CARLOS WATSON:  My next guest will join the president this afternoon at an event kicking off the national conversation about fatherhood and mentoring.

With me now live, Senator Evan Bayh, Democrat of Indiana.

Senator Bayh, it's not only good to see you, but I feel like today is Indiana Day on our show. We've had Mike Pence. We've talked about Dick Lugar, and it would be incomplete if you hadn't joined us. So thank you for joining us.

SENATOR EVAN BAYH:  Well, it's good to be with you, Carlos. And congratulations on your show.

WATSON:  Really appreciate it. Thank you very much.

I've been really interested in your fatherhood bill for a while. I know it doesn't immediately strike people as a political topic, but will you tell us about the bill that you and then-Senator Obama were working on, and what you hope to accomplish?

BAYH:  Yes, Carlos.

We spend, as taxpayers, about $100 billion every year dealing with the consequences of father absence. About a third of America's children woke up this morning with no dad around, men just disconnected from their children.

So while the majority of dads are trying to do the right thing, we've got quite a number, including very young dads, who just are not accepting the responsibilities that the president pointed out come with fatherhood.

So we're trying to deal with the root causes of this. You can't pass a law requiring people to be good fathers, but for those who want to be, we should make the opportunity possible through education, job placement, those kinds of things.

WATSON:  Are there two or three things? I mean, we often hear about fatherhood classes or in some cases garnishing wages or other sorts of things like that. But are there other new ideas that sociologists and social scientists are pointing out that really make a difference in terms of making fathers remain connected and actually be effective fathers?

BAYH:  The answer is yes. One of the biggest problems we have, Carlos, is that there are, particularly teen dads—16, 17, 18 years old—who bring a child into the world and don't really appreciate the responsibility that involves. And they just walk away.

But then a few years later when they're more mature, they reconsider that decision and say, "You know what? I want to do right by my child," but they didn't get the education they needed. They dropped out of school. Maybe they had an alcohol or drug problem they need to get cleaned up. They're unemployed. They need to get a job so they can pay that child support.

So there are a lot of initiatives at the local level out there that we're going to support that enable those young men who want to do the right thing to get the skills and have the ability to do the right thing. It's better for the child, better for the mom, better for the taxpayers, better for our society.

WATSON:  Senator Bayh, I saw a really interesting study maybe six months ago that talked about the effectiveness of these public service messages. So in other words, not just legislation to try and curb smoking or to help you save more energy or be more energy efficient, but sometimes some of these television and radio messages make a difference.

Is there a component of that? Is there any significant plan right now to have a major public service campaign on this?

BAYH:  Well, public outreach is a part of our effort. And I can't imagine a better component of that than having the president of the United States who can speak compellingly from personal experience about the pain of not having your father around.

Now, he's also a great example of what you can do when you've got a good mom and you get a good education, and he's become president of the United States. But he can tell you what it's like, the pain kids experience when their dad's just not connected to their life. They wonder, “Well, what's wrong with me that my father's not around? Why doesn't he love me?”

So we shouldn't have any more of America's children growing up with that kind of hole in their heart than is absolutely necessary. So public advertisements, absolutely—we can help shape the culture in which we live to encourage personal responsibility, but it's a big-time help to have the president of the United States stand up and lead on this issue, which he is doing.

WATSON:  Senator Bayh, finally, we only have a couple of seconds, but as the son of a political junkie, I grew up hearing a lot about your dad, Senator Birch Bayh. Do you want to share on memory, one quick memory with us about your dad as Father's Day approaches this Sunday?

BAYH:  Carlos, as you can imagine, my father was very busy. But I will never forget looking in the stands when I was playing a Little League game or I was playing basketball, and very often there wouldn't be very many parents there, but my father would be one of them. And I've never forgotten that. He took the time to be there for me. I'm trying to do that to my for my boys as well.

So if all dads just tried to do that and know that the impact that can make upon your child, to give them that sense that they are loved unconditionally, that there's someone there for them. That's just going to make them better human beings, and it's going to make our country a better place. And my dad did that for me, and I've never forgotten it.

WATSON:  Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, thank you so much for joining us. Have a great Father's Day.

BAYH:  You, too, Carlos.