Bayh claims excessive partisanship motivated retirement

In a statement, Evan Bayh claims he is retiring because excessive partisanship has brought the U.S. Senate to a standstill:

"Two weeks ago, the Senate voted down a bipartisan commission to deal with one of the greatest threats facing our nation: our exploding deficits and debt. The measure would have passed, but seven members who had endorsed the idea instead voted ‘no’ for short-term political reasons," he said. "Just last week, a major piece of legislation to create jobs — the public’s top priority — fell apart amid complaints from both the left and right. All of this and much more has led me to believe that there are better ways to serve my fellow citizens, my beloved state and our nation than continued service in Congress."

The one thing we know is that statement is total bullshit. If Evan Bayh were in the least concerned about legislative gridlock, he'd have been fighting to get rid of the filibuster instead of using it at every opportunity to slow down or scuttle Democratic initiatives.