"The Nation," which is further to the left than National Review is to the right, looks at the Evan Bayh desertion and proclaims Indiana "an angry state that is looking for change, and rightly so."
If they are smart, they will look for a candidate who can run hard and smart as a populist critic of free trade and big-bank bailouts and a supporter of smart investments in job creation.
The bottom line is this: Bayh's departure puts an at-risk seat even more in play for Democrats. They won't win Indiana by nominating a dull centrist who echoes Bayh. To win this seat, Democrats need a candidate who is angrier with Washington than the tea partyers.
Oh, please, please, do. Nominate someone really foaming-at-the-mouth angry. That'll win back those Red State hearts and minds.
Some people are actually heeding that call and urging a run for the Senate by . . . wait for it . . . John Mellencamp.
Mellencamp is revered in his home state, where he continues to live, record music, and raise a family. Best known for hits like “Pink Houses,” “Jack and Diane,” and “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.,” he is also a staunch Democrat who campaigned for Barack Obama.
[. . .]
Mellencamp's music is known for its populist themes, which have roots in his upbringing in rural Indiana, where his grandparents were farmers.
Revered? I'm sure he's pretty well-liked in the Seymour area, but revered in the state? Please. And better not look too closely at those small-town, populist credentials:
According to the good folks at the Environmental Working Group, who maintain an eminently searchable database of farm subsidies, there were 34 recipients with the last name of "Mellencamp" between 1995-2003. Of those, a full 22 come from the Hoosier State, including 12 in the small town of ... Seymour! Here's a list of Seymour's subsidized Mellencamps:
[. . .]
That's $1.14 million for the small-town Mellencamps. Their other 10 subsidy-receiving Indiana namesakes, incidentally, farm within a 50 mile radius of Seymour. Like most Indianans, the bulk of the Mellencamps' hand-outs come in the form of corn subsidies.
But seriously, folks. Sitting Democratic Reps. Baron Hill or Brad Ellsworth have been mentioned as a possible replacement candidate for Bayh, but I wonder if either of them would consider the risk worth it. A Democratic mayor, though, might find it an interesting challenge since losing wouldn't do any real damage.
Actually, the best potential candidate has ruled out a run. I blogged recently that there was no one on the Democratic bench with name recognition and widespread appeal in the state, but on futher reflection there is at least one: Former Gov. Joe Kernan.
