BLOG Who Is Joseph Cao? What Is His Payoff?

Rep. Joseph Cao, the Sole Republican to Support Pelosi Health Bill Daniel Stone

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 vow 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.

His reason for being the lone GOP nod? "I have always said that I would put aside partisan wrangling to do the business of the people. My vote tonight was based on my priority of doing what is best for my constituents," he said in a statement quickly released by his office. Earlier in the evening, he also supported a controversial amendment (which also passed) from Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak prohibiting any federal money from funding abortion.

The demographics in Cao's district would seem to have given a picture of where he would come down on the issue, although Democrats have for weeks counted out any Republican support. He received no call from the White House early Saturday, unlike several Democratic leaders who were reportedly sitting on the fence. Cao (pronounced gow) represents an area in the southern part of Louisiana, which includes areas around New Orleans, that's affected by one of the highest rates of poverty in the nation. It's also a district that usually goes to Democrats, but due to some ethical questions surrounding his Democratic opponent last fall, Cao won one of the biggest political upsets of the year. Following the vote Saturday evening, several Democratic lawmakers said that Cao did show signs that he was open to persuasion, having refused to make firm statements about how he would vote. Cao's timing also suggests that even before the late-night vote, he was confident in his decision. He pressed the 'yes' button several minutes before the voting window closed, meaning he wasn't planning to only vote yes in the final moments if absolutely necessary.

It's unclear whether Republican leaders will discipline Cao for breaking ranks and allowing Democrats to claim the bill had "bipartisan support." But what Cao can look forward to is the instant catapult into the national spotlight that his fellow Republican Rep. Joe Wilson received after calling President Obama a liar back in September. That and some new friends on Capitol Hill. On such a close vote, Cao is a hero to Democrats. But to Republicans, he's the one that got away.

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/theg...republican-to-support-pelosi-health-bill.aspx

If I recall correctly, he was one of the last (maybe the last) to vote.

I wouldn't be surprised if he struck a deal with the Republican leadership - if they needed his vote to defeat it, he'd vote no. If it was already passed, he could vote yes to protect his seat.

exiled2tx said:

If I recall correctly, he was one of the last (maybe the last) to vote.

I wouldn't be surprised if he struck a deal with the Republican leadership - if they needed his vote to defeat it, he'd vote no. If it was already passed, he could vote yes to protect his seat.

Click to expand...

I guess it’s all in the deal. Principle and the Constitution mean nothing. Therefore……….he is a liberal.

Enough said.

Looking at this another way.

I applaud him.
He's probably the only honest RINO in the herd!!!

He filled the seat vacated by William Jefferson in Louisiana's 2nd District. Why did he ever run as a Republican?

Guess Who Twisted GOP Rep. Cao's Arm To 'Persuade' Him To Vote Yea On PelosiCare . . .Rahm Emanuel. I should have known . . .

Salon - House Republicans have been remarkably unified this year, sticking together on all of the big votes and ensuring that Democrats don't have any bipartisan cover whatsoever. But when the House votes on the Democrats' healthcare reform bill Saturday night, things could be different.

Multiple outlets are reporting that both sides of the aisle are lobbying aggresively to win over Rep. Joseph Cao, R-La. Cao has reportedly told colleagues he's undecided, and the White House is getting involved in the fight for his vote as a result. According to ABC News, even White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has spoken with Cao.

Cao is in a unique position, because he's a first-term congressman who represents a heavily Democratic district. As a result, he'll have a hard time getting reelected as it is, and though the GOP base would undoubtedly rise up against him, Cao can use a little bipartisan credibility with the Democrats in his district. The only reason he was able to win election in the virst place is because he was running against Rep. William Jefferson, who was under indictment on federal corruption charges at the time of the vote; Jefferson has since been convicted on a majority of the counts against him.

Update: Whether due to Emanuel's infamous gift for arm-twisting, his district's blueness or something else, the Democrats won over Cao. He crossed the aisle to provide the bill with its 220th "aye."
http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/11/07/cao

Cao is a RINO who voted for the bill. This means (to the libs) that the bill passed with full bi-partisan support. To them, one RINO is the same as all the RINO's.

Cao Votes for “Life”; Achieves Legislation to Protect the Health of All Americans

Cao Heads Home to Read Health Care Bill
Washington, DC , Nov 7 -

Tonight, Congressman Anh “Joseph” Cao (LA-2) voted in favor of the comprehensive health reform bill, H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act. . . .

Cao said: “Today, I obtained a commitment from President Obama that he and I will work together to address the critical health care issues of Louisiana including the FMAP crisis and community disaster loan forgiveness, as well as issues related to Charity and Methodist Hospitals. And, I call on my constituents to support me as I work with him on these issues.

Cao said: “I have always said that I would put aside partisan wrangling to do the business of the people. My vote tonight was based on my priority of doing what is best for my constituents. . . .


http://josephcao.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=154007

Goodness, the man is from Lousiana. When did that become a paragon of virtue in the world of politics?

They probably promised him another levee in NO, 6 post offices and a federal jobs training center with $100,000 in the freezer of his choice.

What he REALLY is is a soon-to-be former Rep from LA come 2011.

Rhino.... we need change

Taking the last minute abortion option opened up a lot of fence sitters especially with the Catholics. I'm one Catholic who is pleased they did take out the gov. paid abortions but not pleased enough to sacrifice our country surrendering it to the Socialists!!! What good will health care for ALL be if it cripples and topples the very machine who pays for it? And what good will health care for ALL be when it is to be controled by a government for ALL???

Cao is riding high on his popularity now, but he will soon have to face the Republicans in his district. Hope he has body guards.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20091108/pl_politico/29299

Cao jolts the House
Jonathan Allen Jonathan Allen
Sun Nov 8, 3:58 pm ET

Once a year, Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao gives the Washington establishment a little jolt.

In December 2008, the nationally unknown Vietnamese community activist captured a seat for Republicans in majority-black New Orleans, becoming an instant — albeit short-lived — celebrity for the GOP.

On Saturday night, he handed Democrats their only Republican vote on the centerpiece of their domestic agenda, a massive overhaul of the nation's health care system that promises to enhance coverage for tens of millions of Americans and thousands of Cao's constituents. Now he's a bit of a cult hero on the left — a profile in courage, Democrats say — and television bookers were scrambling to find cell phone numbers for his aides Sunday.

Republicans and Democrats who have worked closely with Cao in Louisiana and Washington say they weren’t a bit surprised — even if much of the political world did a double take — when Cao registered a green light on the scoreboard in the House chamber.

“I think he works hard. I think he studies things, and I think he tries to do the right thing,” said an administration official who has worked with Cao. “People in the administration reach out to him a lot because he’s willing to talk about things nondogmatically.”

Of course, Cao and the Obama administration have a major shared interest in the rebuilding of New Orleans, which puts him in regular contact with the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Homeland Security and Education.

On health care, Cao met with the White House point person, Nancy-Ann DeParle, in his office and spoke to her repeatedly by phone during the past couple of months, according to an aide. President Barack Obama called him Saturday, giving Cao an opportunity to press the president to help with hospital development and forgiveness for disaster loans in New Orleans.

All along, Cao was looking for reasons to support the bill, according to spokeswoman Princella Smith. But there was one seemingly insurmountable obstacle among a series of reservations: The former Jesuit seminarian was dead-set against voting for it if it expanded abortion rights in a new health care exchange.

He met with members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and called Democrats to help secure their votes for the Stupak-Pitts amendment sharply limiting the use of federal dollars for subsidizing abortions, according to Smith.

“When the Stupak amendment passed, his decision to go for it was made,” she said.

There was a bit of visual drama on the House floor Saturday night, with Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) cozying up to Cao to try to keep a unified Republican line against the bill. Cao, in a move courteous to GOP leaders who wanted to force as many Democrats as possible to cast “yes” votes — and preserving his options — waited until the other side had posted the 218 votes necessary for passage before casting his yea.

Perhaps because few believed that a Republican with little money and no national party support could ever win in New Orleans, most of Washington’s political class was surprised when Cao arrived in Washington — and many wrote him off early as a one-term wonder.

But there may be a certain freedom in the possibility that, as a Republican in New Orleans, his political career is living on borrowed time.

“This is ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.’ He’ll tell you, ‘I don’t know whether I’m going to be here in two years, so I’m going to do everything I can for my district.’ That’s all I’ve seen,” said Paul Rainwater, executive director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority in Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration.

Rainwater, who is a former senior aide to Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu, said Cao hit the ground running when he was first elected, asking for briefings on local issues and the matrix of agencies involved in Gulf Coast recovery.

“I’ve been impressed with the way he attacks an issue,” Rainwater said. “You can’t help but like him. You can’t help but like his energy, and you can’t help but like his honesty.”

Cao’s take?

“I’ve always been focusing on making the right decisions for the people of my district, whether or not it will cost me my political future,” he told CNN on Sunday.

Though Cao and his aides insist he will remain a Republican, he at times seems closer to Democrats — friends like California Rep. Mike Honda, administration officials who work closely with him and a bipartisan staff — than to his colleagues in the GOP.

There’s no guarantee that his vote for the health care bill will make him popular enough with Democrats in New Orleans to win next November and give a third jolt to the political establishment, but it’s made him a few Democratic friends in Washington for the moment.

“This was, as you observed, a bipartisan vote,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said at a postvote news conference.

Correction: An earlier version of this story said that Cao was elected in November 2008. In fact, he was elected in December 2008.

I don't blame him if he is actually voting they way his constituents want him to vote. That is what he is supposed to do. I does make me wonder just what is in the bill or if he or his constituents know what they voted for. These are supposedly poor people that are still trying to recover from Katrina. I think he said that 2/3 of his constituents are uninsured. So if they can't afford to get insurance they are supposed to be fined and or jailed right? Or is it? Why would a poor person want to vote to be mandated to get health insurance? Makes no sense too me. How are they supposed to be able to afford the fines if they can't afford insurance?

Related:


http://www.foxnews.com/politics/200...ent-weeks-courting-lone-gop-vote-health-care/

- FOXNews.com - November 09, 2009

White House Spent 'Weeks' Courting Lone GOP Vote on Health Care Bill

Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao, the only Republican to back the health care bill in the House Saturday night, says he had several meetings with President Obama and White House staff in the weeks leading up to the vote.


The White House spent weeks trying to convince Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao to support the House health care reform bill before he finally cast his vote in favor of the Democratic package, the Republican congressman from Louisiana said Monday.

Cao was the only Republican to back the House bill Saturday night. He told Fox News that he bucked his party out of a sense of obligation for his district, which encompasses most of New Orleans.

"My vote was a vote of conscience," Cao said. "Whether or not it was a popular vote for the party is of little relevance to me."

But Cao said the Obama administration invested considerable time in him. He said President Obama spoke with him for "a period of a couple weeks" and that Obama's staff spoke with him "on a number of occasions."

The final pitch came Saturday around noon, when Obama called Cao and apparently offered assurances that he would help economic recovery in his district, which is mostly minority and poor. Obama got 75 percent of the votes in Cao's district in last November's presidential election.

"We were able to sit down to talk about recovery, to talk about the needs of the district," Cao told Fox News, though he said no "promises" were made. "The administration and I, we have a very great relationship."

The health care reform bill passed by a 220-215 vote Saturday. Cao's backing denied the Republican Party the ability to claim a unanimous rejection of the bill, and it allows Democrats to claim some semblance of bipartisan support.

But Cao's unique political circumstances make him a special case and could help justify his vote in the eyes of other Republicans.

The Republican won in an upset election last December, ousting embattled Democratic Rep. William Jefferson, who has since been convicted on federal corruption charges.

But Cao's victory also immediately made him one of the most vulnerable GOP members in the House. Cao was keenly aware of how the health care reform vote could affect his political future.

According to The Times-Picayune, he said over the summer that "voting against the health care bill will probably be the death of my political career."

With the "yes" vote, Cao may give himself a fighting chance.

The Republican gave a twofold explanation for his decision late Saturday, saying in a written statement that he was standing against taxpayer funding for abortion as much as he was standing for health care reform.

Cao said the last-minute amendment to restrict federal funding toward abortions, a sticking point for many moderates, was a deciding factor for him.

"Thanks to the ... amendment, taxpayer dollars will not go to supporting elective abortions, and for thousands of my constituents, this was a top priority," he said. "By incorporating this amendment into the health reform bill, my colleagues and I made this bill better, and that is an achievement of which I will always be proud."

Cao even copied in an endorsement of his vote from Gregory Aymond, archbishop of New Orleans, who said he was "grateful" to Cao for his "determination to defend life."

Very surprising commentary here. Never thought the folks at TB2K would feel that a politician should vote the way folks in Washington tell him to vote, rather than voting the way the people in his district want him to vote.

I am an opponant of the health plan, but respect the man for doing what our elected officials are supposed to do. I thought thats what we wanted? Politicians who represent US, that voted them into office, rather than their buddies in DC? Maybe I'm mistaken.

I would respect him a lot more if he had refused being "wined & dined" by Obama et al, and had just voted his conscience "unassisted."

fairbanksb said:

I don't blame him if he is actually voting they way his constituents want him to vote. That is what he is supposed to do. I does make me wonder just what is in the bill or if he or his constituents know what they voted for. These are supposedly poor people that are still trying to recover from Katrina. I think he said that 2/3 of his constituents are uninsured. So if they can't afford to get insurance they are supposed to be fined and or jailed right? Or is it? Why would a poor person want to vote to be mandated to get health insurance? Makes no sense too me. How are they supposed to be able to afford the fines if they can't afford insurance?

Click to expand...

Where the Government Plan comes in, those who cannot afford insurance can get it FREE from the government! In the meantime, it's their small-business EMPLOYERS that will have to pay the tax/fine for not being able to cover them.

Watch the consequences.

Small-business employer goes bankrupt from extra fees. Employ-ees are now out of work and on the unemployment line until unemployment runs out. Then it's on to welfare. Naturally this will be happening all over that area because ALL small-business owners are in the same boat so, no more business adventure for those hapless owners. He/she will go the same way....to poverty.

Not sure if that's the case but most of his constituant's thought process stops at "Free for me." Well, if this goes through they won't have a job but at least they will get free healthcare! (If they wait long enough in yet another government line and don't pass out!!!!)

Gao should have done his homework and at his townhall meetings explained that to his constituants. (Minus the "Free for me" referance.)

Dennis Olson said:

I would respect him a lot more if he had refused being "wined & dined" by Obama et al, and had just voted his conscience "unassisted."

Click to expand...

He voted with his wallet...FOX news just reported that he achieved loan forgiveness of over a billion dollars of Katrina debt to the Fed.

And how could he turn that down? You can rest assured the word would have been spread far and wide if he had. His newest constituents would never understand integrity - they've had no prior experience with it.

Volleyball Granny said:

He voted with his wallet...FOX news just reported that he achieved loan forgiveness of over a billion dollars of Katrina debt to the Fed.

Click to expand...

He got that and a PROMISE that expanded coverage for abortion won't be in the bill. However, many Demos have all but come out and said that this provision will be in the final bill. Only time will tell. I would admire the guy more if he actually came out and said that he had personally read the darn thing and then went to his consitituants explained it and had taken their wishes to Washington to vote.

Vote for health reform costs GOP lawmaker
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS - The only Republican in the House to vote for a Democrat-backed health care bill says two fundraisers for him have been canceled since Saturday's vote.

Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao (gow) said Tuesday some campaign contributors have also asked for their money back.

But Cao stands by his vote and rejects any notion he might leave the Republican Party.

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia says he was disappointed by Cao's vote but he plans no political retaliation against Cao.

Cao, a Vietnamese-American, represents a mostly Black, mostly Democratic New Orleans-based district. He narrowly defeated Democratic incumbent William Jefferson last year after Jefferson was indicted on corruption charges.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/11/10/20091110gop-healthvote1110-ON.html

The really weird thing is that O didn't have to court him, our boy was in his pocket all along. The only hold up was abortion and that was handled.

I think he made it clear he was going to vote what his district wanted. And I don't think he was in a position to 'teach' them they were wrong.

Anyway, I am sure he will be picked off in the next election, assuming they can find somebody to run who does not have his hand in the till right there on TEEVEE.