House Minority Whip Eric Cantor promised Capitol Hill protesters on Friday that not one Republican would approve the Democrats' health care bill. But Cantor's promise of unanimity slipped Saturday night when the final vote tally -- 220 to 215 in support of the bill -- revealed Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao, a Republican from Louisiana, cast a yes vote.Who is Joseph Cao?
He won his Congressional seat by beating the controversial William Jefferson ... the Democrat who stashed the illegal cash in his freezer.
According to Cao's bio on Wikipedia, he was born in Vietnam and escaped to this country with his family when he was eight years old. His father, who was a lieutenant in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, was a North Vietnam prisoner of war for seven years ... so I find it ironic that this man, whose family escaped the tyranny of communism, has voted to enact what many consider to be a socialist government program in his adopted country.
Was he intimidated after his vote earlier this year against the Obama stimulus bill? That vote sparked outrage in his District and a recall effort began to remove him from office. However, the recall effort was deemed illegal ... but by voting for nationalized health care, has he protected himself to remain safe in his Congressional seat?
Cao is an attorney with Virginia ties (taught at a parochial school) who specializes in immigration law, and a devout Roman Catholic.
This is not his first time bucking the Republicans. From Wikipedia:
Cao was one of just 5 Republicans to vote for the Obama administration's $106 billion 2009 supplemental appropriation (House Resolution 2346) for military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Despite being lobbied by Republican leaders John Boehner and Eric Cantor to vote against the measure, Cao justified his favorable vote because the bill included funding for Gulf Coast restoration work and for low-income housing to help constituents displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.[75]Reportedly he was against the nationalized health care bill providing for abortion funds and, when a deal was made to remove those, he supported the bill:
In 2009 August Cao announced his intention to vote against the healthcare bill if it provided public funding for abortion.As of 1:44 a.m. on November 8, his Wikipedia page had been updated to show his support as the lone Republican for the health care monstrosity voted in on November 7, 2009.
2 comments:
YOU might think of Joseph Cao as a "traitor," but I need to remind you of the fact that Cao represents an overwhelmingly Democratic district in New Orleans -- including the city's Katrina-devastated Lower Ninth Ward -- where the majority of its residents are poor and working-class African-Americans.
Cao had little choice but to adhere to the wishes of the constituents who elected him and vote in favor of the bill. Had he voted against it, he would have found himself at extremely high risk of getting thrown out of office in next November's election.
This is what you right-wingers fail to understand. If you're a Republican and you represent a predominantly Democratic district (or state, in the case of Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine) , you MUST act in accordance to the majority of your constituents, or else you will get tossed out in the next election.
The same is true of Democrats who represent predominantly Republican districts.
There is a REASON why it's called the House of Representatives. It's their job to represent the people who elected them.
Rep. Cao put his constituents ahead of his party. it's as simple as that.
You missed my point. Mr. Cao's family left a communist regime in Vietnam to relocate in the freedom of America ... but Mr. Cao's vote is not in the best interest of his adopted country or his constituents. He did not put their best interest ahead of his party. He put his best interests ahead of his party. He was heavily pressured by Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi with promises made ... I am surprised he would expect to see any of those promises including the one saying no government money would be spent on abortions.
In my opinion, by voting for socialized medicine, Mr. Cao sold out America.
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