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Rep. Cao's last-minute switch to vote for Obamacare
By: J.P. Freire
Associate Commentary Editor
11/08/09 2:16 AM EST
Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao, R-La., voted for the health care bill put forward by Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats, breaking ranks with bipartisan opposition and putting to rout claims that there would be no Republican votes for the bill. Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, had previously described Cao as "the future of the GOP." Cao's office put out this statement, highlights of which are below:
“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.
Cao's district is overwhelmingly Democratic, and despite the odds he became the first Vietnamese-American to hold a congressional seat in the wake of the corruption investigation of incumbent Rep. William Jefferson.
Cao was on the fence regarding the legislation, even going so far as to make a show of his uncertainty by posting a video of him heading home to read the legislation on his website:
He was undecided until this morning, when Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., offered an amendment preventing federal funding for abortions. His statement notes: “Before the Stupak-Pitts amendment was adopted as part of this health reform bill, the bill failed to explicitly include the longstanding policy prohibiting federal funding of elective abortion and plans which include elective abortion.”
This is the most significant of the Louisiana congressman's long record of moving to the left. As Michelle Malkin notes, Cao voted for a $108 billion IMF bailout, Rep. Charlie Rangel's, D-N.Y., AIG bonus tax, was one of 16 Republicans voting for the $410 billion omnibus spending bill, and supported SCHIP expansion.
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