A Voice in the Wilderness In Defense of "Mere Conservatism"

Senator Evan Bayh: Gone, Baby, Gone

We are likely witnessing the implosion of the Democrat Party.  Think of how different things were a year ago!

The latest Democrat to abandon the proverbial sinking ship is Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN).  Writing today at National Review Online, RiShawn Biddle diagnoses what he believes to have been Senator Bayh's fatal flaw:

Certainly there is speculation that Bayh may seek the Democratic presidential nomination — or even attempt an independent presidential campaign — in 2012 or 2016. This assumes that Bayh can repeat his past success in presenting himself as one of the Democratic party’s more centrist players. But it was precisely this well-practiced fence-straddling between conservatism and liberalism that led to Bayh’s downfall. The anger and fatigue among Hoosier voters over the current recession — combined with President Obama’s unpopularity — are hurting all Democrats, but Bayh was hurt even worse by the perception among both conservatives and liberals that he stood for his own political ambitions (and occasionally, his wife’s business interests) than for any consistent ideology.

The danger of demonstrating such an absence of strong, thoughtful political positions should be kept in mind by Republicans and Democrats alike. It is often better to be principled (and even a tad ideological) to a fault than to be milquetoast by a mile.

Please understand that the precipitous decline in the popularity of Democrats among voters does not spell certain success for the GOP come 2010 and 2012.  Nor should it.  Republicans absolutely blew their chance to curtail spending, drastically cut taxes, and return our national focus to the original intent of the US Constitution.  That didn't happen.

But things can change.  Parties can change.  They change when voters show up to primaries and town halls and call/email their local representatives.  They change when voters start following their leaders and keeping score for themselves (instead of letting the media re-writer history every chance they get).

The folks in Washington are terrified of you and me.  Evan Bayh is just the latest in an increasingly long line of politicians who have read the poll numbers on the wall (so to speak) and know they are donzo.

Although he declared that his decision was motivated by his desire to escape the “strident partisanship” of the present-day Senate and his interest in finding “better ways to serve my fellow citizens,” he faced the prospect of losing the seat in the same fashion his legendary father did 30 years ago. According to internal party polls just three months ago, he was polling at 63 percent; by late January, the junior senator from Indiana had the support of a mere 45 percent of likely voters surveyed by Rasmussen Reports.

Keep up the fight, America.  Charles Krauthammer and the Fox News All-stars are behind you: