Bayh-sexuals

President-elect Obama (sans some political disaster) recently held a national-security summit in West Lafayette, Indiana aka the home of Purdue University. Not only does this tell us that Obama is working hard to get Hoosiers to vote blue, but it also means that a certain Democratic senator from Indiana may be on the vp shortlist. That's right, Senator Evan Bayh may have just vaulted himself past other higher-profile VP contenders, such as a certain wife of a former President.

Evan Bayh, a typical Heartland Democrat, would help balance out Obama's weaknesses, especially with respect to national security and Obama's not being a white male. Bayh also has experience in governance thanks to his stint as Indiana's governor for 8 years. One weakness is that he can come off as uncharismatic especially in comparison to Obama. Second, if Obama presents his platform with a primary focus on Iraq, then Bayh's former staunch support of the war effort may send mixed messages to the public. Regardless, I think Evan Bayh would be a solid pick, and if it eventually leads to his becoming POTUS eventually, then I'm all for it.

As for the prospect of Indiana falling in the Democratic column, I wouldn't entirely count out the possibility even without Bayh on the ticket. It has been 44 years since Indiana voted Democrat, but tell me if in the last four decades there has been a blue politician with as much hype as Barack. Based on the Indiana electoral map, here is the easiest route to victory in the Hoosier state:

-Win Indianapolis by a large margin. It's the largest urban area in the state and has a large black population. This is the most critical point because Kerry split the vote with Bush in 2004 and the collar counties will assuredly vote for McCain.
-Use your Chicago connections to win the three Chicagoland commuter counties by huge margins
-Win Fort Wayne, Bloomington, and West Lafayette convincingly. Ft. Wayne is a former industrial town with a large black population, while Bloomington and West Lafayette are college towns.
-Lastly, try to do somewhat respectably in the rural areas. I don't expect Obama to win even one of the rural counties, but if he accomplishes the three former goals then it shouldn't matter.