Canned Reply from Evan Bayh

I received the following email today in response to yesterday's email to Indiana Senator Evan Bayh:
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

-----Original Message-----
From: noreply@bayh.senate.gov
Sent: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 07:07:30 -0800 (PST)
Subject: From the Office of Senator Evan Bayh

Thank you for contacting me regarding President Bush's
recent nomination of Samuel Alito Jr. to the United States
Supreme Court. I appreciate your thoughts and concerns
on this issue. Please be assured that I take my duty to
give advice and consent on Presidential appointments very
seriously, and will carefully review this nominee. I
look forward to learning more about Judge Alito during
his confirmation hearings which began on January 9, 2005.

Again, thank you for contacting me. I hope the information
I have provided is helpful. My website, http://bayh.senate.gov,
can provide additional details about legislation and state
projects, and you can also sign up to receive my monthly
e-newsletter, The Bayh Bulletin , by clicking on the link
at the top of my homepage. I value your input and hope
you will continue to keep me informed of the issues important
to you.

Office of Senator Evan Bayh
(202) 224-5623
Russell 463
Washington, D.C. 20510

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The tone of the message is that of a form letter. Though I received this response faster than I've ever received a response from Senator Bayh's office, it does nothing more than tap dance around the issue of Judge Alito's confirmation. He (and by 'he' I mean the staffer that wrote the email) says he looks forward to learning more about Judge Alito in the confirmation hearings, the bulk of which have already been completed in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. All that's left of the hearings now is to listen to the Democrat Senators bash him and the Republican Senators praise him on the Senate floor. What more can there be to learn?

As I commented yesterday after calling Senator Bayh's office and speaking with a staffer, it seems very clear to me how Senator Bayh will vote, and I'm sure it won't be in favor of confirmation.

Maybe if our Senators would read the occassional email rather than having their staffers handle email and phone calls, they would actually know where their constituents stand.

Nevertheless, you should still contact your Senators today. They will see a report of how many calls they receive in favor and opposed.

Joe