Evan Bayh and the Media Narrative

The entire media establishment seems perplexed by the suddenly plummeting poll numbers of Senator Evan Bayh.

On Tuesday’s edition of “Morning Joe” on MSNBC, the fairly conservative Joe Scarborough sang the senator’s praises, allowing him to present himself as a “common sense” advocate for Hoosiers without even the hint of a challenge.

“Clearly Senator Bayh gets it,” said analyst Donnie Douche of the senator’s rhetoric. “You were the first senator in your party to start warning America about debt, about rising deficits, about a need to focus on jobs,” Scarborough echoed. “I think in the end, the polls do take care of those who actually listen to their voters. And you’ve been doing that, obviously.”

Ever since Senator Bayh preempted Scott Brown’s Massachusetts victory with a statement deriding the “furthest left elements of the Dem party” who were “attempting to impose their will on the rest of the country,” he has been presented by the media as a moderate voice in the liberal wilderness, calling on the president and the congress to change their ways. Rarely is it mentioned that Senator Bayh supported President Obama’s massive stimulus bill, and was, according to Democrats on Capitol Hill, a rallying voice in getting the Senate healthcare bill passed.

Even on Fox News, the firebrand Sean Hannity, who usually follows the partisan Republican line, has taken to using Bayh as an example of a prophet, not a hypocrite. Perhaps this shouldn’t be surprising given that the national Republican line itself is incredibly weak when it comes to Indiana’s junior senator. “I welcome what he’s been trying to do around here,” said Senator John Cornyn, who leads the NRSC, last year. “What he’s doing is constructive.” Cornyn claimed that defeating Bayh was low on his list of priorities.

All of this media spin and Republican indifference gives the impression that Senator Bayh’s recent low poll numbers are the result of a national trend against President Obama, and that he is merely a hapless victim of political forces beyond his control.

Hoosiers know better. If Senator Bayh had truly been the courageous voice of fiscal sanity that he claims to be, he would be able to muster more than 45% in the polls against his potential Republican challengers. He is in trouble not because of generalized anger against incumbents, but because of his own actions—his own misguided votes for unpopular policies that he claims to oppose. He is in trouble because Hoosiers know a hypocrite when they see one.

Next month, Senator Bayh will begin to flood the airwaves with ads that will continue to spin his record, and he will have the media on his side to reinforce the narrative. He will likely be seen in more press conferences with John McCain, and he will likely continue to compare himself to Scott Brown as he makes his mad dash to the political right.

Republicans need to preempt this narrative and preempt it fast if they want to win in November. Happily, even after Congressman Mike Pence’s decision not to run, the Republican primary field is crowded with conservative candidates ready to challenge the previously undefeatable senator. From the principled former congressman John Hostettler, who recently threw his hat into the ring, to the state senator and family farmer Marlin Stutzman, who had the audacity to challenge Senator Bayh even when the conventional wisdom said that he such a race was unwinnable, the Republican field is strong and energized.

Even without Mike Pence, this could prove to be an epic race.

Republicans Currently Challenging Senator Bayh:

Don Bates, Jr.
Richard Behney
Tom Haney
John Hostettler
Marlin Stutzman

Related posts:

• The Case for Marlin Stutzman
• Evan Bayh’s Senate Opponents to Visit Wabash
• Thoughts on the Warsaw, Indiana Republican Senate Debate
• Can __ Win? – Addressing media bias in the presidential elections
• Scott Brown’s “Miracle”: A Promise, a Commercial, and the Campaign that Led Him to Victory