Now that Joe Lieberman has moved on, I am wondering if there is a bigger jackass in the elected Democratic ranks than good, ol' Evan Bayh.
Bayh has made a career out of being the Democrat who rips Democrats, especially anyone to his left which is just about everyone. Evan is the poster child for the Democratic Leadership Council and has been one of the most forceful advocates of the DLC's inane "more muscular foreign policy" hawkishness that brought us the Iraq war.
This is the same Evan Bayh who partnered with the despicable Rick Santorum in an effort to divert hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds to far right religious groups like Promise Keepers under the guise of "Healthy Marriages." (The bill failed but was later revived and passed.) Bayh's actions were particularly egregious because, had his bill passed, it would have funded these far right, "faith-based" organizations just before the 2004 general election.
In other words, the bill was a Karl Rove wet dream...
(more)
Bayh was up to his old tricks again today in The Washington Post:
Bayh Warns That GOP May 'Swift Boat' Obama Over His Former Pastor.
What a pathetic hack. Read the opening paragraph and you get a terrific sense of just what a slimebag Evan Bayh is:
Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) today praised Sen. Barack Obama for denouncing his former pastor, but warned that Republicans will use the association to try to "Swift Boat" the Illinois senator if he becomes the Democratic presidential nominee this fall.
First he "praised" Obama and then said Obama would be Swiftboated for the subject for which he just praised Obama.
Oh, but it gets worse...
Bayh, who is supporting Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for president, said he hoped other issues -- the economy, gasoline prices, health care and the cost of college -- will drive the decisions of most voters in Tuesday's Indiana primary. Obama has struggled in other states to win the votes of white, working class voters, and they could be the deciding vote next Tuesday.
Noting that even Obama has called the controversy of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright "a legitimate issue," Bayh said that in a presidential race, those voters will take more than the economy into their decision making before the primary.
How Liebermanesque of Evan. He echoes McCain's lame excuse for pounding the issue earlier in the week by citing Obama's comment -- just after he hoped voters would focus on kitchen table issues.
Then he goes for flat-out comedy. After raising the Wright issue three times...
- Praising Obama for his call-out of Wright.
- Claiming Republicans will Swiftboat Obama with Wright.
- Suggesting that voters should decide on a candidate on kitchen table issues, but that, by Obama's own words, Wright is an issue.
... he pulls this from his rectum:
Bayh said neither he nor Clinton intended to inject the Wright controversy into the primary, but he is worried that Republicans will do so in a general election. "I'm sure the far right will be out there trying to do the whole Swift Boat thing and that sort of thing. But I hope people will focus on the most substantive issues and I think the vast majority of them will.
Hilarious.
"I won't inject it into the primary, but, wait... I just did! Damn!"
He keeps up his clown act with this gem:
"She tends to portray a level of seriousness -- not to suggest he's not serious -- but strength, seasoning, the ability to deliver results," Bayh said in describing Clinton's appeal.
Of course, the Post reporter, Dan Balz, neglects to ask Bayh the obvious question: What does Bayh think Republicans will use to Swiftboat Clinton should she be the nominee?
As I have noted about stories highlighting Republican attack ads on Obama and Wright, the Republicans are apparently much better at math than the Clinton camp and many Clinton supporters. Republicans are advertising against Obama because they believe he is the likely nominee.
There is no doubt that if Clinton was leading the race by an Obama-sized margin, she would be the subject of dozens of Republican attack ads.
So my message to Evan Bayh is the same as it always is every time he pipes up with his usual bullshit:
Evan, your old man, Birch, a damn good Democrat, must be heartily embarrassed at what a jackass his son has become.
And if you want another reason to root for Obama, keep in mind that this jackass is high on Clinton's list of possible VPs.