IN-Sen: Hill would be a much better Democrat than Ellsworth

The two leading candidates to replace Evan Bayh on the Democratic side are Reps. Baron Hill and Brad Ellsworth.

Neither are liberal Democrat, but between the two of them, Hill would be the better choice BY FAR.

Hill is a Blue Dog, but he's one of the more liberal ones. He backed a public option, for example. He voted for the stimulus. And he still supports passing comprehensive health care reform. Hill would probably be slightly to Bayh's left.

Ellsworth, by contrast, is one of the most conservative Democrats in the House. Bayh used to hem and haw but ultimately vote with Democrats on major bills. There's no guarantee that Ellsworth would do the same. He only voted for HCR after Stupak passed. And he voted against the stimulus. He would be another Ben Nelson.

The flip side is that Ellsworth *might* be a more electable candidate this November. He's a former Sheriff and can credibly campaign against "Washington," esp. against Dan Coats and John Hostettler. Hill may get tarred by being a longtime member of Congress.

Still, I'm hoping for Hill. We don't need another Ben Nelson.

I live in his district and he's a guy I've never had any problem voting for. One of my friends interviewed him for NPR and told me that off the record, Hill was saying he really supported single-payer, etc, and was frustrated by the direction of the PO.

unfortunately. :shrug:




Ellsworth is on the Left.....

But yeah, given the political climate, Ellsworth - more physically attractive, a former sheriff, not a career pol - would probably be more electable.

I'm still hoping Hill gets in though. Against either Coats or Hostettler, he'd have an excellent chance. He'd be a far more reliable vote in Congress. And he really has nothing to lose. Of the three Indiana House Dems being pumped up for this seat - Hill, Ellsworth, and Donnelly - Hill is the most vulnerable. He might as well run for the Senate where he may actually have better odds of winning. And worst case scenario, if he loses, as long as he puts in a competitive race, he can still run for governor in 2012 (which was his original plan).

I bet there's some crazy shit rolling through Pence's sick head right now. If he doesn't get in, it's all but a given that he's running for POTUS. By the way, there are few pols as skanky as he is. He, literally, makes my skin crawl.

Seriously. He's a complete idiot. He's like a walking automaton just spewing braindead, right-wing talking points. Every time I hear him speak I want to bang my head against the table.

The only saving grace is that he thinks he should be president and word is he's gearing up for a 2012 run. That's why he's sitting out this Senate race.

Cause it is too late for Hill to actually get on the ballot any other way,
if I am reading things correctly. Is that correct? And what are the chance
that a "vunerable" congressman be actually selected, if indeed there is another
candidate that may, for Indiana, and based on party "politics", be stronger?

It will likely be one of the Dem members of the House because those are the strongest Democrats in the state right now. They'd probably be sacrificing a House seat, though.

I'm not terribly familiar with either of the two.

Seems that the electability issue alone might be enough to hope they go with Ellsworth, especially since they are both basically different shades of blue-dog. It will be tough sledding for Dems nationwide, especially in a "reddish" state like IN. If a Dem - yes ANY Dem - can win there, i'll be thrilled.

I read that the nominee be settled at the state party convention in June? If so, that's total inside baseball and not really predictable where things will land.

Ellsworth really is a very conservative Democrat. Hill is basically a mainstream Dem who *calls* himself a Blue Dog to win his right-leaning district.

Much better to have a Republican with a 100% voting record in office, right?

Certainly I'd take Ellsworth over a Republican in that seat. I'm just saying that if they're both electable, I'd prefer Hill, who is a much more mainstream Democrat than Ellsworth.

Ellsworth voted for the second version of the stimulus.

http://www.votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?cs_id=23644&can_id=57497