Evan Bayh

Evan Bayh: Not His Father, Birch Bayh! The Abandonment Of Principle!

Ronald Leave a comment

Former Indiana Senator and Governor Evan Bayh, the son of the highly reputable and liberal Senator Birch Bayh (1963-1981), has demonstrated that he is NOT his dad in any way, shape or form!

Birch Bayh, a close friend of Senator Ted Kennedy and other liberal champions, including Frank Church of Idaho, George McGovern of South Dakota, and Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, was a Senator who the author greatly admired, and wished for the success of his Presidential candidacy in 1976, which unfortunately was a flop!

His son Evan became regarded as his heir in so many ways, and served two successful terms as Indiana Governor at a very young age, followed by two terms in the Senate.

Like his dad, he was considered a possible Presidential candidate, and even was on the short list for Vice President in 2000, 2004, and 2008.

Seen as “principled”, he decided that he did not want to be part of Washington DC politics anymore in 2010, after the Citizens United Case of the Supreme Court, giving corporations free rein to contribute to political campaigns, including the infamous Chambers of Commerce, which proceeded to work actively to elect GOP candidates through raising of inordinate amounts of money. The result was the biggest switch in seats in the House since 1938 for a midterm election.

So Bayh quit the Senate, after having worked to undermine Barack Obama’s agenda in 2009-2010, gaining an image as one of the most conservative Senators in the Democratic Party, as unreliable for his President and party on important votes.

And what has Evan Bayh done since? He has gone over to the “enemy”, the Republicans and the conservative business interests!

First, he joined Fox News Channel as a commentator, raising the eyebrows of many progressives.

Now he has agreed to work for the Chambers of Commerce itself as a lobbyist for big business!

Birch Bayh is still alive at age 83, and one wonders in his heart of hearts, how he feels about what his son, Evan, has done!

What is certain is that Evan Bayh is a turncoat to the progressives and liberals who once believed in him and his leadership, as they did with his father Birch 30-50 years ago! This is indeed a sad moment!

Coming Back From Vacation, And Plenty To Comment On!

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Having just come back from an enjoyable week in Montreal and Quebec City, there is plenty to comment on, as politics never takes a vacation!

Sarah Palin, Rick Santorum, Anthony Weiner, and Evan Bayh lead the charge, and they just prove how entertaining and frustrating American politics has become! It is theater, and one just needs to shake his head, and laugh, while feeling an urge to put a muzzle on these political leaders, who demonstrate such poor judgment, and make one wonder why any of them should imagine that they should be President or Mayor of New York City, or even Governors, Senators, and Congressmen!

So now, one can count on regular, daily updates on the political battles, starting shortly after this entry is published! Enjoy reading and commenting at your pleasure!

A Move Toward A Centrist Political Party, Called “No Labels”, And The Role Of Michael Bloomberg And Joe Scarborough!

Ronald Leave a comment

At Columbia University in New York City, on December 13, a centrist group is going to form a “No Labels” centrist movement to promote civility in American politics.

Among those who will engage in this new movement are the following: Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City; former Republican Florida Congressman Joe Scarborough, MSNBC talk show host of “Morning Joe”; retiring Democratic Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana; Independent Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut; Democratic Senator Debby Stabenow of Michigan; former Republican Congressman Tom Davis of Virginia; Republican Congressman Christopher Shays of Connecticut;  Democratic Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles; and former Republican Governor Christie Todd Whitman of New Jersey, among others!

The group is against hyper partisanship, and promotes civility, calm, reason, and cooperation. Prominent fundraisers are involved in the new movement, and the hope is to form chapters in all 50 states.

There is growing speculation that Mayor Bloomberg might run as an independent for President, and some even speculate that Joe Scarborough might seek the Presidency or run with Bloomberg for Vice President on an independent party ticket, although the “No Labels” group claims that is not the purpose of the organization being formed!

One thing for sure: Joe Scarborough has begun a full scale attack on the incompetence and inadequacy of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as a possible candidate for the Presidency by the Republican Party, joining many others who feel the same way, including not only Barbara Bush and Karl Rove, but also conservative columnists Mona Charen, David Frum, and Peggy Noonan.

Certainly, if Bloomberg were to run, being the wealthiest political figure in the nation, with billions of dollars in assets, he could fund his own campaign, but the question is could he win over the country with his overly liberal views on social issues, and being a New York Jew! In an early poll, it shows he would only win about eleven percent of the vote, but in a dry run with President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney, Obama would be the beneficiary, as Bloomberg would hurt Romney more than he would hurt Obama!

Senator Evan Bayh Leaving Congress, Condemning Its Paralysis

Ronald Leave a comment

It was a sad moment today when Indiana Democratic Senator Evan Bayh, a moderate liberal, announced he would not seek re-election after twelve years in the Senate, out of frustration and anger at the intransigence and paralysis that Congress has developed into during the past few years, and its basic inability to get anything done for the country.

Bayh may yet run for Governor again in Indiana, as he was in that office in the 1990s before going to the Senate. He indicated his desire to do public service for the people, but sees the legislative branch as in total disarray and gridlock, which disgusts him.

While claiming that the extreme left and the extreme right were both responsible for the disaster that Congress has become, Bayh did make clear that the final straw was when seven members (Republicans), who had agreed to work toward creation of a commission to deal with deficit spending and the national debt, ended up voting against the legislation they had co-sponsored!

This forced President Obama’s hand, making him create such a commission by executive order.

It is therefore clear that it is the far right, and really the Republican party, which has destroyed any camaraderie in the Senate, as they prefer the failure of the Obama Presidency over what is good for the country.

When a party wins control, they are entitled to operate the government by their ideas, but with the occasional cooperation and support of opposition party members, but that is not the case now, and the Senate filibuster has become totally destructive, with more use or threat of use of the filibuster in the past 14 months than in any past period, including the civil rights era of the 1950s and 1960s.

So we are losing top people like Evan Bayh, and one has to wonder will we be fortunate enough to have new senators on the level of quality that Bayh represented.

This is a low moment in Senate history, with good people deciding to bow out, and mediocrity reigning supreme! 🙁