Blue Dog Bayh gets GOP challenger

Former Republican congressman John Hostettler is challenging Blue Dog Sen. Evan Bayh by caricaturing him as a wild-eyed, Harry Reid-loving, tax-raising liberalsocialistfascist.

In a YouTube video, Hostettler repeatedly ties Bayh to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, blaming the pair for what he calls a failed economic stimulus package.

“Hoosiers need real jobs created by real companies that are not taxed and regulated to death by new big government boondoggles like government-run health care and cap-and-trade,” Hostettler says. “These new programs will only push jobs out of Indiana.”

Hmm. And here I thought that positioning yourself as a "centrist Democrat" always eager to sell your party out in the name of "bipartisanship" was the best way to keep the GOP from caricaturing you as a wild-eyed, Harry Reid-loving, tax-raising liberalsocialistfascist.

Could it be that nothing will keep the Republicans from doing that? Could it be that the best way to win as a Democrat is to govern like a Democrat and produce results for your constituents?

I guess we'll see.