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A Republican switches sides

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The Washington Post

Published: November 9, 2009

WASHINGTON - When Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao, R-La., won a stunning victory in a heavily Democratic district in New Orleans last December, the GOP was so thrilled that House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, sent a memo to his colleagues headlined "The Future is Cao."

But on health care, Cao had for months considered bucking the party, while the White House wooed his vote. This weekend, as a group of Democrats gained momentum in an effort to limit abortion in the health-care reform bill, the staunch abortion opponent Cao called the White House and said he might be able to offer bipartisan-starved Democrats his support if the abortion limits were included in the bill.

Saturday, Cao, the first Vietnamese-American elected to Congress, surprised both parties by becoming the only one of the 177 House Republicans to support the historic health-care bill. "I felt last night's decision was the right decision for my district, even though it was not the popular decision for my party," he told CNN Sunday.

The decision, he said, was a lifeline to the poor and uninsured in his district, rejecting the idea that it had anything to do with re-election hopes.

Cao, 42, is aware of his potentially short Washington career.

"I have to live with myself, and I always reflect on the phrase of the New Testament, 'How does it profit a man's life to gain the world but to lose his soul?' " he told The Times-Picayune earlier this year.

Cao went to Congress focused on getting more money for hospitals and other interests in his district. He usually has voted with the GOP but has occasionally bucked his party, such as backing a Democratic-pushed resolution to condemn Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., for shouting, "You lie!" during Obama's September health care speech.
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va., had predicted every Republican would oppose the health care bill. But as the effort to limit abortion, organized by Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., gained momentum, Cao became more likely to vote for the bill.

Cao said he had received a "commitment from President Obama that he and I will work together to address the critical health-care issues of Louisiana."

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