It seems impossible that a state the size of Indiana could be lost to conservative misrule much longer. Just a couple of decads ago a great public servant lost to Dan Quayle there. Unfortunatley the principled Birch Bayh was not childless. That childs retirement is reason to celebrate.
If there is anyone who needs convincing that the selfish child leaving the Indiana Senate office is not a conservative consider his abrupt announcement a few days before the filing deadline for the 2010 elections. It might be just too coindental to be a coincident that the blue dog decided to become a full time member of the idle rich a few days before the filing deadline. More likely its part of the pattern of help conservatives can depend on from the flea bitten Senator from the last Red state in the Midwest. But the question remains how do we resolve this emergency.
If anyone knows of any better situated contenders please speak up. One name seems to have cropped up today - John Mellancamp. He will be taken seriously by more of the majority of mostly apolitical independants in the electorate than was Al Franken. He is unvetted for the ofice. Which Democrat with sufficient funding wouldn't be? He publicly refused to let Senator McCain use his songs. He first supported Senator John Edwards and then President Obama in the last campaigns. That isn't much of a track record. But what else do we have that can win? Mellencamp has a building named after him on the states University. It might well be something like running Bruce Springsteen for a state office in New Jersey. And the self financing necessary to at least begin any run this late would be a possibility. There really isn't time for a draft - and there is no word if this is more than an idle wish. But if anyone can encorage such a run...what else is there?