If you are a fan of partisanship and gridlock, then Sen. Evan’s Bayh’s (D-IN) shocking decision to not seek a third term should have you dancing in the aisles.

Bayh cited the current toxic political environment in Washington, DC as the main reason for his decision.
During a speech in Indianapolis he said, “All of this and much more has led me to believe that there are better ways to serve my fellow citizens, my beloved state and our nation than continued service in Congress,” he said. “To put it in the words most people can understand: I love working for the people of Indiana, I love helping our citizens make the most of their lives, but I do not love Congress.”
This is a major blow to the moderate center of our country, which by the way, is where the majority of Americans reside. Bayh was a centrist that continually tried to push his party to the center which is why this Democrat was continually able to win huge victories in ruby red Indiana. But, he is also a dying breed.

Consider some of the Senate retirements we’ve seen this campaign season: Mel Martinez (R-FL), Judd Gregg (R-NH), Ken Salazar (D-CO), George Vionovich (R-OH), Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and now Bayh. And several other middle-of-the-road senators face primary opposition this year including Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Alren Specter (D-PA). All of these senators are willing to buck their party leadership and vote their beliefs. All of them at one time or another reached across to the other party to achieve a common goal. All of them were cut from a different cloth than the standard, partisan politician.

This trend of partisanship didn’t just begin. Over the past two decade we’ve seen many of these moderate senators retire from office including our own John Warner (R-VA), Mark Hatfield (R-OR), Bob Packwood (R-OR), William Cohen (R-ME), Sam Nunn (D-GA), Alan Simpson (R-WY), Bob Dole (R-KS), John Breaux (D-LA), David Pryor (D-AR), Fritz Hollings (D-SC), and David Boren (D-OK). A few others have been voted out of office like Chuck Robb (D-VA), Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), .

What are we left with in the Senate, the so-called greatest deliberative body in modern history? It would say it’s something that more closely resembles the U.S. House of Representatives. Senators have six year terms so they can vote their conscience free of the fear of voter retaliation every two years. Yet, in our endless news cycles and never-ending, outrageously expensive campaigns, the Senate has become a smaller version of the House dominated by the political extremes on both the right and the left.

Some will applaud this because it means nothing will get done in Washington. But, when we need action to repair our financial system, reform insurance, create jobs, or fight terrorism, who will be able to bring our leaders together?

In 2008, when running to replace the almost irreplaceable John Warner, Democrat Mark Warner campaigned on a theme of bridging the political divide. He said COUNTLESS times that he wanted to be a “radical centrist.”

We’re now a year into his term, and I suspect that Mark Warner would agree that it’s hard to be a “radical centrist” in Washington, DC. And Evan Bayh’s decision just made it a little harder.