Evan Bayh's strategy for 2008

[JI7]

what do you all think of this. Bayh use to say he could never win a Democratic Primary because he was too moderate/conservative. but it seems he will use Kerry's loss in 2004 to claim we need someone like him in order to win.

personally i don't think Bayh has any chance. even if people decided to go for someone more moderate i think there are people who are a lot more appealing such as Mark Warner or even Biden and Lieberman. i think his strongest point is that he wins big in a red state.

<U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) returned to New Hampshire over the weekend introducing himself to a large gathering of the state's Democratic activists as a potential Democratic presidential candidate and to try out a few new lines on them.

Over all the reaction to his 25 minute speech was mixed. Many said he accomplished his goal of getting on their radar screen, but others like state Sen. Lou D'Allesandro (D-Manchester) found Bayh a little rough around the edges.

"He is going to have to tune it up a bit," said D'Allesandro. "He is going to have to watch how he attacks Bush. The real issue for Bayh is how he can bridge the cultural divide that Bush has created and we heard none of that tonight."

While Bayh did not get explicit on this cultural divide he did dance around it.

"President Bush sought our nation's highest office pledging to be a uniter, not a divider, and has proceeded to divide this country more profoundly than any time since the Vietnam War," Bayh said.

This was followed by the reminder that Bayh has been a very successful Democrat in what he said was a very Republican Midwestern state. This fact, along with his credentials as a two-term former governor and a moderate were the three things most remembered in interviews with those attending.

Rob Werner, a New Hampshire member of the Democratic Leadership Council, the group Bayh just chaired, said he found Bayh interesting.

"He says a lot of the right things," Werner said.>

http://www.politicsnh.com/archives/pindell/2005/Oct/10_30bayh.htm

[Mass]

1. Kerry will be there next week in Manchester

"U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) has discussed traveling to Manchester on Saturday to campaign with Manchester Mayor Bob Baines the weekend before his re-election."

So Bayh is doing his obligatory trip in NH. Good for him.