WI-08 — Michael Barone writes on NRO that for a number of House Democrats, voting yes on Obamacare was probably a career-ending decision.You can put Rep./Dr. Steve Kagen (D., Wis.) firmly in this group, and his downfall couldn’t be more emblematic of the Democratic failure (and hubris) when it comes to health-care reform.

The GOP has been hammering Kagen ever since footage surfaced of the 2-term Congressman striding confidently down Capitol Hill, jacket slung over his shoulder, while the Obamacare “negotiations” were taking place. When asked about the bill, Kagen responds: “I am writing the health-care bill. What would you like in it?” Kagen clearly didn’t realize at the time that he was sticking a knife in a career by making that comment. After all, his party’s leadership thought passing a massive health-care overhaul that most Americans opposed would be a good idea. Now, a majority of voters in Kagen’s home state of Wisconsin want the bill repealed. The NRCC has made good use of that clip in a pair of devastating ads targeting Kagen:

Ouch.

To his credit, Kagen went home and tried to defend the bill to his constituents. How did that go?

Kagen has responded by running what has to be one of the most desperate, dishonest campaigns of the year, leveling countless outrageous accusations at his Republican opponent Reid Ribble. For instance, in this ad about Social Security:

Politifact Wisconsin rated this ad “Pants on Fire,” calling it a complete mischaracterization of Ribble’s position, not to mention that it refers to Ribble, a roofing contractor who has never held or run for public office, as “Politician Reid Ribble.” But Kagen didn’t stop there, he did his best to top himself in this latest ad on illegal immigration:

It goes without saying that a Republican running this ad would almost certainty be accused of “race-baiting.” Also, it’s completely made up.

Ribble has attempted to keep a sense of humor throughout. His campaign website features a “Kagen Truth Detector” that after clicking returns the message: “Search Error: No Result Found.” He has plenty of reason to be laughing. A poll taken in mid-September had Ribble leading Kagen by 18 points among likely voters — 57 to 39 percent. And just last week, the DCCC announced it was canceling ad time reserved on Kagen’s behalf, a pretty clear indicator that Democrats no longer think Kagen’s seat is winnable.

It’s been a wild ride for Kagen — Still high off the Obama victory in ‘08, he proudly claimed authorship of a health-care reform bill that voters opposed initially (but would grow to love, right?). And when they ultimately rejected that bill, and it came time to answer to the electorate, how did he respond? With flat out lies about his opponent. Well, it seems that “Politician Reid Ribble” won’t be a lie for much longer.