Ahn's Angst

Ahn "Joseph" Cao

I don't know what little boys watch on television now or who they idolize. Although, I can take an educated guess and probably be correct... some rapper in a video.

When I was growing up, before I discovered the jaded heroes and anti-heroes of "The Wire", I dug the morality plays that were westerns. One of my favorite movies was "High Noon". I loved the fact that the bad guys were coming to shoot up the town and Gary Cooper stood tall, despite the fact that everybody else was catching the fastest thing smoking out of town. That's probably why I've seen "High Noon" more times than any one movie I've ever viewed. It's hard being the lone guy, the lone dissenter... the lone person of your party that votes for something.

Ahn "Joseph" Cao will never be mistaken by anybody as Gary Cooper but, recently he stood tall and became the only Republican in the house to vote yes on the health care initiative. Yes, that thing... that thing I keep beating the drum for lately.

The Vietnamese-born former ethics teacher and Catholic seminarian surprised and delighted Republicans last winter by defeating a longtime incumbent in a heavily Democratic congressional district in Louisiana. However, he provided another surprise (but probably, no delight) to his party on Saturday when he became the lone Republican to vote for the health care bill pushed by President Barack Obama. In a statement posted on his website, 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."

In a special election in December, Cao of New Orleans defeated Rep. William J. "Refrigerator" Jefferson, who had represented the 2nd District since 1991. Although Jefferson was battling corruption charges, federal agents famously found $90,000 in cash in his freezer, Cao still faced an uphill battle. He was a political neophyte who was running in a district that is 60% black and 60% Democratic. And, in the rough-and-tumble world of Louisiana politics, Cao was reserved, limiting himself to mild criticism of Jefferson. (In August, "Refrigerator" Jefferson was found guilty of 11 of 16 criminal counts including bribery, racketeering, and money laundering. Talkabout "Frozen Assets!" Okay, I couldn't resist that!-:))

So, few political observers in Louisiana gave Cao (whose last name is pronounced "Gow," with a hard "G") a chance. But then, surprisingly, he won. C.B. Forgotston Jr., an attorney and longtime Louisiana political hand at the time, said... "It was a shock to all of us."

Cao, 42 years old, was 8 when he fled Saigon for the United States with other family members. His father, a South Vietnamese Army officer, was arrested by the North Vietnamese army in the 1970s. The young Cao spent much of his boyhood in Texas. It took courage to go against his party and vote yes for the health care bill... courage that would have made Gary Cooper proud. I don't expect too many more republicans to go against their party line when the vote goes to the Senate later on this week. But, if I see it, I will certainly give credit where credit is due.

The man who must stand alone because of conviction often risks some type of loss... face, income, friends, whatever... a loss just the same. But, it shows character and true grit, to paraphrase another western. There's not enough of that amongst politicians nowadays. It seems like they forgot about public service. Many of them will do, say, and vote whichever way the political wind blows so that they can stay gainfully employed, despite the fact that they may feel sick to their stomachs for what they voted for. That's probably why I never entered politics... I can get sick to my stomach on my own, thank you.