We’re waiting for video to come back from a town hall meeting in New Castle.  It’s no surprise that the host, Congressman Mike Pence, expects health care to be the hot topic.  So, until we get to see what happened there, I’m reviewing notes from Senator Evan Bayh’s discussion of the health care debate, yesterday.

The Senator acknowledged the “strong opinions” we’ve seen expressed in so many of the stories about the reform debate.  He said he’d be “a little upset, too”, if he thought some of the controversial proposals would become law.  But, he said, “some of the bills that have been voted on in Congress simply aren’t going to get done.”  He said there will be no “death board” leading to euthanizing senior citizens.  No insurance mandate for small businesses.  And, no tax increase “for the most successful people.”

Bayh said he hoped to offer “a little reassurance” as he encouraged people to reserve judgment about the proposals under discussion.  Obviously, he’s seen the angry voters at some of the meetings.  He said he’d prefer to see the meetings conducted in a respectful way that does not silence people with differing opinions.  He also seemed willing to look beyond the disrupted meetings.   He said ”it really doesn’t matter whether these are organized protests or authentic, natural protests.  What matters is, at the end of the day, we deliver a result that will work for the American people.”

Here’s what Bayh believes will work — or what he wants from health care reform.  He wants more security and stability for people who have health care — so they won’t lose coverage, if they get sick.  He wants a plan that keeps costs down, “so it’s more affordable.”  And, he wants a plan that doesn’t add to the deficit.  ”If we enact a law that does those three things,” Bayh said, “this will be a success regardless of whether these activities were orchestrated or not.”

We mentioned some of these predictions during our race show, this morning.  But, since we didn’t get to all of them on the air, here’s the list of predicted winners courtesy of some local dignitaries:

Sen. Evan Bayh                 Ryan Briscoe

Sen. Richard Lugar            Helio Castroneves

Rep. Andre Carson            Rooting for Danica.  Believes Marco Andretti will win

Rep. Mike Pence                Dan Wheldon

Rep. Steve Buyer               Dan Wheldon

Rep. Dan Burton                Dan Wheldon

Coach Jim O’Brien, Indiana Pacers:              Dan Wheldon

Gerry Dick, Inside Indiana Business               Tony Kanaan

Scott theFace, MyINDY TV                    Helio Castroneves   (or Marco Andretti)

Dave Smiley/Z-99.5            Scott Dixon

Ed Wank/Hank 97.1           Tony Kanaan

Dave O’Brien/Hank 97.1     Scott Dixon

Scotty Davis/Radio Now     Al Unser, Jr.

Shy/Radio Now                  Danica Patrick

McKinzie/Radio Now          Danica Patrick

My cynical side came out today before an interview with Senator Evan Bayh.  I was told he wanted to answer our questions about what to expect from President Obama’s speech tonight.  I wondered whether the White House encouraged its political friends to do a little ice-breaking for the President, to get some of the message out in advance.  Bayh said it’s nothing of the sort.  He’s just fighting a cold and it would be easier to answer our questions now rather than later.

Bayh also said the President will have to balance the reality of our current challenges with the belief that we can be optimistic about our future.

What does the Senator say about the anger people feel when they see the government shoveling so much of our money out the door? 

“People have a right to be angry,” he said, “at these people who got the banks in trouble, folks who got overextended.”  But, Bayh said “we couldn’t afford to sit back and do nothing.”  He argued the country needs aggressive action now — to provide stability and “get the economy growing, once again.”  Then, he said — of the people “who got us into this mess” — we will hold them accountable “and make sure that it can never, ever happen again.”

Bayh also said the deficit is likely to be too big for anyone’s taste this year and next year.  But, if the administration is able to get long-run spending under control, he said Mr. Obama’s goal of cutting the deficit in half by the end of his term is “realistic.”

The Statehouse hallways buzzed today with talk about Presidential politics.  Almost every conversation was about the Super Bowl or Super Tuesday.  I’m sure that was the case all over Indiana.

Yet while much of the country will take part in Super Tuesday tomorrow, Indiana voters sit on the sidelines with no prospect for change. 

Governor Daniels says he has an idea for getting Indiana on the national electoral map, but its not ripe yet.  Secretary of State Todd Rokita wants rotating regional primaries agreed to on a national level.  Why would Iowa or New Hampshire play along?

Rep. Brian Bosma thinks we should get involved but isn’t sure how.  He points out that Indiana’s May primary was once at the head of the pack.  Rep. Pat Bauer thinks the feds should change things.  Republican and Democratic party leaders don’t want to pay for caucuses, apparently, and taxpayers don’t want to pay for a second primary.  At least that’s what lawmakers hear.

What if Evan Bayh or some other Indiana politician was running for President?  There’s no help here until it may be too late.

Why won’t somebody do something?

If we can host the Super Bowl as civic leadrs think, we should be able to take part in Super Tuesday.