Evan Bayh Quotes

#1. If one of my boys was asking me if they should go into politics, I'd say there's only one reason to go into public life and that's to help people.

Evan Bayh

#2. Challenges of historic import threaten America's future. Action on the deficit, economy, energy, health care and much more is imperative, yet our legislative institutions fail to act. Congress must be reformed.

Evan Bayh

#3. Our success as a party will largely be determined by how well we do here in the heartland ... The time has come to be secure about our values. The time has come to lead.

Evan Bayh

#4. Families and businesses are tightening their belts to make ends meet - and Washington should too.

Evan Bayh

#5. Filibusters have proliferated because under current rules just one or two determined senators can stop the Senate from functioning. Today, the mere threat of a filibuster is enough to stop a vote; senators are rarely asked to pull all-nighters like Jimmy Stewart in 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.'

Evan Bayh

#6. The amount of U.S. debt held by countries such as China and Japan is at a historic high, with foreign investors holding half of America's publicly held debt. This dependence raises the specter that other nations will be able to influence our policies in ways antithetical to American interests.

Evan Bayh

#7. There are not enough purple states. No one votes in primaries, except the most ideological. And big money comes in to support or oppose the candidates in those primaries.

Evan Bayh

#8. Mothers - especially single mothers - are heroic in their efforts to raise our nation's children, but men must also take responsibility for their children and recognize the impact they have on their families' well-being.

Evan Bayh

#9. People come into public life for different reasons. None of us are ego-challenged, I think, or we probably wouldn't be doing what we're doing, so if anyone tells you that they don't like the sound of the applause and the ego gratification, I don't think they're being straight with you.

Evan Bayh

#10. Across the country military families are facing dire financial circumstances due to longer than expected tours of duties. They are being penalized for their patriotism - no one should have to choose between doing right by their country and doing right by their families.

Evan Bayh

#11. I love working for the people of Indiana. I love helping our citizens make the most of their lives, but I do not love Congress.

Evan Bayh

#12. If I could create one job in the private sector by helping to grow a business, that would be one more than Congress has created in the last six months.

Evan Bayh

#13. America is stronger than ever. We will forever remember those we lost on September 11, 2001. In honoring their memory, we will remain true to our commitment to freedom and democracy.

Evan Bayh

#14. We must do all we can to help improve the deplorable human rights situation of the North Korean people.

Evan Bayh

#15. Filibusters should require 35 senators to ... make a commitment to continually debate an issue in reality, not just in theory. The number of votes needed to overcome a filibuster should be reduced to 55 from 60.

Evan Bayh

#16. Baseball may be our national pastime, but the age-old tradition of taking a swing at Congress is a sport with even deeper historical roots in the American experience. Since the founding of our country, citizens from Ben Franklin to David Letterman have made fun of their elected officials.

Evan Bayh

#17. We should be proud of liberating the 26 million people in Iraq and should remember that this is why it is important to stick it out to it's successful conclusion.

Evan Bayh

#18. To win the war on terror, we must know who our friends are and where our enemies are hiding. We can't continue fighting terrorism using the same foreign policy blueprints that were in place before September 11th.

Evan Bayh

#19. My first meeting as a senator, my first day, they were already talking about the next election. Part of that's the permanent campaign, part of that's a word I've been using more frequently, 'tribal.' Our politics has become tribal: It's us versus them.

Evan Bayh

#20. As Indiana's governor, I balanced eight budgets, never raised taxes, and left the largest surplus in state history. It wasn't always easy. Cuts had to be made and some initiatives deferred. Occasionally I had to say 'no.'

Evan Bayh

#21. What is required from members of Congress and the public alike is a new spirit of devotion to the national welfare beyond party or self-interest.

Evan Bayh

#22. I'm pleased to offer analysis of public policy and politics to the millions of Americans who get their news from Fox.

Evan Bayh