Evan Bayh Resigns, Declares American Political System "Dysfunctional"

1. 0

   Ghost32posted 13 years ago

   It surprised me a little to hit the Forums this late and not be able to find a thread on Bayh's resignation.  That our political system is dysfunctional is hardly news to the informed voter, but to have a strong Senator pull the plug in sheer disgust...now, that's impressive.
   
   Mr. Bayh is also an equal opportunity finger pointer, making it clear that both sides of the aisle are wallowing in partisan politics and mutual incompetence.  His strongest thought is that We the People need to clean house by voting out ALL incumbents, thereby getting Washington's undivided attention (for a change, speaking of change)...and start over.
   
   He may have a point.

   replyreport
2. 0

   lyricsingrayposted 13 years ago

   thanks ghost, im always learning tons in these threads, being canadian and all, appreciate it, cheers

   replyreport
3. 0

   Ghost32posted 13 years ago

   Back atcha, Lyrics.  Love your current avatar, by the way.

   replyreport
   1. 0

      lyricsingrayposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      thank you, youd da bestest

      replyreport
4. 0

   Ghost32posted 13 years ago

   Aw-w-w-w-w... (*pretends to blush furiously*)
   
   Still no "Bayh backtalk", though...maybe our informed electorate lacketh clues to his identity?

   replyreport
5. 94

   habeeposted 13 years ago

   Yeah, but it's pols like Bayh who need to stay!

   replyreport
6. 84

   earnestshubposted 13 years ago

   I would like to know more about this, and as it is American politics, I will naturally listen to the BBC for a clear view!

   replyreport
   1. 74

      rhamsonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Spot on with your observation of mainstream media in America. I like you earnestshub.

      replyreport
      1. 60

         Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I Hate earnesthub
         
         He represents all that is evil in the universe.

         replyreport
7. 0

   Ghost32posted 13 years ago

   Point well taken, Habee.  Maybe if we do clean house, he could be persuaded to give it another shot.  Not likely, but....
   
   Earnest, where Pam and I live, the radio reception is so minimal, we cain't even kick up our heels to the Grand Ole Opry, let alone catch a BBC broadcast.  So you're our investigative reporter on this one for sure; let us know what they're sayin'...

   replyreport
8. 84

   earnestshubposted 13 years ago

   Ok Ghost, I will keep an ear to the ground so to speak.I hope you and your love are doin OK.

   replyreport
9. 0

   Ghost32posted 13 years ago

   Thanks, Earnest.  Pam & I are on track, 'specially since we ousted a young fellow who lived with us for just a few weeks.  He was helpful at first, then degenerated into true-color mode, best described as:  A borderline high functioning autistic mentally ill lazy bum stoner...
   
   Got the roof on the house, will be adding anti-sun paint for a day or 2 (just till it warms enough here to stucco), then a few other (non-house) projects clamoring for attention, then....
   
   Pammie had one helluva run with psoriasis (stress triggered) but it didn't kill her, so she must be tougher...if that's even possible.
   
   Glad to see you're Up and At 'Em Down Under.

   replyreport
   1. 84

      earnestshubposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for the update my friend, I was bought up in the outback here, and always wonder how you two are doing out there. I like isolation too. Glad to know you got the darned roof on.... need a roof!

      replyreport
10. 0

    Ghost32posted 13 years ago

    Yup.  A roof (as Martha Stewart might put it) is a GOOD thing!
    
    Special note:  Even though there's not one lick of insulation yet and there are still lots of cracks for air to infiltrate between bags here and there plus between the top-framing boards, the earthbags are already (and quite clearly) doing their job.  That is, they're absorbing heat during the day (thermal mass) and releasing it after dark, thus balancing out temperatures in this desert climate beautifully.
    
    We know this because we finally stuck a thermometer in the house, hung it just about dead center.  Last time I checked, at about 1 a.m. here, my unheated steel storage shed (where I sleep for now) showed 36 degrees Fahrenheit...but the house showed 46 degrees, a full 10 degrees warmer than the shed!
    
    Will have to do a hub on THAT one of these days, but not until more building is done (insulation, stucco, etc.).  I've jokingly said that when this house is done, we'll be able to heat it with a candle and cool it with an ice cube...and y' know, we might come close at that!

    replyreport
    1. 84

       earnestshubposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       That is fantastic! I feel this place of yours is gonna be full  of innovation.

       replyreport
11. 64

    Ralph Deedsposted 13 years ago

    I never liked Evan Bayh, and now I like him even less because he inconsiderately waited until a few days before the filing deadline for someone else. Par for the course. Evan has always been out for number one.
    
    Ghost, why don't you show us some pictures of your house?

    replyreport
    1. 0

       Ghost32posted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Ralph, there are oodles of pics (of the house) available in a hub titled "How Build A House Single Handed"...with links to plenty more.  Enjoy!
       
       About the polls:  Maybe FriendlyWord was thinking of Rasmussen?  Scott's polls indicate that Bayh might at least have been in for a tussle in the fall with the outcome impossible to determine ahead of time.  But even Rasumssen doesn't "promise" Bayh would've lost, so....? 
       
       That wouldn't quite qualify as "every" reliable poll, though...

       replyreport
12. 60

    Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years ago

    Evan Bayh is an outstanding person and the type of legislator that is sorely needed in Washington.  He was twice elected Governor of a strong Republican state; demonstrating a rare talent for bipartisan accomplishment.

    replyreport
    1. 64

       Ralph Deedsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       He may be your kind of Democrat but not mine.
       
       More than the shots from Glenn Greenwald (who called Bayh the "perfectly representative face for the rotted Washington establishment") and Matt Yglesias (Bayh was "acting to entrench the culture of narcissism and hypocrisy that's killing the United States Congress"), what really must have gotten to Bayh was the intensely personal tenor of the attacks on Bayh's wife, Susan.
       
       For many years Susan's membership on several major corporate boards (eight of them, in 2008) was something of an open secret. Only over the course of the health care reform debate was it widely spoken about in Indiana. With Bayh playing a prominent role in the haggling over the public option and medical device fees, it was impossible to ignore the fact that WellPoint, a behemoth insurer, was paying Susan Bayh hundreds of thousands of dollars.
       
       http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matt-sled … 62736.html

       replyreport
       1. 64

          Ralph Deedsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Surely Susan Bayh was named to the corporate boards based on the astute advice and counsel she renders!

          replyreport
       2. 64

          Ralph Deedsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Surely Susan Bayh was named to the corporate boards based on the astute advice and counsel she renders!
          
          "Professional director
          
          "An Indiana newspaper listed eight corporations of which Bayh was a director as of 2006 and stated, "Susan Bayh’s position as a director for eight businesses puts her in the league of 'professional directors', a term used to refer to people who sit on multiple corporate boards and are not otherwise employed."[1] Bayh began serving on corporate boards in 1994 and since then she has served on the boards of 14 corporations in the insurance, pharmaceutical, food processing, and other industries."
          
          [From Wikipedia]

          replyreport
13. 77

    FitnezzJimposted 13 years ago

    I heard that news, but I thought he had not resigned, that he was simply declining to run for the Senate again.
    
    While it’s good to know that there is a senator that is as disgusted as the rest of us, it does seem somewhat disheartening that a person in such a leadership position would not be able to come up with some method for correcting the problem.  I used to have a boss who would always say, anybody can see problems, the talent is in solving them.  So consider the following:
    
    We have a Senator who has effectively made himself into a lame-duck senator, a senator who is disgusted with partisan politics, and who has essentially declared that he no longer is beholden to whichever party he is from.  Since Senators aren’t supposed to represent any particular party anyway, he’s created for himself an ideal situation.  What if, during the remainder of his term, he simply represented the will of his state legislature and state government?  What if the votes he offered were offered uninfluenced by partisanship or by lobbyists?  Isn’t that Senators are supposed to do anyway?  What if, he went back into the Senate and said “guys and gals? You do know most of us are on the way out anyway, why not do this the way it was intended?”

    replyreport
    1. 59

       Friendlywordposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       The Senator sold out the Democratic Party during the Health Care Debate and he does not have a chance in hell of being reelected by Democrats.  The Republicans dont want him...so he's gone.  Dont keep your hopes up about him finally doing the right thing.  His nose will point to where ever the money is.

       replyreport
       1. 60

          Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Every reputable poll contradicts your assertion that he would not be re-elected.

          replyreport
          1. 0

             A Texanposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             Ron, friendlyword hates polls, they always counter his claims, its weird!

             replyreport
             1. 59

                Friendlywordposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                Dont read them, dont site them, dont trust them. I have never ever ever never been called by a poll taker. And I think they influence election now instead of predicting them.

                replyreport
          2. 59

             Friendlywordposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             1 down, four to go!  Good Riddance!

             replyreport
14. 0

    sneakorocksolidposted 13 years ago

    As long as the rich & greedy are the only ones able to participate what should we expect?

    replyreport
15. 94

    habeeposted 13 years ago

    What?? Our politicians are influenced by money? Who knew?!

    replyreport
16. 68

    MikeNVposted 13 years ago

    There is a lot of talk about voting out incumbents.  But this has happened before, and at election time the same people seem to get re elected.  Sure a few drop out, but over all money talks and with the recent supreme court ruling you can expect more of the same.
    
    So while both parties talk their talk the country keep tanking and the debt keeps building.
    
    The people dropping out now are quitters and losers... unwilling to work to fix the mess.

    replyreport
    1. 56

       Sab Ohposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       "There is a lot of talk about voting out incumbents.  But this has happened before, and at election time the same people seem to get re elected. "
       
       Not always. Remember the '94 midterm elections? If you don't remember, don't worry - they will be played out again this November.

       replyreport
       1. 0

          A Texanposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Yup!

          replyreport
17. 64

    Ralph Deedsposted 13 years ago

    Bayh is right on one thing--Congress, especially the Senate is dysfunctional and too driven by special interest money. He is a perfect example of the latter, assuming he's on speaking terms with his wife.

    replyreport
18. 60

    Ron Montgomeryposted 13 years ago

    Republicans had a sound strategy and Newt Gingrich in 1994.
    
    This time they have Sarah Palin and some used teabags.

    replyreport
    1. 0

       A Texanposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       For Obama and the gang that will be plenty!

       replyreport