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Powerful House Chairman David Obey to Retire

The Prof

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washingtonpost.com

WASHINGTON -- Rep. David Obey, a leading liberal Democrat and chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, said Wednesday that he will retire at the end of his term this year, dealing Democrats defending their majority another blow in an election season of voter discontent.
 
1. Obey!

2. A beltway BOMBSHELL!

3. Obey (pronounced Obie) WAS Appropriations for, like, ever.

4. Third longest sitting house member.

5. And---the point---Obey is AUTHOR of the Stimu... err, Recovery Act.

6. Press Secretary Gibbs: "part of the reason" Obey's bidding bye bye is the "political environment."

7. Strongest indication yet that LEADERSHIP believes it's gonna LOSE the house, Obey's bow out.

8. No one wants to GIVE UP a GAVEL.

9. YESTERDAY's terribly troubling turnouts in dem primaries in Indiana, Ohio and North Carolina musta really got to the irascible greybeard.

Dem Turnout Falls Off A Cliff - Hotline On Call

10. In the Hoosier State a humble 204,000 democrats declared, down drastically from 357,000 in '02 and 304,000 in the '06 primary.

11. Only 666,000 Buckeye blues bothered to ballot, down from 872,000 in '06, when Governor Strickland and Senator Sherrod Brown didn't even face interesting opposition.

12. 425,000 turned out in the Tarheel State, only FOURTEEN POINT FOUR percent of those registered.

13. In colorful contrast Republican representation was radically reinforced, up 15% in Indiana, THIRTY NINE % in ominous Ohio and 9% in North Carolina where sitting Senator Richard Burr was virtually unopposed.

14. Worry.

15. LEADERSHIP sure is.

16. Obey's not.

17. He's OUT.

18. According to WaPo Obey would've "faced a potentially bruising reelection campaign this fall."

19. Sean Duffy, the next Congressman from WI7, is the popular Republican DA from Ashland.

20. And Duffy drinks tea.

21. Obey was one of a kind.

22. A powerful proponent of the public option, he purposefully opposed the war in Iraq and the Surge.

23. He is an extremely reluctant supporter of the administration's ESCALATION of Afghanistan.

24. But he happens to be a man (Appropriations) without whom the war cannot work forward.

25. He gave Clinton hell for lying on the witness stand when Paula Jones sued the sitting president for sexual harrassment.

26. And, most pertinent to today's dire development, the AUTHOR of the Stimu... Recovery Act was incensed so far as to SLAM his BOSS for screwing up so bad its ACCOUNTING of jobs supposedly "saved or created" by that by now obscenely infamous Stimu...

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-brief...-administration-for-stimulus-reporting-errors

27. Obama made Obey look so DUMB.

28. Watch PA12, Murtha's seat, Tuesday, May 18.

29. Red businessman Tim Burns LEADS former Murtha staffer Mark Critz by six.

Kos Poll: Republican Leads by 6 in Pennsylvania Special Election | Washington Examiner

30. And that's according to Daily Kos, the only national surveyor (besides Scott Rasmussen) NOT to get Scott Brown right.

RealClearPolitics - Election 2010 - Massachusetts Senate - Special Election

31. Murtha was the second most corrupt man in congress after Charlie Rangel.

32. He famously called his own consituents racists.

33. PA12 is the only district in the nation to go for JF Kerry in '04 and Maverick McCain in '08.

34. That is, PA12 voted AGAINST Obama 16 horrible months ago.

35. It's Catholic, it's coal.

36. Ie, the perfect picture of Reagan Democrat.

37. Lotta guns, Bibles and blue collars.

38. The district views Obama unfavorably, 38 to 55.

39. It opposes health care, 34 to 48.

40. Worry.

The Prof
 
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Can't say I'll be sorry Obey is gone. I think after 20+ elections and 40 years in Congress it's time. If I had my way, this would be capped at no more than 4 terms... but that's another thread.
 
"I believe the job of a good politician was to be used up fighting on behalf of causes you believed in, and when you are used up, to step aside and let someone else carry on the battle. Well, today I feel used up," he said.
The real reason Obey is retiring is because the people of Wisconsin feel "used up" by the causes he believes in (as evidenced by his poll numbers).
 
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