“It’s Not Plausible to Think a Lawmaker-Board Director Couple Never Discuss Their Jobs”

Today, Sylvia Smith’s (the new president of the National Press Club) article on the Bayh’s came out.  Oh sure, there aren’t any ethical violations between the Senator and Mrs. Bayh here…

(Some tidbits from today’s Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette’s article on the Bayh’s and their apparent ethical lapses)

Since leaving Indiana as a first lady, Susan Bayh has become a professional board member, earning more than $1 million a year in director fees for advice she gives to companies that make pharmaceuticals, operate radio stations, sell health insurance policies, offer online banking and distribute ingredients to fast-food restaurants.

In the past four years, Bayh collected more than $1.7 million in pre-tax income when she exercised stock options from two of the corporations. Her actual income from exercising stock options is higher, but the details of one transaction were not publicly reported.

During the same time, her husband, Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., cast more than 3,000 votes, including some on issues of keen interest to the pharmaceutical, broadcast, insurance, food-distribution and finance industries.

Oh, it only get’s more interesting….

Sloan insists that there’s no way a married couple can truly wall off their professional lives from each other. Even though Senate rules do not prohibit a spouse from sitting on a corporate board, she said, “there is at least an appearance issue that a member (of Congress) may be making a decision beneficial to the corporation the spouse basically works for.”

Bayh said he and his wife don’t discuss her business interests, and he rarely talks about legislation the Senate is considering.

“The reality is I don’t even know the people who run the vast majority of her companies. I’ve never even spoken to them,” Bayh said. “The reality is, we don’t talk about stuff that she’s involved with.”

You’re telling me, that this power couple never discusses work at the dinner table? Never?!

(Read more below the fold)

In fact, there are examples of Sen. Bayh voting in a way that could hurt the financial interests of one of his wife’s boards.

Last year, the Senate unanimously passed legislation to dramatically increase the size of fines the Federal Communications Commission can impose for objectionable words used on the radio. A single “no” would have stalled action on the bill, which would increase the maximum fines from $32,500 to $325,000. Sen. Bayh took no action to derail the higher fines. Emmis Communications, which Susan Bayh has helped direct since 1994, paid $300,000 in fines three years ago because of indecent remarks by shock jocks on some of its radio stations.

There’s more:

Susan Bayh was named to the board of Curis Inc. in October 2000, shortly after it was founded to explore how stem cells (although not specifically embryonic stem cells) could lead to treatment for diseases. Less than a year later, President Bush announced that federal money could be used for research only on embryonic stem cell lines already in existence. Twice – in 2006 and this year – the Senate voted to expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Sen. Bayh voted for the expansion each time.

How damaging are these fact? They certainly call into question the Senator’s apparent ethical lapses and certainly should eliminate him from contention for a V.P. slot. If not, and should Hillary get the nomination and pick Bayh as her running mate, this will most certainly dog her campaign and potentially hurt Bayh’s chances of re-election in 2010. Republican’s should be salivating at this opportunity.