The Hill News

Liberals in the Democratic Party have to make peace with the party's centrists, retiring Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) asserted.

Bayh, a centrist senator who's giving up his seat next year after two terms, chided liberals for, he charged, not understanding that they need to partner with centrists to govern.

"The only way progressive Democrats have a role in governing in this country is if they make common cause [with] moderates â€" otherwise, numerically, it’s just not going to work out," Bayh told NBC News as part of a series of "exit interviews" with retiring senators. "They have not embraced that perspective."

Centrists in both parties have found themselves under siege at times during the past year from ideological elements within their own party. On the GOP side, Sens. Bob Bennett (Utah) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) ! were defeated by conservative challengers in primary battles. Sen. Arlen Specter (D) lost a liberal primary challenge from Rep. Joe Sestak (D) in Pennsylvania, and Sen. Blanche Lincoln scraped by a liberal challenge from Lt. Gov. Bill Halter (D) in Arkansas.

Bayh has repeatedly expressed frustration at the growing polarization in the Senate, and has cited it as being among the reasons he's chosen to retire.

The Hoosier State Democrat said it was just a matter of practicality that ideologues in each party needed to partner with centrists. Otherwise, Bayh said, nothing could be accomplished in the Senate, given its rules empowering minority parties to block legislation.

"The moderates are the key to getting anything done, because most of the time in the Senate you need 60 votes," he said. "It may be an oxymoron, the notion of passionate moderates, but that's really what we need. The people who are more independent, more moderate, who say, '! Enough of these extremes, we’re going to take the country ba! ck and v ote with the major party that seems to be more willing to compromise and to do the right thing.' "