Voting on principle can be costly. U.S. Rep. Joseph Cao is hit with a backlash for being the lone GOP vote for the health care reform bill, even as the party’s leaders are denying they’re osctracizing him.
After the vote, a GOP colleague, minority whip Eric Cantor, refused to shake Cao’s hands, according to the Orlando Catholic Examiner.
Cao has also had two fundraisers canceled on him, and some contributors are demanding their money back, reports the AP.
Rep. Cao had always said that he supports universal health care access, but had a problem with abortion funding in the law’s previous version. Once abortion was taken out of the bill, he voted for it. After the vote, Cao told CNN’s Betty Nguyen that his vote was a “decision of conscience.” (See first video below the jump.)
Lobbying for Cao’s vote was intense, with President Obama and Cantor both vying for the man’s attention, reports The Hill in details here.
Cao later told the AP that he had asked the White House for help with rebuilding Katrina-ravaged New Orleans, but rejected the claim that there was horse trading: The White House did not promise anything, said Cao, and vice-versa, “I’m pretty sure that if I were to vote no against the bill the president would still continue to work with me to address the needs of my district.”
That, however, didn’t stop conservative pundit Rush Limbaugh from giving the only Vietnamese-American in Congress the moniker “Cash Cao” on his radio show.
Well aware that a backlash against Cao can cause a backlash-to-the-backlash, Republican leaders argue they are not taking revenge on Cao.
Cantor, the man who had refused to shake Cao’s hand, was in Cao’s hometown of New Orleans for a fundraiser for Rep. Bill Cassidy, whose district is somewhere else, in Baton Rouge. Cantor insisted that, “No,” retaliation is not planned. “Because I am well aware that Anh Cao is a thoughtful legislator. He weighed the pluses and minuses of the bill in his vote,” Cantor said.
Cao himself told CNN’s Don Lemmon (second video below) that his GOP colleagues have been “professional” about each other’s votes.
In California, Assemblyman Van Tran, a GOP stalwart who’s been a party faithful all his adult life, told Nguoi Viet Daily News (here, in Vietnamese) that he’d spoken to top party leaders and they “understood” Cao’s vote.
Tran declined to state whether he supports health care reform, dancing right around the question. Asked of Cao’s vote, Tran said, “we understand and respect (Rep. Cao’s) decision,” and said he hope Cao extracted from President Obama some “privileges and polices in the interest of his Louisiana district” for his vote.
Meanwhile, angry rank and file Republicans are still going after Cao. The above Wanted poster is from the Mad Conservative web site. The Freedom Post blog calls the anti-communist refugee legislator ”Joseph ‘Mao’.”
Here’s Cao on CNN with Betty Nguyen:
And here he is again on CNN with Don Lemmon:
yeah, and everyone else is…… ………… you, dumb dumb Quang or a slutty mexican Loretta?
Assemblyman Van Tran has been serving our community for more than 20 years and his presence at Sacramento has made us all proud viets.
http://www.joinvantran.org
http://www.joinvantran.com
Hey Bo May,
Oooh … so vicious and nasty against Assemblyman Van Tran. Name calling and all. You are Quang Pham after all. Don’t get to upsewt at the truth. Nice start to your campaign.
You should be proud of yourself Quang Pham. Did you learn how to slime from Gang Boss Janet Nguyen? Did Nick Le Cong, Janet’s string puller, provide the mud for you? Do you have any shame? Did Whiney Andrew Do, who whines like a girl, help you with the slime script?
Now Quang, is that how a gentleman and an officer, a Marine Corps. officer is taught to act? You are now reduced to name calling against your opponent when you have no name and no record. Nice…..
Keep it up Quang. Let’s see how far you get. Don’t get too angry when the reality is that you can’t win. No, you just can’t win. Deep down. You know that. Just don’t delude yourself.
If you are a Republican that you claim you are, why are you not running against your real opponent, Loretta Sanchez?
Hey cheapo Quang …you should send us $50k to feed our homless people instead of burning them for your name PR…but wait, you would have an heart attack donating lousy $10 for a good cause.
Hey Jung Kim,
Oooh … so vicious and nasty against Mr. QuangPham. Name calling and all. You are VAn Tran after all. Don’t get to upsewt at the truth. Nice start to END campaign.
You should be proud of yourself Van Tran. Did you learn how to slime from the gang Andy Quach, Tyler Diep and your wife? Did Nick Le Cong, Janet’s string puller, provide the mud for you? Do you have any shame? Did Whiney Andrew Do, who whines like a girl, help you with the slime script?
Now Van Tran, is that how an assembly an a lawyer is supposed to act? You are now reduced to name calling against your opponent when you have no name and no record. Nice…..
Keep it up Van. Let’s see how far you get. Don’t get too angry when the reality is that you can’t win. No, you just can’t win. Deep down. You know that. Just don’t delude yourself.
If you are a Republican that you claim you are, why are you not running against your real opponent, Loretta Sanchez?
Go Quang Pham, Loretta, anyone else but Van Tran!
Down with Van Tran!
—————————————————————————————
Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.
Carl Jung
Go Quang Pham, Loretta, anyone else but Van Tran!
Down with Van Tran!
http://phamforcongress.com/
Quang Pham, you are a lost cause.
Wasn’t it hard to staying below quietly at Andrew Do’s sandwich table looking for scraps?
Quang, before you run for a Sanitary District office, you need to do some community services first with me.
Bo May, just use your name Quang when posting here. Make your parents proud.
All Viets are going to vote in our Assemblyman Van Tran and mexican whore Loretta is done….cooked and dried under scorching sun light.
Bo May,
Nice try guessing that I am Assemblyman Van Tran. Keep guessing. I am not JK either, fool. Keep reaching and guessing idiot! The gall of this loser for calling me Van Tran!
Quang, quit while you are ahead and help out the GOP. It’s not your time. Nobody knows you and nobody cares about you in Central Orange County.
Be an officer and a gentleman and live up to your creed that you swore in the Matrine Corp. You are acting and behaving dishonorably. Shame on you for campaigning dirty. And just imagine …. isn’t this your first campaign? Might as well be your last.
Bo May. Who is Quang Pham? Quang Pham is whom? What does this guy want? Do you want world peace too?
Can you read?
Go Quang Pham, Loretta, anyone else but Van Tran!
Down with Van Tran!
http://phamforcongress.com/
Heheheh
Some of Van Tran loonies do not know how to accept the truth. (sight)
—————————————————————————————
Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.
Carl Jung
Take this Jung Kim. Heheheheh
Viva Loretta!
http://www.loretta.org
—————————————————————————————
Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.
Carl Jung
Quang can marry Loretta……..you can pass for a bodyguard.
Is Van Tran that affraid of other opponents? Why all these unnecessary put down comments? Van must has losing his touch!
Obvservor,
I am doubtful if Assemblyman Van Tran gives a hoot about Quang Pham as a challenger. And rightfully so. Pham has little money and even less name recognition in the area. I certainly have not heard of him before. Pham can’t fool voters in a flash, when he has no record.
Anybody can go on this blog and start blogging off, rogues and free lancers included. I would not read too much into any of this. It’s all entertainment.
Quang Pham may be taking himself too seriously but that just shows he has a long way to go to be a strong candidate.
Wow, I am discovered!
Now I am Assemblyman Van Tran?
I am actually Obama’s the other brother! and I am not supporting whore Loretta nor Nobody Quang Pham.
Only serious candidate for this house seat is our viet Assemblyman Van Tran!
Go Mr. Van Tran!
http://www.joinvantran.org
http://www.joinvantran.com
I am expecting my gal Janet to vote for Mr. Van Tran.
I have been guessed with many local political figures in the past by some losers but I am not involved with politics.
I am the official Guru who is only interested in our community empowerment .
Did somebody interested of who Jung Kim is or is he talking to himself again?
‘I have been guessed with many local political figures in the past by some losers but I am not involved with politics.’…
Huh? Can anyone understand what he is mumbling about?
No more commenting here.