Dave Obey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dave Obey | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office April 1, 1969 |
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| Preceded by | Melvin Laird |
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| Born | October 3, 1938 Okmulgee, Oklahoma |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Joan Obey |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
David Ross "Dave" Obey (pronounced Obie) (born October 3, 1938) is a Wisconsin politician. He has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1969, representing Wisconsin's 7th congressional district (map). The district includes much of the northwestern portion of the state, including Wausau and Superior.
Obey was born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, but has lived in Wausau for over half a century. He graduated from Wausau East High School. He received his bachelors degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Before serving in Congress, Obey worked as a real estate broker.
Obey grew up as a Republican. However, he was so angered after seeing one of his teachers falsely branded a Communist by backers of Joseph McCarthy that he became a Democrat in the mid-1950s, somewhere between the ages of 16 and 18. [1] He was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1963 and served there until 1969, when he was elected to the House to replace eight-term incumbent Melvin R. Laird, who was appointed Secretary of Defense under President Richard Nixon. Obey, only 30 when he was elected, became the youngest member of Congress upon taking his seat. He was elected to a full term in 1970 and has been reelected 18 times. He has only faced serious opposition once, in 1994. He is now the longest-serving member of either house of Congress in Wisconsin's history. He is also the third-longest serving member of the House, after fellow Democrats John Dingell and John Conyers.
In Congress, Obey chaired the commission to write the House's Code of Ethics. Among the reforms he instituted was one requiring members of the House to disclose their personal financial dealings so the public would be made aware of any potential conflicts of interest. Obey is currently the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee; he briefly chaired this committee from 1994 to 1995 and served as its ranking Democrat from 1995 to 2007. He also chairs its Subcommittee on Labor.
Obey is one of the most liberal members of the House; he considers himself a progressive in the tradition of Robert La Follette.[2] The 7th elected liberal and moderate Republicans long before Obey took office.
Obey also is remembered for being the congressman who intervened when fellow Democrat Harold Ford, Jr. approached Republican Jean Schmidt on the House floor in 2005. Ford was upset because Schmidt had called Congressman (and decorated former Marine) John Murtha a coward for advocating a redeployment of American forces in Iraq.
[edit] Controversy
On March 7, 2007, a video was posted on YouTube of Congressman Obey arguing with proponents of defunding the Iraq War about their position on how to end the war. He angrily referred to them as "idiot liberals" and told them Democrats would not cut funding for the war because it would cut funding to other vital military functions such as armor and medical supplies for U.S. military personnel, but were instead working on an amendment to order an end to the war altogether. He also stated that to one of the proponents that "...if that isn't good enough for you, you're smoking something illegal!" Obey later apologized for the incident.
[edit] External links
- Congressman Dave Obey official U.S. House website
- Dave Obey for Congress campaign website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Current Bills Sponsored at StateSurge.com
- Democratic Party of Wisconsin — Dave Obey biography
- House Appropriations Committee official website
- David Obey profile in US News
- Daniel Mielke (currently seeking to unseat Dave Obey)
| Preceded by Melvin R. Laird |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 7th congressional district April 1, 1969 – present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by William Natcher |
Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee 1994 – 1995 |
Succeeded by Bob Livingston |
| Preceded by Jerry Lewis |
Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee 2007 – present |
Incumbent |
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