David Obey — Leading Indicator?

ABC News’ Jonathan Karl reports: You know it’s a bad, bad year for Democrats when David Obey decides not to run for re-election — which he announced today. As Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Rep. Obey (D-WI) is one of the most powerful members of the House.  Only two current members of the House have served longer (Dingell and Conyers).  He’s been elected to the House 21 times. For Obey, every one of those elections has been a cakewalk with the exception of two:  1) In 1969, when, in his first race for Congress, he narrowly won a special election to replace Rep. Melvin Laird, who had just been appointed Defense Secretary by Richard Nixon; and, 2) in 1994, when the Republican revolution gave him a bit of a scare.  Although, even in 1994, Obey won by an 8-point margin. Last year, Obey won re-election by a 22-point margin. But this year, Obey was facing a tough re-election fight against a 38-year-old Republican District Attorney from Ashland County, Wisconsin named Sean Duffy. Duffy is also a competitive lumberjack who starred in MTV’s “Real World” Boston edition series in 1997.  More recently, he was guest on ABC News’ Top Line. “Dave Obey went into office before we went to the moon!” Duffy said on Top Line.  “He was in office before Woodstock, just so show how long this guy has been there. And I think people are ready for a new direction. And we’re bringing that to the table, and I think that’s why our campaign has gotten so much traction is, is our message and the stark difference that that has to David Obey.”