Childers Mentioned As Possible Party Switcher
Whenever a party switch is announced, the next question inevitably leads to who is next. While it remains to be seen if anyone will make that announcement, the speculation is out there and political pundits are looking at the possibilities.
It should be noted that there were five former Democrats who defected to the GOP after the 1994 elections. They did not come in bunches, but were spread out over the following year including the November decision by Mississippi Rep. Mike Parker from the old fourth district.
Politico is reporting that the GOP has been secretly courting another Democrat for a party switch. The story looked at Pennsylvania Rep. Chris Carney who represents a traditionally Republican district John McCain carried by nine points in 2008.
Interestingly, the speculation has centered on a number of other Democrats (here and here). This includes Alabama Rep. Bobby Bright and Idaho Rep. Walt Minnick. They are both freshman, have voted against their party on big-ticket liberal items, and represent conservative districts. They both told Politico they will not be switching parties.
The third Congressman whose name has popped up in the past 24 hours has been the First District’s Travis Childers. When compared with now-Republican Rep. Parker Griffith, Childers’ district is more Republican and he has shown less party loyalty than the Alabama Congressman.
Childers told Patsy Brumfield that switching parties is not an option for him, and said he was sorry to see Griffith make the decision to do so.
You can dress a pig in silk or satin, spray him thoroughly with perfume, scrub every fiber with soap and water until he is squeaky clean, but in the final analysis he is still a pig.
I do not see Childers being welcomed by the GOP…and at the same time I don’t see him ever making the move. He’s a yellow dog, not a blue dog. He’ll lose as a Democrat.