Former U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh visits campus
Birch Bayh addressed an audience of 40 for almost an hour in the Henderson Conference Room on Tuesday.
Ditching the podium and shedding his suit jacket within minutes the former democratic U.S. senator, and father of current U.S. senator Evan Bayh, D - Ind., said he supports Sen. Barack Obama in his bid for the presidency.
The appearance was sponsored by The Franklin and thefranklinonline.com. An invitation has been extended to Sen. John McCain's campaign as well to bring someone to campus.
The elder Bayh spoke at length of why he believed Obama is the right choice come Election Day. Hitting on issues ranging from the Iraq War, the economy and the power of the executive branch, Bayh called the upcoming election one of the most important elections of most of the audience members’ lifetimes.
Democratic challenger to the U.S. House of Representative's fourth district, Nels Ackerson spoke after Bayh.
Saying that the election will mean much more to the younger generations, the 80-year-old challenged the college students in the room to not let others make decsions for them.
"Elections at all levels are decided by small numbers so don't let anyone tell you your vote doesn't make a difference," said Bayh, who added when he won his first election to the U.S. senate he won by an average of only two votes per precinct.
Editor's note: Story will be updated with video, audio and photographs.
