me out--it kinda makes sense.

When you have a dynamic candidate like Obama, a half-Kenyan man from Hawaii and the South Side of Chicago with an Middle Eastern-y name who gives incredible speeches and fires up young liberals and independents with Hope and Change...

...logic would dictate that to bring balance, you must include a bland-looking middle-aged white Moderate from Indiana who isn't particularly exciting or unusual in his rhetoric, background, or politics, right?

Let's face it--Evan Bayh is the yin to Barack Obama's yang. Other than that, I have yet to understand why he's being considered so strongly.

[saracat]

1. He is popular in Indiana , is a conservative and could sway(they think) GOP votes.

Also he is relatively good looking and young. It makes the ticket "appear" more dynamic to some. I don't like the choice because of his views but I can understand it.

[billyoc]

4. The biggest Bayh myth of all, that he might carry his home state.

He's never budged it before.

[wyldwolf]

5. has he ever been on a national ticket before?

[Drunken Irishman]

7. Exactly.

Indiana is probably 1-5 points either way for Obama/McCain. Bayh being on the ticket just may lock Indiana up.

[saracat]

6. Well he does get himself elected. And it is a Gop state. I guess that is the view.

As I said, I don't like him for Veep but I merely state what they "may" be thinking.

[MarjorieG]

16. Now we have an IND ID law, the most disenfranchising.

[Supersedeas]

24. if Obama really wanted to sway GoP voters, why not go all the way and choose Hagel?

[DesertFlower]

2. it makes sense to me. nt

[Dinger]

3. Yup

Bayh is the boring champ.

[MarjorieG]

8. What I see as boring, may be a competent, no drama partner, who will get it done.

Biden has energy, and one of the few who can be critical of McCain appearing as equal. He actually shows what a 70 something could and should be.

I've never been a fan of Bayh, but I do get the yin and yang of it.

[RazBerryBeret]

9. but both Biden and Bayh

are scheduled to speak at the convention--not in the VP slot...so doesn't that rule them out? seems silly to have them make two speeches and in the first one say nothing about being the VP....

[MarjorieG]

10. unless all smoke and mirrors

[nsd]

13. Schedules aren't written in stone.

If Bayh or Biden is announced next week, it'll be simple enough for the program committee to reassign speaking times.

[Freddie Stubbs]

21. You are assuming that the schedule will not be changed

[DFLforever]

11. He's a sop to the DLC and Clinton faction of the party.

Personally, if we're going to get a Clintonite I'd prefer the real thing, HRC, to the slickly vacuous Bayh.

[wyldwolf]

20. the only faction that has gotten elected in 30 years...

[nsd]

12. That's a good part of it.

It's not all of it because Bayh was also on Gore's shortlist in 2000 and Kerry's shortlist in 2004. No disrespect to those men, but neither was so overflowing in dynamism that he needed a boring white guy to bring it down. They each had already perfected the boring-white-guy shtick.

But Obama is most definitely not a boring white guy, a fact which excites lots of voters but unsettles many others. Reassuring the Nervous Nellies that Obama isn't radical or risky is going to be an important task for the fall campaign. I think Obama should use his VP pick as part of that effort and I don't think there's any major Democrat who does that better than Evan Bayh.

[Sparkly]

14. The usual word is "safe."

:(

[Stop Cornyn]

15. Yes; and Rendell is lower on the list then he would otherwise be because he's insufficiently boring.

[Freddie Stubbs]

22. Rendell can't be VP, as he needs to finish his term as Governor

There is some question as to the mental fitness of the Lt. Governor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu_W0VGATjY&eurl=http://michellemalkin.com/2008/04/22/pa-lt-gov-catherine-baker-knoll-goes-nuts-the-moonbat-funeral-crasher-returns/

[JohnnyCougar]

17. I think Bayh is being considered to make Biden look good to progressives.

I like Biden a lot, but I am slightly more centrist on the same issues that Biden is (aka abortion). I am Catholic, and although I am pro-choice, I am not totally happy with abortion, either. But I know a lot of people on here are inflexible on the issue. Floating the possibility of Bayh and Kaine probably makes Biden look all the more acceptable to some people that are rigid on the pro-choice side. I think Biden's stances on this issue are extremely reasonable.

Not that Biden needs anymore credentials. I think he is by far the best bet for VEEP. The only other people that come close are Sam Nunn and Wes Clark. And Jim Webb, but apparently he is out of the running.

[Supersedeas]

23. Biden's lead on the Bankruptcy bill was telling

[Stop Cornyn]

25. On the key issue protecting the middle class from corporate piracy, Biden makes Bayh look liberal.

[saltpoint]

18. Some consideration of a previous keynote speaker's profile could be

made in guessing partnership on a future ticket. Kerry chose Obama, now our nominee. Bayh has also been a keynote speaker.

Not an especially dazzling one, IMO, but there you have it.

The keynote address lends "podium proximity creds" and while it is by no means a final determinant, it matters who's up there on the stage doing what.

Evan Bayh could be Obama's choice. If he is, I personally know Indianans who will be working night and day to elect the ticket (and to try and sweep Mitch Daniels out of office in favor of Democrat Jill Long Thompson). Each "favorite son" choice option places that state's corresponding local Democratic operations volunteers and organizers into a heightened role and not least, it offers some oomph for the down-ballot Dems we also want in office.

[TexasObserver]

19. Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Bayh's bundle of political positions

Those are the attraction.

I'm not excited about Bayh, but then, who is? He's a yawner.

[Dinger]

26. He Was A Sponsor Of the IWR

Nice, huh?

[JTFrog]

27. He's being considered because he wants to be. A Politician's ego must be stroked ya know.

It doesn't mean he's being seriously considered.

Obama has based his whole campaign on having better Judgment than his opponents. No Senator that voted for IWR will be on his ticket. Let alone one that cosponsored the damn thing. Having that much in common with Edwards is not a good thing these days.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

28. Bayh in 2016 scares the shit out of me.

:scared: