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Childers feels heat as health vote closes in
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But as of Monday, the Democrat still had not indicated where he would land on a final vote, only repeating his earlier statements about his ideas of a bill he could support.
The ralliers will make their point at noon in front of Childers’ Tupelo office on West Main Street.
“Travis Childers voted no last November on the health care bill,” organizer Grant Sowell said, “but we need to ensure that his vote has not changed.”
Their demands are just part of the pressure Childers is feeling on legislation his party’s leader promotes as the hallmark of his presidency.
Democratic House members are under intense pressure from the White House and other party officials to vote yes.
Monday, Childers declined to say anything new about what he’ll do when the time comes.
Spokesman Dana Edelstein issued his oft-repeated stance:
“I remain committed to effective, fiscally responsible health care reform that will lower premiums for hard-working Mississippians, ensure coverage for individuals with pre-existing conditions, prohibit federal funding for abortion and provide equal access to care for individuals in rural communities.”
Childers also has said America needs health care reform, but Congress needs “to get it right, not just get it fast.”
A vote could come this week.
Dr. Marty Wiseman, director of the Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State University, terms it “one heck of a leap of faith” that Childers could support the overhaul in hopes that his Northeast Mississippi constituency could come to embrace it.
“If he could be able to point to his vote, down the road, and say I voted yes when nobody else would,” Wiseman reflected, “it’s a very long leap and it would be difficult.”
Childers, who is aligned with the moderate to conservative Blue Dog Democrats, faces perhaps the most significant vote of his nearly two-year career in Washington. He won a special election in the spring of 2008 to replace Roger Wicker of Tupelo, who was appointed to the U.S. Senate in late 2007.
That November, Childers won a full two-year term.
He’s weathered votes against the financial institutions bailout and for the federal stimulus program. But the health care vote comes less than eight months before he faces re-election.
The widely respected Cook Political Report terms his race “a toss-up.” It labels re-elections “solid D” for Mississippi Democrats Rep. Bennie Thompson of Bolton and Gene Taylor of Bay St. Louis, and equally strong for Republican Rep. Gregg Harper of Brandon.
The Blue Dogs are not expected to vote as a bloc this time, said Edelstein.
MSU’s Wiseman predicted that if the measure passes, “In five years, it’s going to be very, very popular.”
He bases that view on the history of controversies surrounding passage of Social Security and Medicaid programs, which were very unpopular as proposals. “But you don’t see anybody wanting to repeal them now, do you?” he assessed.
Contact Patsy R. Brumfield at (662) 678-1596 or patsy.brumfield@djournal.com.
Tea Party rally
When: Today, noon
Whre: Childers' office north side of Fairpark District next to Park Heights restaurant.
As far as Mr Nunley(sic) I don't support him either. I don't see enough personal resolve on his part. I don't know who will emerge but I'm most interested in Henry Ross of Eupora. Ex small town mayor with good conservative background and values. Definite outsider but very knowledgeable about public administration and how to get things done. Nope, no "nunley" for me....
You're probably right. The fashionable thing in North MS is to vote Republican, so my guess is Barber's lackey (Nunley) will get elected and will be the one doing whatever Papa Barber tells him to. If you elect this gomer, you deserve whatever he does ...
Just a few examples:
22 year old fulltime student/works parttime. No parents. No coverage at work. Options?
39 year old works for a corporation who provides dietary services for a university. The university contracts these services out - cheaper than hiring fulltime employees and paying benefits. The company keeps the employees at 32 hours a week or less. Minimum wage. Options?
33 year old single mom. Works at night fulltime and going to school during the day. Nighttime job does not offer nor provide benefits. Options?
These examples go on and on. These particular three are folks I happen to know, but there are countless others right here in North Miss. Most are the working poor; i.e. they work but they cannot afford the luxury of healthcare.
Something should be done, but maybe not this particular bill.
I wholeheartedly support the restrictions and reductions on welfare benefits. That is a different issue and one I hope Congressman Childers will consider working on. Fraud is rampant - from food stamps to HUD subsidies, etc.
Anyway, just my two cents. . . .
Commonsense_81, I'll have to agree with you, I'm sure getting tired of paying for everyone else's sins and stupidity.
And for a couple of peoples comments on here,all I can say, is you really need to stop smoking what ever that stuff is or just say no to drugs.
And by the way,
GO TO HELL OLE MISS!!!!!!!!!!!
We probably wouldn't have ANY healthcare problems in this country if they would reform JUST the welfare system. Either pass MANDATORY drug testing or YOU DON'T GET YOUR CHECK! Prove to me that you absolutely cannot work or YOU DON'T GET YOUR CHECK! And just to reiterate...STOP PAYING WOMEN TO HAVE CHILDREN! If you can't friggin support them, DON'T GET PREGNANT! There's this new invention called BIRTH CONTROL...USE IT (heaven forbid you stop having sex)! These things infuriate me to no end! The sad thing is, if they did impliment these rules and people stopped getting their check, the crime rate would probably spike because they'd start stealing what they want, so it may be a no win situation. And one more thing - make it to where food stamps ONLY buys things that are NECESSARY to life (i.e. food & water), NOT cigarettes, beer, DVD's, electronics, etc, etc. That's why it's called FOOD stamps. These people who are on welfare and/or food stamps and are walking around with iPhones, 6 inch manicured nails, $100 hair cuts, etc, should be imprisioned for cheating the system.
I'll get off my soap box...for now.
On another note, for years we have been told that Social Security will run out of money by the middle of this decade. The main reason is that fewer people are paying into Social Security than are drawing from it. How do these non-representatives of the majority of the people propose that we can pay for something else? Common sense (a rare commodity in Washington) tells most of us that the only way to pay for this form of healthcare is to raise taxes. I would gladly pay higher taxes to protect ALL Americans. I do not favor paying higher taxes so that 3%-5% of the uninsured can have healthcare.
Usually when people hit rock bottom, there's no where else to go but up. When this government hits rock bottom, they'll begin to dig. And unless something changes SOON, Obama, Pelosi, and Reed will be holding the shovels (if not using backhoes & dynamite). And I'm not just bashing the Dems. I'm sick of politicians PERIOD! And I think the rest of the country is, too.
The democrate's in ms. show the republicans that they don't hold all the cards get the vote out the republican party is corrupt from the supreme court all the way down.
Rember what the supreme court did the judges that are republicans gave cooparations a body and soul they can decide who we vote for,now judgest thomas's wife is trying to start forming her own tea party think what can happeb if he has a case that comes befor him will he reques himself he doesn't have to and i don't think he will, don't you see the republican pary wants to take over our country just like they have taken over the tea party.
You will not like what the republicans have planed for the people of the united states,if you want worst than what happened with them in office then vote for them ,i for one would never vote for the republicans and i always vote in ever election, everdemocrats go vote ever one of you.
We need this bill to pass, some say there are people that don't fall between the craks of affordablity of insurance well i know a lot of people that can nolonger pay their preumins on their insurance,some are kickoff their insuranc when they need it most,some can't even get insurance because they have a disablity, we need the health insurance bill to pas and soon.
Childers will NOT be re-elected regardless of what the minorities that hate Mississippi want.
Its funny how all these Obamazoid thugs support the insurance companies since they are the ones that wrote the deathcare bill.
sam6, those who cannot afford healthcare or who are advanced in years are already covered by medicaid and medicare. don't ask me and other taxpayers to pay for even more people to be covered courtesy of "Big Brother." our government must be curtailed not enlarged