Apparantly Evan Bayh is also perhaps planning to side with the Republicans?
On CBS News' Washington Unplugged on Thursday, Bayh said the public option was not his main concern with Reid's health care bill. However, he said that depending on the fiscal impact of the bill, he would consider joining a Republican effort to prevent the Senate from even debating the bill on the floor.
This, despite the fact the 52 percent of Indiana voters would like to see a public option...
And oh....there is more...much more
Susan Bayh, Evan's wife, sits on the board of Wellpoint, and Evan himself is a stockholder...
conflict of interest, just a bit????
The stock options Mr. Bayh owns represents a significant portion of the Bayh's income...between 500,00 and a million dollars a year..enough to influence anyoness thinking...and likely their votes, as well.
Susan Bayh has earned more than two million dollars working for the health care industries, and Evan has reaped at least 500,000 in campaign contributions for the same source.
http://trueslant.com/...
( Better link...I hope)
Further...how many of us know that an ethics complaint was filed against Bayh by Judicial Watch?
Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has filed a complaint with the United States Senate Select Committee on Ethics concerning inaccurate financial disclosure reports filed by Indiana Senator Evan Bayh. Senator Bayh failed to disclose his position as director of the Evan and Susan Bayh Foundation on disclosure reports despite requirements by the Ethics in Government Act.
"Senator Bayh's Senate Financial Disclosure Forms for the years 2002 through 2005 denote the answer 'no' to the question 'do you hold any reportable positions on or before the date of filing of the current calendar year,'" Judicial Watch noted in its complaint. "However, for the years 2003, 2004, and 2005 Senator Bayh is listed on [the Evan and Susan Bayh Foundation] Form 990s as a director of the foundation and therefore for those years incorrectly completed his Senate Financial Disclosure forms." (Senator Bayh was not listed as a director with the foundation in 2002.)
ashington, DC -- March 8, 2007
Will he vote against the Public option? Will he abstain, depriving us of a much needed vote?
Either of these options seems unacceptable to me, especially given his enormous conflicts of interest.
It look as though he may be entering Joe Lieberman territory here....
UPDATE:
Senator Bayh will support moving forward to a health care debate on the Senate floor, where he will work hard to address his concerns and craft affordable legislation that reduces the deficit and lowers health care costs for Indiana families and small businesses.
From TNR, and thanks to posters below...
HOWEVER...his manifest conflicts of interest sicken me....