Many years ago a tall, good-looking guy named Evan Bayh, essentially then known as the son of former Indiana U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh, spoke to a group of Democrats and well-wishers in Frankfort, Ind. He was not running for any specific election then, but he was being groomed for big things.
More than anything, he sounded like the kind of fresh progressive, forward-leaning Democrat the party desperately needed in those early Reagan years. He talked about social issues and working men and women, not tax breaks for the wealthy or infusing religion in the classroom. His family was stylish and beautiful. Evan Bayh was the product of authoritative, enlightening dinner discussions in Washington D.C. He was ready. He was perfect, and Indiana soon embraced him for eight years in the governor’s mansion and two terms in the U.S. Senate.
That was then.
Now before I say more, you must appreciate Hoosiers’ nature. They do not like progressive ways of doing anything, unless perhaps it is a new way to grow more corn from the same earth. They do not like spending money, especially for things they do not yet have. They hate taxes, though those taxes pay for their roads, schools, bridges, and police. Unlike most states, for example, Indiana ratepayers do not have to pay utility companies for power plants not yet completed (I like that).
And, to the state’s credit, Hoosiers are all behind balancing the budget, and they always do. The state knows almost two years in advance when it might go broke and acts on that knowledge immediately. A few years ago a powerful tornado tore through southern Indiana, killing two dozen. The federal government took quick action to direct rebuilding, but the governor, a former bean counter in the Bush Administration, said thanks, but Hoosiers take care of Hoosiers. A check would be nice, though. He got one. Indiana is not Louisiana.
All that said, it’s a tragedy that a brilliant, charming, successful political leader such as Evan Bayh lost his balls. I have no better way to put it. There he was, sent to Washington D.C. to lead, negotiate, guide, assess, and take action on behalf of his proud country, particularly the Hoosiers who elected him, and he decided it is too hard and aggravating. Washington politics does not compose the friendly, patriotic activity it once did. Bayh gave up.
I was a Hoosier for more than 25 years. I voted for Bayh every time his name appeared on the ballot. I admit I also voted for Richard Lugar, a Republican. Frankly, two finer men could not represent any state. Either man could give three speeches during an election year and remain in office until he died. But has Lugar given up? Lugar is no more hard core Republican conservative than Bayh is hard core Democrat liberal, and he has more reason to be frustrated than Bayh. I cannot imagine Lugar giving up and going home.
What I am talking about here to some extent is a way of life in the Midwest, a sort of mantra out here in flyover country. We believe in that Protestant Work Ethic even though it means, for the most part, we’ll work hard for very little money. We show up on time and give it our all. We appreciate having jobs. We love building things, and we particularly value doing it fast and first. We take pride in just slugging it out on a job. It’s not perhaps the best example, but how many Big Ten teams remain in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament most years? That ethic rubs off everywhere. We do not quit.
But Evan Bayh quit. When the job got frustrating and difficult, he decided he would go home and find something else to do. Aren’t those the situations for which we send people to Washington? If the job were easy, we could send anybody. But we all try to elect men and women who can duke it out together and get the job done.
We know it is a tough job. Democracy is hard. We thought Evan Bayh had the stuff for it. We were wrong.
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