I couldn't ask her right out if the guy's running for it, but I asked her what Bayh's plans for New Hampshire are. She told me coyly that he's been there once already (I knew that) and that he'll be speaking in Manchester on Saturday. She said that this year is primarily one where he wants to see the country a bit and figure out if he has the "fire in his belly" that it takes to mount a Presidential campaign.
She was bullish about his chances if he did run, and she had some good points.
Unlike the many Senators who have failed in running for President in recent years, Bayh has something different--actual executive experience, and executive experience in a red state. He is a fiscal conservative, which will probably play even better in 2007/8 than it would play today. The extravagance of Bush's spending habits may start to hit home by then, and a Democratic fiscal conservative might be working from a unique and tactically advantageous position.
Also, he is charismatic. How charismatic is he? So much so that his lieutenant governor, the late Frank O'Bannon, possibly the least charismatic person of recent Indiana politics was able to effectively ride Bayh's coat-tails in to two terms as governor.
Evan Bayh, ladies and gentlemen. Evan Bayh.
i'd hit it
ReplyDeletenah, a little too much chin
ReplyDeleteI like his chances in 2008.
ReplyDeleteCharismatic? Are you kidding me? Anyone who has seen Bayh speak knows that the last thing the guy has is charisma... he is pretty flat, though not as bad Kerry.
ReplyDeleteThere are only three charismatic democrats alive today (in no order): Bill Clinton, John Edwards, and Barack Obama.
He is charismatic. I've seen him speak in person.
ReplyDeleteI've seen Bayh speak in person too... he's about average. Charismatic is not even a word I would use... he can be pretty stiff at times. And, he has this weird habit/problem of tearing up when he speaks long sentences at a stretch. Anyway, he can improve in 3 years... and he is moderately fine.
ReplyDelete