Evan Bayh Retiring

The ship is sinking.

Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh will not seek re-election this year, a decision that hands Republicans a prime pickup opportunity in the middle of the country.

"After all these years, my passion for service to my fellow citizens is undiminished, but my desire to do so by serving in Congress has waned," Bayh will say.

Bayh will announce the decision at a press conference later today. He was first elected to the Senate in 1998 and was re-elected easily in 2004. National Republicans had recruited former Sen. Dan Coats to challenge Bayh in 2010 although polling suggested Bayh began the race with a 20-point edge. He also had $13 million in the bank at the end of the year.

More here.

The decision reflects what seems to be a sudden change of heart for Bayh, as Democrats nationwide look ahead to a year in which electoral prospects could be grim.

Former U.S. Senator Dan Coats, a Republican, returned to Indiana and announced his intentions to challenge Bayh. Though political observers said the race has become more competitive given the current political climate, Bayh still appeared likely to win a third term.

Three recent polls all pegged his favorability rating among Hoosiers above 50 percent.

Late last week, Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Dan Parker said Bayh was returning to Indiana this week to film commercials for his re-election campaign. Bayh’s communication staff began scheduling interviews in his home state.

Bayh is also a former Indiana Secretary of State. He was elected in 1998 to the U.S. Senate seat that had once been held by his father, Birch Bayh.

It had been over two decades since Bayh had experienced even a relatively close race in an election. He received 53 percent of the vote for governor in 1988 against Republican John Mutz, then never got less than 61.6 percent of the vote when running for re-election to the governor’s office or either of his two runs for U.S. Senate.

Conflict Of Interest? What Conflict Of Interest?

Susan Bayh an issue in fight over health care
President Barack Obama called Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh to the Oval Office on July 17 for a one-on-one meeting about health-care reform, Democrat to Democrat.

The left-leaning advocacy group Move On.org recently called on Bayh to support a new government health insurance plan.

And the right-leaning group Conservatives for Patients' Rights has urged Bayh to oppose a public health plan.

But for Bayh, health care isn't just the latest high-stakes political fight in Congress. It's also a substantial part of his family's income.

As the debate over health-care reform intensifies, Bayh's wife is receiving lucrative payouts from some of the companies that could be most affected by that legislation.

Bayh contends the $2.1 million that his wife, Susan, earned from public health-care companies from 2006 to 2008 represents no conflict of interest. Questions persist, however, for at least two reasons. First, Evan Bayh has been unclear about his positions on many issues related to health-care reform. Second, there's the timing of Susan Bayh's rapid rise into corporate governance.

Susan Bayh, who was a midlevel lawyer for the politically active Eli Lilly and Co. while her husband was governor of Indiana, did not serve on the board of a single public health-care company until it was clear her husband was about to ascend to the U.S. Senate. Only one month before Evan Bayh was elected to the Senate in a landslide vote, his wife was appointed to serve on the board of what would become the nation's largest health insurance company -- and arguably the company with the most at stake in the health-care reform debate.

Within a few years, numerous companies recruited her, and she eventually served on the boards of eight companies. At least one of them asked her to reduce the number of boards she served on, apparently because she was spread too thin to be effective.

Adding to speculation about a connection between her board memberships and her husband's office is Susan Bayh's unwillingness to discuss the matter, including for this story. She has declined several requests for comment on her corporate interests, making it difficult to tell where those interests end.

[....]

Where there's smoke, you usually have some fire.

Helluva lot of smoke here.


Read it all at The IndyStar

Obama-Bayh?

Media speculation on Barack Obama's running mate has reached mind-numbing proportions, but this looks like as good a tip as any.

Michael Mahoney, the political reporter for Kansas City TV station KMBC is reporting that a printing plant in Lenexa, Kansas is today hastily churning out hundreds of thousands of bumper stickers with the names Obama and -- wait for it -- Bayh 08.

So two senators from next door states -- Barack Obama of Illinois and Evan Bayh of Indiana, former governor and son of former Democratic presidential candidate.

It could speculative, of course. But Kansas isn't so far from Denver, you know. And Obama has said that geography would not be the major factor it has been sometimes before. Remember Bill Clinton of Arkansas picked Al Gore from next door Tennessee.

The printing plant is not saying anything. But this is just a heads-up before you get the Tweet or text message tonight. It could be an O-B ticket.

Although this would indicate Bayh is not it.

Look for an announcement in the morning.

Oddsmakers say it may just be Greasy Joe.