Bayh: I'm Not A Lobbyist, Really

Former Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh may have landed numerous jobs that he would have never landed but for the fact he is a former U.S. Senator, but he wants to make clear that he is not a lobbyist. From the Star's Mary Beth Schneider on his latest new job advocating against government regulation for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce:

You can call him governor. Or you can call him senator. But Evan Bayh-- who has held both jobs for Indiana -- says don't call him a lobbyist.

He has signed on with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to join Republican Andrew Card, a former chief of staff to in promoting ways to cut government regulations.

But Bayh said online news reports that he'd be lobbying for the nation's largest pro-business advocacy group are "flat-out not true."

"Heck, no," he said. "I'm not lobbying for anybody."

He said he may be writing editorials and giving speeches but won't be contacting anyone in government.

Bayh decided against seeking a third term in the Senate in 2010. Since then, he has become a partner in the Washington law office of McGuireWoods and a senior adviser to the New York-based private equity firm Apollo Global Management, with an occasional appearance on Fox News as a political commentator.

 And the guy who can be seen every day on Market Street downtown shaking a cup full of change isn't panhandling.