The BayhPartisan

Creating a "Opportunity Society"

2006-07-21T01:33:00.000-04:00

Evan Bayh, more than any other '08 contender, understands the importance of the middle class when looking to advance our country into the new millenium. To show how committed he is to the issues the middle class is facing in America, Evan Bayh delivered a major policy speech on the strengthening the middle class last week at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. Within the speech, he laid out the framework for creating an "opportunity society" for American workers. After the D.C. address, he flew out to Iowa to deliver an encore presentation of the speech to the Hawkeye public.

All America PAC is providing video of the speech.

Click Here for a transcript of the speech.

A myriad of news articles and blog posts discussed the speech.

Reuters, South Bend Tribune, Bloomberg.com, The DesMoines Register, WHOTV (Des Moines), Political Forecast, Smokey Hollow, Radio Iowa, On The Right, News You Can Abuse, Marked Hoosier, Capital Hill Blue, OmniNerd, The Swamp, The Tao of Politics, Moderate Voters & Not A Pundit

Are you on Facebook?

2006-07-12T11:22:00.000-04:00

Then you need to lookup Senator Bayh's facebook page as well as the All America PAC group. It was just released earlier this week.

Bayh Garners National Attention in Iowa

2006-07-12T11:08:00.000-04:00

Evan Bayh's recent trip to Iowa brought a plethora of local and national news coverage. The Associated Press story even made its way to the front page of Yahoo! for a stint on Sunday as well as to numerous newspapers around the country.

Associated Press

"The chatter that you hear is that he's a good guy and nice and he has that honest, Midwestern feel to him, kind of like Harry Truman,...,That's all appealing."
"When I'm around town I'm starting to hear Bayh's name mentioned," Courtney said. " Democrats are looking for somebody who is new and fresh."

The Des Moines Register brings the headline "Bayh Plans Hard Campaign in Iowa"

WOI-TV (Des Moines)

Bayh has assembled the foundation of a presidential campaign that's impressed strategists. It has left him positioned to open the nominating season with what many see as a realistic chance.

All America PAC brings us a CNN segment that featured Evan Bayh. Check out the YouTube video.

Bayh News Update

2006-05-22T20:42:00.000-04:00

Tom Curry of MSNBC.com wrote a very good commentary and audio slideshow on Senator Bayh''s recent trip to Iowa. Please click the link to listen to the presentation. Its worth your time. Some quotes from the story:

“I think he’s for real, I like him,’ said Daryl Beall, state senator from Fort Dodge in northwest Iowa.

Also impressed after hearing Bayh Friday night was former state party chairman Gordon Fischer who said Bayh “had a lot of humor, which he hadn’t had previously. He seemed a lot looser, had a lot more energy and passion. I really like how he pivoted from ‘we can bash Bush, but we need to talk about positive solutions. I thought that was cleverly done.”

Senator Bayh also got several mentions in the Iowa press during his visit:

Bayh: Democrats Need to be Tough, Smart (Des Moines Register)

Bayh Predicts Sweeping Immigration Reform (WHO TV Des Moines)

In other news, Senator Bayh gave the commencement address at Depauw University on Sunday. The event was recorded by CSPAN and will air at a later date (probably as a part of their "Road to the White House" series). The Senator was also awarded an honorary Doctorate of Public Service from the school in recognition for "his contributions and dedication to improving Indiana."

Finally, Senator Bayh promoted the use of ethanol during a visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For those who dont know, the 90th running of the Indy 500 is Sunday, May 28th. I wonder how long iit will be before he makes it to a Nextel Cup race? Go #20!

Evan Bayh in Indiana

2006-05-16T01:48:00.000-04:00

There have been many activites in Indiana this last weekend involving Senator Bayh and his All America PAC. One such event was Camp Bayh. This training seminar, which was sponsored by All America PAC, took place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The training camp included lectures and activities covering every aspect of running a campaign including - developing your message, the field plan, targeting, fundraising, earned media, volunteering, canvassing, election law, and Get Out The Vote (GOTV)

Click here for a news report on the training sessions (Includes video from the event). A second news report can be found here.

Read some more about the experience and events that took place at Camp Bayh:

Day 1: Friday, May 12

Day 2: Saturday May 13 (Comming Tomorrow)

Day 3: Sunday, May 14 (Comming Tomorrow)

The other big event that took place this weekend was the Indiana Democratic Party’s Jefferson-Jackson dinner. This event brought together many of Indiana’s most influential politicians and candidates, including Senator Bayh. Marie from Americans For Bayh, Rob from Confessions of a Hoosier Democrat, and I attended the event which we live-blogged on the All America PAC blog. Look there for pictures from the event as well as Senator Bayh’s Flickr Account.which includes many additional pictures.

Comparing Bayh and Edwards

2006-05-01T01:46:00.001-04:00

Maureen Groppe of the Indianapolis Star recently ran a story comparing Senator Evan Bayh to former Vice Presidential Candidate John Edwards. The two Senators have become good friends throughout their years in the Senate.

"When John Edwards was preparing for the 2004 vice presidential debates, he called on his Senate colleague Evan Bayh for support."

"I care about what he thinks," Edwards said. "Evan and I have been through a lot of things together."

"We just hit it off like that," Bayh said of meeting Edwards his first day in the Senate. "On our runs, we would have what we called 'the runner's privilege.' We could talk about anything and it just stayed between us."

Both Senators are looking towards a Presidential run in 2008, where the two former jogging buddies will likely end up as adversaries. Senator Bayh's travels brought him into Edwards' home territory this weekend as the keynote speaker for a large fundraising dinner sponsored by the NC Democratic Party.

Bayh was invited to address North Carolina Democrats after the state party chairman, Jerry Meek, heard Bayh speak at a meeting of moderate Democrats and was impressed.

"I felt like he would be a good match for North Carolina and would be able to resonate very well with Democrats here in our state," Meek said.

Rusty Perry, a retired probation and parole officer from Fairmont, N.C., said after hearing Bayh speak Saturday night that Bayh would be a better presidential candidate than Edwards.

"He's got a better common sense approach," Perry said. "I think he would really help the Democratic Party. I think he would be a uniter like Bush said he would (be)."

Senator Bayh is showing up everywhere he needs to be for his trip to the White House.

Source

Attend "Camp Bayh" in Indiana

2006-05-01T01:46:00.000-04:00

All America PAC will be hosting several training camps for grassroots activists starting in May. These weekend-long training camps will include instruction in organizing, get out the vote, media relations, fundraising, and the latest in campaign technology. Read the full press release here. Anyone interested can sign up at for the camp here.

Bayh News Update

2006-05-01T01:44:00.000-04:00

Senator Bayh was recently interviewed by The Washingon Post's Chris Cilliza over dinner. A transcript of the interview can be found here. He spoke on the Alito confirmation, the Iraq war, Iran, and several domestic issues. A short portion of the interview is available on video from The Washington Post.

Chris Cilliza's article following the interview is also available here.

The Phoenix, and online newspaper, says that "Bayh may be just the candidate to help the Democrats retake the presidency two years from now". They include several election maps of Indiana with their article. The following maps show the results of the 2004 election by county in Indiana. The first one is for the Presidential election, and the second is for US Senate. Bush won the Presidency in Indiana by 21%. On that same day, Senator Bayh won by 24%.

Evan Bayh in New Hampshire

2006-03-27T17:22:00.000-05:00

Evan Bayh visted New Hampshire this last weekend. During the visit, he visited a variety of venues and was able to garner alot of local press coverage.

Bayh: Democrats must be firm on national security debate

Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh told a group of Democrats on Sunday that Democrats have to take on the national security debate with confidence. "Our message to the American people is we can be both tough and smart, good stewards of our nation's security, better stewards of our domestic policy," Bayh said during a fundraising event in Manchester for state Senate candidate Betsi DeVries. "You don't have to choose one or the other. You can have both."

Sen. Bayh tests presidential waters

U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., may not be an official presidential candidate, but he certainly sounded like one Sunday.

The son of Birch Bayh - who lost his bid for the Democratic nomination to Jimmy Carter in 1976 - brought his anti-partisanship "we can do better" message to fellow Democrats at two Port City gatherings.

"We’re part of a filtering system to weed out bad candidates," said Peter Somssich of the Portsmouth Democrats.

"I hope I don’t get weeded," Bayh responded. "Pruned a little, but not weeded."

Sen. Bayh tells Democrats he backs current primary

Bayh made clear yesterday he wants things to stay as they are — with no other contests between Iowa and New Hampshire.

"I hope you retain your position. I'm going to do everything I can to keep it that way," said Bayh. His words were greeted with a standing ovation from the partisan crowd of about 150.

"Now that I've won the Profiles in Courage award, that's what I believe," Bayh added, to laughter.

Bayh calls for reaching out to Republicans, expanding health insurance

Indiana Senator Evan Bayh told New Hampshire Democrats this morning that they need to reach out to voters of all parties and persuade them of the left's strengths on national security.

Bayh At Georgia JJ Dinner

2006-03-21T00:59:00.000-05:00

Last Monday Senator Bayh was the keynote speaker at the Georgia Democratic Party's annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner. Andre at Georgia Politics Unfiltered had this to say:

Finally came the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, where Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) was the keynote speaker. There are several articles in the papers about his speech, last night, and I can honestly say that Sen. Bayh sounded like a man running for President and he impressed me. He gave about a 30 to 45-minute speech without using any notes or a teleprompter. Now I know when we're talking about being President, the ability to give a speech "off the cuff" is meaningless, but I'm going to keep an eye on Sen. Bayh because I could see him with a spot on the national Democratic ticket.

GTTim also attended the event and wrote about it in his DailyKos diary:

Evan Bayh gave the Keynote Address. Wow! Very impressive. Bayh discussed running against the GOP by confronting them on national security, the budget and values. He feels we can win by attacking them on these. He sold me, and is my top primary contender right now. He spoke about how Georgia and Indiana are very similar and how he won by a higher percentage in 2004 than Bush did. I think he is nailing it.

There were also several mentions of the speech in the local Georgia press.

Atlanta Journal Constitution

Macon Telegraph

McCain, Bayh & Feingold Team Up

2006-03-11T01:50:00.000-05:00

Senator Bayh - along with Senators McCain, Feingold, DeMint, and Colburn - sent a letter to President Bush urging him eliminate wasteful earmarks that congress has written in to committee reports. A Congressional Research Service (CRS) report released this week concluded that over 95% of the Fiscal Year 2006 earmarks are not legally binding.

“The President talks a lot about wasteful spending in Washington, but he already has the power to do something about it,” Senator Bayh said. “Pork barrel spending is a threat to our economy, our security and our independence – it’s time the President used his authority to start cutting pork out of our budget. At the same time, I will continue working with my colleagues in the Senate to eliminate wasteful spending before it reaches the President’s desk.”

Read the FULL TEXT of the letter the Senator's sent to President Bush.

All America PAC Gets New Director

2006-03-11T01:49:00.000-05:00

All America PAC, Senator Bayh's political action committee, has hired a new executive director - Marc Farinella. The text of AAPAC's text release follows:

Washington, DC – Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) announced today that Marc Farinella will join the All America PAC as Executive Director.

“Marc’s leadership and experience will be a great addition to the All America PAC,” said Bayh. “With Marc on board, I am confident the All America PAC will build on its success and continue to play an important role in the upcoming elections.”

Farinella, 48, served as Chief of Staff to the late Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan and managed Mr. Carnahan’s successful campaign for governor in 1992 as well as the extraordinary 2000 U.S. Senate campaign in which Mr. Carnahan defeated the then-incumbent Senator John Ashcroft despite Carnahan’s death in a plane crash three weeks before the election. He is a partner in Murphy Putnam Shorr & Partners, one of the nation’s top Democratic media firms.

Farinella holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago and a Master’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Illinois. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Northwestern University.

Bayh News Roundup

2006-03-07T13:03:00.000-05:00

Evan Bayh Blows AIPAC Audience Away

This is how Brad Levinson described Senator Bayh's recent AIPAC speech. Read more about Brad's first-hand account of the speech here. "The audience was buzzing about Bayh -- and even students were asking each other who just spoke."

Combat Meth Act Passes Congress

Evan Bayh cosponsored a bill to combat Methamphetaine that recently passed through congress. The "Combat Meth Act" would take several policies already enacted in Indiana, and makes them into a federal law. This new law would require medications containing pseudo-ephedrine to be kept behind the counter, and would also limit the amount of these medications that consumers can buy. Read more here.

Rolling Stone Approves of Bayh's Iran Plan

Tim Dickison of Rolling Stone magazine urges Democrats to follow the Iran strategy outlined by Senator Bayh. Read the article at Rolling Stone.

Townhall.com Column

2006-03-01T11:48:00.000-05:00

Mark Joseph has 8 ways for Democrats to win back the White House in '08. His #4 reason has hit the nail on the head:

4) Nominate Indiana Senator Evan Bayh for President. Bayh learned from the 1980 defeat of his father, Senator Birch Bayh, how to present liberalism with a mainstream face. He's your man. If he's the nominee, you win and the Republicans lose.

The rest of the column can be found here. He has some decent advice. Another point I particularly like is the following:

7) Do something crazy to shake things up. Propose a flat tax that exempts those earning less than 20K a year or use that Social Security proposal of Robert Wexler's and make it your own. Anything will do, just show the country that you have a pulse and can do more than say no.

Democrats need some big ideas to rally around. There are enough problem areas in this country that it shouldnt be too hard to find several. They need to become leaders instead of insignificant duds. John Stewart said it well on Larry King the other night. He said that Democrats got 49% of the vote, but they only have 2-3% of the power. Whining about President Bush instead of pushing forward an agenda isnt going to change that.

Photoshop Fun - Bayh for Prez!

2006-02-24T02:35:00.000-05:00

Bayh in Iowa

2006-02-23T23:46:00.000-05:00

By request:

This video was aired on CSPAN's "Road to the White House 2008" program. Evan Bayh is speaking in front of a woman's group in Iowa. February 19, 2006.

Bayh Partisan.com Video

EB Talks w/ The Des Moines Register

2006-02-23T20:51:00.000-05:00

Evan Bayh recently had a conversation with David Yepsen of the Des Moines Register. Some highlights of his story:

"The deep antipathy many Democrats have toward this administration is in many ways justified, but in itself is not productive," Bayh said in an interview. "Just as the whole impeachment issue was a diversion we couldn't afford during challenging times, anger by itself toward this administration is not going to improve America.

"Politically, it's not going to be enough to get us elected. We have to offer a better alternative. Legitimate criticism, absolutely. But, equally, a positive alternative telling the American people what we will do about it, starting with why they should trust us to defend and protect this country during challenging times."

Bayh said the Republican attack in 2008 "will be to say 'the Democrats are weak and soft. We're tough. Vote for us or you may die.' It worked in 2002. It worked in 2004. They're going to try to ride that horse again.

"Our response to that can't be: 'Oh, we've got to change the subject. Or, gee, let's pretend that doesn't exist and talk about something else.' We've got to take them on and prove why that caricature they're trying to put on the Democratic Party is not true."

The Des Moines Register

Fox News Sunday w/ Evan Bayh

2006-02-19T21:16:00.000-05:00

Is now available here:


BayhPartisan.com Video



I have the CSPAN footage from today as well, but im probably not going
to post it because it was very long and there was not much new
information in it. It was just the Senator chatting with Iowa
Democrats in a house and at a small forum type event. If there is a
big interest in seeing it however, I could post it temporarily on
bayhpartisan.com. Just let me know your thoughts.

Short Hardball Clip on Bayh

2006-02-17T20:55:00.000-05:00

Here is a short clip from Chris Matthew's Hardball program about
Bayh's recent trip to Iowa. The only significance would be that Evan
was the only Democratic candidate mentioned along with Hillary.

Click the link below.

BayhPartisan.com

Response to a Bayh Article

2006-02-17T20:51:00.000-05:00

Here is a response I wrote to an article by a guy named David Sirota. It was originally posted here at Huffington Post.

Sirota claimed that Evan Bayh is creating straw men in the Democratic
Party who are weak on security. He doesnt see that every Democrat who
advocates talking points around domestic issues are his missing straw
men. By ignoring the security issue, Democrats are telling the
Republicans to keep national security as the main focus in national
debate, and that Democrats are going to shy away from extensive debate
on the issue. If Democrats could produce a clear and coherent
counterargument to this Republican brainwashing, then it would take
away their fallback position and produce more fruitful and
comprehensive debates on domestic issues.

Sirota is just mad because Bayh is not following the route Sirota
wants him to. He mentions Bayh's recent Charlie Rose appearance. On
the show Bayh said it is appropriate to monitor Al Qaeda calls, but to
do so in a way that protects civil liberties. Sirota claims this
statement attacks Democrats and is taking the issue away from law
breaking. People like Sirota never see how using his approach harms
Democrats. With an issue like this, the American people see the
wiretapping as an appropriate means of attack against Al Qaeda. When
they hear Democrats saying laws were broken and rights were violated,
this leads many in the American public think Democrats want the
wiretaps stopped because they are violating civil liberties. It can
even lead some to think that we value the rights of terrorists more
than protecting the States. This issue is about law breaking, but the
American people wont see that if they think Democrats are just
obstructing reasonable measures to secure the country. Democrats
should have first stressed that the laws need to be changed to make it
legal, then attack Bush for breaking the law. Many just jump at the
chance to attack Bush without thinking about the issue clearly.

People like Sirota only see what they want to, and that is evident to
any informed viewer. He calls Evan Bayh a wimp for the CSIS speech.
Most Americans and most level-headed Democrats who have read the
spech, saw it as someone stepping up to challenge the Bush
administration in the area where Democrats are the weakest. Ignoring
the perception that Democrats are weak on security only works when the
party talks strongly about security as one of their main concerns.
Most in the party arent. Evan Bayh is starting to fill the vaccum.

Sirota's ideas are not based on the realities of the world. Bayh has
the right methods on how to approach various issues. All David
Sirota's article exposed is his own intellectual dishonesty. He spends
the second half of his article mentioning various Bush policies in an
attempt to create the impression that these are "tough and smart"
policies that Bayh agrees with. Knowing what Bayh said in his CSIS
speech clearly exposes the intellectual dishonesty of David Sirota and
his weak attempts at discrediting those who he disagrees with by any
means necessary.

The End

UAW Applauds Bayh

2006-02-08T12:26:00.000-05:00

Senator Bayh gave a speech yesterday to a UAW conference in Washington. His focus on this day was the unfair trade practices of the Chinese government.

Read the Transcript

A short article I wrote on "The Chinese Bandits"

Indy Star Article

Evan Bayh Forum

2006-02-05T17:13:00.000-05:00

BayhPartisan.com now has a forum open to the public. It can be found here:

http://www.bayhpartisan.com/forum

We are looking for help with naming the forum, so please post any ideas you have there, or here.

The True Beginnings

2006-02-02T18:42:00.000-05:00

Wow. This speech is the one I’ve been waiting for. Senator Bayh gave a rousing commentary today on national security. Hopefully it can serve to stimulate a party where some members desire to shy away from any debate on national security.

Bayh focused in on the incompetent, ill-advised, and irresponsible policies which George Bush has plagued America with. Bayh not only showed that he can be the prescription for an America which has been weakened by the current administration in Washington, but also that it IS possible for Democrats to express a coherent message on national security. Let me start by giving you some of my favorite passages:

"George W. Bush’s saying he wants the 2006 election to be about national security is like Herbert Hoover proudly claiming that the 1930 election should be a referendum on the economy."

“To be blunt, Karl Rove and George W. Bush have been much better at national security politics than national security policy. They may have won some elections, but the American people have lost valuable ground.”

“There is no greater responsibility for a President than conducting a war, and on that measure this President has failed. The cardinal rule in any war is that you plan for the worst and hope for the best, but this Administration hoped for the best and the American people have tragically reaped the worst.”

“To my party, I urge that we do not change the subject or attempt to avoid this fight. It is our chance, and responsibility, to show the American people that we are tough enough and smart enough to protect this great country in perilous and uncertain times.

"And to Mr. Rove, I say we are ready. Ready to have this debate any time, any place, you’d like to have it. Ready to expose the severe failings of this Administration’s stewardship of America’s security. Ready to show the nation that there is a better way, that we can be tough AND smart.”

I highly encourage everyone to read the entire text. It can be found here.

This speech is one of the most powerful orations I’ve seen out of a Democrat for some time. Evan Bayh is making his goal clear – to personify the CEO of the great marketplace of ideas. To show everyone the correct course, and to embody the strength that true leadership must show in this dangerous world.

This speech is just the opening phase of the re-education of America.

Win a Birch Bayh Photograph - February Giveaway

2006-02-02T16:20:00.000-05:00

This giveaway is taking place at BayhPartisan.com.

This month's giveaway will be a Birch Bayh photograph. Birch Bayh is the father of Evan Bayh. He was a Senator of Indiana between 1963 and 1981, and made an unsuccessful presidential bid in 1976 against former president Jimmy Carter. He was also the principal architech of the 25th and 26th ammendments to the constitution. They established rules for presidendial succession and lowered the minimum voting age to 18, respectively.

The information I have about the photograph is that it is from the 1960's. I believe the exact date to be 1965. The photo is approximatly 18" tall by 12" wide.

Click the link at the Bayhpartisan.com Homepage for more information on how to enter the giveaway.

Bayh's Thoughts on "The State of the Union"

2006-02-01T02:49:00.000-05:00

Senator Bayh appeared on The Charlie Rose Show tonight to give his thoughts on the president's "State of the Union" speech. The opening of the interview:

"What really matters to the American people is not what a politician says in Washington, but what we do. How we transfer words into results. And all too often, Washington has been broken and not capable of delivering the kind of results the American people have come to expect. So the real question tonight is...Will the president follow through on what he said?"

Senator Bayh also opined on several other main points that the president spoke about tonight.

On Iran:

Bayh reminds us that the President labeled Iran as a part of the "Axis of Evil" four years ago, yet there has been practically nothing put forward to solve this looming threat. He says that something needs to be done to solve this problem.

On Energy Independence:

"We are more dependent on oil today than we were 5 years ago when the President took office." Bayh commented. He also reminded us of the bayhpartisan "Bayh-Brownback" bill which is before congress that would accomplish what the President proposed tonight in half the time.

On Domestic Spying:

"We shouldnt have to choose [between civil liberties and security]" Bayh believes that while wiretapping of Al-Qaeda is necessary, it should be done within the legal framework that is in place.

On Budgeting:

The President hasnt pulled out the rubber stamp once to put an end to any of the spending bills which have come his way. As a governor, Bayh once veto'ed an entire state budget because of the extraordinary amounts of spending that it contained. He remarked "Thats what strong executives do."

BayhPartisan.com is Up and Running

2006-01-28T03:23:00.000-05:00

BayhPartisan.com is finally up and running.

Check it out for all the latest news on the senator, media and events.

Major content updates to the site will be posted at this blog.

Hope you enjoy!

Bayh Brings in the Dollars

2006-01-27T14:07:00.000-05:00

Evan Bayh is bringing in the money, and making some strategic donations along the way. The New Year brings with it the time for candidates to turn in their year-end financial reports, and The Hotline got an early scoop on Bayh's numbers. They are reporting that Evan Bayh brought in more than $3 million this year which brings his total campaign account to $9.5 million.

In typical '08 hopeful fashion, Bayh is using his campaign account to accumulate a bankroll for a potential presidential race and is using his PAC to earn chits with Dems across the country.

Bayh's PAC contributed the maximum to NH Gov. John Lynch and NJ Gov. Jon Corzine. It gave $15k to the DSCC, 10K to the NH Dem party, money to the Blackhawk Co. Dem Party in IA and $25K to home-state Dems in Indiana's house. Bayh also contributed to several IA legislative campaigns.

For a comparison...Here are the totals raised by other candidates who ran in the 2004 election cycle. Keep in mind, these are totals for the entire primaries.

Senator Evan Bayh - $9,500,000 (Two Years before the New Hampshire Primary)

Bob Grahm - $5,086,527
Dennis Kucinich- $13,233,597
Joe Lieberman - $19,065,173
Dick Gephardt - $21,691,129
Wes Clark - $29,586,661
John Edwards - $33,598,218
Howard Dean - $52,968,040

Looks like Senator Bayh is well on his way financially.

"The Music-to-Bayh's-Ears Press Release"

2006-01-27T02:43:00.000-05:00

Thats the best way to describe some recent events in the Iowa legislature. Several Iowa legislators have introduced a bill that mirrors Evan Bayh's 21st Century Scholar program in Indiana. The 21st Century Scholars program is a scholarship which provides full college tuition for students who remain drug, alcohol, and crime free throughout high school. The program has given thousands of college students in Indiana an opportunity they never would have had otherwise. Not surprisingly, other states are contemplating picking up a similar program.

From the Iowa Press Release:

"The program will teach our students about personal responsibility, increase parent involvement in education, and reward students who work hard and play by the rules," said Rep. Janet Petersen. "Twenty-first Century Scholars offers hope to thousands of Iowans who desperately want to break the chain of poverty and improve the quality of life for their children."

You can read other opinions on the program at:

The Fix
The Hotline
or you can look over the proposed Iowa Bill.

Some Things Bayh Has Going For Him

2006-01-27T02:00:00.000-05:00

The current political landscape gives Senator Bayh many opportunities...

During a recent interview on CNN, Bayh briefly mentioned the "tone in Washington." He believes, as do many Americans of every demographic, that the tone in Washington is out of control. Partisanship rules the debate, and the rest of the country resents it deeply. The most recent Gallup Poll puts the approval ratings of congress at a dismal 27%. Even though Senator Bayh is a part of those rankings, he has the ability to separate himself from the crowd in several ways.

One of Senator Bayh's most obvious campaign tactics is to become identified as a "governor with foreign policy experience." He pushes his admirable record as a governor to the front of his stump speeches and events. I believe there is more that he can do to improve on that image however. Governors are good. Governors with foreign policy experience are even better. But he is still a Senator. Bayh should combine remarks about his gubernatorial record with remarks about the tone in Washington. Become the governor who came to Washington and gained foreign policy experience, but found the tone in Washington to be deeply disturbing and cannot stand it any longer. Become a Washington outsider. The way to becoming a Washington outsider is to follow Bayh's recent words:

I'm increasingly concerned about the tone here in Washington, that it's just disconnected from the rest of the country. And we really do need leaders who will change the tone, who will make progress, not focus on ideology and partisanship.

Leading in this fashion would make one a Washington outsider and gain a title similar to John McCain's "maverick." Going against the grain in principled ways. Denouncing the partisanship in Washington is something that resonates with this voter, as well as many others across the country, but that is only a start.

Bayh's words are not just hot air as he has already cultivated some ethos as an outsider. Think back to the transportation bill passed this last year. It is widely cited as one of the largest pork barrel projects in history, and is the bill that included the "bridge to nowhere." Every congressional delegate got a piece of the pie, and the vote miraculously managed to pass 93-1 in the senate. But notice the 1. Who was the lone wolf who would not compromise their principles for pork? Who was the Senator who made a symbolic stand against the current Washington establishment? Indiana Senator Evan Bayh. The only Senator to say...Washington is broken when a bill like this comes to a vote...Washington is a disaster when a bill like this is made law. The outsider...

Voters love moxy and principle. Evan Bayh has both. He is the Governor who came to Washington, found a heavily partisan atmosphere once he arrived, yet never sacrificed his principles, and is committed to changing the environment.

Do You Live in Ohio?

2006-01-27T01:08:00.000-05:00

If so, I would encourage you to take a venture over to the Ohio for Bayh website. They are starting logistical planning for a Bayh campaign in Ohio.

Ohio for Bayh is on the move, we have about 35 volunteers in place
after 1 month. We are now planning events around the state to get a
early start for 2008.
1. We are looking for volunteer city directors in all the major cities
to recruit new members and organize Bayh meet-up groups.
2. Planning a Summer picnic for all Evan Bayh backers to attend to lay
out a detailed grassroots state movement.
3. Looking for younger people at all state wide colleges to start meet
up groups, and to promote Evan Bayh around the campus.
4. Helping local Democrats around the state to win there races in 2006,
also looking to take back the Governors seat. We are backing
Ted Strickland for Governor and Paul Hackett for the Senate.
5. Sending out emails to all County Democrat chairmen about Evan Bayh
and what he is doing.

Also please consider starting grassroots movements like this in your place of residence. Sending e-mails to your local officials, or placing flyers around your college campus will help get the word out about the great things Evan Bayh has and will continue to accomplish

Dean Visits Northwest Indiana

2006-01-26T23:22:00.000-05:00

Former Governor and current DNC chairman Howard Dean paid a visit to the city of Hobart, Indiana tonight for a fundraiser organized by the Indiana Democratic Party. I was informed around 500 people attended the rally.

We ended up arriving over an hour early to the event. The time zone changes in the corners of the state have always caused me problems. However this error was actually an advantage in disguise. As we walk up to register our names, the chairmen of the Lake County Democratic Party overhears that we were arriving for the main event which was still sometime off. He asks us to come with him, and takes us to the "special" gathering for the contributors of $500 and up and tells us to have a good time. This gesture allows us to meet Governor Dean and to partake in the open bar and buffet for an hour before the actual rally starts. Dean gave a short chat and Q&A during this portion of the event.

The main rally featured about five speakers before Governor Dean took the stage. Some presenters included the Mayors of Hobart and Hammond, the chairman of the Lake County Democratic Party, the chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party, and finally the wife of former Indiana Governor Joe Kernan. After this plethora of speakers, Dr. Dean took the stage. The overall theme of his presentation was presenting some ideas on how the DNC can take back congress...and ultimately the White House. He spoke of several strategies that he plans to implement. One is the 50-state strategy. The DNC itself now has hired people in every state. He said that if we are going to be a national party, we have to have a presence in every state. Not only 18 states. Something else Dean hopes candidates can gain ground on is the moral values debate. He reminded us providing for the poor, keeping the environment clean, and educating our children are all moral values.

A point that Dean mentioned which I have hoped Democrats would use more often is the business advantages of citizens receiving national healthcare. He mentioned that GM recently spent several billion dollars in Canada because of their lower healthcare costs. There are many other points that Dean did not mention tonight concerning this, and Ive been meaning to make a post about this issue alone. Id encourage everyone to do some research on it.

The only other note to point out is that Gov. Dean did mention Evan Bayh once during the main event. He remarked that Evan Bayh may be looking for a better job soon, but he can't talk about it because his job requires him to remain neutral.

Overall, there were no fireworks or newsflashes from the event. It was a good time and my first impressions of Howard Dean live and in person were positive. Lets just hope his plans for the future turn out successful.

The Bayh Partisan Needs Your Help

2006-01-22T17:03:00.000-05:00

Seeking a couple dedicated individuals who are willing to donate some of their spare time to the Bayh movement. What would you be doing? Searching for and inputing transcripts, news items, video, and audio into the databases at The Bayhpartisan website.

If you are interested in helping out, you can simply e-mail me at admin@bayhpartisan.com with your information, register at the website, and I will give you a temporary, possibly permanant administrator status.

No amount of help is too small.

Thanks in advance.

Bayh on CNN

2006-01-19T22:23:00.000-05:00

Bayh was on Larry King Live a couple hours ago. I would suppose he was hoping to talk about his bill regaurding Iran, but he did not get the opportunity. He spent the time talking about Osama bin Laden because of the new bin Laden tape that was released on Al Jazeera. Bayh however, was very much on his game. His look and sound was that of a tough leader. If he sounds like he did earlier tonight during every public appearance then the Senator shall have no problem connecting with the masses.

Bayh Steps Up & Leads

2006-01-19T21:27:00.000-05:00

There is a dire need to deal with the Iran situation. The Iranian regime is continuing their beligerent rhetoric and provacative actions. Nearly everyone recognizes the dilema, but there are very few currently attemting to solve the problem head on. Senator Bayh is one of the few to stand up and face the problem. Today he announced that he will be sending a resolution to the floor of the Senate that would begin to put pressure on Tehran by halting all gasoline imports to the country. While Iran has massive oil reserves, they still depend on the refining capacity of other coutries to get their gasoline. Here is what the Senator had to say on the subject:

"To forestall the need for nuclear force, we need tough action now, including economic sanctions, cultural sanctions, cutting off their supply of gasoline, (arms) sales, those kind of things, to convince the radical leaders of Iran that nuclear weapons are something they just cannot have,"

America is in desperate need of true leaders. Evan Bayh is not just talking about problems. He is attempting to solve them. The Senator is showing us the best way to lead...by example.

Bayh to be on Fox & Friends

2006-01-18T23:19:00.000-05:00

Ohio for Evan Bayh is reporting that the Senator will be appearing on Fox & Friends Thursday morning at 8:15 am (Jan. 19th). Be sure to check out the Senator tomorrow morning, as well as the new Ohio for Evan Bayh blog.

Bayh Moving Up The Rankings

2006-01-18T22:59:00.000-05:00

Political Derby, the "Home of the Original 2008 White House Power Rankings," has Evan Bayh ranked 2nd to Hilary Clinton in their most recent rankings. They see his "common touch and centrist reputation" as the obvious "anti-Billary" candidate. Checkout the rankings, and more of what they have to say, at Politicalderby.com.

Eight Years as Governor

2006-01-18T22:21:00.000-05:00

Bayh was first elected Governor of Indiana in 1988, defeating Frank O'Bannon in the primary, and defeating John Mutz in the general election. O'Bannon went on to become Bayh's lieutenant governor. He was re-elected governor in 1992 with the highest percentage of the vote in a statewide election in modern Indiana history. His administration was considered cautious but successful (even by Republicans in the state), creating a large state surplus and permitting him to cut taxes. "Mr. Bayh’s record is one of a genuinely fiscally conservative Democrat," reported the Wall Street Journal in 1992. Stressing fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, job creation and lean government, Bayh's tenure as governor is highlighted by: eight years without raising taxes; the largest single tax cut and budget surplus in state history; "welfare-to-work"-type social programs; increasing annual school funding; high academic standards and new college opportunities; the creation of over 350,000 new jobs; strengthened law enforcement; and improved environmental quality. He signed the 21st Century Scholars Act in 1992, legislation which says that every child growing up in Indiana who is eligible for the free lunch program in a public school, graduates from high school with passing grades, and signs a pledge not to experiment with illegal drugs, is entitled to a full college scholarship to a public university of his or her choice. By the end of his second term, Bayh had an approval rating of nearly 80 percent.

-Wikipedia Article.

Bayh Speaks on Iran

2006-01-18T01:02:00.000-05:00

Here is a recent transcript of a Bayh interview regaurding Iran. It fully explains his Iran proposal. It is rather lengthy but its worth the read:

SPEAKER: U.S. SENATOR EVAN BAYH (D-IN)

BAYH: Hello.

QUESTION: Senator, how are you?

BAYH: I'm well. How are you?

Thank you for joining me today. Let me get right to the subject that has brought us together.

Immediately upon the Senate reconvening, I am going to introduce a resolution calling upon the administration to immediately go to the United Nations and seek strong, comprehensive sanctions against the nation of Iran.

I do this because Iran presents a grave and growing danger, not only to the United States' security interests, but also to order in the world.

And time is running out. It may be measured in months before Iran has the technical capability -- not actually production, but the technical know-how -- which will lead it down the path to becoming a nuclear power.

And that is unacceptable.

We have to take strong action today to maximize our chances of avoiding two unpalatable alternatives tomorrow: either Iran becoming a nuclear power or the need for us to take military action to prevent that result.

It's most unfortunate that we are where we are today and, if action had been take four or five years ago, we perhaps wouldn't be at this juncture.

The president was right to label Iran part of the axis of evil, but then did nothing about it.

We would have been in so much stronger position if we had acted before oil was more than $60 a barrel, before our financial dependence on China is what it is today, when there was a less unstable regime -- or a less erratic regime in Iran, and when Russia was not quite as alienated from us as it is today.

That was a terrible lost opportunity. But we are where we are.

So my resolution will call for economic and political sanctions, including suspending the delivery of gasoline to the nation of Iran. They get about 40 percent of their gasoline through imports. That needs to be cut off. Travel bans to and from Iran. The suspension of financial transactions with the nation of Iran. Stopping arms sales to the nation of Iran. The United States opposing their accession to the World Trade Organization. And their exclusion from sports and cultural events like the Olympics and the upcoming World Cup games.

In short, Iran needs to know that their continued pursuit of what I believe are nuclear weapons will lead them to be treated as a pariah state.

And I think if we combine this approach with a positive alternative for them that has been suggested, that it gives us our best chance of avoiding the dilemma that I described before of either a nuclear-powered Iran or the need for us to take military action to prevent it.

Final thing I'd say -- I recently came back from a week in the Middle East. In Israel, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Pakistan, each of those countries, the malevolent influence of Iran was mentioned.

I won't recount for you here the long list of things that they've said and done, but let me just say that they are a danger to us, they are a danger to the rest of the world. We need to act before it's too late.

And so if the Senate comes in tomorrow, I'm introducing it tomorrow. If not, then I'm going to introduce it as soon as the Senate does reconvene, because we've wasted too much time already. We can't afford to waste any more.

Having said all that, I'd be happy to take your questions.

QUESTION: Senator, there was an essay by a woman who is Syrian and Lebanese saying that Syrian people who were opposing the dictatorship and looking for reform have rallied behind their leader because they fear sanctions are going to come on Syria.

QUESTION: Is there any unintended consequence by taking a hard line against Iran that it will stall reform there among the populace?

BAYH: Well, we face a short- and a long-term challenge there.

Number one, in the short run -- look, I think we need to make absolutely clear that this is aimed at the policies of the Iranian government, not at the Iranian people.

And I think most Iranians are sophisticated enough to understand that. But even if they don't, allowing Iran to achieve nuclear weapons is just not an acceptable outcome.

So, in the long run, we need to foster reform and economic progress in that country, but not at the price of letting them go nuclear.

QUESTION: Senator...

BAYH: But in the long run, it is true that their government is not terribly popular with their own people. And we need to do everything we can to differentiate between their government and their people.

As a matter of fact, we need to make common cause with the Iranian people and say: Look, none of this has to happen if you will only agree to not acquire nuclear weapons. That is a decision your government is making, not ours.

QUESTION: Senator, you've mentioned the stick. What is the carrot? What are the positive alternatives you're talking about?

BAYH: Well, I mentioned accession to the WTO. That's one thing. The Russians have put on the table a proposal that's supported by the European nations that would allow a civilian nuclear energy program where the Russians would retain custody of the nuclear material and would reprocess it in Russia.

And that's what I'm talking about, so that they could have -- look, the reason that their behavior is -- well, many reasons their behavior is alarming -- but one of the reasons for that is that they've been offered a path to peaceful, responsible civilian nuclear power. They've turned that down.

QUESTION: Senator, Iranian dissidents in this country and in Europe say that it's a false dichotomy to talk about either negotiations, which they say will go nowhere, or foreign military intervention, which they say they don't want.

And they say the only practical solution is to take the mujahideen there -- the military wing of their dissident movement within Iran -- off the U.S. State Department terrorist list, unfreeze the assets that we froze and let them rearm and let the Iranian people take care of this.

BAYH: I'm sorry. Did I understand their point as being that we should unfreeze their assets -- go down the list again. They're suggesting that we should do what?

QUESTION: Under Clinton, the State Department put the democratic dissident movement with Iran, which has a political and a military wing -- we put their military wing on the terrorist list, list of terrorist organizations. We froze their assets and they disarmed.

BAYH: The dissidents?

QUESTION: Right.

BAYH: OK. I wanted to make sure you weren't talking about the government. You're talking about the dissidents now.

QUESTION: Yes. And what they're saying is negotiations will go nowhere. We don't want foreign military intervention. What we want is for the Iranian people to revolt against the regime. And the only way they can do that, they say -- well, one first step is for the U.S. government to take their military wing of the dissident movement, which is on the Iraq-Iranian border now, off the terrorist list and let them rearm and unfreeze their assets...

BAYH: Right. I see. I understand where you're coming from.

I'm not prepared to answer your question right now. I need to familiarize myself with the reasons the Clinton administration made their decision.

But when it comes to fostering and assisting groups that are for democracy, for reform, for a more responsible leadership in Iran, we should be supportive of that.

With regard to the specific groups you mentioned, I, again, would have to understand why they made the decision they made. My initial reaction is it sounds somewhat counterintuitive. But, again, I need to know why they did what they did.

QUESTION: Senator, could you just go back a little bit and explain why you think that the Iranians are close to having a nuclear weapon, if I understood you correctly?

BAYH: The bottom line is no one can say with precision when Iran will go nuclear. Published reports speculate that it could be anywhere from months to several years. But if we wait until after the fact, it's too late.

And so, as I mentioned, if we had started this process years ago, when it should have been started, we wouldn't, perhaps, be at this juncture today. But we are, and so now we need to bring a sense of urgency to it.

So there is one school of thought that is reflected in some published reports that they are months away from obtaining the technical know-how -- not the production capability, but the technical know-how -- to go forward with this. And then it's only a matter of how many centrifuges they can acquire and getting it done. They'll know how to do it, it's just a question of then going ahead and getting it done.

But once they know how to do it, the genie is out of the bottle and it's virtually impossible to put back in.

So my point simply is that there is some responsible speculation about months.

BAYH: It may be, you know, a couple of years; we don't know.

But when it comes to a state that sponsors terrorism obtaining nuclear weapons, it seems to me you need to err on the side of acting sooner rather than later.

QUESTION: One follow-up question: What do you think the Bush administration should have done following the axis of evil declaration?

BAYH: Exactly what we're talking about here today -- to try and summon the Europeans, including the Russians, and in addition the Chinese, to taking concrete steps.

The regime of Iran -- getting back to, I think it was Phil's question. I agree with the statement that he attributed to their dissident movements. I think that this regime is unlikely to respond to talk alone.

I think they have to be confronted with tangible results, both negative and positive, before they will respond. Merely denouncing them in a speech and then doing nothing tangible in furtherance is just weak and ineffectual.

QUESTION: And they're responsible?

BAYH: Well, I think, as I said, we would have been in a lot better position when oil wasn't at $60 a barrel to summon world opinion to do something about Iran.

We would be in a much better position to talk frankly with China if we weren't dependent upon them for borrowing billions of dollars every year because of our trade imbalance.

Russia has become somewhat alienated from us in the last four or five years.

There are a number of things that have happened that have made it more difficult for us than would have been the case.

Now, this new regime and the erratic statements of its president, that has perhaps removed the scales from the eyes of some nations -- but it's their willingness to do something about it that ultimately is at issue here.

And the fact that our government has waited so long to do something about it has only made the challenge more difficult.

This is a threat that was apparent. The president said so, then did nothing about it -- and that has harmed our national security.

QUESTION: Senator, may I ask a question just about timing?

BAYH: Yes.

QUESTION: The negotiations may be in their final stages, but there still is activity at the IAEA, the U.N. Security Council possibly.

Would you like to see this resolution pass before all of that, what may be the last act here plays itself out? Or do you want to wait until -- I mean, when can you get this to the floor? And would the Senate leadership be amenable to you bringing it to the floor right away, or would they want to wait until this phase is carried out?

BAYH: Well, that's a good question and let me start with the last first. I don't know if -- do you follow these issues substantively or do you follow the Senate?

QUESTION: I'm more of an Iran...

BAYH: Yes. OK, good.

The reason I ask is I didn't know what your beat was, and the reason that's important is that the Senate's all tied up now over the Alito nomination. And whether the Senate leadership will allow any other matters to be brought to the floor of the Senate, until the Alito nomination is resolved, is very much an open question.

So I don't know the answer to that part of your question.

QUESTION: What would be your preference?

BAYH: Immediately.

We need to put some -- I think we need to make clear -- I think we can strengthen the administration's hand by showing the government of Iran that on a bipartisan basis the United States is going to be strong and serious about this issue, and hopefully that will improve our bargaining position.

BAYH: Because I think what the Iranians have concluded is that they can just engage in a process of delay and denial and that eventually they will emerge as a nuclear power and will be presented with a fait accompli.

BAYH: So we need to send a strong signal on a bipartisan basis that those days are over.

And so I'd like to see it immediately. And I apologize for having to digress into the minutia of Senate scheduling, but that's kind of where we are.

And we need to go to the Security Council immediately and begin trying to secure the support of Russia and China for these kind of strong, tangible steps.

I don't think words alone will matter at all.

QUESTION: Senator, are any of these things unilateral sanctions that you're proposing? Or are they all through the Security Council?

BAYH: Well, a couple of things. First, the WTO are agreeing to their accession. That's something that we can do.

But we've tried most of the unilateral things we can do. There are a couple of other things. But our problem has been that the rest of the world has been reluctant to go along -- and because we haven't made this a major priority and spent the diplomatic and other capital at our disposal to bring it about.

So a lot of this involves exerting leadership on the world stage to achieve concerted action when it comes to the threat of Iran.

QUESTION: But nothing you're proposing is unilateral?

BAYH: The WTO...

QUESTION: Except for that.

BAYH: That would be largely it.

QUESTION: OK.

BAYH: I think, Todd, there are a couple of other things -- is Todd on the phone?

QUESTION: Yes I am, sir. There's a few things about tightening up the ILSA, the Iran Libya Sanctions Act laws, to make enforcement.

BAYH: Some of that has just not been enforced. Is that a fair statement, Todd?

QUESTION: Yes. There's only been three determinations and no sanctions have been imposed under ILSA.

QUESTION: So these sanctions would have to be imposed through the United Nations is what you're saying?

BAYH: No, that's an American law. And what Todd was referring to, that was enacted many years ago.

QUESTION: But that expires this year.

BAYH: Correct, but it's been largely unenforced. Even if it's renewed, given the way it's been enforced in the past, it would be largely symbolic.

You know, we need to uphold our own law, prove to the rest of the world we're serious, and enlist their support in also getting serious.

QUESTION: So you agree with the idea that unilateral sanctions are not necessarily the most effective way to go -- I'm not talking about just Iran, but in general?

BAYH: If we're going to be effective, we have to enlist the support of the rest of the world.

QUESTION: Senator...

BAYH: Hi. Sorry I didn't get to talk to you at lunch.

QUESTION: Yes, sorry.

The Iran's economy...

BAYH: Did Senator Schumer tell you we're going to pick up a majority?

QUESTION: And change.

BAYH: Oh, good.

QUESTION: The economic minister...

BAYH: Chuck is always so understated.

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: Yes, well -- the economic minister in Iran earlier this week said that any sanctions would produce a response from them that would send oil prices to beyond levels the West expects.

QUESTION: To what extent do you think the fear of an oil disruption puts the U.S. or other nations in a diminished position to put pressure on Iran?

BAYH: A couple of things: Look, of course it's something that other nations will consider. And this brings into stark focus how our national security and the world's security has been damaged by the lack of an energy policy.

We would be so much stronger in dealing with Iran if other countries weren't as dependent on them for petroleum as they are today. We'd been so much stronger in dealing with Iran if we weren't as dependent upon China for financing as we are today.

So, this is a perfect example of how we have to have a comprehensive national security policy that includes not only our military but economic and energy policy as well.

And we just haven't had that. And that undermines the position that we hold today.

So, yes, other countries will have to consider that. But I'd say two things in addition all the foregoing. Number one, you've got to remember: Oil exports are about the only thing the Iranian economy can rely on. And the regime is not popular with its own people.

One of the reasons it's been able to prop itself up is because of the additional oil revenue that they're getting, that they can kind of spread around the society to make a go of things.

So, if they cut off their only source of economic activity, it's going to have devastating consequences on them, too. That's number one.

Number two, our nation and the rest of the world -- Iran has to decide whether we're going to submit to blackmail. Today, it may be oil-based blackmail.

But if we knuckle under to that, tomorrow it could be nuclear weapons-based blackmail. And that is a place we simply cannot allow ourselves to go.

QUESTION: You mentioned that these sanctions aren't targeted at the people. But that last one, keeping the Iranian teams out of the Olympics and out of the World Cup, especially banning their soccer team from the World Cup -- isn't that precisely what Europe and the U.S. have been trying to avoid is a sanction like that one because it does truly go right to the heart of national pride of each Iranian?

BAYH: Let me be clear. Nobody wants to do this, me included.

BAYH: But we have to look for things that will matter to the regime.

They are a proud country. And they're not completely insensitive to the sentiments of their people. And if we make it clear that we are serious and they will be treated as a pariah state, then I think that that maximizes our chances of getting a responsible outcome to this.

Nobody wants to do that -- the World Cup and the Olympics. But if that's what it takes to maximize our chances of avoiding either a nuclear Iran or a military strike, well then these are things that we have to do.

So I hope it doesn't come to that.

The final thing I'd say to you: The resolution of this lies solely in the hands of the Iranian government. They have been offered a clear path to a peaceful civilian nuclear energy program. That's the path that they must choose, or there must be consequences -- because clearly they will be going down a path toward achieving a nuclear weapon's capability.

QUESTION: Can I quickly ask you about the military option? In your mind, is it something that is just so unacceptable as to not be in our arsenal at this point, or something that we always do have to consider, even if you find it unpalatable?

BAYH: Oh, I think it has to be in the arsenal. But we ought to use everything else in the arsenal before considering that because -- well, for a whole host of reasons we can talk about if you're interested in.

But to maximize our chances -- nobody wants to do that -- and to maximize our chances of not having to use the military option, we need to exhaust these other options and do it now.

QUESTION: One last question, how do you see the U.N.'s role in this? How important will the U.N. be, and will they go along with us if we ask them?

BAYH: Well, the U.N. has an opportunity here to step up and prove that it can be effective. And I hope they will. And that's why we need to take this to them immediately and then we'll see.

The U.N., historically, has been good about peacekeeping missions and humanitarian missions. They've not been as good with regard to strong measures to deal with rogue nations.

Now is their time to prove that they can fulfill their mission. And so we'll see.

Thank you all very much.

Wesley Clark at Purdue

2006-01-17T23:25:00.001-05:00

Tonight, General Wesley Clark gave a presentation at Purdue University entitled "The Balkans: A Strategic Vision." The presentation lasted around an hour and was followed up by a reception and book signing. There were 1000 tickets available for the lecture, and not surprisingly, they were sold out.

The presentation itself was amazing. Tonight was the first time I have heard General Clark speak live, and I was blown away. Thinking back to the '04 primaries...I remember being left with the impression that he was not ready for nearly every aspect of the political situation which he was thrust into. Either that impression was wrong or the primary experience has made him a very effective public speaker.

He opened the speech by referring to some of the perks that his old job (NATO Supreme Allied Commander) gave him. Such things as a armored Mercedes with a driver, helicopters, a gulfstream, several military aircraft, his own airfield, a chateau with greenhouses, botanical gardens, a staff of hundreds - all of this for his personal needs. It was the best job that he could imagine and he didn't want it to end. All good things must however.

From there he started on the major body of his presentation - the events leading up to and including the bombing of Kosovo. The General talked for nearly an hour on this topic without notes and hardly ever pausing. His recollection of dates and events is remarkable. He described various conversations he had with high level government officials in the Clinton administration. He also even described several of his face-to-face conversations with Slobodan Milosevic. Wes told Misosevic in person that we were going to bomb him if he didn't pull his troops out of Kosovo. Milosevic's response - NATO must do what it must do.

One main point that I took out of Wes' presentation was that there needs to be someone to stand up against genocide when it occurs. He was a member of the military during the Rwanda massacre, and he vowed not to let another genocide occur under his command if he could stop it. It takes guts to stand up for what is right. The other main theme I took away was that our excursion into the Balkans was accomplished in the right way. Not one US military member was killed by hostile fire. This was because a coalition of nations was built, and diplomacy was used in effective ways. The military was used as a stick for diplomatic mission underway...and they used the military as part of a strategic plan.

There were several professional video cameras at the event, so there may eventually be a broadcast somewhere. Ill would highly recommend watching the presentation when/if it is aired. You will learn much new information on the Balkans.

Upcoming Speakers In Indiana

2006-01-14T02:36:00.000-05:00

Governor Howard Dean will be visiting northern Indiana at the end of this month. A $50 contribution will get you into the rally which is being sponsored by the Indiana Democratic Party. All money raised will go to the state party.

What: Rally with DNC Chairman Gov. Howard Dean

Where: Avalon Manor
3550 East US Highway 30
Hobart, Indiana

When: Thursday, January 26, 6:00 p.m. Central Time

Contact: Indiana Democratic Party
by phone at 1-800-223-3387
or by e-mail at jhill@indems.org.

Former 2004 Presidential candidate General Wesley Clark will be visiting Purdue University as a part of the Sears Lecture Series. Tickets are free and are first come first serve. A reception and book signing will follow Clark's talk, and tickets will be available at the talk to attend the book signing.

What: Gen. Wesley Clark Address : "The Balkans: A Strategic Vision"

When: Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Where: Loeb Playhouse - Stewart Center - Purdue University - Lafayette Indiana

Contact: (765)494-3933

If all goes according to plan I should be attending both of these events. Pictures and reviews should follow.

Watch Bayh on TV This Sunday

2006-01-13T20:29:00.000-05:00

Be sure to catch Senator Bayh on CNN this Sunday. Bayh's PAC sent out the following message out today:

Please tune-in to watch Senator Bayh appear on CNN's Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer this Sunday, January 15th to discuss current events, including, his recent trip to the Middle East. The program begins at 11am ET.

Bayh Calls for Congressional Hearings on Mine Safety

2006-01-11T22:24:00.000-05:00

Senator Bayh should be returning from his trip to the Middle East today. However even while he is overseas, the Senator still has domestic issues on his mind. He issued the following press release today:

Washington, D.C. - In the wake of the recent tragedy at Sago Mine, U.S. Senator Evan Bayh called for congressional hearings to examine the safety of the nation’s coal mines. In a bipartisan letter written to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) Committee, Bayh and twelve other senators from coal-mining states requested oversight hearings on the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). No such hearings on the MSHA, which is responsible for ensuring mine safety, have been held in the last five years. Over the past 12 years, 471 coal miners have been killed in mines.

Get to Know The Candidates - Indiana 4th

2006-01-10T00:06:00.000-05:00

Rick Cornstuble is the Democratic candidate for the 4th district of Indiana. He is a former teacher as well as a director of the Indiana State Teachers Association... a job which he held for 30 years.

Cornstuble, 62, is an Oklahoma native and a former seventh-grade English and social studies teacher. He has spent the past 30 years as a field director for the Indiana State Teachers Association. He said he’s used to fighting the good fight for public school teachers, and he’s also worked on election campaigns.

Cornstuble has served on the boards of United Way and Head Start and was active with Civic Theatre projects and Tippecanoe County’s Junior Miss program. He was a Navy veteran of the Vietnam War, earning the Vietnam Service Medal; and he served on the secondary recovery ship for the moon landing in 1969.

Cornstuble graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in social studies education. He is also an accredited union counselor, graduating from the Northwest Central Labor Council Community Service Program.

The candidate said his family moved from Oklahoma to Michigan City in 1976 when his daughters were very young. In 1981, they relocated to Lafayette.

Last month I was able to have a brief conversation with the candidate. He seemed intelligent and well spoken...attributes he can hopefully turn into a successful campaign.

Rick's Republican opponent for this district is Steve Buyer. Buyer has been tough opposition for past Democrats in the 4th. Rick is going to have his work cut out for him, but its a race he believes he can win. He will carry the full support of the BayhPartisan behind him during the campaign.

Here are some excerpts from the first in-depth article about Rick that I have found online. Ive only lifted policy-related subjects, so I would encourage you to click the link above to learn more about him. Also click here to visit Rick Cornstuble's campaign website.

Cornstuble said one of the reasons he decided to run for office was the war in Iraq and the lack of vigilance he sees in congressmen who “rubber stamp” the policies of President George W. Bush.

“This Congress has done more rubber-stamping than almost any other Congress — it has simply not questioned anything or used any of its powers to say ‘Whoa!’ or ‘Let’s check this out,’” he commented. “Some congressional members are more interested in getting re-elected than doing the job they were sent to do.”

Cornstuble said he thinks Republicans have burned some bridges with veterans by taking the position of reducing their rights and benefits and upping their co-pays.

“Now it’s not unusual for veterans to have to apply for their benefits. But never in our country’s history have we had troops in the middle of a conflict and at the same time, the federal government is cutting military benefits and protection,” he remarked.

Cornstuble said companies that are supposed to be rebuilding Iraq aren’t pulling their weight and should be replaced with qualified people. He believes that “cronyism” has interfered with the checks and balances between Congress and the Oval Office.

The candidate told the Terhunes’ guests that the habit of “piggybacking” bills onto unrelated legislation is unfair to constituents and confusing to watchdog organizations.

Cornstuble also has a major beef with the Medicare Part D drug coverage legislation, which Buyer and other Republican legislators have championed. Cornstuble remarked that if elected, he would work toward a more comprehensive pharmacy bill, with less competition and more cooperation between pharmaceutical companies.

With their experience in education, Cornstuble and his wife are unhappy with the president’s No Child Left Behind mandate. They believe it should be revised and properly funded. “It’s a fantasy and a sound bite — with empty promises and empty pockets,” the candidate said.

Cornstuble also believes that Social Security must be saved. “It is an obligation — we’re mortgaging our future and cutting the benefits we’re counting on.” He said he is not afraid to make unpopular decisions for the good of constituents.

“I’d rather fight the good battle and lose the issue than simply say, ‘It’s been done that way for years.’”

Once again...you can visit the Rick's website at http://www.corn4congress.com.

Bayh: Armor Must be Sufficient

2006-01-09T23:46:00.000-05:00

The Senator is continuing to be an outspoken critic of the Bush administration's efforts, or lack thereof, to provide sufficient body armor for our troops. He spoke out recently in response to a Pentagon report which says up to 80% of US servicemen deaths in Iraq could have been prevented if they had been equipped with better body armor.

Top military officials should be fired if soldiers are being denied armor that could save lives, Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., said from Baghdad on Saturday.

"Heads ought to roll, and they ought to be up at the highest echelons if this turns out to be true and they don't do anything about it," Bayh said.

Senator Bayh should be finishing up his weeklong trip to this Middle East this Wednesday.

On his first day in Iraq, Bayh met with the U.S. ambassador, Iraqi election officials, U.S. intelligence officials and elite Iraqi troops. He also lunched with soldiers, including three from Indiana, and was scheduled to dine with the Iraqi president.

Bayh visited Israel before going to Iraq and is heading to Afghanistan before returning to the United States.

Bayh's First Visit to Iraq

2006-01-07T20:35:00.000-05:00

Senator Evan Bayh is currently in Iraq on a Senate fact finding mission. This however was not his first trip to the region. Just over 1 year ago, Senator Bayh made his first trip to Iraq. After his return, he was interviewed on NPR. The audio of that interview can be found here.

What struck me about the interview were the nearly identical questions that are being asked now and then. One year has passed between the two visits to Iraq. What has been accomplished?

Jefferson-Jackson Dinner Speech Photos

2006-01-07T15:14:00.000-05:00

Back in October, Senator Bayh gave a speech at the annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner in New Hapshire. The event is a fundraiser for the Democratic Party. Here are some pictures of the event from the CSPAN Archives. The transcript of the speech can be found here. A post with my thoughts on the speech from October here. Finally, short summary from the CSPAN archives follows:

Senator Bayh, in his second visit in 2005 to the state, spoke at the New Hampshire Democratic Party Jefferson-Jackson Dinner at the Center of New Hampshire Radisson Inn in Manchester, N.H. He spoke about his accomplishments as a former governor and called for a new leadership that would unite the country. Senator Bayh also called for energy independence from unstable regimes in oil-producing countries. Following his speech, he was shown talking to Democratic Party supporters.

Senator Bayh is considered a possible candidate for the presidential election in 2008.

Bayh Visits Iraq

2006-01-07T14:35:00.000-05:00

Senator Evan Bayh is currently in Iraq today. He is part of a Senate delagation that is partaking in a weeklong trip to the middle east. A quick blurb from the AP on the subject:

Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh is traveling in the Middle East this week as part of a congressional delegation and expects to meet with soldiers from the state serving in Iraq.

Bayh, who is eyeing a possible 2008 Democratic presidential bid, is a member of the Senate intelligence and armed services committees.

Bayh was in Israel on Thursday for meeting with Israeli and Palestinian officials.

During his weeklong trip, he also plans to visit Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Afghanistan and Pakistan. He is to return to the United States on Wednesday.

"As I travel across Iraq, I want to hear from soldiers and officials leading our eforts about the current situation on the ground and what specific challenges remain to ensure our success in Iraq," Bayh said in a statement.

In Afghanistan, the delegation is expected to meet with President Hamid Karzai.

The Senator also appeared on CNN's Saturday Morning News with Senator Bond of Missouri. They were broadcast live from Iraq. Here is a screenshot I snagged from the interview:

Finally, the CNN transcript from the interview.

Indiana Senator Evan Bayh and Missouri Senator Kit Bond are leading a U.S. delegation in Iraq. That delegation, which includes Illinois Senator Barack Obama, hopes to sort out conflicting reports on the progress of the war and on training Iraqi troops. They're getting the word from Iraqis themselves following December elections.

Senators Bayh and Bond join us now live from Baghdad and we appreciate your time, gentlemen.

First let me start with you, Senator Bayh. This is your second trip to Iraq. What kind of progress are you seeing now that you're on the ground?

SEN. EVAN BAYH (D), INDIANA: Well, Betty, obviously, the elections were a major step forward, but now we have to build on that by forming a government that is truly representative of the Iraqi people, finalizing their constitution in a way that promotes both majority rule and the respect for minority rights, and then getting on with the tough business of economic improvement in the country.

And ultimately, most of all, Iraqis need to start thinking like Iraqis, not just as Sunni or Shia or Kurds but as Iraqis. There needs to be a reconciliation and a political settlement in this country. If that can happen, then the security situation should start to improve. If it doesn't happen, then the security situation will be very difficult.

NGUYEN: Senator Bayh, you mentioned security situations there in Iraq. Where are Iraqi troops when it comes to training and readiness?

BAYH: They're making some improvements, Betty. We visited one of their elite units today. They're more numerous. They're getting better and that needs to continue.

What needs to happen is that as they step up and improve their capabilities, then we can start stepping back and they can begin patrolling the streets and clearing some of these difficult cities, and we'll be in a more supervisory and supportive capacity.

So, you know, we're heading in the right direction. It's been painfully slow, taken too long, but we need to continue along the path here so that they can step up and assume their responsibilities for protecting their country so that we won't have to do quite so much.

NGUYEN: Senator Bond, you're on the ground there and you've spoken with troops. As it goes with Iraqi forces being prepared to take over their country and protect their country, do you feel that's something that could happen soon allowing U.S. troops to come home?

SEN. CHRIS BOND (R), MISSOURI: I don't think that we're going have all U.S. troops out of this country for a long time. The war on terror is going to continue even when and if -- which we hope is quite possible -- Iraq does take over, establish a national unity government and move forward, bringing Kurds, Shias and Sunnis all together. I think that the military has demonstrated that it is able to take over more and more of the responsibilities.

This year is going have to be a year when we train the police with the assistance of police experts from the United States and other countries to help them ensure that they have a security force on the ground in each community which can prevent ordinary crimes as well as deal with insurgents and the foreign terrorists who will continue to deal to try to unravel the progress that is being made in Iraq.

NGUYEN: Senator Bayh, I want to ask you this because one of your concerns is making sure U.S. troops have the equipment necessary to stay safe. There's a new Pentagon study out that found 80 percent of marines killed in Iraq from wounds to the upper torso could have survived if they had better body armor. Is that your assessment as you speak with troops on the ground? What's the problem when it comes to equipment?

BAYH: Was question to me, Betty?

NGUYEN: Yes.

BOND: Yes.

BAYH: OK. Bayh and Bond sound somewhat alike, so -- well, look, unfortunately, this is reminiscent of the situation with the up armored Humvees where it finally took that brave soldier standing up and speaking about hillbilly armor to get the kind of action that we needed.

I've not read the report you referred to. We need to get to the bottom of it. Someone in the Pentagon today -- not tomorrow, today -- needs to be assigned about finding out what the truth is.

And if what you described is true, getting to the bottom of it as soon as humanly possible -- we have a moral obligation to give our troops the equipment they need to fulfill their mission and to protect their lives in doing so. And, Betty, if that's not done, someone should be fired and it shouldn't be buck private. It should be somebody higher up the chain of brass than that.

BOND: When you're talking about arming marines, my son happens to be a marine in Iraq and we're -- we have not yet heard any of those problems here. But if there is a report out that says that there is a lack of adequate body armor, you can be sure that Congress is going act and we would expect the administration to take immediate action if that in fact is a significant problem.

And, again, we have not seen that report nor have we heard any account of it so far on our trip. We will be making additional visits tomorrow and we'll certainly be following up with that question.

NGUYEN: Well, we appreciate your time. We appreciate you being on the ground and getting to the bottom of a lot of issues dealing with Iraq. Thank you for your time, senators.

BAYH: Thank you, Betty.

BOND: Thank you.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

2006-01-07T12:39:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I just returned from the beautiful mountains of Colorado from a long overdue break. A highlight of the trip was that I had the opportunity to meet Rick Carlisle, the coach of the Indiana Pacers, in a Denver bar the night I left. He was there for the Pacers-Nuggets game this last Wednesday. Here is a pic of the view in Colorado that I expeienced each morning I walked out the front door:

The Bayh household would also like to wish everyone Happy Holidays!

Bayh Makes a Bet

2005-12-17T17:44:00.000-05:00

U.S. Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana has made a double-or-nothing bet with Montana’s Senator Max Baucas on Saturday’s NAIA National Championship football game between Saint Francis University of Fort Wayne and Montana’s Carroll College.

Bayh said he is so confident of a USF victory that he wanted to up the ante on a bet made last year with Baucus. Bayh agreed to put up a bucket of Indiana-grown popcorn against Baucus’ Montana beer.

Carroll, which is 13-0, won its third national championship last year over Saint Francis 15-13.

The 50th annual national championship game will be played in Savannah, Tenn.
St. Francis (13-0) is going for its first national title. The Cougars have lost only three games in the past four years — all in the playoffs and twice in the championship game to Carroll.

Bayh Calls for Defense Bill Conferees to End Patriot Penalty

2005-12-09T14:17:00.000-05:00

Some excerpts from the Senator's latest press release.

U.S. Senator Evan Bayh, joined by Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA), today sent letters to the leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee and all Senators who will be involved in negotiating the final version of the Defense Authorization bill urging them to retain his legislation eliminating the Patriot Penalty. Last month, the Senate unanimously approved an amendment offered by Senators Bayh and Richard Durbin (D-IL) that would help end the Patriot Penalty, a pay cut many National Guard and Reserve members face when they are called to active duty and lose their civilian salaries.

"This provision will provide crucial assistance to the members of the National Guard and Reserve whose families are struggling to keep up with mortgage, car, child care and education payments," Senator Bayh said. "Its inclusion in the final conference report is essential to continuing the war on terrorism, to preserving the strength of our armed forces, and to maintaining our moral obligation to those who defend our nation."

The amendment offered by Senators Bayh and Durbin would provide reservists with a direct payment to make up for the difference between their civilian salary and their military salary. Reservists who have been called up to active duty for more than six months and have suffered a cut in pay of at least $50 per month qualify for assistance. The amendment would provide up to $3,000 per month to eliminate the Patriot Penalty.

According to a recent Department of Defense study, more than 50 percent of all Reservists reported a loss in income when they were called up for active duty. The average income loss for Reservists on active duty equals $4,416 per year.

Evan Bayh Turns 50

2005-12-01T23:44:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow night, Evan Bayh will be celebrating his 50th birthday party near downtown Indianapolis. Although his actual birthday is not until December 26, several hundred of the Senators closest friends will be gathering to wish him a happy 5-0 and to raise money for his campaign committee. The reception is scheduled to kick off at 6 followed by a dinner at 7. The event is estimated to earn $600,000.

Sadly, I was not on the invitation list. However, I will hopefully be receiving some pictures of the event. The flash website invitation can be viewed at the link above.

On Iraq, Bayh would vote differently now

2005-12-01T19:32:00.000-05:00

The latest on Evan Bayh's decision to go to war with Iraq from the Indy Star:

Saying that he relied on inaccurate information, Sen. Evan Bayh said today he would not have voted in 2002 to authorize President Bush to go to war in Iraq if he had known then what he knows now.
“Of course I would have done things differently knowing what I know today,” Bayh told reporters at his Indianapolis office.

But, he added, “I did what I thought was right at the time. Now it turns out that some of the facts were inaccurate. There were no weapons of mass destruction. We didn’t realize that this undertaking would be carried out in some ways as incompently as it’s been carried out.”

But Bayh, a Democrat exploring a run for the presidency in 2008, quickly added: “We do support freedom, we do support democracy, we don’t support dictators. And we want to assure the troops who are representing us in Iraq that they have our unwavering support.”

If the Senate were faced with such a vote again, Bayh said, “of course we’re going to insist on better intelligence next time; of course we will have, God willing, a better understanding about the complexity of nation-building in a society as complex as Iraq..... A list of tragic mistakes were made in the way this was conducted.”

Bayh said President Bush “took a step, but not all the steps” that need to be taken toward a resolution of the Iraq conflict in his Wednesday speech.

Bayh said that while no specific timetable should be given for American withdrawal from Iraq, a series of goals and strategies should be outlined to measure progress.

“We need to say how much this is going to cost, what it’s going to take, how we’re going to measure progress and some general time-frame for how long we think that might take,” he said.

While specific dates would be inappropriate, he said, “it just can’t be open-ended, forever and ever.”

Bayh On the Radio

2005-12-01T11:06:00.000-05:00

Senator Evan Bayh appeared on the Greg Garrison radio show this morning. He was helping to push some legislation before congress that would prevent the sale or rental of violent video games to those under 18. He said that only video games with the most graphic violence would be restricted. Bayh also makes the point that this is the time of the year to push for the change because 70% of the games sold every year are sold during the holiday season.

Next Senator Bayh was asked about the recent ruling that now forbids the Indiana House from mentioning Jesus in its opening prayer. He responded that he has yet to review the legal reasoning behind the ruling, but the prayer is something that he would not have a problem with, especially because of its long standing tradition. He also mentioned that as Governor of Indiana he worked to uphold the Gideons placing bibles on state property.

When asked about all of the press coverage about his possible candidacy in 2008, he responded that "the press must be having some slow news days." But he confirmed that he has been doing several things to ensure that a possible candidacy would be an open option to him if that is the route he decides to take.

Finally he was asked about Iraq. When asked what he thought about the president's speech yesterday, he said that the president was attempting to lay out a strategy. He then went on to say that we can't "Cut & Run", and that he was not for a specific timetable for troop withdraw. He was asked "Why would the left call for an immediate pullout?" His response was that he didn't know, but he feels that an immediate pullout from Iraq would be the wrong decision because Iraq would fall apart and become a haven for terrorists. Before his committee, General Casey has said that troop drawdowns will likely begin next year, and Senator Bayh feels that beginning to hand over security to Iraqis at that time seems reasonable.

Being an Intern For Evan Bayh

2005-11-27T22:47:00.000-05:00

The Peru Tribune recently did an article covering a Butler student from the city who currently has the experience of being an intern for Senator Bayh. His internship runs until December 10. Some excerpts from the article:

"We're not there to meet other senators," Moser said. "We're there to learn policy making firsthand. The senator's office has done a great job of showing me that."

The Mac grad works with 30 to 40 people from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. along with eight other interns. The hardest part of the job has been learning his way around the three Senate office buildings and where things are.

Other job aspects entail drafting letters, doing research on issues and upcoming legislation and running errands for the 49-year-old senator. Moser also gives tours of the Capitol to Hoosiers.

Moser has been impressed with Bayh as well, even though he only sees him in passing.

"He has the best interests of Indiana at heart," Moser said. "It's amazing to see him in office. He knows how to get things done. ... It's amazing Indiana has that leadership."

John Warner Confirms Intel "Gap"

2005-11-27T22:29:00.000-05:00

Today on Meet the Press, Senator John Warner, a Republican from Virginia who is on the Armed Services Committee, confirmed that there was a gap in the intelligence that the Senate received from the White House.

He stood by this statement in August of 2002:
"As I read and follow the debate, there appears to be a "gap" in the facts possessed by the Executive Branch and the facts possessed by the Legislative Branch."

This only goes to further discredit President Bush's assertion that the Senate received the exact intelligence that the White House possessed.

Bayh Urges FEMA To Approve Tornado Reconstruction Funds

2005-11-19T19:44:00.000-05:00

Senators Evan Bayh and Dick Lugar urged FEMA on Friday to approve funds needed by several counties in southern Indiana for cleanup efforts resulting from the recent tornado destruction.

"One of the things that impressed me most when I visited Evansville after the tornado was the outstanding job our first responders were doing to begin the rebuilding process," Senator Bayh said. "This funding will ensure that their efforts can continue by covering some of the growing expenses our counties are facing. The tornado left heartbreaking loss and incredible damage in its wake, but it has also reminded us of the importance of working together, and I am proud to join Senator Lugar in supporting Indiana's request for this funding."

Cleanup and recovery is expected to cost over 8 million dollars. The grants need to be approved quickly to ensure the cleanup effort is not slowed by a lack of funds from local counties.

Some photos and captions from the AP:

Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., right, comforts Barbara Tonkin who lived in a mobile home that was destroyed in Eastbrook Mobile Home Park in Evansville, Ind., Monday, Nov. 7, 2005. The tornado ripped across southwestern Indiana and northern Kentucky, killing at least 22 people, wrecking homes and knocking out power to thousands, authorities said.(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., left, talks with Newburgh Town Council President Bill Kavanaugh, middle and Newburgh Police Chief Brett Sprinkle during his visit to the Eastbrook Mobile Home Park in Evansville, Ind., Monday, Nov. 7, 2005. The tornado ripped across southwestern Indiana and northern Kentucky, killing at least 22 people, wrecking homes and knocking out power to thousands, authorities said.(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

You Only Thought You Hated Congress...

2005-11-19T02:26:00.000-05:00

I didnt think that my contempt for congress could get any worse after the Republican stunt to discredit John Murtha tonight. Let me fill you in on some more of todays congressional events:

"The Republican-controlled Congress helped itself to a $3,100 pay raise on Friday, then postponed work on bills to curb spending on social programs and cut taxes in favor of a two-week vacation."

"The cost-of-living increase for members of Congress — which will put pay for the rank and file at an estimated $165,200 a year — marked a brief truce in the pitched political battles that have flared in recent weeks on the war and domestic issues."

"So much so that the issue was not mentioned on the floor of either the House or Senate as lawmakers worked on legislation whose passage will assure bigger paychecks."

Sure...Americans dont mind if congress grants itsself cost of living increases when they vote down bills that would give the same cost of living increases for Americans who work at the minimum wage...as they did last month. But even this is not all that happened today:

"Pay raise harmony aside, Republicans spent the day celebrating a party-line, post-midnight vote in which the House cleared legislation to reduce deficits by $50 billion over five years. The vote was 217-215, with all the Democrats who voted in opposition, along with 14 GOP rebels."

"Acting Majority Leader Roy Blunt of Missouri said Republicans would make their tax cut bill the top item on the agenda when lawmakers return to the Capitol in December."

"The House-passed measure attacks deficits by limiting spending for the first time in a decade on Medicaid, food stamps, student loans and other benefit programs that normally rise with inflation and eligibility."

And of course Americans dont mind that Republicans seek more tax cuts even though we are facing the largest deficits in our countries history...and these deficits havent even calculated in the costs of the Iraq war. As an added bonus, Republicans seek less money for healthcare for the disabled and elderly, less money for poor Americans to buy groceries, and less money for building up our future workforce to be able to compete in a world where manufacturing jobs will be non-existent and a college education mandatory. But even this is not all that congress has been able to accomplish today. The article continues....

"The Senate-passed companion measure calls for less deficit reduction, $35 billion over five years, but includes the ANWR provision.

The differences are expected to make it difficult for the House and Senate to reach a compromise by year's end, particularly since Republicans can't count on any Democratic support.

The tax bill presents difficulties of its own for a GOP majority struggling to translate last fall's election gains into this year's legislative achievements.

The Senate cleared a measure after 1:30 a.m. that calls for $60 billion in cuts over five years.

The measure drew bipartisan support, passing on a vote of 64-33. Its provisions would continue a series of existing tax breaks that otherwise will expire, and shelters 14 million upper middle-income families from higher taxes.

The White House has threatened a veto, citing a provision that raises taxes on oil companies."

Go figure. A tax on oil companies is the last thing this country needs.

The only positive event of note:

"A renewal of the Patriot Act remained in limbo as an unlikely coalition of liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans sought curbs on the powers given law enforcement in the troubled first days after the 2001 terrorist attacks."

Every American needs to stay updated of the direction in which the Bush administration and the GOP controlled congress is taking our country. Keep in mind that the aformentioned events took place in 1 day of congress in session. We are going to be facing massive problems in the coming years, and voters need to decide in they agree with the direction that we are being led.

Missle Defense Success

2005-11-19T01:59:00.000-05:00

Not completely sure about my support for the program...but this is newsworthy none-the-less.

The Navy on Thursday said it intercepted and destroyed a warhead as it separated from its booster rocket during a test off Hawaii — the first time a ship at sea has shot down a multi-stage missile.

The guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie fired an interceptor missile and knocked out the rocket's warhead about 100 miles above the Pacific, the Missile Defense Agency said in a statement.

The achievement is considered significant because medium- and long-range ballistic missiles typically have at least two stages. Intercepting such missiles after they separate is difficult because sensors must be able to distinguish between the body of the missile and the warhead.

All previous tests of the sea-based missile defense system involved short-range missiles that stay intact.

The military's ground-based missile defense system in Alaska has successfully intercepted separating targets in five out of eight attempts.

Army & Marine Corps Recall 18,000 Body Armor Vests

2005-11-19T01:49:00.000-05:00

Yesterday the Army and the Marine Corp issued a recall of 18,000 body armor vests which were manufactured in 2000 and 2001. A review by the Pentagon learned that these vests were still issued to both active duty and reserve troops even though they failed tests that were administered after thier manufacture.

Honestly...what else do I need to say. Pass this along. Check the link above.

House Republicans Continue Disprespect of Congress

2005-11-18T17:39:00.000-05:00

If anyone is currently watching C-SPAN, you are witnessing a despicable political ploy by House Republicans. The Republicans have introduced a bill that would order an immediate withdrawal of US troops in Iraq. This is obviously a response to Representative John Murtha's recent call for a troop redeployment. Republicans introduced this bill as an attempt to discredit him by getting a unanimous vote against immediate withdraw.

What makes this ploy completely contemptuous is that it is politicizing the war in the most disgraceful of ways. John Murtha has a serious and genuine disagreement with the current policy in Iraq. His ideas are well thought out, and he is not calling for immediate withdrawal as Republican would lead you to believe. He wants an orderly drawdown to the outskirts of Iraq. There we would have a quick reaction force to go in as needed instead of having our troops shot at and blown up like fish in a barrel. House Republicans are simplifying his argument in their version of the bill in an attempt to dodge any real debate about the subject. On as serious of a matter as whether or not to withdraw troops from a warzone, would you expect each member of the House to have an average of less than 8 seconds of debate time? Of course not...but thats what has happened tonight. Republicans have staged a sideshow that totally disrepects the important decisions that we have elected them to make.

What adds to my disgust even more is that House Republicans are once again attempting to change House rules. This bill they are trying to force a vote on was just introduced today. House rules say that bills can not be brought to a vote the same day they are introduced. The the reason that the Republicans are forcing this vote today is because the House is about to be in a 2 week recess. Before there can be a vote on the Iraq bill, they must vote to change the rules. House Republicans simply have no respect for the traditions of the institution which they have been elected.

On top of that, John Murtha was just called a coward on the floor of the House. By now Im sure everyone knows his background. They have been trying to Swift-Boat him all day. Republicans have no interest in a real debate on the war in Iraq. They continue to attempt to smear anyone who has a genuine disagreement with the current policies.

Update:
No surprise. The immediate withdrawl bill was rejected 403 to 3. Every reader needs to focus on the '06 House and Senate races so Democrats can put a halt to this kinds of nonsence. Todays events are easily on my top 10 list of reasons to hate congress.

I would encourage you to check out The Kentucky Democrat blog for some more information.

Tough Talk to China

2005-11-16T14:44:00.000-05:00

Today I gave Bush a rare mental applaud. Some of what he said concerning China:

"Men and women who are allowed to control their own wealth will eventually insist on controlling their own lives and their own future," "As China reforms its economy, its leaders are finding that once the door to freedom is opened even a crack, it cannot be closed. As the people of China grow in prosperity, their demands for political freedom will grow as well."

"Free nations are peaceful nations, free nations do not threaten their neighbors and free nations offer their citizens a hopeful vision of the future,"

"Modern Taiwan is free and democratic and prosperous. By embracing freedom at all levels, Taiwan has delivered prosperity to its people and created a free and democratic Chinese society."

"China needs to provide a level playing field for American businesses seeking access to China's market," Bush said. Further, he said, China must fulfill its promise to move toward a more market-based currency.

Although not yet in China, rhetoric like this on their doorstep is needed...even though the Chinese wont be pleased. I even read a report that his speech was aired live and unedited in China on their national station. Once a Chinese govt. transcript of the broadcast was published, large sections of Bush's speech were deleted. Visible, worldwide pressure is what is needed to deal with the Chinese. The only displeasure I had with Bush'd speech was that he did not go far enough with his comments. We need to stand up for ourselves when unfair and illegal pressures are put on our economy. We also need to stand up for free countries like Taiwan. Telling the truth and not glossing over things, as Bush did, is what is necessary.

Texas Town Gets Free TV To Change Name

2005-11-16T14:25:00.000-05:00

Television & cable advertising companies are being forced to continually become more creative in the face of new technologies such as DVR's. Product placement within TV shows and movies has been one of their latest pushes. Direct TV, however, has taken a bold new step away from advertising norms. A small Texas town has recently voted to change their name to Dish, Texas. In return, every resident and future resident of the town will get free satellite television service for the next 10 years. The vote to change the name passed the town council unanimously. I may lobby my town council to change our name to Exxon, Indiana.

Political Memoribilia

2005-11-16T14:06:00.000-05:00

This is not a button from any of Evan Bayh's campaigns, but from one of his father's campaigns. Evan's father, Birch Bayh, served in many political offices both local and national throughout his life. Some of his accomplishments include:
- Indiana House (1954-62)
- US Senator (1963-1981)
- Very influential in passing Title IX - gave women equal opportunities in sports and education.
- Lead author in 2 constitutional ammendments
- 25th Ammendment which established presidential succession
- 26th Ammendment which lowered voting age to 18

Birch Bayh lost his 1980 re-election campaign to future vice president Dan Quayle.

Finally a quick factoid from Wikipedia:
On June 19, 1964, Bayh, his wife, Senator Ted Kennedy and legislative aide Edward Moss were on board a small plane that crashed in heavy fog near Springfield, Massachusetts. Senator Bayh pulled a badly injured Senator Kennedy from the wreckage. Senator and Mrs. Bayh were relatively unhurt, while the pilot and Moss were both killed in the crash.

Bayh Leads Push To Help Reservists

2005-11-16T13:46:00.000-05:00

See the video interview: Here

Evan Bayh got the ammendment through the Senate that he wanted. This ammendment would aid in making up what many call the "patriot penalty" of reserve duty. Many times when a reservist is called to active duty they take a pay cut when leaving their civilian job. The bill that Senator Bayh introduced, and passed in the Senate, would offer up to $3000 of additional pay per month to make up this wage gap.

The ammendment also sets up a toll-free number for military families who face problems with thier mortgages and forclosures. Many military families are not aware of the protections that are available to them.

Bayh Joins Bipartisan Group Seeking to Curb Oil Consumption

2005-11-16T13:41:00.000-05:00

Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) is part of a bipartisan group of senators who are making a push to curb the nation's oil consumption.

The group is unveiling their plan Wednesday. They're getting support from an unusual coalition bringing together environmentalists and conservatives.
The diverse groups are putting pressure on lawmakers to find ways to curtail oil use, especially in transportation. They want to promote alternative fuels and new technologies less reliant on fossil fuel. Bayh says the nation must find a way to reduce its dependence on foreign oil, so it is prepared for the future. The senators say the plan would save 2.5 million barrels of oil a day within a decade and ten million barrels a day by 2031.

They should be releasing further information on this plan by the end of the day.

The Chinese Bandits

2005-11-15T19:01:00.000-05:00

You have probably heard many stories about the unfair trade practices which China consistently utilizes. Ill briefly talk about one of the main transgressions - the illegal manipulation of currency by the Chinese.

Currency undervaluation by the Chinese has many effects on the American economy. The main effect is that it allows Chinese goods to be sold at a relative lower price within America, while American goods are sold at a relatively higher price in China. Most estimates put the undervaluation of the yuan between 15% and 40%. John Kerry often said during the last presidential campaign that Americans manufacturers can compete with anyone else on the planet if the playing field is level. How could we have an expectation to compete in a worldwide marketplace with a possible 40% price disparity against our goods?

Another major effect of the manipulation of Chinese currency by their government is that it keeps our trade deficit with them high. The way that the Chinese have been able to keep their currency undervalued is by pegging the valuation of their currency to our currency. If our dollar gets weaker, the yuan gets weaker. This doesn't allow market forces to make the corrections that normally occur in a free market. The American dollar cannot gain ground against the yuan. If the Chinese did not base their currencies valuation on the US dollar, then the trade deficit would begin to shrink as American goods would become cheaper. A correction that normally takes place in unregulated markets.

This trade disparity is not only visible between US and Chinese goods. Our trade between 3rd parties is also undercut by China's illegal practices. When the dollar falls, we should be able to expect a competitive advantage of our products in a free worldwide market. This does not happen however because the Chinese have their currency pegged to ours. When the prices of our products fall in the international market, so do the prices of Chinese goods. As things currently sit, American products can never expect to gain a comparative advantage against Chinese products.

Where is the WTO in all of this? To this American it feels like they are expecting us to bend over. This organization was built to promote and enforce fair trade practices between its members. It seems to be largely ineffective, as are most large bureaucratic international institutions. Hopefully Bush can start to remedy some of these situations with his trip to Asia this week. However I've learned to not hold out much hope for him employing policies that would help middle-class America.

Bayh to Bush: Stand Against Unfair Trade With China

2005-11-15T18:58:00.000-05:00

U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., has joined 13 other colleagues in urging President Bush to take a stand against “unfair trade practices” in China and Japan when he visits both countries next week.

In a letter Bayh encouraged the President “to demand that China crack down on counterfeit products and that China and Japan stop the illegal manipulation of their currencies.”

“Part of the American promise is the idea that through hard work and ingenuity, every American can get ahead in life, but when we allow foreign countries to steal our ideas and cheat the system by manipulating their currencies, Americans lose their jobs and the opportunity to succeed,” Bayh said in a statement released on Thursday. “It’s time this administration showed the world they were serious about enforcing the rules of trade to protect American businesses and workers.”

“According to estimates,” the statement said, “China’s counterfeiting is a $16 billion industry that costs American industries billions in lost sales and hundred of thousands of American jobs. The automotive industry alone loses about $12 billion because of counterfeit parts. If the losses caused to just that industry were eliminated, it could hire 200,000 additional workers. In addition, China and Japan’s illegal manipulation of their currency creates an uneven playing field for American businesses and manufacturers. The undervaluation of the Chinese yuan, estimated between 15 and 40 percent, is tantamount to an illegal subsidy for Chinese companies, which puts U.S. companies at a significant disadvantage. At the same time, Japan continues to manipulate and artificially weaken the yen.”

On Wednesday Bayh and Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, introduced the Intellectual Property (IP) Rights Enforcement Act to enhance IP enforcement domestically and internationally by creating one organized force to oversee IP theft enforcement and by elevating the way IP theft is treated to the same level as money laundering and other black market crimes, the statement said.

Thomas Mann Presentation

2005-11-09T23:41:00.000-05:00

Today I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by Brookings Institution scholar Thomas Mann. He has written many books and is frequently a pundit on CNN and other stations. His presentation focused on "The State of American Democracy" and he is currently in the process of co-authoring a book with another Brookings scholar about the subject.

Dr. Mann's general thesis was that congress, as an independent functional institution, has been trumped by ideology and party values. He claims that this transference loyalties away from congress as an institution, leads to a weakening of the checks and balances which our founders intended to be in place as protection from a branch of government getting too much power.

Ill talk briefly about some main consequences of partisanship within our current congress. The first is the decline of a political center. The current congress lacks most of the values that made it an enduring and respectable institution. Debate, negotiation, bargaining, compromise - all these traditional norms that had been set in place by congress are being outed by a heavy partisan ideology.

Some other consequences of ideology driven politics that Dr. Mann mentioned include lack of quality lawmaking, no accountability, decline of ethics, and an overall diminishment of politics. There is now the attitude within our political spectrum that the ends we achieve justify the means that we used to get there.

The main area of the lecture that I was disappointed with was the prospects there are for change. He just didn't have very many and only spent a couple minutes on them. The main thing he mentioned was that citizens are the ones who will have to pressure for the change.

I wish I had this lecture on audio because this write-up simply cannot do it justice. The lecture was full of wonderful points and touched on many, many areas. I would encourage you to stay on the lookout for his upcoming book. Ill make a post about it once it is released.

Oil Company Execs Testify

2005-11-09T22:11:00.000-05:00

The head honchos from many of the top US oil companies testified before congress today. They were asked to explain how they could be reaping record-setting gas profits at a time when the prices are eating away at the pocketbooks of Americans.

Of course all of the executives claim the same predictable thing. We don't control the crude oil prices and those prices have been rising. The recent hurricanes in the gulf have hurt our refining capacity. Price reflects the market value. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah is all I hear.

I would like every executive that made that claim to be charged with perjury before congress. The oil companies, not the markets, set the price of gasoline. Shell's Own website even tells us this fact explicitly. The companies look at the commodity prices and set the price levels at what they believe the market will bear. They take into effect the market forces, but the price of gas is not set by the markets as they want you to believe. They can get away with this because of the fact that there are only 5 major oil companies - which creates an oligopoly - a cabal that rivals the disrespect we see out of OPEC. This allows these 5 companies to set gas prices using their own expectations and indirect collusion with the other 4 companies.

The only glimmer of hope is from a Democrat named Ron Wyden out of Oregon. He is one of the only people who are calling for a congressional investigation of how gas prices are set. Please write your congressman and encourage them to do the same.

Bayh: Keep Our Heating Oil in the USA

2005-11-09T21:58:00.000-05:00

In a letter to the nations largest oil companies, Senator Bayh and 11 others are asking oil companies to keep surplus heating oil in the US instead of sending it to countries with warmer climates.

Senator Bayh said today - "Hoosier families shouldn’t be left out in the cold while extra heating oil is sent to Mexico. Any extra heating oil should be used to help hard hit families at home who are facing winter heating bills that are hundreds of dollars above the norm. Families are already struggling with high energy costs—to ask them to do so while U.S. companies send excess supplies overseas is heartless.”

Bayh twins are hitting decade mark

2005-11-06T23:56:00.000-05:00

U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., frequently refers to his twin 9-year-old sons as he introduces himself to Democrats throughout the country in preparation for a possible 2008 presidential bid.

But Bayh won't be able to do that much longer.

Tuesday, Bayh will have to talk about his twin 10-year-old boys.

Nick and Beau Bayh will celebrate their first decade with a family party Tuesday, followed by a weekend get-together with classmates. On the agenda is a trip to Dave & Busters, a combination restaurant and indoor arcade.

(Last year's birthday celebration included a rousing game of laser tag for which Nick's game name was "Cheney." And, as Bayh later told the real Dick Cheney, Nick won.)

Since last year, the twins have expanded the number of basketball teams they're on. Showing their Hoosier roots, Nick and Beau now play on three teams, including one in which they and their fellow fourth-graders compete against fifth-graders.

Beau also is goalie for a traveling hockey team, while Nick has started playing in tennis tournaments.

The boys attend St. Albans School, the private preparatory school in Washington their father attended, as did other notables, including former Vice President Al Gore.

Nick's favorite subject is math, while Beau really likes geography. Both enjoy spelling, which, mom Susan reports, is not something they picked up from either parent.

-Star Washington Bureau reporter Maureen Groppe

Corporate Communism

2005-11-06T23:04:00.000-05:00

There has been an ongoing battle within state legislatures - being fought between state municipalities and giant telecom companies. The genesis of this battle is regarding whether or not cities have the right to offer broadband internet access to their constituents. Cities around the country are wanting to setup wireless networks that would cover everyone within the city limits...and offer it as a basic public utility. Telecom companies, mainly Verizon, have been using all of their resources to lobby state legislatures to pass laws that would prevent this action by cities.

Lets take the case of what happened in Pennsylvania. In the city of Philadelphia, more than 50% of the residents did not have access to broadband from any private company. This led the city to begin an initiative that would offer wireless internet access to everyone within the limits. This service would be available at a greatly discounted rate compared to the prices currently charged by most major service providers. Its not hard to see why Verizon many have a problem with this. Verizon's lobbyists took their problem to the Pennsylvania legislature and nearly got their ideal outcome. In exchange for letting Philadelphia set up their wireless internet program, Verizon itself would have the power to veto any municipality within the state from implementing their own wireless internet initiative. The bad thing is that this kind of legislation isn't confined to the Keystone State. There have been 14 other states to enact similar legislation.

Behold the power of money. Once again private citizens are begin bilked by corporate interests. Our capitalist system is supposed to be based on free competition - both in competitors and price. Yet companies who already own government legislated monopolies over most areas of the telecommunications industry continue to send money towards lobbyists with the sole intention and purpose of restricting consumer choice. And they usually win.

Can you guess where the largest wireless broadband cloud is within the US? Intuition would lead you to think of large metropolitan cities where access is limited and prices are high. The answer however is far from the large apartment buildings and crowded streets of cities like New York and Chicago. The largest wireless access area inside of the United States is located in rural Oregon. It covers 30 towns within a 700 square mile area, making it worlds largest Wi-Fi hotspot. This leads to a second question. Why would Verizon and other large telecommunications companies not seek to restrict the setup of such a large network in Oregon? The answer is profit. There is little profit potential in building the infrastructure to cover such a large landmass with a relatively small number of consumers within the area.

Companies like Verizon are the reason that cheap and efficient broadband connections are not as prevalent within the US as they are in many countries worldwide. I would urge all prominent government figures, including Senator Evan Bayh, to come out in support of laws that would encourage the competition which our economy is based on. A vote for regulations on cities, such as Pennsylvania Wi-Fi law, is a vote for big business interests over the interests of consumers. Its a vote for limiting internet access for inner city and poor Americans. Its a vote against capitalism and democracy.

Bayh blasts Pentagon waste

2005-11-03T21:42:00.000-05:00

U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., joined Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., to blast the Pentagon in the wake of reports of wasteful spending.

In a letter to the Director of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Bayh and Clyburn demand a response to a recent Knight Ridder investigation which found “outrageous overspending at the Pentagon, including spending $20 for an 89 cent ice cube tray,” according to a statement released by Bayh’s office on Wednesday.

“This kind of reckless spending is a perfect example of government waste,” Bayh said. “It is especially inexcusable in light of our current budget situation and our continued efforts to provide our troops with much-needed equipment in Iraq. Wasteful spending is bad enough, but during a time of war, it literally becomes a matter of life and death, and it must be stopped.”

In October, the statement said, the Seattle Times and several other newspapers across the paper ran articles based on a Knight Ridder investigation detailing millions of dollars in overspending by the Pentagon department charged with purchasing food-related items. “The article pointed to a new prime-vendor purchasing system as the main cause for the overspending and noted that the new program has cost taxpayers 20 percent more than the old system for items such as coffee makers and ice cube trays. Under the new system, the Pentagon purchases from middle-men who set the prices for goods, instead of buying directly from manufacturers or seeking competitive bids, results in overcharges such as the $81 bill for a $20 coffee maker.”

“With every $20 ice tray, the Pentagon throws away money that could be used to purchase body armor or other equipment for our troops,” Bayh said. “We owe it to them and the American taxpayers to correct this problem as soon as possible.”
- Chesterton Tribune

Bayh on campaign to impress A-list politicos in N.H.

2005-11-02T18:43:00.000-05:00

The entire article is a little long to post on here, but give it a look at the link above. The article lists many of the most prominent figures in New Hampshire politics, and recounts the contact Evan Bayh has had with them lately. He seems like he is getting around fairly well.

As a side note on Bayh's campaign...there was a minute or two long Fox News segment which talked about all of the presedential hopefuls that have gone to Iowa - both Republican and Democrat. They mentioned that there were 10 in all. Evan Bayh was the only one however who had a a videoclip of an interview briefly played. Hey, its not much, but every little bit helps.

Congress Calls On Oil Company Execs

2005-11-02T18:28:00.000-05:00

The Senate is finally going to be asking some tough questions of oil company executives. Namely why they are having record high profits when millions of Americans are having huge portions of their disposable income sucked away at the pump. This is going to become even more of an issue once winter bears its full brunt on much of the nation and folks start receiving thier heating oil bills. Some Democrats are proposing bills that would tax some of these record profits that oil companies are receiving. Even the Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, did not rule that out when he was asked that question at a news conference. The fact that these issues are even being discussed within congress is a feat considering the vast amount of money that those companies invest in Senators re-election accounts and in lobbyists.

Alito for the Court?

2005-11-02T16:53:00.000-05:00

Let me start out by saying that I do not and probably will not support Samuel Alito for the bench. I have found however, hardly anything that makes me want to strongly oppose him.

On abortion:
There are two cases that have got a lot of press coverage regarding Alito.

The first one is Casey v. Planned Parenthood. This is where Alito dissented to a case that struck down the requirement of spousal notification before a woman can get an abortion. Alito reasoned that requiring notification did not cause an undue hardship on a woman seeking an abortion. In his dissent he even gave several exceptions to where a woman would not have to notify a husband...such as if the baby was not his, if the husband could not be found, or if she expected to be a victim of violence because of the pregnancy. Judge Alito was not with the majority decision on this case, but I can see how a person could have his point of view on this case. Are there any fathers rights issues? What undue hardships are there on a woman when notification is required other than the exceptions Alito listed? Critics argue that even though the law requires only notification, in the real world it would require consent of the husband. I do mostly agree with the critics position, but if they wanted to argue about how things happen in the real world, if a woman didn't want to tell her husband about the abortion, she could claim any one of the exceptions that Alito expressed in his dissent and not have to notify her husband. I just don't see this as a death threat to a woman's right to choose as many people are making it.

The second case that has been a topic of discussion was Stenburg v. Carhart. In this case, Judge Alito made a concurring opinion in a case which declared the ban of partial birth abortion to be unconstitutional. If Judge Alito would not declare partial birth abortion to be unconstitutional, would he really declare abortion to be unconstitutional. This case makes it look like he would be willing to follow stare decisis and is not ruling on cases based on an ideology.

On Gun Control:

This was the other main area of discussion concerning Judge Alito. Critics began calling him "Machine Gun Sammy" in light of his decision in United States v. Rybar. In this case, Judge Alito made a dissenting opinion in a case that convicted a federally licensed arms dealer of four felonies. Reading his dissent tells you not that he supports machine guns, but rather that he has a strict interpretation of the commerce clause. In this case he argued that since there was no attempt by the government to show any interstate commerce of the weapons or attempts to transport the weapons across state lines, then the federal government had no right to regulate his activity under the commerce clause. It would be the state governments job. Strict interpretations of the commerce clause in other policy areas are something that many liberals, including myself, would support.

These have been the main cases that people have been talking about. There are several other cases which I definitely disagree with Alito. I will probably end up posting on them. Yet are only a few cases out of a 15 year career enough to immediately disqualify someone without giving them a chance to speak for themselves before the Senate? I would claim that his record is not as bad as many people claim it is for the amount of time which he has been on the federal judiciary. He has many cases that have preferable opinions on free speech for instance. My prediction is that there will be no filibuster on him and he will be confirmed to the bench.

Bush Shows Reporter What's in His Pockets

2005-11-02T16:44:00.000-05:00

Just an odd peice of news that most reporters would never asked if they got the chance to sit down with the President of the United States. When asked what was in his pockets, President Bush "fished in his pockets, then dramatically pulled his hands out holding nothing but a white handkerchief that he waved playfully in the air." The Latin America reporter then asked him if he even had a watch. Bush replied: "Si, Timex, but I'm not supposed to be endorsing products."

Bush Announces Bird Flu Plan

2005-11-02T16:31:00.000-05:00

This plan seems remarkably similar to an ammendment within the Senate that I wrote about last week. That ammendment, which was co-written by Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, was passed as a part of the HSS budget and accomplished the same four things that President Bush wants money appropriated for now. The ability to reset the agenda and guide the public debate is one of the perks of being in the Oval Office. Bush realized that he was behind the curve, and he never misses a chance to steal issues away from democrats who can never seen to get their message out in a coordinated way. The House has yet to act on its version of the bill.

Bush Reveals New Supreme Court Nominee

2005-10-31T12:34:00.000-05:00

Round #2 - Samuel Alito

Born in New Jersey. Graduated Princeton then Yale Law. Currently a judge on the US Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

Judging from what Ive heard so far, Sam Alito is just the nominee conservatives wanted. Every talking head on TV has been saying he is the greatest thing since sliced bread. "We thank President Bush for fulfilling his campaign promises."

Bayh Speaks in New Hampshire

2005-10-31T00:12:00.000-05:00

I was luckily able to catch the rerun of Senator Bayh's speech from last night on C-SPAN and jotted down some highlights:

The focus of the speech was on "Restoring the Promise of America"

One of Bayh's major strong-points is education, and he articulated that well tonight. Indiana's 21st century scholars program pays the college tuition expenses for children of low-income families provided they maintain passing grades in high school and do not get convicted of a drug crime. This is a very successful and popular program in the state, and is a courtesy of then-governor Evan Bayh. The senator will need to pick a couple of his defining issues and a new education initiative should be one of them...Especially considering his past accomplishments in the subject.

He criticized the Bush administration throughout the speech on their failings in the last 5 years. The "dirtiest" he went however, was to call Bush and his administration inept and irresponsible. The senator will probably need to go much worse than that to satisfy many of the voters in primary season. It is however way to early to go dirty and there is still much time before primary season.

A line I particularly liked out of the speech was that even though we may have all came over on different ships, we are all in the same boat now. He used this line in context to Bush's 2000 campaign platform - "I'm a uniter not a divider." Bayh said that the country is the most divided that it has been since the Vietnam war. It obviously looks like Bayh intends have his BayhPartisan attributes as a central campaign issue. This is probably why he didn't talk about Bush in the completely contemptuous terms that he deserves. It would have been a little too much for some. Sorry for the shameless link.

Insisting on fair trade, labor unions, and regulating corporate greed is something the Senator will need to include in every speech. It was a little lacking tonight. Especially considering how some perceive Bayh to be close to business. These are big issues for much of the democratic base. I can only recall a couple of the lines. There was something about the need for fair trade with China, and Fortune 500 companies losing jobs.

The Senator has great credentials to run on as a governor, and he made sure to get some of them mentioned tonight. An event he mentioned was when, as a governor, Bayh had to veto an Indiana State budget because of the incredible levels of spending which were included within the bill. He noted the fact that there has not been one spending bill that President Bush has vetoed during his five years and counting. Bayh also has many other gubernatorial accomplishments that were not mentioned. I'm sure they will be broken out in full effect throughout his campaign.

The senator made a comment tonight about the need of daycare funding to go along with work requirements for welfare programs. This was the only women's issue I can recall being addressed tonight.

The final topic I will speak on is the reducing of our dependence on foreign oil. "We need a new declaration of independence, we need a declaration of energy independence" was the highlight quote of that section. The senator outlined several tasks that we need to accomplish this, among which were to invest in hybrid research and incentives for purchase, lightweight alloys to reduce weight and increase gas mileage, and biofuels so we can produce our own fuel.

Overall I thought Bayh had a very had a very good presentation. The speech was also written particularly well. Wont seem like long until the midterms are upon us and then its off to the races.

New Website - BAYHPartisan.com

2005-10-30T13:08:00.000-05:00

Bayhpartisan.com is now operational, although still very much under construction. There will continue to be more information there over the coming weeks as my schedule allows, and hopefully a better look once my designer gets back from his vacation. I will post major updates to the site in this blog, so check back often.

Senate Passes Flu Amendment

2005-10-29T19:25:00.000-05:00

The Senate has passed an amendment to the HHS budget which would aid in preparedness for a possible bird flu outbreak. The amendment, which was co-authored by Senator Evan Bayh, does the following:
1.) It increases international surveillance of avian flu outbreaks.
2.) Enhances the vaccine production infrastructure in the United States.
3.) Builds stockpiles of vaccines and antiviral medications.
4.) Strengthens the public health infrastructure at the federal, State, and local levels.

Scooter Libby Indicted

2005-10-28T12:12:00.000-05:00

Scooter Libby has been indicted today on 5 felony counts facing a possible 30 years in prison. Here are the counts and the arguments Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has used to support them. The actual 22 page indictment can be found in the link above.

Count #1 - Obstuction of Justice (Page 11)

This count alleges that Scooter Libby " did knowingly and corruptly endeavor to influence, obstruct and impedede the due administrations of justice...by misleading and decieving the grand jury as to when, and the manner and means by which, Libby aquired and subsequently disclosed to the media information concerning the employment of Valerie Wilson by the CIA.

Count #2 - False Statement (Page 15)

On July 10th or 11th, Libby had a conversation with Tim Russert wherin he claimed that he had no knowledge that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA. Libby repeated this same statement to the FBI during the investigation. The indictment alleges that Libby was well aware that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA at that time, and that Libby lied to the FBI.

Count #3 - False Statement (Page 17)

On July 12th, Libby stated to the FBI that he had a conversation with Matt Cooper of Time magazine where he stated that reporters were telling the administration that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA, but that he did not know if it was true. The indictment alleges that the entire statement was untrue. It says Libby confirmed for Cooper, without qualification, that he heard Wilsons wife worked for the CIA.

Count #4 - Perjury (Page 18)

This count says that on or around March 5th, 2004, Scooter Libby made many false declarations to the grand jury regaurding his conversation with Tim Russert refered to in count #2. Libby claimed that Russert repeatedly asked him if he knew that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA. Libby also claimed that he said that he did not know that she worked for the CIA every time the question was asked. The indictment alleges that all of these statements were fraudulent.

Count #5 - Perjury (Page 20)

This count alleges that on March 5th and March 24th, Scooter Libby made a host of fradulent statements to the grand jury regaurding his conversations with Matthew Cooper of Time Magazine. Libby repeated several times that, at that time, he had only heard that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA from reporters.

Internal Walmart Memo

2005-10-26T21:59:00.000-05:00

Nothing should surprise you regaurding the worlds largest retailer. A general lack of civic accountability pervades the companies upper management. Read the Yahoo article above for their latest plans to lower wages and reduce benefits even though their average worker's wages do not even exceed the poverty line.

Also checkout http://www.wakeupwalmart.com for some more information on how Walmart is a detriment to our society.

Reduce Deficit at Expense of Education?

2005-10-26T17:20:00.000-05:00

The House Education and Workforce Committee approved a Republican proposal on Wednesday that would cut education spending by $14.5 billion over the next five years. The spending cuts would presumably be used for deficit reduction.

Federal dollars for education are a critical component of education for the majority of students attending college. Many could have no hope of going to college without the aid. Cuts in education spending will have one main long term effect on the American economy. Depression.

Folks in the midwest have seen the manufacturing sector's whirlwind decline. High school seniors can no longer expect to graduate from their respective institutions and enter directly into the workforce as a laborer. The jobs which supported the student's parents as they grew up are being sent to Mexico, Asia, and elsewhere. This mass exodus of unskilled labor is leaving college to being a mandatory activity for anyone wishing to be a success in the new information age. A college degree will continue to have more and more of an effect on the employability of our children, as our economy continues to be based more and more on skilled positions and intellectual property. Decreasing educational assistance at this transformational time in our economy could only lead to less college graduates, less prospective employees, and an undermining of the foundation to which our markets are shifting.

Big Impact of a Small Campaign Issue

2005-10-26T02:28:00.000-05:00

Little issues can potentially have a large impact on peoples minds...especially when they are introducing you to a new constituency. Senator John Edwards started his primary campaign as a relatively unknown candidate and emerged as the Democratic nominee forVice President. That campaign ended with little deep discussion of issues, and mudslinging on a daily basis. Yet I still remember the moment he got my support within the wide array of potential Democratic nominees. He did it with the small and seemingly insignificant issue of credit card reform. John Edwards was the only candidate who passionately spoke about the ways in which credit card companies can raise your interest rates, rape you with fees and penalties, and generally exploit low to moderate income families in an unregulated fashion. The credit card debt of the average American family is steadily on the rise, and lenders predatory techniques will, this year, force the bankrupcy rates of families to be higher than the rates of divorce. Edwards gave problems of the middle class a clear voice and a sence of urgency. This is the largest voting block of Americans and it shouldnt be pandered to. It should be championed.

Are We Prepared for Bird Flu?

2005-10-26T00:58:00.000-05:00

This question has been getting much attention in the last several weeks and months as a repeat of last year's flu vaccine shortage is looking to be avoided. There are however some early signs of trouble. Chiron, a large vaccine importer based in Britain, announced that they would be cutting back the importation of vaccines by roughly 75% to the US. This could mean that many needy Americans will not get their flu vaccine for the second year in a row. According to Allen County, Indiana health officials, only about 1/3 of businesses and 1/4 of nursing homes have received the vaccine. There are only two major manufacturers of the flu vaccine for US patients, as well as two firms that operate at smaller levels. When asked for a comment on the situation, Senator Bayh's spokesman said that This points out the importance of having more manufacturers." She also added that Senator Bayh has twice sponsored legislation that would encourage American drug manufacturers to get into vaccine production.

Vilasack Offers New Strategy For Iraq

2005-10-24T01:26:00.000-05:00

Iowa Govoner Tom Vilsack has recently commented on a new strategy he has for progress in Iraq. His idea entails US military forces setting up small fortified zones within cities and allowing insurgents to bring the agression to them instead of roaming the cities in hummers while periodically being attacked by IED's and sniper fire.
This kind of outside the box thinking is exactly what I do not see enough of within the current public debate and it should have a greater base of encouragement on the national scene. We cannot leave Iraq now because insurgents will inevitably take over the country and Iraq will eventually become a failed state. Nothing good can come out of this solution. On the other hand, we cannot maintain the status quo in Iraq because too many US soldiers are being killed on a daily basis while trying to accomplish a murky never-ending goal - to bring peace to Iraq and create a stable govenment. While Govoner Vilsack's idea may not be the cure to the plague, it may be a temporary band-aid which may prevent some deaths of US servicemen. It can be the first small part of a variety of new ideas and concepts which need to be brough forth by the brightest among us. We can no longer solely rely on the government to formulate sustainable options. Now that we are in this, we must find a suitable and sustainable end.
A workable solution like Govoner Vilsack's is exactly what Senator Bayh Needs to put forth...only more radical and more comprehensive. If he is planning a presidential run he cannot simply rely on the old "my plan is to train Iraqi troops to take control." Thats got us nowhere in the last two years. He must have a unique, workable, and appealing plan to deal with the Iraqi situation, and I believe the plan he puts forth will make or break his presidential ambitions.

Re-election fund is getting fat - Indy Star

2005-10-24T00:54:00.000-05:00

Based on the latest campaign finance reports, you'd think Sen. Evan Bayh -- and not Sen. Richard Lugar -- was the one facing voters next year.

Bayh's re-election fund raised $729,188 from July through September, nearly twice what Lugar raised in those months.

But while Bayh won't have to defend his Senate seat again until 2010, he's considering running for president in 2008.

The $7.88 million -- and growing -- in Bayh's re-election fund at the end of September can be rolled over into a presidential campaign.

Bayh also is raising money through a political action committee, which collected $1.17 million from January through June. The next disclosure report on that account isn't due until early next year.

The reports already filed show Bayh is tapping some of the same sources for both funds.

For example, developer Herb Simon and other members of his family have given $15,000 to Bayh's PAC and at least $18,000 to his re-election campaign. Robert Kaplan, vice chairman of Goldman Sachs investment firm, gave $5,000 to Bayh's PAC and $4,200 to Bayh's re-election campaign.

-- Star Washington Bureau reporter Maureen Groppe

Bayh Speaks To Hoosier Students

2005-10-24T00:38:00.000-05:00

Senator Bayh met with over 170 Hoosier Students yesterday to promote volunteerism. Students from high schools across Indiana came to Indianapolis to help loading aid packages being sent out to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the hurricane victims of Katrina and Rita.When asked about the event, Senator Bayh said "It shouldnt take a natural disaster to remind us of the importance of service. It is something that we need to incorporate in our daily lives, as a part of our priorities of how we should live our lives."
Well said Senator. Anyone looking to volunteer in a nonprofit organization can checkout http://www.volunteermatch.org for some local volunteer opportunities. I would also encourage volunteer work within the political process of your community. Your local Democratic Party headquarters, or your state Democratic headquarters would have more information on the volunteer opportunities they have availiable.

Is It Really Possible For a Politician To Do This?

2005-10-20T23:45:00.000-05:00

Yesterday the Senate passed a bill, 92-6, that froze the raises Senators receive every year for cost-of-living increases. Indiana's Senator, Richard Lugar, was one of the six Senators who voted to keep the raise. This vote comes on the same day the Senate, including Sen. Lugar, defeated a measure that would have raised the minimum wage to reflect cost-of-living increases. When asked about the Senate salary increases, Senator Lugar's spokesman said that "Senator Lugar has consistently supported this system and has not voted to undermine it." The obvious question that arises is why Senator Lugar supports yearly cost-of-living increases for his inflated salary but doesnt support a bill that would give the minimum wage its first increase since 1997...much less yearly cost-of -living increases for the poorest Americans. Can politicians really vote this way on the same day? Are there really going to be no political ramifications of these votes? In Indiana, Id say no way.

Republicans Vote To Maintain the Current Poverty Wage

2005-10-20T20:34:00.000-05:00

The Republicans voted Wednesday against adjusting the minimum wage for inflation. The proposal, which was before the Senate, was defeated by a 47-51 vote. The bill would have raised the minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $6.25 per hour, almost getting it back to inflation adjusted levels. The minimum wage was originally set at the current level in 1997 and has not been raised since. The state of Indiana had little effect on the outcome, with Sen. Bayh voting for the increase and Sen. Lugar against the increase.
It appears that the only way that workers in this country are going to get a fair wage is by state action. There are currently 15 states who have raised this minimum wage. The federal govenment should have done the same, and should have done it long ago. Where are all the compassionate conservatives that I have heard about since the 2000 election. Apparently they have forgot about the 38 million Americans living in poverty or they lost their talking points memo once they were elected. At least those 51 Republican NO-votes will have "Keeping American Wages Low Since '97" as their slogan for re-election.

Welcome to Bayh in 'O8

2005-10-20T19:33:00.000-05:00

Evan Bayh has been the largest figure in Indiana politics for nearly 20 years. He was just elected to his second term as a US Senator from Indiana during the 2004 elections with a whopping 62% of the vote. The Senator actually got more votes than President Bush within the state. This is an astonishing feat considering Indiana's stong conservative beliefs and large conservative population. Outside of Indiana politics, Evan Bayh has been a rare voice of reason within the national political landscape. As an Indiana resident, I have followed the Senator's career over many years, and what I have seen is a man of conviction, integrity, and fortitude. These are the three main qualities I see for any potential presidential candidate. The primary funtion of this blog will be to educate potential voters about the Senator, keep supporters informed of the Senators actions, and to add to the great marketplace of ideas that has been lacking in this country over the last half decade.