I spent 22 years as an elected official and was privileged to serve as both a Governor and Senator from Indiana.
I left office in 2010 after growing tired of the brain-dead partisanship that increasingly drove decision-making in Washington.
Yet last night I stepped back into the political arena to join No Labels as a National Leader.
I want to share with you why I decided to get off the sidelines.
I can sum it up simply. Bad things will happen to our beloved country unless millions of good people step up and do their part to counter the dangerous extremism and political violence that is consuming our politics.
I want to do my part, and I hope you will join me in getting more engaged in the No Labels movement.
We all need to appreciate the fragility of America’s 250-year experiment with self-government. Look around the world today, and you will see billions of people living in countries where citizens have no say in choosing their leaders.
In America, we get to choose, thanks to generations of Americans who fought – and often died – for our right to live freely.
Today, on Veterans’ Day, millions of people will make their way to a graveyard or a memorial in their community honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and our nation’s future.
Look at the state of American politics and ask yourself:
Is this what those courageous men and women fought and died for?
They did not give their all so we could tear ourselves apart from within.
Right now, the only people happy with the state of American politics are our adversaries in Russia, China, and Iran. Our dysfunction makes America weaker, and it makes it easier for Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping to discredit democracy around the world.
I cannot stand by and allow our country to destroy itself. My commitment to and love for America was instilled in me by my father Birch, who served in the U.S. Army and for three terms as a U.S. Senator. I tried to instill that same patriotism in my two sons: Nick was an Army Intelligence Officer, and Beau is a retired Marine Corps infantry officer now running to be Indiana’s next Secretary of State.
During another difficult time in American history, John F. Kennedy once said he still had great “confidence that this nation will survive the perils of today.” I believe the same is true now, but America can and must be better. We must be worthy of the generations of veterans who gifted us this precious thing called democracy. Each of us must do our part to give our children a better future and leave a legacy that we can be proud of.
Every day, the team at No Labels – and our members across the country – are doing their part. I am so immensely proud to stand with you.
Evan Bayh
Senator (1999-2011)
National Leader, No Labels
