A Bayh-gone era for Indiana Democrats?

Indiana Democrats keep dusting off the Bayh name like it's a lucky rabbit's foot. Forty years is a long time to run on nostalgia, and the fact that the party's best bet in a statewide race is once again a guy trading on his father's and grandfather's Rolodex tells you something about how thin the bench has gotten out there. Evan Bayh left the Senate over a decade ago partly because he said Washington had become too broken to fix. Now his family name gets recycled for a secretary of state run, which is a fine office but not exactly the launching pad that suggests a party with fresh ideas.

The "kick out corrupt politicians" pitch is doing a lot of work here too. It's a message that plays well until voters ask which corrupt politicians, specifically, and whether the answer conveniently excludes anyone with a D next to their name. Indiana Republicans have run the state legislature and most statewide offices for two decades now, not because they're flawless, but because they kept showing up with candidates who talked like the people they represented instead of like consultants workshopping a comeback narrative.

Hoosiers aren't dumb. They can tell the difference between a genuine outsider and a legacy candidate wearing an outsider costume. If Indiana Democrats think swagger and a famous last name are a substitute for an actual platform that speaks to farmers, factory workers and small business owners in this state, they're going to keep losing, and deservedly so. The GOP should take the "striking fear" line as flattery, not warning.