Why he's leaving the Senate

Senator Evan Bayh authored a lengthy op-ed in the New York Times this morning, explaining why he has chosen to leave the Senate. The senator cites legislative dysfunction as the main cause of his decision but quickly proceeds to a discussion of various ways to improve the legislative process. His suggestions for reform include changing the campaign finance laws to increase the power of small donors to counter corporate interests; revising the filibuster rules so that senators who want to filibuster must pledge to actually engage in continuous debate, not just threaten it, and requiring only 55 votes to break a filibuster; and inviting fellow senators over for dinner. This last suggestion may not seem as serious as some of the others, but Senator Bayh offers a strong counter to that claim: "It is much harder to demonize someone when you know his family or have visited his home." How very true.