Washington lobbyist Evan Bayh owns four homes. A $2.9 million Georgetown townhouse. A $3.9 million penthouse in Key Biscayne, Florida. A $53,000 Indiana condo that allows him to claim residency and run for office in the state. Oh, and another $2.4 million mansion in Washington, D.C.
And believe it or not, none of those properties were featured in his new ad. We don’t’ know who that house belongs to, but it’s certainly not Evan Bayh’s.
From the moment he announced he was running, Bayh has been dodging tough questions about his homes in Washington and Florida, but he can’t dodge the fact that he doesn’t live in Indiana.
Q: Republicans are also pointing out that you own two expensive homes in Washington and a Florida apartment, while your Indianapolis apartment is small.
*A: Susan and I spent the last couple of nights at our Indianapolis home, and we like it. (Maureen Groppe, “Evan Bayh On Running For Senate, Indiana Residency,” [Indianapolis Star]9http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2016/07/13/bayh-makes-senate-bid-official/87026058/), 7/13/16)
After cashing out on his career in politics, Bayh is looking for a path back to power. He’s spinning a mighty tale about wanting to serve again, but his story lacks credibility. Bayh’s career has always been about serving one person – himself.
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The Washington Post’s Stuart Rothenberg: “So, Bayh left the Senate because of the partisanship, bickering and gridlock. And now, he wants his old Senate seat back because of – you guessed it – the partisanship, bickering and gridlock. Sure, I believe that. And I believe in the tooth fairy too.”
- Roll Call’s Jonathan Allen: “But no one in Indiana should buy what you’re saying about the comeback attempt… It’s not about the Senate or the country or Indiana or Hoosier families. It’s about you — and it’s about the Democratic Party that can help you once the race is over. Your whole campaign is predicated on a lie.”
See the rest of the spin from Bayh’s ad unwound here:
MYTH
BAYH: “Six years ago I decided to leave Congress – fed up with the gridlock, and wanting to spend more time with my boys are they grew up. Since then, the bitter partisanship and lack of progress in Washington has gotten even worse.”
FACT
Evan Bayh Said He Retired Because He Wanted “To Be Engaged In An Honorable Line Of Work”
When Evan Bayh Retired In 2010, He Said It Was Because He Wanted “To Be Engaged In An Honorable Line Of Work.” “For a United States senator to explain his retirement by saying, ‘I want to be engaged in an honorable line of work,’ was the single most persuasive and devastating critique I’d ever seen of the Senate as an institution.” (Ezra Klein, “The Sad, Hypocritical Retirement Of Evan Bayh,” The Washington Post, 3/15/11)
Bayh Cashed Out With A Job At A DC Lobbying Firm, A New York-Based Private Equity Firm, And Seats On Several Corporate Boards Netting Him Nearly $1 Million A Year
Bayh Took A Job As A Partner At A Washington, DC Lobbying Firm. “Rather, he went to the massive law firm McGuire Woods. And who does McGuire Woods work for? ‘Principal clients served from our Washington office include national energy companies, foreign countries, international manufacturing companies, trade associations and local and national businesses,’ reads the company’s Web site.” (Ezra Klein, “The Sad, Hypocritical Retirement Of Evan Bayh,” The Washington Post, 3/15/11)
Bayh Joined New York-Based Private Equity Firm Apollo Management Group As A Senior Advisor. “He followed that up by signing on as a senior adviser to Apollo Management Group, a giant public-equity firm.” (Ezra Klein, “The Sad, Hypocritical Retirement Of Evan Bayh,” The Washington Post, 3/15/11)
Bayh Is Paid Nearly $1 Million A Year Sitting On Corporate Boards. “He made nearly $1 million from serving on corporate boards last year. Bayh earned $939,319 from sitting on corporate boards in 2015, according to SEC records. He sits on the boards of Fifth Third Bancorp, Marathon Petroleum, RLJ Lodging Trust and Berry Plastics Group. RLJ paid him $177,573 in 2015. Marathon paid him $300,000, Fifth Third paid him $243,564 and Berry Plastics Group paid him $218,182.” (Politico, 7/13/16)
Bayh Was Called “A Caricature Of What A Sell-Out Looks Like”
The Washington Post: “It’s As If He’s Systematically Ticking Off Every Poison He Identified In The Body Politic And Rushing To Dump More Of It Into The Water Supply.” (Ezra Klein, “The Sad, Hypocritical Retirement Of Evan Bayh,” The Washington Post, 3/15/11)
Washington Monthly’s Steve Benen Said Bayh Was “Practically A Caricature Of What A Sell-Out Looks Like.” “On his way out, Bayh made himself out to look like some sort of hero. He envisioned coming home from a day of teaching and telling his wife, ‘Dear, do you know what we got done today? I’ve got this really bright kid in my class, and do you know what he asked me, and here’s what I told him, and I think I saw a little epiphany moment go off in his mind.’ But he never made it to the classroom. Bayh is practically a caricature of what a sell-out looks like.” (Steve Benen, “Evan Bayh And A Never-Ending Series Of Disappointments,” Washington Monthly, 6/7/11)
The New York Times’ Mark Leibovich Said Bayh “Showed Just The Shameless Opportunism That Would Repel Any Used-Car Buyer.” “He then showed just the shameless opportunism that would repel any used-car buyer (‘Make Crazy Evan an offer!’).” (Mark Leibovich, This Town, 2013, p. 169)
- Leibovich Said Bayh “Vacuumed Up As Many Sweet Gigs As He Could Fit Into His Club-Issued Trick-Or-Treat Bag.” “Bayh, who was a finalist to be Barack Obama’s running mate in 2008, vacuumed up as many sweet gigs as he could fit into his Club-issued trick-or-treat bag.” (Mark Leibovich, This Town, 2013, p. 169)
In 2011, The New Republic Named Evan Bayh As One Of The Year’s “Sell-Outs.” “EVAN BAYH: When Indiana Democrat Evan Bayh announced that he did not intend to run for office in 2010, on the eve of the deadline for the primaries—despite pleas from both President Obama and Rahm Emanuel to stay in the race—he opened up another Senate seat for Republicans and left Democrats scrambling. Around the same time, in a hectoring New York Times op-ed, Bayh blamed partisan rancor for stymieing progress in Congress. Then, he took jobs at the law firm McGuire Woods, as a Fox News commentator, and as a spokesman for the Chamber of Commerce—occupations that we’re sure afford many opportunities for bipartisan cooperation.” (The Editors, “Sell-Outs,” The New Republic, 10/12/11)
Politico’s Alexander Burns: “Now, With Whiplash-Inducing Speed, The Former Indiana Senator Has Gone From Tut-Tutting About The Ways Of Washington To Racing Down A Familiar D.C. Path To Post-Retirement Riches.” “To listen to him tell it, Evan Bayh didn’t leave the Senate; the Senate left him. He announced his retirement last year in a speech condemning the capital’s bitterly partisan culture. He took to the pages of The New York Times to bemoan the corrosive role of money in politics. Now, with whiplash-inducing speed, the former Indiana senator has gone from tut-tutting about the ways of Washington to racing down a familiar D.C. path to post-retirement riches. Immediately after he left office, Bayh signed on with the investment company Apollo Global Management and the law-firm-cum-lobbying-shop McGuireWoods. Then, Bayh announced this week that he is becoming a paid analyst for Fox News, the conservative-friendly channel that thrives on political warfare.” (Alexander Burns, “Dudley Do-Right Does Well,” Politico, 3/17/11)
Current Hillary Clinton Spokeswoman Karen Finney: “Perhaps (Evan Bayh) Figured, If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em.” “For many Democrats, that was the final insult — a brazen provocation from a politician known for sticking it to his own party. ‘Perhaps he figured, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,’ quipped former Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Karen Finney. ‘Let’s hope he uses his time on Fox to stand up for some of the things he talked about in his departure op-ed, like stronger disclosure rules, filibuster reform and ‘civil’ or ‘adult’ dialog.’” (Alexander Burns, “Dudley Do-Right Does Well,” Politico, 3/17/11)
Daily Kos Founder Markos Moulitsas: “The Reason So Many People Are Cynical About Politics Is Because Of People Like Evan Bayh, Who Clearly Used His Seat In The Senate As A Tryout For His Next Act, Rather Than Trying To Actually Serve His Constituents.” “Now, Bayh antagonists such as Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas point to the former senator’s new career to prove their case. ‘The reason so many people are cynical about politics is because of people like Evan Bayh, who clearly used his seat in the Senate as a tryout for his next act, rather than trying to actually serve his constituents,’ Moulitsas said.” (Alexander Burns, “Dudley Do-Right Does Well,” Politico, 3/17/11)
MYTH
BAYH: “Now I look at my grown sons, Hoosier families and America, and can’t sit on the sidelines.”
FACT
Bayh Was Recruited To Run By New York Senator Chuck Schumer
Politico Reported That New York Senator Chuck Schumer Had Been Persuading Bayh To Run For Months. “For months, Chuck Schumer toiled on a seemingly fruitless task: Trying to persuade former Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh, who’d insisted for years that he was done with politics, to mount a comeback — and give Democrats a big boost in their bid to retake the Senate.” (Burgess Everett and Maggie Severns, “Bayh Shocker Upends Battle For Senate Control,” Politico, 7/11/16)
Harry Reid Said “This Was Done Single-Handedly By Chuck Schumer. I’d Like To Take A Lot Of Credit For It, But Chuck’s Worked On This.” “‘This was done single-handedly by Chuck Schumer. I’d like to take a lot of credit for it, but Chuck’s worked on this,’ Reid said in an interview on Monday afternoon. He called Schumer ‘the best recruiter. I’ve done OK but I’m in the minor leagues compared to what he does.’” (Burgess Everett and Maggie Severns, “Bayh Shocker Upends Battle For Senate Control,” Politico, 7/11/16)
Rothernberg: “Sure, I Believe That. And I Believe In The Tooth Fairy Too.”
The Washington Post’s Stuart Rothenberg: “So, Bayh left the Senate because of the partisanship, bickering and gridlock. And now, he wants his old Senate seat back because of – you guessed it – the partisanship, bickering and gridlock. Sure, I believe that. And I believe in the tooth fairy too.” (Stuart Rothenberg, Op-Ed, “Evan Bayh Wants To Be A Senator Again. Why Did He Leave In The First Place?” The Washington Post, 7/14/16)
MYTH
BAYH: “We all know what needs to be done – put country ahead of party, and work together to solve America’s challenges.”
FACT
Bayh Was A Partisan Democrat In The Senate
Bayh Voted With President Obama 96% Of The Time His Final Year In The Senate. (CQ Vote Study, Accessed 7/13/16)
Bayh “Left Absolutely No Footprints In 12 Years,” And Only Two Of His Bills Became Law
In His 12 Years In The Senate, Bayh Introduced 128 Bills, Only Two Of Which Became Law. (www.congress.gov, Accessed 7/11/16)
A Democratic Senate Strategist Said Bayh “Left Absolutely No Footprints In 12 Years (In The Senate).” “A Democratic strategist involved in Senate races summed up Bayh’s new act in acid terms: ‘He left absolutely no footprints in 12 years (in the Senate.) But he gets that there’s big money in being a Democrat kept by Republicans.’” (Alexander Burns, “Dudley Do-Right Does Well,” Politico, 3/17/11)
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Said “Has No Legislative Record To Show For His Time There.” MADDOW: “Evan Bayh, two terms in the Senate, he inherited that Senate seat, essentially, from his dad. Has no legislative record to show for his time there, but has made himself a national figure, who has only accomplished being the Democrat who trashes the Democratic Party and makes sure they have fewer seats than if he didn’t exist. Unbelievable.” (MSNBC, 11/2/10)