Evan Bayh
Evan Bayh (1955-) is a Democratic U.S. Senator representing the state of Indiana. He is a member of the Senate Committees on Armed Services, Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Small Business and Entrepreneurship; Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and Senate Special Committee on Aging.
The son of Sen. Birch Bayh, he was first elected to office, Secretary of State of Indiana, at the age of 31, and served two terms as Governor of Indiana. "Mr. Bayh's record," reported the Wall Street Journal in 1992, "is one of a genuinely fiscally conservative Democrat."
Sen. Bayh, who both was well-funded and running high in polls, announced he will not run for reelection in 2010, citing frustration with the Congressional process.
Congressional process
He is Chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) and honorary Senate chair of Third Way.
Explaining his decision not to run for a third Senate term,
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. For some time, I have had a growing conviction that Congress is not operating as it should. There is too much partisanship and not enough progress -- too much narrow ideology and not enough practical problem-solving. Even at a time of enormous challenge, the peoples’ business is not being done.
Examples of this are legion, but two recent ones will suffice.
Two weeks ago, the Senate voted down a bipartisan commission to deal with one of the greatest threats facing our nation: our exploding deficits and debt. The measure would have passed, but seven members who had endorsed the idea instead voted “no” for short-term political reasons.
Just last week, a major piece of legislation to create jobs -- the public’s top priority -- fell apart amid complaints from both the left and right.[1]
He spoke highly of his Republican counterpart, Sen. Richard Lugar, "I particularly value my relationship with Senator Dick Lugar and have often felt that if all Senators could have the cooperative relationship we enjoy, the institution would be a better place."
In a followup interview, he expressed strong support for the reelection of President Barack Obama but refused to speculate about 2016. He said he could accomplish more in the private sector, and urged action on "The people who are just rigidly ideological, unwilling to accept practical solutions somewhere in the middle, vote them out, and then change the rules so that the sensible people who remain can actually get the job done. The president I know is desperately trying to accomplish this. Congress needs to listen and the American people need to help with this process." [2]
National Security
In the Armed Services Committee, he is chair of the Readiness and Management Support Airland and Emerging Threats subcommittees and is on the Capabilities Subcommittees.
He is also a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
He chairs Security and International Trade and Finance, and is a member of the Financial Institutions and Securities Subcommittee Insurance and Investment Subcommittees.
Energy and natural resources
He serves on the National Parks Subcommittee and Water and Power Subcommittee
Small business and entepreneurship
Aging
Education
- Undergraduate degree with honors in business economics from Indiana University in 1978
- Law degree from the University of Virginia in 1981
- clerking for a federal court judge
References
- ↑ Bayh Announces He Will Not Seek a Third Senate Term":“I believe I can best contribute to society in another way”, Office of Senator Evan Bayh, 15 February 2010
- ↑ Huma Khan and Jonathan Khan (16 February 2010), Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh: 'Too Much Brain-Dead Partisanship' in Congress: Indiana Senator Rules Out 2012 Presidential Run, Mum on 2016 Ambitions, Good Morning America, ABC News