Birch Bayh , livre ebook

As the father of Title IX, Birch Bayh has left a lasting impact on our country. In Birch Bayh: Making a Difference , it is clear his influence and his contributions will continue to affect all Americans for generations to come in many ways.
-Billie Jean King, founder of the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative
Robert Blaemire s celebration of Birch Bayh s career evokes a different and better time in American politics, when leaders really did think about making a difference. There are many vivid portraits of Bayh s work on landmark civil rights bills and other legislation. My favorite passage cites Bayh s question for his staff when facing a tough choice: Just tell me what you feel is the right thing to do. Read this memoir and remember a time when people like Bayh, and the decent, compassionate politics of the heartland, were truly the American way.
-David Ignatius, columnist, The Washington Post
Robert Blaemire s Birch Bayh is a marvelous biography of Bayh, a dynamo in Indiana politics and the national scene throughout the 20th century. My takeaway, after reading, was that Bayh, a consummate public servant, would have made an excellent president. Highly recommended!
-Douglas Brinkley, author of Rightful Heritage: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America
My friend Birch Bayh has led a life of remarkable public service dedicated, always, to making a difference. His supporters and opponents will long remember his skill as a campaigner combined with his ability to reach across the political aisle and achieve constitutional amendments and timely legislation that strengthened our nation.
-Richard Lugar, former United States Senator from Indiana
Birch Bayh was one of the most consequential lawmakers of the 20th century, responsible for constitutional amendments and a long list of legislative accomplishments that changed and improved America. Robert Blaemire has given us a biography that does justice to a great American, a vivid portrait of the man and the Senate at a time when Bayh could work with allies and adversaries alike.
-Norman Ornstein, Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute
The story of Birch Bayh s political career is completely inspiring, especially in an era that has lost touch with bipartisanship and civility. A must read for Hoosiers and for anyone interested in how democracy worked, when it really worked.
-Ted Widmer, historian and former presidential speechwriter
In Indiana s, and the nation s, political history, perhaps no elected official has produced the legislative achievements crafted by US Senator Birch Bayh. In addition to authoring two constitutional amendments-the Twenty-Fifth and Twenty-Sixth-Bayh produced the landmark Title IX legislation, providing women with equal opportunities in public education. Bayh has long needed a comprehensive biography, and Robert Blaemire has provided an insider s account of Bayh s life and career and places him among Indiana s leading political figures.
-Ray E. Boomhower, author of Robert F. Kennedy and the 1968 Indiana Primary
Highlights the life of one of our most remarkable United State Senators, not just in Indiana but in the nation. Birch Bayh shows the dedication of a man to his state and country through more than 25 years of elected office.
-Geoffrey Paddock, author of Indiana Political Heroes

Birch Bayh
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
ROBERT BLAEMIRE
INDIANA UNIVERSITY PRESS
This book is a publication of
Indiana University Press
Office of Scholarly Publishing
Herman B Wells Library 350
1320 East 10th Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405 USA
iupress.indiana.edu
2019 by Robert Blaemire
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Cataloging information is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-0-253-03917-0 (hardback)
ISBN 978-0-253-03918-7 (ebook)
1 2 3 4 5 24 23 22 21 20 19
To
NICK AND DAN,
WHO ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN
THEIR OWN WORLDS,
AND OF WHOM I AM SO PROUD.
Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1 Farmer, Soldier, Legislator

2 US Senator

3 Assassination and Amendment: 1963

4 Crash and Constitution: 1964

5 Civil Rights, Guns, and Vietnam: 1965-68

6 1968

7 Haynsworth: 1969-70

8 Carswell: 1970

9 Campaign and Cancer: 1971

10 Title IX: 1972

11 Watergate: 1973

12 Bayh versus Lugar: 1974

13 National Interests: 1975

14 Bayh for President: 1976

15 The Carter Administration: 1977

16 Foreign Intelligence: 1978

17 The Death of Marvella: 1979-80

18 The Last Campaign: 1980

19 Capstone

Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
BIRCH BAYH PASSED AWAY ON MARCH 14, 2019, AT THE AGE OF 91. Up until the time of his death, he had been living in Easton, Maryland, with his wife, Kitty. Age had slowed him down physically but not mentally, and all evidence seemed to indicate that he enjoyed his retirement on Maryland s Eastern Shore. Kitty took great care of him, and he often talked about the huge and important role she played in his life.
This biography was a labor of love. My long relationship with Birch Bayh and the admiration I have for his career fueled my enthusiasm for this project. This book wouldn t have been possible without the enormous support and cooperation of Birch and Kitty Bayh. I conducted twelve video interviews with Birch over a period of over four years; the material and photographs Birch and Kitty provided to me were invaluable.
But that is only part of the story: The assistance of former staff colleagues helped me fill in many of the details, both of politics and the legislative process. This work would have been incomplete without the contributions from these people.
Video interviews were conducted with former staffers Gordon Alexander, Jay Berman, David Bochnowski, Bob Boxell and his wife Peggy, Tom Connaughton, Terry Crone, Jim Freidman, Mary Grabianowski, Bob Hinshaw, Bob Keefe, Pat Long, P.A. Mack, Louis Mahern, Ann Moreau, Bill Moreau, Fred Nation, Allan Rachles, David Rubenstein, Diane Meyer Simon, Joe Smith, Jeff Smulyan, Darry Sragow, and Trish Whitcomb.
Video interviews were also conducted with former Congressman Lee Hamilton, former senator Richard Lugar, and Senators Patrick Leahy and Orrin Hatch. The video interview and conversations with former senator Evan Bayh were important additions to this work.
Additional nonvideo interviews and conversations, both verbal and written, that helped advance my research were with former staffers Nels Ackerson, Chris Aldridge, Gail Alexander, Joe Allen, Lew Borman, Tom Buis, Mary Jane Checchi, Ann Church, Patty Dewey, John Dibble, Barbara Dixon, Jim English, Mathea Falco, Kevin Faley, Ed Grimmer, Mary Jolly, Ron Klain, Gary Kornell, Ann Latscha, Barbara Leeth, Tim Leeth, Eve Lubalin, Susan McCarthy, Lynne Mann, Tim Minor, Jay Myerson, Carol Ann Nix, Nancy Papas, John Rector, Joe Rees, John Reuther, Steve Richardson, Abby Saffold, Jerry Udell, and Mark Wagner. Conversations with former mayor Richard Gordon Hatcher were also very valuable. I am also indebted to Herb Simon for our conversation about his relationship with Birch as well as his other efforts to help make this book possible.
I am indebted to my brother-in-law, Lincoln Caplan, for his sage advice about writing a book and getting it published. He connected me to David Korzenik, who provided me with valuable legal advice. My gratitude to both.
A particular debt of gratitude is owed to those who read the text and provided valuable additions, corrections and editing improvements. First on that list is Joanna Caplan, but also Jay Berman, Terry Crone, Kate Cruikshank, Pat Long, Lynne Mann, Diane Meyer, Bill Moreau, Nancy Papas, and Joe Rees. This book is considerably improved because of their contributions.
Thanks is also due to Chris Bayh for his careful reading of the text and the suggestions that he made.
To Bill Moreau, my friend and consigliere, only you know the full story of your contributions that made this possible.
To those I have worked with at Indiana University Press, professionals all, my gratitude goes out to Ashley Runyon and Gary Dunham.
Finally, like so many acknowledgements in books published year in and year out, I need to thank my family. They have been told Birch Bayh stories for the entire time they have known me and despite that, their support and encouragement were total.
To all these people I say thank you. If you had told me as an 18-year-old entering college that I would spend the next thirteen years working for Senator Birch Bayh, I would have been incredulous. I certainly never thought I would become his biographer. But words cannot adequately describe the affection I feel for him or the impact our relationship has had on my life. He entrusted me with a great many things in his career while I was very young, and my gratitude can never be fully expressed. It is my hope that telling his story will begin to pay that debt.
Birch Bayh
Introduction
UNITED STATES SENATOR BIRCH BAYH, A DEMOCRAT FROM Indiana, served in the Senate for eighteen years during a tumultuous time in American history. A campaign slogan of his was One Ma