Michael Steele talks tough: 'We will come after you.' Rep. Cao: OK, whatever
By David Neiwert Monday Nov 09, 2009 3:00pm
The other day, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele told ABC News that he and his fellow Republicans were going to get tough with anyone who didn't toe the party line on "core issues" such as health-care reform:
Steele: So candidates who live in moderate to slightly liberal districts have got to walk a little bit carefully here, because you do not want to put yourself in a position where you’re crossing that line on conservative principles, fiscal principles, because we’ll come after you.
Well, there was one solitary Republican who crossed the party line on health-care reform: Rep. Joseph Cao of Louisiana, who hails from a traditionally Democratic district that went up for grabs when ex-Rep. William Jefferson was busted for corruption.
Cao went on CNN Sunday and explained that his was a vote of conscience for the people in his district, "many of whom are poor, and many of whom have no health insurance."
He later commented further to a CNN reporter:
Cao chuckled when asked about the comment and said he "would like to remind" Steele that he and other Republican leaders trumpeted Cao's upset win over Democrat William Jefferson last December as a symbol of party diversity. Cao is the first Vietnamese-American member of Congress.
"He has the right to come after those members who do not conform to party lines, but I would hope that he would work with us in order to adjust to the needs of the district and to hold a seat that the Republican party would need," Cao told CNN.
As Republicans proved in NY-23 -- and as indeed they proved throughout the health-care debate -- they are becoming so ideologically blinkered that they rapidly losing the ability to have any kind of voice in Congress.
Couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch.
[H/t Versha Sharma at TPM.]
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I was just reading:
Bottom line - the GOP is dying from self-inflicted wounds. . .
"Couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch"
Steele: So candidates who live in moderate to slightly liberal districts have got to walk a little bit carefully here, because you do not want to put yourself in a position where you’re
crossing that line on conservative principlesactually working for your constituents ...Je$us I hate 'politicians'!
What a novel idea! Could the Founding Fathers creating our representative democracy have the affrontery to think of such a thing? Or did they think political party was more important than PEOPLE?
Never mind.
"Afterall we did for Vietnam, this guy has the nerve..."
The guy is intelligent, articulate, non-white and a man of principle. What's he doing in the GOP anyway?
Let's send him a copy of "Changing Parties for Dummies"
(not that he is dumb...)
intelligent, articulate, non-white and a man of principle
"one of these things is not like the others ..."
He's probably stuck in a district in Louisiana that's controlled mostly by redneck Republicans who were not fond of the Vietnamese that settled in the area after the fall of Vietnam.
With that said, it took a helluva act of political courage to buck the hacks and the corporate interests in the Republican party and vote for this bill.
Representative Cao, if the Republicans kick you out, come on over. We'll gladly trade idiots like Lieberman, Mary Landreiu and Ben Nelson for you.
Blanche Lincoln and Max Baucus. there are more I'm sure.
his district is mostly poor to lower middle class blacks. same district that elected William Jefferson.
it's tough enough to be a Dem. You'll notice that all our supposed Dems in Congress are blue dogs. In Cao's case, he replaced William "the money's in the fridge" Jefferson. Well, you can imagine that running as a Dem in that district is currently not advisable if you want to win. Jefferson pretty much screwed the pooch.
Anyway, don't let Cao deceive you. He does not routinely break with his party. Check out his voting record and you'll see, he is a republi**** all the way, with this one -- no single payer -- exception.
****
When the GOP gasps its last breath - the D's have to split labor/people from corporate/business.
that GOP shit taco sure doesn't taste very good now, does it?
the "change" we will be seeing in the near future will be the Democratic party will fill the void left be the collapse of the Repugs. The hard lines repugs will be a fringe. and then progressives should they get their act together will fill the void the Democrats leave on the left. Or the left will just be a number of ineffective fringes also. It's still a guessing game.
...the more I realize that Mencken was right about EVERYTHING. He and Oscar Wilde would have had some great conversations.
Representative Cao:
Keep focusing on the needs of your constituents wholeheartedly, and you need not worry about your political future.
It is the hypocrites who say they represent the people but work against the interests of their constituents who need to constantly watch their backs...
I didn't know they had any values? Greed, Hate, child molestation, adultry,accepting bribes, toilet stall tap dancing, turning there heads while brown people are bomed for nothing, Lying, need I go on?
These people are frauds.
republicanism/conservatism is a mental illness that is killing America!
I'm sorry Mr. Cao. The Republicans already have a Joe.
Obama: 'This is a Health Care Bill, Not an Abortion Bill'
It'd better not be.
The first rule of extremism is to kill all the moderates. If Steele's policy is put into effect it will benefit only the Democrats.
It looks like the Republicans are going to try to "Hoff"* Charlie Crist. It won't be long until Palin and Limbaugh get behind Crist challenger Marco Rubio now that The Club for Growth has endorsed Rubio against the popular Cris. The Club for Growth gave Doug Hoffman $400,000 in his failed bid in NY-23 last week.
*New term used when Republicans try to oust moderate candidates against the Party's better interest. "To Hoff" refers to Doug Hoffman who ripped off the Republican candidate in the NY-23 special election of 2009 and who was endorsed by new Republican Party leaders Palin and Limbaugh.
in NY 23. Go after the moderate and she turns around and makes robocalls for the democratic candidate.
Sprint to eliminate up to 2,500 positions, cut costs by $350 million
In this time of mind numbing partisanship, have we finally found an honest man?
Why would a vote in favor of health care reform be seen as an attempt to save a political future? I thought the voters didn't want all that big government spending, so surely you'd have to vote against it to be saving a political career?
I'm so confused. The only way that any of this could make any sense is that the GOP leadership, and their mouthpieces, are absolutely full of shit.
Good luck, Mr. Cao, hope you manage to hang on to that shred of integrity you still seem to have intact.
..."seen as an attempt to save a political future?"
Please play the clip again... it may help to clarify matters?
He in not primarily concerned with his "political future" as he is with saving lives...
PS. Your bias/biass is showing. :P
Amended: I apologize if you were just being snarky.
Integrity
Wait till his constituants get the $750 fine/tax or jail sentence for not being able to afford Obama care.
... and BS!
PS. Debtors' prison check it out some time.
...of a losing team.
As funny as this is, it would be really really nice if we could get our Dems to toe the line a bit better. This shouldn't have been close. We busted our asses to give the Democrats a majority, give them a mandate and put them in the best position to carry out OUR agenda - then they screw us by the dozen. Unbelievable.
...to some fairly interesting theories on the kind of horse-trading that went on to get the amount of votes needed to pass it and still 'let' some Dems vote no with the blessing of the leadership. It actually made some sense, in that politics-is-Hell kind of way. For instance, theory goes that yet another Dem, don't know who it would have been, who needed a little help in a more conservative district in their next seat defense was 'allowed' to go ahead and vote "No" because an (R), Rep. Cao, broke with his party to come on board.
Also, same theory posits that the same Dem would have been asked for a guarantee to vote with the party later on another issue in exchange for the "No" blessing, and continued support in spite of it. I mean really: isn't this what a lot of politics is made up of? (nice sentence structure, but heck, I ain't writing this for a grade)
;)
Give me a break. Republicans talk-the-talk in order to get elected, and once elected, they don't follow through on any of the promises they make to their minions. They fact that they can continually get a rigid 20% to regularly believe them.
....but can you imagine being able to count on 20-29% of the vote, 100% of the time, no matter what you did or lied about? I don't really know how the math of politics works, but to me that sounds like a very nice cushion to start from. It would explain why a lot of Republicants win when it SEEMS like they should not, because 20-29% sounds like a small number. But again: that is a guaranteed percentage, right? They don't have to do ANYTHING to win those people's votes. They could shit on each and every one of those people's lawns and still get their vote. That means they are free to spend the rest of their time flipping voters, cheating, lying, or fooling the rest to eek out another win.
Just ruminatin'.
This just in... Rupert Murdoch is a racist! Murdoch! You bastard! You're ruining the country! you bastard!
Acuses President Obama of being racist too! I'm sure Murdoch thinks everyone is racist just like him. The bigot scoundrel!
Who really cares what this turd has to say about anything. He is such a stuffed shirt. I don't care what color his skin is....he is one dumb ass hole, and no extra points for being black, bald, or having a wisk broom mustache. He is a f*cking idiot, and even the repukes are embarrassed by his pressence.
If the Republican party was smart, Cao should be the future of the Republican party. There is absolutely no reason why Republicans should not vote for this bill. It will reduce the deficit, while giving everyone coverage.
If Cao gets too much flack, he should simply switch parties. Add another to the Democratic column. Do you realize that the Democrats have won 5 out 5 congressional races since Obama took power. They have added to their majority.
if there were only 1 republican in congress we would still bow down and give him everything he wants anyways.
Why don't we just say it loud and clear: Our government, under Republicans, mostly, but NOT ALL all, are simply a mafia organization? Even Republican(?)Democrats Duplicitous in the most shameless(shameful) sense. Get elected by the people and plutocracy takes place. Suddenly "mysterious questions arise, as to why he or she would go that way??? ?Who is playing who? Not considering the best for their people? (GWB is still not incarcerated??!??!!!).
Regarding the McConnel, young man whose plane crased.. Considering all the unanswered questions, and the fellow's upcoming court hearing about the massive election fraud, in 2004, f@kng around the election for Bush, you know, the plane crash in the McConnel case, and soooo many other incidents, the Rs should be called the Re-MOB-lick-CONS! Starting wars, on lies, while they make many many many many millions of dollars in the family defense industry/energy sources & moo0oore. Duplicity...government/CarlyleGroup/Halliburton/President George W.Bush, and VicePresidentRichardCheney, all one operation. Yeah, really..amazing, huh? MAFIA.
Mr Cao is ten times the man that performing animal Steele will ever be.
Absolutely right, DannyEastVillage!
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