It's Bayh! Obama Picks Bayh for VP!!!

[rhombus]

Expect an announcement this week, likely Wednesday or Thursday.


You heard it here first!

PS. Link: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/08/02/1243444.aspx

I have confirmed from two reliable sources in Indiana. This is it folks. Obama picks Sen. Evan Bayh.

[ThatsMyBarack]

1. Got a source/link?

:shrug:

[Occam Bandage]

2. Mods: Link or lock please.

[CTyankee]

34. Nah, it's just speculation. And maybe he's right, we don't know.

What's the big deal anyway....

[Occam Bandage]

110. Doesn't read like speculation at all. OP is bullshitting us.

[WeDidIt]

3. It's Bullshit! Obama's VP being Bayh is Bullshit!!!

Expect no announcement this week, not even Friday.

You heard it here first!

[ccharles000]

4. Sure

;)

[Muttocracy]

5. bye

[babylonsister]

8. Ha! nt

[the other one]

9. bye bayh?

[elleng]

79. Bye

.

[the other one]

6. Doubt it

[ulysses]

11. there are 4 exclamation points in the OP. true, ipso facto.

[Zomby Woof]

21. Nope!

There has to be at least 3 "1"'s, interspersed with the exclamation points. I am hugh series!!!11!1

[ulysses]

23. "elevens! I win!11!1!"

[Imagevision]

7. Obama stated, you'll know who I choose as VP. when you here it from me"

[Muttocracy]

15. why is that so hard for people to believe? nt

[hiaasenrocks]

52. LOL, they all say that. That's nothing original.

[BlooInBloo]

10. NTSA....

[Phx_Dem]

46. ROLF!

Best post on this thread! :rofl:

[Muttocracy]

12. right, like the MO visit had to mean Kaine or McCaskill...

"Obama communications stretegist Robert Gibbs says all that shoudl be taken from it is that "Indiana is competitive and winnable for us," he said. "

[opihimoimoi]

13. Nahhh, I doubt if its Bayh....Its Keith Olbermann......

[Joanne98]

14. Yuk

[TrogL]

16. They can't even spell it right

"Obama communications stretegist Robert Gibbs says all that shoudl"

[JTFrog]

17. This is hugh!1!!!! I'm series!111!!!!!!!

[ananda]

18. link for why Bayh

http://mywabashvalley.com/content/fulltext/?cid=17561

[FrenchieCat]

19. Could be Tim Roemer, no?

On the left

[nsd]

36. That's an interesting suggestion.

According to Wikipedia, Roemer is from South Bend (though he didn't represent it in Congress).

[FrenchieCat]

39. An outsider with National Security Creds from Indiana.

Nice to look at as well.

[pinto]

20. "Indiana is competitive and winnable for us" It's a good geoghraphical point to campaign.

from the same piece

But South Bend is a nice geographical point between Illinois and Ohio, and just south of the Michigan line.

Obama communications stretegist Robert Gibbs says all that should be taken from it is that "Indiana is competitive and winnable for us," he said.

[Drunken Irishman]

25. Of course he says that.

Doubt he'd announce they're unveiling Obama's VP. :D

[Drunken Irishman]

22. I can live with Bayh.

I've said as much, though I know most here can't. I would have liked Kaine, Biden or Dodd, but maybe that's just the Irish in me talking.

[TwilightGardener]

26. Yes, I have come to grips with the fact that he makes the most sense.

[slick8790]

24. Hopefully so.

Bayh would almost certainly bring Indiana with him, and that along with Iowa (where Democrats are strongly favored) and the kerry states is a win for us, regardless of the rest of the states.

Evan Bayh is not perfect, far from it. But he's an acceptable (to the mainstream of the democratic party and that nation) choice that that brings with him a near certain victory.

[Drunken Irishman]

27. I agree, he's enough to tilt Indiana in Obama's favor.

And he'll play well in Ohio, PA and Michigan.

This is a safe choice for Obama. He's known, seasoned and had governing experience.

[FrenchieCat]

30. Bye voted for the war.

It will be hard to argue McCain's wrongness on that issue if your right hand man did the same.

Just saying. :(

[slick8790]

44. But the difference is one has come around to realizing the war was a failure

and one has not.

[highplainsdem]

Any choice but Clinton makes our victory over McCain less certain.

The fact Bayh supported Clinton will not be enough to help unite the party.

[PM7nj]

33. Did your crystal ball tell you that? nt

[polmaven]

40. Self delete

Never mind

[polmaven]

43. I have to disagree.

In this, the most forward looking and advanced country in the world, an African American, (particularly a Muslim one, you see) and a woman (particularly a female one) on the same ticket will cause way too many white, male heads to explode, drowning out the message and sending them running to the (R), which will, I'm quite sure, be safely white male all the way.

I wish I was kidding, but this is still a very racist/sexist country. One or the other, well, maybe OK, but both? Wow!

[Phx_Dem]

47. ENOUGH!

With the fucking Hillary crap. IT. IS. FUCKING. OVER. She will not be on the ticket. Deal with it.

[Blue_Roses]

63. If the Hillary hold-outs can't commit to a Democratic candidate...

then they never really supported Hillary to begin with because not only is this what Hillary has been asking, he's our nominee. Sour grapes only go for so long.

[helderheid]

74. Thanks for saying it!

[tritsofme]

29. Bayh may be popular, but he won't take IN with him as VP.

The last VP candidate to flip his state was probably LBJ.

He could make it tighter than otherwise perhaps, but I don't see IN flipping in a presidential election under any conditions.

[muryan]

32. IN is barely leaning republican this year as it is

I dont see any truth to your statement

[Drunken Irishman]

35. Wrong.

I keep hearing this, but it's not true. Mondale carried Minnesota and Wisconsin for Carter, two states he needed to win to claim the presidency. Had he lost those two states, Ford would've won re-election.

Also, comparing past VP candidates does not work, because Indiana is already extremely tight. In fact, some polls have Obama leading there. Other states, however, haven't been tight. North Carolina was not all that close to begin with when Kerry selected Edwards, so it was a stretch to expect a victory there. Lieberman was from a safe state and I'm sure Gore helped Clinton in Tennessee. So to say a VP candidate doesn't play a role in their home state is flat out wrong. It might not be enough to turn a solid red state blue, but it could help in an extremely tight state like Indiana or Virginia -- two states that have been trending blue the past few elections.

[kas125]

41. You're right and these days, even the Democrats here in

Indiana don't like Bayh. He stands for nothing, he does nothing, he doesn't even respond to letters or phone calls from constituents.

[slick8790]

42. The two most recent IN polls show Obama +1. It's most certainly a tossup.

And having an extremely popular senator and ex-governor of a state that's polling barely blue already will swing it for us.

[nsd]

28. Winning deep red Indiana would be something. Hasn't happened since 1964.

ETA: But I don't really believe that the choice has been made yet.

[Quixote1818]

31. I think Bayh would be a smart pick. If it helps him get Indiana it will be a great pick. nt

[salonghorn70]

37. I Will Be Very Happy

I love Bayh. I think this would be a great choice.

[dkf]

115. Why do you like him so much?

Just curious...

[kas125]

38. Oh, this sucks, it really does. Bayh is a HORRIBLE senator

and everyone I know was hoping it wouldn't be him. This is not good...

[PM7nj]

53. It's just speculation...

...and "reliable sources."

[kas125]

80. Well, I've been thinking about it and I might have changed my mind -

if he's the VP, he won't be MY senator anymore, and that can only be a good thing.

[mloutre]

45. but... but... but...

[ErinBerin84]

48. lol. YOU personally have confirmed it with sources?

All first read says is that Obama is going to be in Indiana on Tuesday.


I don't think it's going to be him, but we'll wait and see. I feel like we'll go through several other fake outs with VP options before we know for sure.

[nsd]

49. If Obama doesn't announce next week ...

... there will be just two weeks left before the start of the convention. The Olympics will be going on during those two weeks.

So, if Obama doesn't announce next week, he has just two choices: (1) Announce during the Olympic Games and risk diluting the news focus. (2) Announce during the convention, which neither party has done since 1980.

Hmmm. I'm still skeptical, but now I'm wondering if there's anything to this. (And when's McCain going to announce? The Republican convention takes place right after ours.)

[salonghorn70]

55. Also, Remember His Vacation

I think Obama is in Hawaii on August 15 for a fundraiser. I assume his vacation will be around that date.

[davidwparker]

50. If he picks (yawn) Bayh, I'm changing my primary vote to Hillary. Take that.

[Dinger]

51. Well, I Guess It's All Over (nt)

[NYC_SKP]

54. Is MSNBC one of your "reliable sources"?

Because if it is then we know as much as we did yesterday....

[mvd]

56. I will accept most of the candidates out there

Hillary, Bayh, Biden, Kaine, Schweitzer, Clark, John and Chet Edwards, Sebelius, etc. I'd only be upset about someone like Nunn or Hagel.

[nsd]

58. Me too. /nt

[NorthCarolina]

57. If it is Bayh, he won't be a popular choice in this gay household

Letter from Evan Bayh:

Dear xxx xxxx :

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Marriage Protection Amendment to the United States Constitution. I appreciate your thoughts and concerns. Having been happily married for more than twenty years, this issue is important to me.

I do not support same sex marriage. I believe marriage should be between one man and one woman. That is currently the law in Indiana and is currently the law nationally. I support the Defense of Marriage Act that prohibits federal recognition of same sex marriage and prevents Indiana from being forced to recognize same sex marriages performed in other states.

If you have been told that a judge has struck down Indiana 's law or our nation's law prohibiting same sex marriage, that is simply not true. These laws may never be invalidated. In fact, Indiana 's law prohibiting same sex marriage was recently upheld by our Court of Appeals.

The Constitution should not be amended unless absolutely necessary and should not be amended to deal with situations that are hypothetical and may not come to pass. In a bipartisan vote on June 7, 2006, the Senate agreed and decided not to consider the Constitutional amendment this year because it is premature. I supported that decision.

In the event that the courts do invalidate our state or national laws prohibiting same sex marriage, then a Constitutional amendment should be considered.

Again, thank you for contacting me. I hope the information I have provided is helpful. My website, http://bayh.senate.gov , can provide additional details about legislation and state projects, and you can also sign up to receive my monthly e-newsletter, The Bayh Bulletin , by clicking on the link at the top of my homepage. I value your input and hope you will continue to keep me informed of the issues important to you.


Office of Senator Evan Bayh
[phone]
Russell 463
Washington, D.C. 20510

from: http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2006/06/bils-quest-for-straight-talk-from-bayh.html

[verges]

59. It won't change my vote.

But it does disappoint me.

[NorthCarolina]

61. I don't believe

that I could cast a vote for any candidate that believes it is acceptable to enshrine discrimination in the Constitution. We need to reject these bigoted politicians rather than reward them with our votes. You can maybe overlook it, but the quality of my personal life is negatively impacted by these bigots, and so for me a movement to reject these types of legislators is imperative, and it has to start somewhere, so maybe it will just have to start with me.

[verges]

89. We'e talking about the Veep.

His major responsibility is to be breathing. (Senate ties will be very unlikely during the next four years.)

Now, I'm sure you've heard this before; but will four more years of Republican Administration serve the cause pf Gay rights better than four years of a Democrat? What about the other issues? Will Republicans be better for the economy? Health care? The war in Iraq? What about the Supreme Court? Will rich people getting richer really help Gay rights? Either a Republican or a Democrat is going to win in November. I really feel that the country would be better served by a Democrat, regardless of personalities. Wouldn't you agree?

[NorthCarolina]

97. I think you downplay the role of the VP too much

both Gore and Cheney (especially Cheney) greatly enhanced the role of the VP, not to mention the fact that as VP he would be one heartbeat away from the presidency. This is a very big deal for me because it directly affects the quality of my life. You can maybe downplay it because it may not personally affect you, but I don't share that luxury.

[verges]

107. The only requirement

is that he preside in the Senate and break ties. The rest is up to the President.

Do you think McCain or whoever his VP will be more sympathetic to Gay/Transgender issues? I really would like to know.

Any vote not for the Democratic candidate is one less that the Republican candidate will have to make up. I don't know which state you live in. If it's real blue, perhaps it won't make a difference. But if you live in a marginal or swing state, your vote (or lack of), could make a difference.

[NorthCarolina]

120. I live in North Carolina

where my vote can make a difference. Hopefully Obama will be wise enough not to choose a bigot as his running mate. A bigot is a bigot and simply being a Democratic bigot does not make you any better than a Republican bigot. They're both equally reprehensible in my book.

[verges]

121. Which doesn't answer my question.

Do you think McCain and his VP will be better on Gay/transgender issues? Are you willing to sacrifice the Supreme Court because Obama's VP doesn't support that one issue that IS important to you? I agree that this is a very important issue. But I urge you to look at the larger picture. If the Repubs aren't going to be any better, and I don't think they will be, does it make sense to help them get into office by with-holding a vote for the Dems? By doing that, not only do you not advance your cause, you also may damage the other important issues such as the economy, the war in Iraq, Health care, and the environment.

[NorthCarolina]

125. I think it is premature to make any decisions

as Obama has not made any VP selection public. I will say though that it is quite disheartening to see so many DU'ers advocating for anti-gay bigots like Bayh and Kaine for the VP spot. I believe that Obama choosing such a candidate will send a clear message to the LGBT community that our issues are not his concern, I think that's the obvious outcome. To answer your question do I think McCain and his VP will be better, of course not and they would never get my vote either. But I do feel that if Obama turns his back on the LGBT community by choosing a known anti-gay bigot then there should be some repercussions in the gay community for that decision. I can't define what that might be at the current time, but I think that for us collectively to just sit back and "suck-it-up" once again gains us nothing.

[Muttocracy]

66. "Having been happily married for more than twenty years" - how nice for him to insert that. nt

[NorthCarolina]

70. Exactly, so lets deny an entire segment of the population access to that "happiness"

how friggin' asinine is that?

[Skittles]

113. sanctimonious garbage n/t

[undeterred]

60. Yuck. Boring old white guy.

[Skip Intro]

62. I just gotta ask - is there something wrong with being a white guy?

[undeterred]

68. We don't need any more in politics.

They don't tend to look out for the rest of us.

[Skip Intro]

71. They? Us? Wtf? Should we limit the number of white people who can serve in office? One more question

do you generally judge people, individually and as a group, by their skin color?

One more question.

Is that not the definition of racism?

[salonghorn70]

64. Bayh is 52

That's old??? Of those being mentioned, only Kaine at 50 is younger.

[undeterred]

69. Boring middle-aged white guy. Yuck.

[salonghorn70]

72. So Who Is Your Coice?

[nsd]

65. For a VP, being boring isn't a bad thing.

Obama is exciting enough for two. What we don't want are any surprises, any controversy.

Bayh isn't old (52).

Everybody on the shortlist, except for Sebelius, is a white guy.

[brentspeak]

77. Congratulations. You win Dumb Posts Of The Day.

[undeterred]

83. You didn't get the reference to This Week-

so attack me.

[brentspeak]

85. ???

[undeterred]

87. Last week on This Week with George Stephanpoulos

somebody said Obama needed to pick a boring, older white guy. Simultaneously everyone said Evan Bayh.

[brentspeak]

119. I get it

My apologies.

[thewiseguy]

108. White guy?

:eyes:

[Danger Mouse]

67. Sure it is.

[tishaLA]

73. IF it's Bayh--IF--I want him to be an attacker

and be proactive. I DO NOT want a reactive milquetoast Bayh, whatever his natural disposition may be. I don't like him, but if he's going to be there, be something more than Lieberman was in 2000 and.

[kas125]

81. Ha! It's hard to tell if the guy is even AWAKE half the time.

He's anything but an attacker or proactive, so if it's Bayh, you'll be disappointed.

[greendog]

75. Wouldn't we lose a Senate seat?

Indiana's Governor is Republican.

[Maven]

76. If it is Bayh, I'll be waiting for the diehards

to spin his support for the IWR and DOMA.

[brentspeak]

78. I hope it's not Bayh, but in any case, I certainly won't take a msg board post as confirmation

[NYC_SKP]

82. DEBUNKED.....

....told you so....

by blogslut aka "da sleuth"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6577746#6577813

[nsd]

98. The OP isn't basing this on the website thing.

They're basing it on the fact that Obama is flying to Indiana Wednesday night and staying until Thursday afternoon. This might be nothing -- just a campaign stop -- but it might instead be something. (Personally I'm guessing it's nothing.)

[NYC_SKP]

103. thanks....

it's nothing....last week it was Kaine, next week, anyone's guess.

:thumbsup:

[thewiseguy]

109. Next week we will have the pick.

Its either Bayh or Biden.

[Renew Deal]

105. It's not debunked by what you posted.

:shrug:

[NYC_SKP]

106. How about...

One could argue that this info doesn't firmly debunk it, but then nothing would short of the official selection of another person.

But this data is from that link:

ICANN Registrar: GODADDY.COM, INC.
Created: 2007-05-06
Expires: 2009-05-06
Updated: 2008-02-22

The domain name was created last year and updated a few times since then, with the link to the DNC apparently added very recently.

That seems to at least cast serious suspicion on the claim.

DNC, the target destination, doesn't need to condone the linking, though I suppose they could sue to kill if if they cared to.

We'll see...

[bmichaelh]

84. Hope Not.....

I hope that he is not the pick..

He was a honorary co-chair of the neocon pro-war Committee for the Liberation of Iraq....

Another co-chair was McCain.

This is not a way to separate oneself from the other party.

[saltpoint]

86. It would be odd if it were Evan Bayh in one respect, namely that he

was persuaded to withdraw his candidacy for the nomination and endorse Sen. Clinton.

It would have been interesting and served an interesting purpose to see Bayh and Mark Warner stay in the primary contest rather than withdraw.

IMO it would have shaken the Iowa results up quite a bit.

[Coexist]

93. interesting take, Old Crusoe, I hadn't thought of that.

That said, Bayh is probably my last choice (well, not dead last, but close).

*Sigh*

I guess I'll have to hold my breath and trust our candidate.

[saltpoint]

95. Bayh could make Indiana interesting. I have the testimony of the son of a

former delegate to the Democratic National Conventions (San Francisco and New York conventions) that Obama is visibly competing for Indiana.

I don't know if that translates to a Bayh pick or not.

It could.

On the outside part of the equation is Democrat Jill Long Thompson, former Congresswoman and now-candidate for governor. She's trying to unseat the loathsome Mitch Daniels.

If Obama cranks it up in Indiana, and the Thompson campaign can make some serious headway against Daniels, we might turn the Hoosier State blue. That would be remarkable.

[wisteria]

88. Yuck! I am not impressed or even enthused about Bayh. n/t

[Phoonzang]

90. I don't like him, but Bayh would be the correct choice.

He has domestic and foreign policy experience, is a former Clinton supporter, is from the Rust Belt. He can keep his mouth shut and play his role unlike Biden. He'll play well with shallow voters...good looks, white hometown boy. He knows how to appeal to Repugs too.

[burythehatchet]

91. That post is sufficient cause to put your dumb ass on Ignore.

[BlooInBloo]

94. hahahaa!

[NYC_SKP]

92. It's not Bayh!1!! Obama Picks not Bayh for VP!!1!1!!

the additional !!! and 111 make it so.

It's just another f'n website created that happens to hotlink to the DNC.

Hell, anyone can do it...

ICANN Registrar: GODADDY.COM, INC.
Created: 2007-05-06
Expires: 2009-05-06
Updated: 2008-02-22

http://www.aboutus.org/Special/wiki/old_revision?oldid=15693740&title=Obamabayh08.com

http://whois.domaintools.com/obamabayh08.com

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

96. Please don't make me cut my wrists.

:puke: DLC Tool Bayh :puke:

[blondeatlast]

99. Mark my words...

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Nope.

[writes3000]

114. So who will it be, blondeatlast? n/t

[femmocrat]

100. Another trial balloon?

That one for Kaine sank like lead.

[saltpoint]

101. The unknowns about any given veep choice almost outweigh the

knowns.

As much as we likely disliked Cheney prior to 2000, no one believed he woud be as demonstrably horrifying as he has been. He far exceeded expectations on the dark side of the ledger.

Bayh is a successful Democrat from very red Indiana. It's interesting that many of the possible choices mentioned in connection with Obama's search for a veep nom involve red- or purple-state people. Biden is an exception, of course, but Bayh, Kaine, Sebelius, Richardson, Schweitzer, etc. are all red- or purple-state options. Most are governors. Bayh's been a governor in the past.

I wasn't hogwild about Al Gore as Bill Clinton's veep pick, but went with the flow of things. Gore is far more progressive after 2000 than before 2000, IMO. I thought he was a bit of a stiff before Bush and Rove cheated him out of the White House. IMO there was a cathartic realignment of his sense of purpose, and he's been as refreshing as hell ever since.

Bayh, were he to be Obama's choice for the ticket, could arguably take Gore's path to a broader progressive agenda. If we are fortunate and Obama serves two terms, then Bayh would be what -- 61? -- years old in 2016. We don't know if his personal vision at that point in the trajectory is more conservative or more progressive.

My guess is that it would be more progressive. He would no longer be on the Indiana ballot alone, answerable to conservative voters in Fort Wayne or Muncie, but a national and international figure, and already part of the Obama progressive milieu.

At that point in the game Bayh no longer has to answer to the people in Indiana who threw his father out of office in favor of Dan Quayle. At that point, Evan Bayh is everyone's representative, and in the larger landscape, New York, Massachusetts, and California are suddenly at his back in support of 8 more years of progressive judicial appointments, etc.

That's not a prediction but IMO a fair consideration of the road ahead.

[Cosmocat]

118. BINGO ...

Too many people have a exceptionally myopic view of him ...

Fact is, for a DEMOCRAT in a solid red state to start out as Secretary of State, be governor for two terms, then end up being in his third term in the Senate, and at his age for that matter, he has to be a rather exceptional elected official ... You can't be markedly left of center and win dog catcher in Indoama ...

[IndianaJones]

102. South Bend sucks. nt.

[mystieus]

104. Nooo!!!! please don't

[thewiseguy]

111. No Sebelius please. She brings nothing to this ticket. Absolutely horrible choice.

[WinkyDink]

112. Why are there so many doofus thread titles in DU:P?

[JNelson6563]

116. Indiana, Illinois. Senator/Senator.

Hmmm. I don't think so.

Julie

[dkf]

117. Bayh will do just as good a job of defending Obama as Lieberman did for Gore.

Bayh isn't strong enough for the role. JMO of course.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

122. Stop that, Evan! It's unseemly!

:*

[Arnold Judas Rimmer]

123. If he wants someone from Indiana, why not John Mellencamp?

Probably the only Democrat in Indiana who's not a complete smeghead (Bayh, Roemer, Hamilton, and all those other fakes)

[sniffa]

124. I swear I just read a similar thread about this in last couple hours

DUer was disappointed though. Oh, and reliable local sources were involved.