Declaring My Support For Evan Bayh As VP

It seems that a lot of major sites are starting to report as if Virginia governor Tim Kaine is going to be Barack Obama's running mate. Now nothing is solid, of course. In fact, according to the Washington Post, senators Joseph Biden and Evan Bayh are also reportedly on the the so-called short list for Obama. After an extreme case of boredom, I've come to the conclusion that of those three, Evan Bayh has to be the best choice from a campaign standpoint.

Now, I'm gonna start with the reason why I would not really be fond of the selection of Kaine as a running mate. Obama's number one criticism seems to be that he doesn't carry the necessary experience to be the president. Now the logical way to combat this would be to grab someone who is experienced. The issue with doing that hearkens back to Obama's pledge to change Washington. How could he change Washington with a running mate who has been around too long?

Because of this I understand why he might look at Kaine. Kaine has executive experience in that he's the governor of a decent-sized state. He's also the governor of a swing state that could prove very important to November's election. However, he's not really even that experienced as governor. He's only in his first term, and that's certainly going to become fodder for the Republican attack dogs. He's also an unknown to most. Hell, I only heard about him after the Jim Webb rumors died down...

As for Biden, I have to admit, I would love this choice. I was a Biden supporter before backing Obama, and I would love to see him on the ticket. He carries a great deal of experience, and he certainly helps quell the foreign policy attacks. He's pretty popular within the party, and lord knows he can be entertaining. However, he does nothing to help with the "Change" approach. He's been in the Senate since 1973. Let me say that again, he's been in office since Donny Osmond graced the covers of teen magazines.

Biden also doesn't exactly mesh with Obama's persona. Obama comes off as cool and collected. Biden is a bit of a hothead, and I'm not exactly sure how that fits in the Obama campaign strategy. Of course, that's why Biden is so popular, he'll come out and yell "That's bullshit!" when called upon. Eh, just doesn't seem to fit.

Before I start talking about Bayh, I will preface this by saying that I am an Indiana resident, and probably a little bit biased. I disagree with Bayh on several things, but I can't describe at just how awesome it would be replace Dan Quayle as "last executive office holder from Indiana." This opportunity is just too god to pass up.

Why Is Bayh The Most Logical Choice?

First off, Bayh carries experience in an executive office as he was governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1997. He also carries some legitimate United States Senate experience as he is currently serving his second term. I think it's worth noting that his whole life has revolved around public service when you consider that his father, Birch Bayh, served 18 years in the senate (and was succeeded, ironically enough, by one J. Danforth Quayle) and actually once attempted a presidential run.

Bayh's time as the governor of this fair state is probably considered one of the most successful in the history of the state. He ran up the largest state surplus in Indiana history, and also gave the largest tax cuts in Indiana history. Now, of course, the whole country was seeing vast economic growth around that time, but he can rightfully claim those to establish credibility for the number one issue of this presidential race, the economy. It's worth noting that Bayh's approval rating as governor hovered around an astounding eighty percent.

As a senator, Bayh has overwhelmingly won the state by getting over sixty percent of the vote each time. What does that have to do with the VP pick? Indiana has been a solidly red state for decades. The last time we voted Democrat was in 1964 for Lyndon B. Johnson. Indiana's not going to nab a ton of electoral votes, but establishing some red states on the blue side will certainly start to give the McCain campaign some very reasonable anxiety.

Bayh also carries the tag of being moderate, a tag that a Democrat pretty much has to carry to get elected in Indiana. He's worked on both sides of the aisle, so to speak. Obama talks about working with another Indiana senator, Richard Lugar, but his record doesn't really reflect working with Republicans that often. This is something that could hurt Obama's credibility with the group of conservatives on his side right now. However grabbing a moderate like Bayh should help with their queasiness.

Bayh also carries a great deal of respect within the party. As mentioned earlier, his father was a member of the Senate for nearly twenty years. Bayh was also a keynote speaker for the Democratic National Convention in 1996. Bill Clinton once voiced his intentions for someday voting for Bayh if he were to ever run for president. Bayh was also considered a candidate for the VP spot on both Al Gore and John Kerry's tickets.

There are negatives though. Bayh was a supporter of the Iraqi War in the Senate, but has since taken on Obama's stance of ending it. I don't perceive that as too big of a blow considering Hillary still got a ton of votes with her early support of the war. I do believe that Republicans will try to use it if Bayh is selected, but they're taking the so-called "kitchen sink approach" anyway. Bayh also cannot claim to be a Washington outsider, which Obama does believe is part of the criteria. However, Bayh's really only been a senator since 1998, and that's certainly not 1973.

Anyway, we'll see what happens. I really hope it's not Kaine though.