Bayh Bailing On '08?, Intense Speculation That Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., Won't Make A Presidential Bid

[MidwestTransplant]

(CBS) There has been intense speculation among Democrats Friday night that Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh will not seek his party's nomination for president in 2008, CBS News has learned. Bayh’s office has not yet responded to requests for comment.


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/15/politics/main...

I have very good info that he is not running too.

[Kagemusha]

1. I mentioned this to a friend and his response was..

"intense speculation???"

Touche.

[David Dunham]

2. This is odd because Bayh's PAC has already raised over $10 million.

[MidwestTransplant]

3. Based on what I heard I am 95% confident the story is true

Weird, I agree.

[NNadir]

4. Well it's going to be hard to stop the Kucinich juggernaut.

Just kidding.

[Placebo]

7. ...

[Lone_Star_Dem]

5. Why the change of heart?

This is a curious thing, indeed.

[Ken Burch]

10. There was a poll that just came out showing Barr would get creamed by either Rudy or McCain

Since the main arguement for nominating a DLC'er is "he's electable", this was a fairly big stumbling block.

[arcos]

15. Barr is a former GOP Rep from GA...

He would certainly get creamed by either Giuliani or McCain in the primaries, especially since he just bolted the GOP and became a Libertarian.

[Placebo]

6. He could potentially make a smart VP choice...

for whoever our nominee ends up being. He is so popular in Indiana, he would at the very least put the (solidly red state) in play, and at best he could deliver it to the Dems in '08.

Just sayin'.

[LiberalFighter]

8. It won't be enough for Bayh to win Indiana for Presidential race

He and the party would need to take out the current Governor so he can't appoint his replacement.

AND that replacement

Then there is the question of when the new VP would have to tender his resignation as Senator in the state of Indiana. Could he wait until the new Governor takes office or would he have to resign shortly after the election has been certified?

Indiana's Constitution has the 2nd Monday in January as the start of the Governor's term.

[LiberalFighter]

9. The current Governor absolutely must be taken out

He is on a rampage to privatize everything he can get his hands on in this state.

[Ignacio Upton]

11. Maybe Hillary is trying to scare other DLCers away

Although Biden and Vilsack have more of an ego.

[kerrygoddess]

12. He's out

Bayh Out of ‘08 Race
December 15th, 2006 @ 11:47 pm

{SNIP}
Bayh’s decision was made public tonight in a statement released to The Indianapolis Star:

“As you know I have been exploring helping the people of my state and our country in a different capacity,” he wrote. “After talking with family and friends over the past several days, I have decided that this is not the year for me to run for President and I will not be a candidate for the presidency in 2008.

MORE & LINKS - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=4963

[Infinite Hope]

13. Good.

I'm not anti-Bayh, but in my opinion he didn't add anything unique to the race. Unless they add something unique to the debate, I'd rather stick with a corps of core candidates who represent those unique views.

[PDittie]

14. Buh Bayh

Now there are but two DLC-ers left: Vilsack and Hillary.

Wonder how that's gonna break. (sarcasm emoticon unnecessary)

[Eugene]

16. AP: Bayh rules out White House bid in 2008

Posted on Sat, Dec. 16, 2006

Bayh rules out White House bid in 2008
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana will not seek the presidency in 2008,
saying he believes the odds of a successful run were too great to overcome.

"At the end of the day, I concluded that due to circumstances beyond our control the odds
were longer than I felt I could responsibly pursue," Bayh told the Indianapolis Star.
"This path - and these long odds - would have required me to be essentially absent from the
Senate for the next year instead of working to help the people of my state and the nation."

The announcement comes just three weeks after Bayh, in an appearance on a Sunday talk
show, announced that he would take a first step toward a 2008 presidential campaign,
forming an exploratory committee. His decision narrows a field dominated by Whites House
hopefuls, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois.

Just last weekend, Bayh traveled to New Hampshire, the early presidential primary state,
but his appearance was barely noticed as Obama delivered two speeches to sold-out crowds
and drew hordes of media.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/16255753.htm

[andykef]

17. Shame

This is a shame as I thought that Bayh would be a great addition to the race and potentially take votes away from Rodham-Clinton and therefore making it less likely she could buy the nomination.
That is both Warner and Bayh now out of the race; have they been bought off or have they some secrets they don't want to share??
Disappointed in Bayh this is the second time he has ducked out and as a result I would not like to see him on the ticket, he is not showing strong leadership skills needed.
However that said things may change in the next few months as the field becomes more apparent. This strengthens Obama but I still don't think he is ready for the top spot.

GORE 2008

[Delphinus]

18. See this thread here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...