Evan Bayh's Latest Scandal

It's nothing new to the Hoosier blogosphere, but a big story in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette has brought public attention to and focused new light on the shady dealings of Evan Bayh and his wife.

Susan Bayh, as you may or may not know, has as her primary occupation sitting on the boards of directors of companies that her husband frequently votes in the Senate to impact.

Unsurprisingly, it's very lucrative to sit on the board of directors of some big company, and more lucrative still when your husband is voting in ways that can favorably benefit the juicy stock options that you are about to exercise.

Given that there have already been ethics complaints about this brought before a United States District Court, it actually rather surprising (and conspicuously unsettling) that this hasn't gotten any press at all in Indiana much sooner.

This being said, since it has already been swept under the rug once before when it came before an actual court, I am highly skeptical that this story will manage to grow legs this time around.

It is, however, from a highly reputable journalist, whose opinion pieces--let alone factual reporting and straight-up journalism such as this--notable Democratic blogs have very recently quoted and cited with favor; it's hard to discredit the source.

Unfortunately for those interested in having honest and open elected public servants, the Senate Ethics Committee isn't exactly known for its dogged pursuit of justice when it comes to the blatant ethical violations and lapses of judgment of the members of the upper house of Congress.

Given that some of Bayh's proteges, like Baron Hill (for example), campaigned in 2006 on a platform of cleaning up Washington and establishing new institutions and mechanisms for doing so, perhaps they will put their money where their mouth is and call for an independent inquiry into the activities of Evan and Susan Bayh.

Until they do, all of their talk about cleaning up Washington and establishing the most honest and open Congress *evah* is yet again shown for the empty slogan that it was, and the sham covering for a continuation of politics as usual simply under the banner of a different political party.

At the very least, this needs to be seriously and publicly investigated further. If there is evidence of wrongdoing, then the Senator will have to answer for it.

I wouldn't hold my breath on either one happening any time soon.