After 37 years in the U.S. House of Representative, Rep. Dave Obey hasn't grown tired of the job.
"I want to go back for the same reason I got into this business in the first place -- I get mad because little people are getting screwed by politics," he said Wednesday during a party rally in Superior.
Using rough language is among the Wausau Democrat's traits. Expletives also were used in a speech he delivered prior to his Telegram interview. Obey speaks his mind. He's not one to bite his tongue when politics are on the plate.
Without much prompting Wednesday, he criticized Republicans for promoting morality issues, such as Wisconsin's marriage amendment, while giving tax breaks to wealthy people and cutting aid programs for the poor.
"We have to expand our definition of what morality means," he said.
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But Obey is equally tough on the Democrats with whom he disagrees. An opponent of NAFTA, he strongly criticized former President Bill Clinton, who pushed the free trade measure.
"Clinton was lousy on trade. Every president since Reagan was lousy on trade," Obey said, deeming such bills "SHAFTA."
"We have to have certain protections or we shouldn't give access to U.S. markets," he said.
In the current campaign and during earlier ones, Obey has faced sharp criticism from opponents who argue his district has lost jobs throughout his long tenure. To that, Obey pleads innocent.
"Nobody in government creates jobs. The private sector creates jobs," he said. Nonetheless, Obey said a "fair review" of his record indicates he has voted in favor of measures that foster economic growth.
"The question you have to ask of most members of Congress is: Are they for working stiffs or are they on the side of the elite," he said.
The 68-year-old hasn't given retirement a thought. And with Democrats poised to regain control of Congress, Obey could chair the powerful House Appropriations Committee, which determines how billions in federal money is distributed.
"It's taken me a lot of years to be in the position where I can really do things for this district. I don't see why I should throw that all away," he said.
