Evan Bayh (D - Indiana) is resigning now. Add him to the list of 32 other representatives - many of them moderates - that have resigned in 2009. Indeed we are losing another one of the (popular) good guys - someone actually more concerned with solutions and bi-partisanship than catering to the radicals in his party. Take a look at Evan Bayh's EXCELLENT op-ed in the NY Times (link below). Some highlights:
- “It shouldn’t take a constitutional crisis or an attack on the nation to create honest dialogue in the Senate.”
- “Because of the incessant need to raise campaign cash, we now have perpetual campaigns. If fund-raising is constantly on members’ minds, it’s difficult for policy compromise to trump political calculation.”
- “Our most strident partisans must learn to occasionally sacrifice short-term tactical political advantage for the sake of the nation. Otherwise, Congress will remain stuck in an endless cycle of recrimination and revenge. The minority seeks to frustrate the majority, and when the majority is displaced it returns the favor. Power is constantly sought through the use of means which render its effective use, once acquired, impossible.”
- “Meeting America’s profound challenges and reforming Congress will not be easy. Old habits die hard. Special interests are entrenched.”
- “The cause of good government is not served.”
