According to the ADG this morning, Vic Snyder is one of the congressmen who has received a death threat because of Obamacare.

The ADG this morning has an article on why Vic Snyder announced his retirement from Congress. The article emphasized his family situation with four young children, including triplets, and a wife with health problems. No doubt that played a large role in his decision, along with his low polling numbers.

Gunfight at Graffiti's

In the Arkansas Times blog, Snyder's retirement prompted the recall of an earlier incident at Graffiti's restaurant when a Republican doctor's wife confronted Snyder and his wife at dinner.  For more see here. And here.

The Arkansas Blog for November 16, 2009, has the details on the events of the Griffiti's encounter.

Ernest Dumas wrote a column on the incident with the same details taken from an email sent out by the doctor's wife. 

Powerline discusses Vic Snyder's retirement under the heading "Another one bits the dust." They claim he is now more likely to vote for the health-care overhaul, but he was going to anyway.

Politico has picked up the Vic Snyder news. They've had him on the list of endangered Congressmen for some time. His polling numbers were already bad, but you have to believe that his surprise announcement and the release of a new FireDogLake poll, both occurring yesterday, were not coincidental.

WSJ: Vic Snyder, 2nd Congressional district Arkansas Democrat who has favored health reform, has announced his retirement. He was facing re-election this November.

Washington Post picks up on the story.

Jason Tolbert reports that a poll shows that Democrat Vic Snyder is trailing Republican Tim Griffin by 17 points. The poll focuses on Snyder's support of health care reform.

To give credit where credit is due, the poll is from a blog called FireDogLake. 

Snyder: public option out

In a new town hall meeting yesterday, Vic Snyder (D-AR) said he thinks the public option will likely not be part of changes in our health care system. He stated it doesn't "add a lot" and brings out opposition — the "camel's nose under the tent" that will lead to socialized medicine. But he didn't say he would vote against it.

The Democrat-Gazette story is here, but you have to be a subscriber to read it all.

Vic Snyder (D-AR) has held another town hall meeting with an overflow crowd. This link requires a subscription to read the entire article. He stated he was "no big fan" of the public option (i.e., government-run health care), but he did not say he would vote against it.

Townhall turmoil in Little Rock

While I'm looking at Townhall meetings, I was interested in the one held in Little Rock a few days ago with Reps. Mike Ross and Vic Synder. You can follow reports here and here. There's another meeting scheduled at the Clinton Library on August 18.