Democrats jump in the mud

by Russ Pulliam

Former Sen. Dan Coats brings more than the potential for an upset in his race against Sen. Evan Bayh.

Win or lose, Coats could help Gov. Mitch Daniels gain the House Republican majority he wants for his final two years as governor.

At the top of the ticket in November, Coats could remove what historically has been an advantage for Democrats whenever Bayh has been on the ballot.

Bayh is the most popular Democrat in state history, with two terms as governor and two terms as a senator. But this year he may be vulnerable because of voters’ strong reaction against the Obama administration.

Bayh, who has never developed a political identity beyond a passion for holding the middle ground in most political debates, has not faced a strong political challenge in Indiana since he won his 1988 race for governor against Lt. Gov. John Mutz.

Coats will give Bayh real competition, similar to what U.S. Rep. Mike Pence would have brought to the race. Coats, who represented northeastern Indiana in Congress in the 1980s, moved to the Senate when Dan Quayle became vice president in 1989.

In Congress, Coats pushed conservative alternatives to big government efforts to end poverty, and his thinking contributed to the compassionate conservative ideas that helped George W. Bush land the presidency.

By personality Coats and Bayh share a modesty and reserve that seem to fit the profile of what Indiana voters like.

U.S. Rep. Mark Souder, who now represents the region that Coats once served, says the former senator will have to show passion for the race. “What Dan has to prove is he wants it,” Souder said. “People want to shake your hand.”

What remains unclear is the impact of uncivil attacks on Coats by the Democratic National Campaign Committee and other Bayh supporters. They are throwing every piece of mud they can find, hoping something might stick. He is a lobbyist. He thought about a retirement place in North Carolina. He lobbied for a firm that represented Yemen. He lobbied on behalf of a company linked to South American dictator Hugo Chavez. He may even have reached for the wrong fork once at a White House dinner.

Democrats sound like the state Republicans who tackled Evan Bayh when he came on the scene in the late 1980s. They said Bayh was not a real Hoosier, he had not lived here, he only had an address through his father. They accused him of misbehaving in college.

Mud-slinging might work if there is substance behind it. But Evan Bayh was a real Hoosier, growing up around Washington only because his father was a senator.

This time the mud-slinging may hurt Democrats. The issue is whether Coats is a man of character and integrity. On that score, the mud tossed by Democrats could splash back on them.