1st Vietnamese-American Elected to US Congress

[Teacher Mark 53]

By CAIN BURDEAU – 1 hour ago

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The first Vietnamese-American elected to Congress doesn't have a long list of policy beliefs. Aside from one major issue, Republican moderate Joe Cao says he's open on everything else.

"The only thing I am certain of is that I am anti-abortion," Cao said Sunday morning after defeating Democratic U.S. Rep. William Jefferson in a race that marked a major shift in New Orleans politics by ending a 30-year stand for Jefferson, dogged by corruption allegations.

The victory for a 41-year-old immigration attorney who is the child of Vietnam War refugees was greeted with amazement and drew parallels to last year's election of Gov. Bobby Jindal, an Indian-American Republican.

It also confirms a general shift to the GOP in Louisiana, where the Democratic Party dominated for generations and no Republican had represented New Orleans since 1890.

"This is kind of uncharted waters here," said Larry Powell, a Tulane University historian.

Cao was buoyed by low turnout, a lackluster campaign by Jefferson, strong third-party candidates and the election being postponed a month by Hurricane Gustav. State and national Republicans seized on the race with a well-funded and effective campaign, bombarding targeted neighborhoods with automated telephone calls, signs and flyers.

Jefferson faced some of the most direct attacks since 2005, when a wide-reaching corruption probe against him was made public and FBI agents found $90,000 in alleged bribe payments in his freezer. He currently faces trial on charges of money laundering, racketeering and bribery, but no date has been set.

In conceding the race, Jefferson blamed fatigue among his supporters.

"I think people just ran out of gas a bit," Jefferson said Saturday night. "People today flat didn't come out in large numbers."

In many ways, Cao won on a protest vote by white voters from both major parties indignant about Jefferson's staying power. Analysts said white voters turned out by a ratio of 2-to-1 over blacks.

Nonetheless, Cao's win was viewed as improbable and important for the Asian communities of eastern New Orleans and the West Bank, a series of suburbs across the Mississippi River from the city.

"It's a David and Goliath story," said Joel Waltzer, a lawyer who's worked for 20 years representing Vietnamese homeowners and fishermen in eastern New Orleans. Before starting his own law practice, Cao worked for Waltzer.

Katrina made Cao's win possible, Waltzer said.

"Before Katrina, they were an ignored constituency and now they are strong enough to elect their own congressman," Waltzer said. "They've become ambitious. They want a voice in their own rebuilding, a place at the table when these very important decisions are made."

The community — made up of war refugees from Southeast Asia who came here in the 1970s — has gained in strength since Katrina and it is widely viewed as a rebuilding model.

"They jumped onto it with nobody's help," said Pete Gerica, a commercial fisherman and industry advocate who lives near the Asian community, known generally as Village d'Est or Versailles.

"It's a self-contained city," Gerica said. "They have steelworkers, carpenters, everything they need right there. They have shoe makers, they got people who make clothes. They are a very tight-knit family and that's what makes good people, when you put family first."

Cao (pronounced "Gow") is largely unknown, but his compelling life story attracted many voters. He was born in Vietnam and had to flee the country after Saigon fell in 1975 at age 8. His father, a South Vietnamese army officer, was imprisoned by Communist forces and later released.

He earned a degree in philosophy from Fordham University, a Jesuit college in New York City, and moved to Louisiana in 1992 as a seminarian. He earned his law degree from Loyola University in New Orleans.

He has personally experienced the destructive powers of hurricanes in the low-lying region. His home in an upscale suburb outside New Orleans' levee system was flooded by Katrina and Gustav.

Gerica said Cao could put a new face on Louisiana's reconstruction and, if he works with Democrats like Rep. Charlie Melancon, do good things for the state. But, he added, his lack of seniority and experience could be a detriment.

Cao has close ties with the powerful Vietnamese Catholic church, Mary Queen of Vietnam, and vowed that his political bid was motivated by his religiosity.

"It was something that I was called to do, literally, in the religion sense," Cao said.

As a lawyer, he has worked for Boat People S.O.S., a national Vietnamese-American advocacy group for refugees. He became known in New Orleans in 2006 as a leader in an emotional campaign to close a new landfill for Katrina debris. In 2007, Cao ran for a state House seat as an independent and lost.

He said his win Saturday proved Louisiana is open-minded.

"The people of Louisiana are very special, very progressive," he said, "and I think we will serve as a beacon for the rest of the country."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...aJgv7AD94U65SO0

You guys and gals help me out here. What complaints do you have?

Edited December 8, 2008 by Joe Six-Pack

[What's next 1]

By CAIN BURDEAU – 1 hour ago

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The first Vietnamese-American elected to Congress doesn't have a long list of policy beliefs. Aside from one major issue, Republican moderate Joe Cao says he's open on everything else.

"The only thing I am certain of is that I am anti-abortion," Cao said Sunday morning after defeating Democratic U.S. Rep. William Jefferson in a race that marked a major shift in New Orleans politics by ending a 30-year stand for Jefferson, dogged by corruption allegations.

The victory for a 41-year-old immigration attorney who is the child of Vietnam War refugees was greeted with amazement and drew parallels to last year's election of Gov. Bobby Jindal, an Indian-American Republican.

It also confirms a general shift to the GOP in Louisiana, where the Democratic Party dominated for generations and no Republican had represented New Orleans since 1890.

"This is kind of uncharted waters here," said Larry Powell, a Tulane University historian.

Cao was buoyed by low turnout, a lackluster campaign by Jefferson, strong third-party candidates and the election being postponed a month by Hurricane Gustav. State and national Republicans seized on the race with a well-funded and effective campaign, bombarding targeted neighborhoods with automated telephone calls, signs and flyers.

Jefferson faced some of the most direct attacks since 2005, when a wide-reaching corruption probe against him was made public and FBI agents found $90,000 in alleged bribe payments in his freezer. He currently faces trial on charges of money laundering, racketeering and bribery, but no date has been set.

In conceding the race, Jefferson blamed fatigue among his supporters.

"I think people just ran out of gas a bit," Jefferson said Saturday night. "People today flat didn't come out in large numbers."

In many ways, Cao won on a protest vote by white voters from both major parties indignant about Jefferson's staying power. Analysts said white voters turned out by a ratio of 2-to-1 over blacks.

Nonetheless, Cao's win was viewed as improbable and important for the Asian communities of eastern New Orleans and the West Bank, a series of suburbs across the Mississippi River from the city.

"It's a David and Goliath story," said Joel Waltzer, a lawyer who's worked for 20 years representing Vietnamese homeowners and fishermen in eastern New Orleans. Before starting his own law practice, Cao worked for Waltzer.

Katrina made Cao's win possible, Waltzer said.

"Before Katrina, they were an ignored constituency and now they are strong enough to elect their own congressman," Waltzer said. "They've become ambitious. They want a voice in their own rebuilding, a place at the table when these very important decisions are made."

The community — made up of war refugees from Southeast Asia who came here in the 1970s — has gained in strength since Katrina and it is widely viewed as a rebuilding model.

"They jumped onto it with nobody's help," said Pete Gerica, a commercial fisherman and industry advocate who lives near the Asian community, known generally as Village d'Est or Versailles.

"It's a self-contained city," Gerica said. "They have steelworkers, carpenters, everything they need right there. They have shoe makers, they got people who make clothes. They are a very tight-knit family and that's what makes good people, when you put family first."

Cao (pronounced "Gow") is largely unknown, but his compelling life story attracted many voters. He was born in Vietnam and had to flee the country after Saigon fell in 1975 at age 8. His father, a South Vietnamese army officer, was imprisoned by Communist forces and later released.

He earned a degree in philosophy from Fordham University, a Jesuit college in New York City, and moved to Louisiana in 1992 as a seminarian. He earned his law degree from Loyola University in New Orleans.

He has personally experienced the destructive powers of hurricanes in the low-lying region. His home in an upscale suburb outside New Orleans' levee system was flooded by Katrina and Gustav.

Gerica said Cao could put a new face on Louisiana's reconstruction and, if he works with Democrats like Rep. Charlie Melancon, do good things for the state. But, he added, his lack of seniority and experience could be a detriment.

Cao has close ties with the powerful Vietnamese Catholic church, Mary Queen of Vietnam, and vowed that his political bid was motivated by his religiosity.

"It was something that I was called to do, literally, in the religion sense," Cao said.

As a lawyer, he has worked for Boat People S.O.S., a national Vietnamese-American advocacy group for refugees. He became known in New Orleans in 2006 as a leader in an emotional campaign to close a new landfill for Katrina debris. In 2007, Cao ran for a state House seat as an independent and lost.

He said his win Saturday proved Louisiana is open-minded.

"The people of Louisiana are very special, very progressive," he said, "and I think we will serve as a beacon for the rest of the country."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...aJgv7AD94U65SO0

You guys and gals help me out here. What complaints do you have?

i voted for him yesterday.

[Teacher Mark 53]

i voted for him yesterday.

Well you're a Constituent of his, so call it to his attention. I assume he knows it a mess already, but maybe he doesn't.

We need fact based examples of injustice and ineptitude.

Edited December 8, 2008 by Joe Six-Pack

[What's next 1]

He is aware if the situation. I actually had a brief consutation with him before i did all my paperwork. i remember him advising me he could not help much as a lawyer, more specifically, if we didn't pass the interview there was really nothing he could do further. but he said, if needed, he was willing to help with the paperwork. good guy.

as a constituent of congressman cao, i would rather him focus on rebuilding our community. I don't want to go benedict arnold on you guys but i feel we need him to focus on our district first and immigration reform later.

[Teacher Mark 53]

He is aware if the situation. I actually had a brief consutation with him before i did all my paperwork. i remember him advising me he could not help much as a lawyer, more specifically, if we didn't pass the interview there was really nothing he could do further. but he said, if needed, he was willing to help with the paperwork. good guy.

as a constituent of congressman cao, i would rather him focus on rebuilding our community. I don't want to go benedict arnold on you guys but i feel we need him to focus on our district first and immigration reform later.

I doubt he'll be around long enough to accomplish much actually.

[Melrose Plant 1]

I guess this is a good thing, but just from reading the little blurb printed here, I don't have high hopes for anything here. First, as a freshman congressman, there will be nothing accomplished by Mr. Cao on the immigration front. More importantly, "The only thing I am certain of is that I'm anti-abortion. . ." Isn't everybody? How wishy-washy, even by political standards. We can only hope he will rise to the challenges presented by his district. Some people do. Other people, such as Jesse Ventura, on the other hand. . .

[Dau_Que 0]

For those not too familiar with the VNese community in the States (VietNam Cong Hoa, aka. the old regime in Saigon before 1975), they are well known associated with the Republican party and the reason is they want to get rid of the Communist party controlled gov't in VN at the moment. (they always carry this thinking in their mind that the reason VN Cong Hoa regime failed in 1975 was because the "Democratic" Congress cut off their funding, very similar to what's going on right now with the Iraq war. Therefore, they will vote for nothing but Republican, and keep fooling themselves that the US gov't will fulfill their wish one day)

Don't get your hope too high in regards to the immigration issue since Mr. Cao's utmost priority is to fulfill his party platform, which is what I mentioned above (which I personally think an excuse the VNese Republicans use to get votes. They never achieve any meaningful result for the last 32 years they're abroad)

PS. Do yourself a favor in the event you get contact with Mr. Cao for his help with your Visa problem, use the term "Saigon", instead of HCM city. Only people associated with the VNese communist would use the later term. Note that the National Flag for Vn Cong Hoa is also different, red background with three yellow stripes.

Edited December 11, 2008 by DPNH

[Teacher Mark 53]

He is aware if the situation. I actually had a brief consutation with him before i did all my paperwork. i remember him advising me he could not help much as a lawyer, more specifically, if we didn't pass the interview there was really nothing he could do further. but he said, if needed, he was willing to help with the paperwork. good guy.

as a constituent of congressman cao, i would rather him focus on rebuilding our community. I don't want to go benedict arnold on you guys but i feel we need him to focus on our district first and immigration reform later.

I doubt he'll be around long enough to accomplish much actually.

Huh. I guess he did accomplish something!

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...p;#entry3472676

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

He is aware if the situation. I actually had a brief consutation with him before i did all my paperwork. i remember him advising me he could not help much as a lawyer, more specifically, if we didn't pass the interview there was really nothing he could do further. but he said, if needed, he was willing to help with the paperwork. good guy.

as a constituent of congressman cao, i would rather him focus on rebuilding our community. I don't want to go benedict arnold on you guys but i feel we need him to focus on our district first and immigration reform later.

I doubt he'll be around long enough to accomplish much actually.

Huh. I guess he did accomplish something!

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...p;#entry3472676

Meh. There is no "system" to reform. Health care is a private industry, and the government can't "reform" it without taking it over. The only way this can end is with a single-payer health care system.

It's funny how this whole push began as "health care reform", and in the past weeks has shifted almost entirely to "health insurance reform" (both Pelosi and Obama have used this phrase in their latest remarks), with Dem's insisting they won't vote for any bill or measure that doesn't contain the "public option". There is no way that private health insurance companies can compete with a public insurance provider that can afford to operate in the red indefinitely. This is a covert way of achieving a single-payer health care system by driving the private insurance companies out of business.

They've backed off of measures that would have made meaningful reductions in the actual cost of health care by limiting profits of medical product companies and health care providers. Why? Because they need those companies even in a single-payer system. Instead, they are focusing on the "obscene profits" of the health insurance industry (the words of Pelosi). The health insurance industry had an average profit margin of under 3% in the past year, while major pharmaceutical companies had profits around 20% or higher. Why won't Pelosi back legislation to limit those profits? Because she owns stock in Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer.

As we make the transition to a single-payer system, there is going to be widespread chaos. Health insurance companies are going to fold, leaving patients holding the bill for their medical treatment. The plus side for the pro-reform advocates is that these patients will be screaming for the government to intervene, which is precisely what they want. Many will have to be sacrificed in the name of the cause. The majority won't back a move to a single-payer system until tens of thousands have been bankrupted by medical costs that their defunct private insurance company didn't pay.

I think the whole thing sucks. There's no reason to play these ridiculous political games, and destroy the lives of thousands of people while turning an entire industry on it's head. If they want to nationalize the health care industry, then they should just pass the laws and be done with it. The transition can be phased in to make it as smooth and painless as possible. This subterfuge by politicians with an ulterior motive makes me want to puke.

Joe Cao is acting on behalf of his own political survival. He's a Republican presiding over an overwhelmingly Democratic district. If he'd voted against the bill then he'd probably be looking for another job next November.