He's got the whole world in his hands?
Words.
"Teddy Roosevelt famously lauded "the man who is actually in the arena," who "if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." What happens, though, when the arena is dysfunctional? The Senate, with its endless holds and 60-vote points of order, may be the epitome of a place that knows neither victory nor defeat.
...Maybe the arena has shifted. Maybe, for the man -- or woman -- who wants to make a difference, politics is not the optimal venue. Maybe it's easier to make your mark from the Gates Foundation than from a Senate seat. Maybe the chief executive of Google -- your average Google vice president, even -- wields more influence over people's lives than an individual member of Congress. Maybe it's a better use of time to promote scientific research than to slog from one quorum call to the next.
...Bayh, who speaks with the experience of a man with $13 million in his campaign account, attributed some of the changed atmosphere to the incessant demands of fundraising. "Back in my father's day, the saying was that you legislated for four years and you ran for reelection for two," he said. "If you're constantly raising funds, if you're constantly running for reelection, that affects how people behave."
...The optimist in me would like to see Bayh's departure as the wake-up call the Senate needs.
..."The forecast for this country is bleak if people are just going to say that the dysfunction has been institutionalized," [Virginia Democrat Mark] Warner told me. "I just can't accept that."
The realist in me watches the fervent Tea Partiers, tugging the Republican Party even further to the right, and the Republican congressional leadership, reaping the short-term rewards of obstruction -- and worries.
"What I think Evan has been trying to communicate is that politics cannot be seen as a zero-sum game where one side wipes the floor with the other side," [Oregon Democrat Ron] Wyden told me. Until this happens, he said, "I think you're going to see more good and thoughtful people say that they're going to find other things to do.""
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