I May Have Been too Tough on Bayh

Not that I care all that much, but the Hill is reporting that Republicans are pissed off about the timing of the announcement:

Republicans are livid about the timing of Sen. Evan Bayh’s (D-Ind.) retirement announcement.

They have at least four candidates in the upcoming primary while the Indiana Democratic Party will get to decide its nominee.

Indiana required nominating petitions to be filed by noon Tuesday. Bayh announced Monday he would not seek reelection, giving would-be candidates less than 24 hours to get on the ballot.

………

Republicans have called on Bayh to ask for an extension of the filing deadline.

“The reality and ramifications of this timing cannot, and should not, be ignored,” National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) said in a statement.

“Assuming there is no qualified candidate that files the appropriate documentation before the deadline, Sen. Bayh should call on the state Democratic Party to ask an Indiana court to extend the candidate filing deadline — both for this Senate candidacy and for any House candidacy that is left open by a Democrat House member who runs for the Senate nomination,” Cornyn said. “Doing so would remove any appearance of unfair gamesmanship by the Democrats while affirming their belief that voters, and not party bosses, should be the final arbiters of elections.”

Bummer of a birth mark,
Indiana Republicans

Boo-f%$#ing-hoo.

Your strongest candidates, Rep. Mike Pence, Secretary of State Todd Rokita, and Governor Mitch Daniels, didn't want to run because of Bayh's $13 million war chest, and now the best you can find is former Senator Dan Coats, who retired as a Senator, then moved to DC to be a lobbyist, and is on tape joking about leaving Indiana.

Bayh's decision might not have been quite the f%$#-you to Democrats that I had previously thought.