February 16, 2010 7:57 AM

Bayh: No Chance I'll Switch Parties

By
David Morgan
Topics
Senate 2010
(AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Members of Congress give all sorts of reasons for retiring, but the reason that Democrat Evan Bayh gave is starting to sound awfully familiar. The two-term Senator from Indiana said he just couldn't stand the partisan bickering in Washington any more.

"I've had a growing conviction that Congress is not operating as it should. There is much too much partisanship and not enough progress," he said yesterday, announcing he would not seek reelection this Fall.

CBS News Congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes reports Bayh becomes the 9th Senator to announce he's retiring at the end of this term: Four other Democrats — Roland Burris, Ill; Christopher Dodd, Conn.; Byron Dorgan, N.D.; and Ted Kaufman, Del. — and four Republicans — Kit Bond, Mo.; Jim Bunning, Ky.; Judd Gregg, N.H.; and George Voinovich, Ohio.

Watch Evan Bayh's Announcement from Monday
GOP Smells Opportunity over Bayh's Exit

Bayh said he was bitter over the bipartisanship he's seen, but said he held no grudge against the Democrats.

"I'm not angry at my party," Bayh said on CBS' "The Early Show" this morning. "I wish Washington would work better.

"What we need to do is to come together as a people and solve the problems facing our country. And unfortunately Washington is just not doing enough of that these days."

Bayh disputed the suggestion that his announcement blindsided the Democratic Party leadership. "I had discussed with Senator Reid as long as a year ago my growing feeling that Congress was just not working as well as it should, that there is much too much partisanship and too much ideology, not enough practical progress. And so with several of my colleagues, including the leadership, I'd shared that opinion, and you know, in the hurlyburly of making these announcements, sometimes phone calls get delayed."

Bayh, who had never lost an election and who comes from a family which has long served in public office, was reportedly ahead in the polls against major names competing for the Republican nomination.

When asked if his late announcement (the deadline for submitting petition signatures to get one's name on the ballot is this week) hurts Democrats and might hand his seat to the Republicans, Bayh responded, "Those critics must not know my state very well.

"Hoosiers are very independent. There are five Republicans running, they're going to have a vigorous primary. I don't know who their nominee will be. And I am highly confident that we will have a candidate for the United States Senate who will be very competitive and have an excellent chance of winning this seat in November."

He also dismissed the suggestion that he might switch parties and run against President Obama in 2012. "No possibility whatsoever," Bayh told "Early Show" anchor Maggie Rodriguez. "As a matter of fact, I talked to the president yesterday and said I was looking forward to working with him over these next 11 months to try to make the progress I know that he so desperately wants.

"And let me say this: I think the president, you can disagree with his policies if you want to, but he is making a sincere effort to try to bring the two sides together, to try and find some common ground, to forge that practical progress that Americans are so yearning for. And I want to help him over the next 11 months to make that kind of progress."

Bayh did admit that he has no future plans. "I would tell you, but I don't know. I'm going to — what we call in Indiana, in basketball — I'm going play until the final second ticks off the clock, and then think about what's next.

"But if I could create one job in the private sector by helping to grow a business, that would be one more than Congress has created in the last six months. If I could help educate our children at an institution for higher learning, that would be a noble thing. If I could help a charity, cure a disease or do something else worthwhile for society — that's what has motivated my life and that's what I think Congress needs to focus on, things that will help the American people meet the challenges they face in real ways in their daily lives. That's what I want to do with my life. And if you'll invite me back on your show in 11 months, I'll be able to tell you!"

Watch the interview below:


  • David Morgan

    David Morgan is a senior editor at CBSNews.com and cbssundaymorning.com.

Add a Comment See all 108 Comments
by samwhite2010 September 28, 2010 11:04 AM EDT
hiiii,There would be no real difference in my estimationbetween the incredibly arrogant speaker and incompetent senate president we have now and the two leaders ofthe republican party that not only talk like hacks, they really look the part; absoulutely smug.
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by samwhite2010 September 28, 2010 11:02 AM EDT
hiiii,There would be no real difference in my estimationbetween the incredibly arrogant speaker and incompetent senate president we have now and the two leaders ofthe republican party that not only talk like hacks, they really look the part; absoulutely smug.
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by ciaonow February 20, 2010 12:13 PM EST
Again all you suckers are bickering with each other..just the way both parties like it! These parties are not about helping you or solving problems; they are about POWER for themselves only and screw the rest of us..Want to fix the economy? Here's how: 1. drill, drill, drill, build nuclear plants, fully utilize the 800 yrs of coal reserves and get all the solar and wind power we can. 2. reduce the coporate tax rate to the 2nd lowest in the world..not the 2nd highest. 3. Enact TORT REFORM NOW..without it, no real progress will ever be made on healthcare or anything. 4. Reduce personal income taxes by 25% across the board. 5. Freeze all government spending for three yrs and get rid of all duplicate programs..Now..how much of this will happen? Go to the head of the class if you answered none of it..We do not have serious leaders trying to solve ANYTHING..They are all self-aggrandizing power crazy fools and WE are their victims and personal piggy banks..Simply tell them all NO MORE! The system needs to be re-formatted, re-booted and re-tooled. Both parties have sold us ALL down the river, including the mainstream media, and now the paddle will be government issue only if you beg their permission!!
Reply to this comment
by velma179 February 17, 2010 8:30 PM EST
by chillycat February 16, 2010 12:21 PM EST
...clearly you do not understand how our government functions and the definition of certain terms....the Republicans have NOT filibustered so much as 1 single bill since Obama was elected..do a little research. What don't you understand about filibuster proof Senate (until a week ago).

_________________

Above:

Example of someone who is so incredibly misinformed about how our government works, but completely convinced they do know.

And then they have the temerity to call out another poster using their oen lack of knowledge. chillycat should be ashamed of this hypocrisy, or at the very least embarrassed by their ignorance and arrogance.

=========

The Republicans have filibustered an unprecedented number of times during the previous (110th) and current (111th) Congress with Democrats in the majority. A filibuster proof majority does not mean the tactic can't be used.

It is true, due to procedural rules passed in order to not inconvenience our "kings and queens" of the Senate, they no longer have to actually hold the floor for hour after hour -- they merely threaten the action and a vote for cloture must be taken in order to end debate and move a Senate action forward. This vote for cloture needs 2/3 of the Senate to pass.

The "super majority" (2/3) is necessary to end debate, AKA invoke cloture. Filibuster and cloture are procedural steps leading up to Senate action. The [threat of] filibuster is used to delay getting to an actual vote (what is called an "up and down vote"). It takes 60 Senators to invoke the vote for cloture and advance a bill to where it can be voted on (or a nominee confirmed). The actual action-passage/confirmation needs only 50 votes (plus the VP tie-breaker vote) to pass.


Learn something about your country -- especially before you call someone else out for not knowing the facts.
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by noloyalisti February 17, 2010 5:56 PM EST
Sorry, it is Wellpoint that she sits on. And this is exactly an example of the completely twisted and corrupt system that serves the big corporations that we have.

The whole system is rotten and needs to be radically changed. We need to unite against the top 1% and stop big corporation rape and pillage.
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by noloyalisti February 17, 2010 5:21 PM EST
Randi Rhodes just stated that Bayh's wife sits on the board of directors of United Health, one of the slimy, inefficient and greedy health "care" insurance company.

Every day there are stories like this that shows how blatantly corrupt our entire system is. We all need to unite against the top 1% and take down the rich, greedy big corporations that have taken over our government, Mafia style. These folks are the REAL ENEMY!!!!!!!!!
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by toldyouso21 February 17, 2010 12:16 AM EST
Beye looks ill and what is it with that horrible hair cut or is that a toupee over his own hair. See how red rimmed his eyes and snout are? This man has an illness and retiring from Congress is just a necessary step he must take if he is to have any time left for just himself and his family.
As for Congress--it is broken and people are too stupid to see that first and foremost those who intentionally obstruct should all be voted out--that would be the mainstay Dems and the loud mouth always saying No Republicans.

We ought to vote all those who have had over one term out and tell the new ones:

1. You no longer get to name your own salary

2. You no longer get to give yourself raises

3. You no longer will get health care for life at tax payers expense

4. You will no longer be pensioned for life at tax payers expense.

give them a nice salary for the term they are in and do not allow people to try for re election--this is a sure way to stop favoritism, lobbyist interest and prevent career politicians and cronyism it also means people can start caring about their real principles and ideas and voting their conscience since they would only get one shot and one term at the job.
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by noloyalisti February 17, 2010 5:22 PM EST
This all happens when rich, greedy, uncaring big corporations own and run the country. These are the real enemy, not the government. The elected officials have just been bribed by the gangster corporate heads.
by libertyandjustice4all February 16, 2010 7:43 PM EST
Our representative government has been HIJACKED by political UNIONS (aka "parties"). Our elected officials have a fiduciary responsibility to the union that financed their campaign and got them elected and set them up with all kinds of perquisites such as a pension for life. Their only responsibility should be to their constituents. I'm not sure how you abolish political parties, but right now their existence is sadly presumed and perpetuated by our electoral systems. Here are a few ideas for cleaning up Washington: 1) Limit representatives to one term in office for each office held. 2) Limit any piece of legislation to two sides of an 8-1/2 by 11 piece of paper. 3) Disallow passage of legislation that takes effect in the future. 4) Require each piece of legislation to have an expiration date not to exceed six years from date of passage. 5) Require the districts/states, not the Federal government, to foot the bill for all congressional representatives' staffs, salaries and expenses. 6) Eliminate voter conflict of interest by requiring a positive net contribution to the tax rolls in order for an individual to vote.
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by suds54 February 16, 2010 6:09 PM EST
Another Demo-rat jumps ship with his pockets loaded with tax payers
the workers money.
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by ioweign February 17, 2010 12:13 PM EST
He learned from the best ===> the GOP
by peregrine3 February 16, 2010 6:06 PM EST
The democrats blame the republicans for fillibustering and obtructionism and the republicans blame Pres Obama for taking us into socialism. The american people are incredibly lazy and glib about the freedoms they gained on someone elses shoulders but they are not stupid. There would be no real difference in my estimation between the incredibly arrogant speaker and incompetent senate president we have now and the two leaders of the republican party that not only talk like hacks, they really look the part; absoulutely smug. I do not blame Sen Bayh for one moment for being totally disillusioned, but there have been many a disillusioned grunt wondering how he ended up in a particular foxhole but if he got up and ran away he would be shot. Public service is not mandatory, a good thing for his sake but when one enters the arena he should come with his army hat on and his childish dreams of never never land parked outside.
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