The Morning After: Cao Targeted by GOP Lunatic Fringe After Voting for Health Care Bill
November 9, 2009
WASHINGTON—Congress’ first Vietnamese American member Rep. Ahn “Joseph” Cao was interviewed on CNN Sunday morning, just hours after casting the lone Republican vote in favor of H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act.
“I felt last night’s decision was the proper decision for my district even though it was not the popular decision for my party,” Cao, a first-term representative from Louisiana’s traditionally Democratic 2nd District, told CNN.
“A lot of my constituents are uninsured, a lot of them are poor,” Cao said. “It was the right decision for the people of my district.”
Watch Rep. Cao field questions from CNN weekend anchor Betty Nguyen, also Vietnamese American, who tries to pin the congressman down with a list of GOP talking points. Cao hangs tough. Perhaps this was Ms. Nguyen’s audition tape for Fox News.
Initial reports had Cao, 42, who won his seat in December, under severe pressure from his Republican colleagues Saturday after he made it know that he intended to support the Democratic plan once abortion funding was removed from the measure. An article filed by a reporter for the Alaska Dispatch shortly after Saturday’s vote told of Minority Whip Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Virginia) and Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) both figuratively and physically “leaning” on the Asian American freshman congressman as he waited to cast his vote. However, Dispatch reporter Amanda Coyne later revised her story saying that Rep. Young had actually been protecting Cao from party leaders.
According to the Dispatch account: Cao didn’t want to be the deciding vote, but once it was sure to pass, with Young on one side, and another protectorate Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), on the other, Cao was free to be the lone Republican to vote ‘aye.’ As soon as he did, Reps. Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.) and Mike Honda (D-Calif.) waded into the Republican side of the aisle to get to Cao, rub his shoulders and slap him on the back.
- Louisiana’s Rep. Joseph Cao Lone Republican to Support Health Care Plan, Epicanthus
- The Scene in the House When It Happened, Huffington Post
- Right-wing Unleashes Racism on Rep. Cao, Think Progress
- Bio: CNN Weekend Anchor Betty Nguyen
