Why is Evan Bayh ignoring his constituents on health care?
Senator Evan Bayh has a problem.
A Research 2000 Indiana poll conducted over the week-end reveals that 52% of Indiana’s residents favor the government offering everyone a government administered health insurance plan, along the lines of Medicare, that would compete with private health insurance plans.
As this blog has covered somewhat extensively over the past few days, Bayh has a huge conflict-of-interest on the subject of a public health insurance option. Bayh’s wife, Susan, sits on the board of directors of WellPoint, the largest for-profit health insurance company in the nation – a seat she received shortly after her husband was elected to the Senate- and has collected millions from the company over the past few years. She also holds stock options that would be dramatically impacted in value by passage or failure of a public insurance program. Accordingly, Bayh walks a tight line when it comes to the public option – and, if the poll is to be believed, that line has grown increasingly more dangerous.
When Democrats in Indiana were asked what effect a decision by Bayh to join in a GOP filibuster of the health care legislation would have on his 2010 prospects in a Democratic primary, 54% said they would less likely to vote for Bayh. And this doesn’t take into consideration what he would suffer at the hands of an opponent who would no doubt hammer on the conflict-of-interest problem.
So, how do you kill the legislation without appearing to be against the public insurance option? You blame it on something else.
Referring to the public option debate, Bayh tells Scheiffer –
Some of my colleagues are a little more focused on that than I am.
Via TPM
While Bayh can say it, I’m not buying it – and I don’t think Indiana Democrats are going to buy it. We’re talking about millions of dollars going directly into the Senator’s personal bank account (not including the $1.5 million he has received in campaign contributions from the health insurance industry) with more to follow depending on what happens with the public health insurance debate.
Diverting away from government insurance as the basis of his opposition, Bayh lays the blame for his willingness to join the GOP to stop reform at the feet of what he calls the legislation’s fiscal irresponsibility. This despite the President’s requirement that any health care reform legislation be deficit neutral – something both branches of Congress are committed to achieving.
Maybe Bayh believes what he’s saying – maybe he doesn’t. This is the problem of having such a serious conflict. There will always be that nagging doubt that Bayh is voting his pocketbook rather than his constituents’ wishes – a problem that poses grave political danger for Bayh as he moves into a re-election campaign next year.
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He should be toast.
Let’s hope that progressives jump all over this guy. This is corruption and a huge problem in the Senate, it would be interesting to examine what his wife’s job is, is she paid more than others in her job? What are her qualifications for the job? Had she previous experience in health care? What is Bayh’s voting record on health care issues.
I’m for making an example of any Government officials who partake in this sort of conflict of interest.
I live in Indiana and there will never be any doubt in my mind that Evan Bayh is voting his income interests. I strongly believe there should be some sort of Ethics investigation related to his “sleeping with the enemy.”
That’s what I’m talking about. Even if he is on the ‘up and up’, you certainly have good reason to be suspicious. This kind of conflict really is inexcusable.
In response to another comment. See in context »I just heard Bayh has backed down…someone dropped the hammer on him, maybe the idea of people looking into his wife’s position.
What I’m hearing is that he has agreed to vote to let the bill go to the floor for debate. That does not mean he won’t ultimately vote to filibuster the vote on the bill.
In response to another comment. See in context »Maddow reported that Bayh make this statement when contacted: he says his position is not same as Lieberman’s, and he would NOT filibuster health reform. He “can’t think of a set of circumstances that he’d vote against cloture.”
In response to another comment. See in context »This is very helpful stuff, Rick. Thanks!
[...] know it’s severe when CNN, eternal lapdog of the DNC, reports the fact that Evan Bayh’s wife, Susan, sits on the board of directors of WellPoint, the largest for-profit health insurance company in the nation – a seat she received shortly after [...]