Sitting as I do in London it is difficult to gauge the true opinion of the American electorate as I am limited essentially to polls without knowing how the polls were organised and if they are the result of non-partisan information gathering or not.
I have always been disturbed by the existence of Democratic or Republican Polls as they seem to reflect what I consider the bane of politics: blind partisanship.
It is therefore refreshing (as well as disturbing) to have a man of conscience and principle emerge out of the morass that Congress has become and actively decide not to seek re-election from a position of strength-by all accounts Mr Bayh would have been quite easily re-elected to his Indiana Senate seat.
"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 practical problem-solving....at a time of enormous challenge, the people's business is not being done" were some of the reasons Mr Bayh gave for his decision. All too true in my opinion;just strange that a sitting Member of Congress would be so resolute in his analysis and response to a Senate apparently incapable of passing even basic legislation.
But it is very disturbing- does this not make Mr Bayh a quitter? Is his dissatisfaction equally with his fellow Democrats and the Republicans? Some commentators immediately jump in and say this is a reflection of how far Democratic fortunes have sunk. That sounds pretty partisan to me. Isn't it much more a reflection of how low our political system has sunk?
Mr. Bayh was described as a centrist. Isn't that what we need. Politicians in the middle who are not by definition defined by their liberal or conservative views and therefore are able to actually listen and review legislation in coming to their conclusions? Does Mr. Bayh think that by weakening the Democratic majority and thereby strengthening the Republican minority that we will have a better functioning Senate? Has he not noticed that the Republican mantra to "just say No!" is already being pounced upon in the scramble for his seat? Those pillars of democracy are exploring their legal options to deny Democrats a candidate if no one meets the filing deadline! Nothing like a one-party election to help sell America's mission to bring Democracy to such places as Iraq and Afghanistan given how well it's doing in the US.
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Bayh was not that much of a pillar; to be a centrist in America today is still to be quite far to the right. For example, (polls say) the majority of Americans would prefer universal health care. That position remains too far left even for centrists like Bayh.
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