Obey makes pitch for Kreitlow in Superior

Former Congressman Dave Obey made a campaign stop in Superior on Monday to rally volunteers at the Douglas County Democratic headquarters.

The retired congressman was critical of his successor, Rep. Sean Duffy, for betraying Wisconsin’s middle class on two fronts.

“First Duffy has accepted over $600,000 from big banks, insurance companies, credit card companies and the real estate industry and then voted to gut, weaken or delay government oversight of the same banks that darn near ruined the country with their reckless, self-serving behavior,” Obey said. He said Duffy has voted to make it easier for credit card giants to gouge their customers with “outrageous” interest rate practices.

Over the last 25 to 30 years, there has been a decline in middle class incomes, and Duffy’s helping to take wealth out of the pockets of the middle class, making things worse, Obey said.

He has become the “poster child” for the big banks that “doggone near ruined this country,” Obey said.

Second, “Duffy has voted for budgets and tax deals that would pay for unneeded and unaffordable supersized tax cuts for millionaires by ruining Medicare as we know it, shrinking help for middle class families who need Medicaid to pay nursing home costs for grandma and grandpa, cutting college aid for 10 million middle class students, and knocking 200,000 kids off Head Start,” Obey said. “Duffy tries to talk a good game on the middle class, but his voting record shows he is a congressman of, by, and for the special interest elites.”

Duffy’s a great congressman for the top 1 percent but he’s a lousy congressman for everyone else, Obey said.

In the 40 years, Obey represented the 7th District, he said people may have disagreed with him but they knew they could count on him to be in the corner of regular middle class families and fight to keep the big boys honest.

“In contrast, Mr. Duffy’s voting record is a betrayal of the Wisconsin, La Follette tradition of putting the needs of the middle class ahead of the wishes of the special interests,” Obey said. “That is why we need to support Pat Kreitlow for Congress on Nov. 6. He has a solid track record of standing first and foremost with middle class families in Wisconsin’s proud tradition.”

Obey said anyone who knows Kreitlow knows the one-term state senator will put the middle class ahead of special interest based on his life experiences.

Kreitlow has known economic pain, and through his years in the media learned what is good for the middle class.

His values won’t let him put the top 1 percent over the rest of us, Obey said.

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