Childers to Challengers: Bring Lunch and a Sleeping Bag

DJournal.com talks to Travis Childers about the politics of the stimulus:

U.S. Rep. Travis Childers predicts he'll feel some political heat about his vote for the new economic stimulus package, especially next year when he runs for re-election. "This is not a perfect bill," he told the Daily Journal editorial board Thursday morning. "My political philosophy is the same: I still hate this debt."

"Doing nothing wasn't an option," he said. "I don't think the people who voted for me wanted me to go up there and do nothing."

It would have been easier, he said, to press the "no" button, but that wouldn't have created a job or helped one single family.

He also said his yes vote was the most difficult of his short legislative career.

Childers, a Booneville Democrat aligned with the House's conservative Blue Dog coalition, said North Mississippi's soaring unemployment figures, among several issues, brought him to support the proposal after repeated votes against last year's financial industry bailout bill.

Childers expects political opponents to hammer him because of this vote because, he predicted, the country's economic difficulties aren't likely to be reversed by the 2010 election.

"They're going to say, See, it didn't work,'" he added.

"I ran five times last year and I never trailed," he recalled. "Anybody who wants to run against me had better bring their lunch and a sleeping bag. I'm prepared."

Asked if he might support a second stimulus package, he said, "I'm not interested in a second package until we see this is working - They will really have to show me something before I vote again."

As for this stimulus act, "I don't see it was a bailout," he said. "It invests in America."