Bayh Bailing

My decision was not motivated by political concern," Bayh said. "Even in the current challenging environment, I am confident in my prospects for re-election." Riiight. The Democrats can repeat the mantra that "there are more Republicans retiring than Democrats," but it doesn't change the fact that the vacated Democratic seats are far more vulnerable than those held by retiring Republicans. In fact, for the first time, many commentators are predicting a win in ten states for the GOP in the Senate, which would give them control of the Senate. At this stage, lobbyist and former Republican Senator Dan Coats, looks like the favorite for the seat. He will likely be challenged by either Reps. Baron Hill or Brad Ellsworth, one of which will be chosen by their party to run. Bayh's bow out at least signals that someone in his party understood the consequences of Massachusetts. In fact, Bayh warned his party not to ignore the Massachusetts Senate race as it would "lead to even further catastrophe" for the party and that "if you lose Massachusetts and that's not a wake-up call, there's no hope of waking up." At this point, it seems most of them are comatose.