Free Republic

Washington - Even though the Democratic majority vowed to return Congress to a path of fiscal responsibility, the 2008 appropriations bills were stuffed with wasteful pork projects. While Representatives John Campbell, Jeff Flake, Jeb Hensarling, Scott Garrett, and David Obey (1 amendment) offered 50 amendments to strip outrageous pork projects from the appropriations bills, only one amendment, offered by Rep. Jeff Flake, passed. The Club for Growth has compiled a RePORK Card of all members' votes on all 50 anti-pork amendments (see below). "Taxpayers have a right to know which congressmen stand up for them and which stand up for...

CAIRO -- In Washington this month, George Bush met with Gamal Mubarak, heir apparent to the Egyptian throne, and sent regards to Mr. Mubarak's father, President Hosni Mubarak. The House Appropriations Committee turned back an effort by Wisconsin Democrat David Obey to withhold a fraction of Egypt's $1.7 billion annual aid allocation. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned that any cuts would damage a "strategic partnership" that is "a cornerstone of U.S. policy in the Middle East." Also this month, in Cairo, pro-democracy activists such as 39-year-old Ahmed Salah of the Egyptian Movement for Change and dozens of his colleagues...

Former House member Dave Obey is among Democrats accusing Republicans of gerrymandering while redistricting Congressional and state legislative districts. At a morning press conference, Obey said each Congressional District is supposed to be about 710,873 people under the census. He said a “small adjustment” could be made to be in compliance but the GOP plan “unnecessarily disrupts” hundreds of thousands of additional residents. State Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller said people in Kenosha County – except city of Kenosha residents – would be disenfranchised. He claimed county residents have not cast a ballot for a state Senate race since 2008...

Sarah Palin has famously announced her "Mama Grizzlies," conservative female candidates she is backing in their races to reshape the American political scene. But there also a “Papa Grizzly,” Sean Duffy, a conservative district attorney and veteran of MTV’s “The Real World: Boston,” who is now given a strong chance of winning the GOP primary and moving on to Congress. Duffy, who sits at the intersection of reality television and today’s version of reality politics, announced a year ago that he wanted to run in Wisconsin’s primarily rural Seventh Congressional District, represented by retiring liberal icon David Obey. Duffy was...

The true face of David Obey and his Democrat allies in Congress was exposed yesterday. Retiring Rep. David Obey (D-WI), the Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, announced that he would stall a supplemental $33 billion Afghanistan war funding bill in order to assure passage of a bill that would result in $35 billion in payoffs to public sector unions. Spending taxpayer money has never been a problem for Obey and his cohorts–but alas, when the Unions are on the line, Obey will come to bat. “I want to wait until the extenders bill is resolved,” Obey told Politico. “All...

You all missed this one. Obey is retiring for one reason, and one reason only. Do you all realize that Obey's son's organization received $2B+ from last year's Porkulus bill? The only reason Obey is quitting is that he now has a nice little "nut" of tax-payer money and is going to retire in style with his pension and his son shuffling some cash under the table to him. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/29/stimulus-includes-plum-lawmakers-son/ http://michellemalkin.com/2009/02/10/how-democrat-david-obeys-son-lobbied-for-porkulus-earmark/ http://www.npca.org/who_we_are/staff.html Craig Obey is David Obey's son. I am shocked, shocked I tell you!

WASHINGTON – Rep. David Obey, a leading liberal Democrat and chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, intends to retire at the end of his term this year, Democratic sources said Wednesday. It is another blow to Democrats defending their majority in an election season of voter discontent. Obey, 71, won the first of 21 terms in 1969 from Wisconsin — when a special election was held after President Richard Nixon tapped Melvin Laird to be his defense secretary. He faced a potentially bruising re-election campaign this fall.

Rep. David Obey (D-WI) on retiring: "Frankly, I had considered retiring after the 2000 election. But I became so angered by the policies of the Bush administration that I decided to stick around as long as they were here."

David Obey won't seek re-election By DAVID ROGERS | 5/5/10 11:39 AM EDT Text Size In a major blow to Democrats, House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey has told close associates that he will not seek re-election and an announcement of his plans is expected as early as Wednesday. The Wisconsin Democrat faces tough poll numbers at home but until Tuesday night his staff had insisted he was running aggressively and had hired campaign staff.

ASHLAND, Wis. | Rep. David Obey has won 21 straight races, easily prevailing through wars and economic crises that have spanned presidencies from Nixon to Obama. Yet the discontent with Washington surging through politics is now threatening not only his seat but Democratic control of Congress. Obey is one of nearly a dozen well-established House Democrats who are bracing for something they rarely face: serious competition. Their predicament is the latest sign of distress for their party and underlines why Republicans are confident of big gains in November, and perhaps even winning back the House. The fight for the midterm...

Winds of change seen not only in places where posts often change hands. Rep. David Obey has won 21 straight races, easily prevailing through wars and economic crises that have spanned presidencies from Nixon to Obama. Yet the discontent with Washington surging through politics is now threatening not only his seat but Democratic control of Congress. Obey is one of nearly a dozen well-established House Democrats who are bracing for something they rarely face: serious competition. Their predicament is the latest sign of distress for their party and underlines why Republicans are confident of big gains in November, and perhaps...

Erick Erickson is apparently busy running around CPAC, but not too busy to fire off this little note on his personal blog over at RedState: Pardon me if you’ve heard this one already. I’m running around CPAC and have missed the news. Governor Palin has gone all in with Sean Duffy and Charlie Cook is now saying David Obey is in trouble. Coincidence? Probably not. Duffy is RedState’s candidate up there. I hope you’ll consider joining Governor Palin and us in supporting him. The refreshing thing about Governor Palin is her willingness to get into contested primaries. That’s the type...

Could Obey Be Coakley’d? Welcome to a new, real political world. By Kathryn Jean Lopez Goliath has been known to win, or he wouldn’t be Goliath. But he didn’t win this time. And that could significantly affect what happens in November. Scott Brown’s victory in the Massachusetts special election for the seat formerly considered by too many to be Ted Kennedy’s seat, is many varieties of good news. It’s especially good news for the Davids around the country who have their sights set on Washington. The “Yes, He Can” line emblazoned across the photo of Marco Rubio on NR’s cover...

The Wall Street Journal’s Kim Strassel profiles GOP up-and-comer Sean Duffy, a 38-year-old district attorney in Wisconsin who’s taking on decrepit Democrat incumbent Rep. David Obey. He’s bringing fresh blood and energy to the fight — and he’s focused on fiscal responsibility:

Here is video of Democrat Rep. David Obey on CNN yesterday where he revealed the way many Democrats feel about sending the reinforcements to Afghanistan requested by Gen. Stanley McChrystal. Obey said he believes it will be a "fool's errand," because we don't have stable enough governments in Afghanistan or Pakistan. The problem is that you can have the best policy in the world, but if you don't have the tools to implement it, it isn't worth a bean bag. And I don't think we have the tools in the Pakistani government. I don't think we have the tools in...

<p>No link for this as I just heard this being reported on FOX News. It appears that some liberal lawmakers, Charlie Rangel, David Obey and a couple of others may be proposing a "War Tax" on the wealthiest of Americans to pay for any upcoming troop surge in Afghanistan.</p>

House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wisc.) and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) engaged in a late afternoon shouting match on the House floor after Obey reportedly rebuffed Waters on a $1 million earmark request, aides and witnesses said. Witnesses, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it appeared that Waters pushed or shoved Obey. The pair were seen shouting at each other and had to be separated by members -- who were gathered on the floor casting final votes before heading off to a party at the White House. Waters, according a Democratic staffer familiar with the situation, approached Obey to...

This "Thrilla in the Congress" has been brewing for a couple of weeks. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), has been upset that committee chair David Obey intended to deny her request to earmark $1 million dollars from the US Treasury for the Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center. According to house sources it is never a good thing to get on the bad side of one of Maxine Waters’ outbursts. Two weeks ago Waters confronted Obey behind closed doors in a Democratic whip meeting. Obey told Waters that he was no longer allowing earmarks named after Members and would only make exceptions...

House Democrats told the president Monday he won't be getting money to close the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, until he has a "concrete program" for shutting it down and moving its prisoners. The $80 million will be dropped from President Obama's supplemental request for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rep. David Obey told reporters. "So far as we can tell, there is yet no concrete program for that," said Obey, D-Wisconsin. "And while I don't mind defending a concrete program, I'm not much interested in wasting my energy defending a theoretical program. So...

Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are asking questions about the lobbying activities of Craig Obey, who is the son of House Appropriations Committee chairman David Obey. The elder Obey is, as much as anyone, the author of the giant stimulus bill that passed the House. Craig Obey works for an organization called the National Parks Conservation Association, which describes its mission as "to protect and enhance America's national parks for present and future generations" and to "advocate for the national parks and the National Park Service." Now, it just so happens that the National Park Service...