...but that was all he missed, he ain't comin' back...

I think this guy is the one who is out of touch with Obey's district. Apparently he hasn't spent much (if any) time back in north central Wisconsin since he left for college 7 years ago. After all, Obey's district has several new hospitals bringing a significant number of high paying jobs (doctors, administrators, nurses, medical technologists, etc). At least half a dozen airports in his district have seen or are currently undergoing expansion projects due to economic demands of their areas. There are two major federal highway expansion projects ($100M+ each) going on in the district as well (I-39/USH 10 & I-39/USH 51/STH 29).

None of these are a secret to those of us who actually live and work in Obey's district. We just look around on a daily basis and see it happening.

FYI: A major portion of the costs for the airport projects and the highway projects are come from the feds, and as the senior Democrat in Appropriations, Obey has the pull and clout to make these happen...not a 25-year-old who wants to be another Dubya bootlicker.

Rep. David Obey may have 25-year-old competitor in next election: "Nick Reid is only 25 years old, but the Wisconsin native who is press secretary to Rep. Jim Ryun, R-Kan., said Tuesday he is thinking of returning home to launch his own bid for Congress.
Reid, a Republican, wants to challenge incumbent Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., an 18-term veteran of the House and the senior member of Wisconsin's congressional delegation.
'I'm just starting to test the waters here,'' Reid said. 'I'm doing this on my own time during lunches and after hours, calling people to try and build support.''
Reid took the official step Tuesday of forming an exploratory committee, which allows him to raise money for a potential bid.
He has served as Ryun's press secretary for two years and worked at the conservative Heritage Foundation in Washington for three years before that. Reid was born and raised in Douglas County, near Superior, Wis., and graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2001.
Reid acknowledges it will be tough to defeat Obey. The Democrat has been a member of Congress 11 years longer than Reid has lived and won his last race with 86 percent of the vote.
'Having been in there for 36 years, it's time for a new face,'' Reid said. 'It's time for fresh representation.
Reid calls Obey 'out of touch'' with his district. He says the congressman has failed to bring high paying jobs to the region and has voted against tax relief for working families. "