The Battle Of New Orleans-- Cao Fragged By Right Wing Extremists For Being Squishy On The Gays

When the corruption got even too outrageous for New Orleans voters, and one of the nation's most solidly Democratic districts-- LA-2 may have turned on Democrats for saddling them with William Jefferson but gave Obama 74% of its vote-- elected Republican Anh "Joseph" Cao, a typically tipsy John Boehner was noted remarking that "The future [of the Republican Party] is Cao." In the last days of the 2010 election cycle, a key component of the Republican machine-- the Talibanesque religious right-- turned viciously against Cao in his tough struggle towards an ultimately failed reelection bid.

Cao was the first Vietnamese-American elected to Congress. [Republicans thought they could solidify their base with the Vietnamese community by electing corrupt California Assemblyman Van Tran but he failed this month, 52-41% against weak Blue Dog Loretta Sanchez in Orange County, California.] Meanwhile Cao, went down to defeat against Democratic state Rep Cedric Richmond 83,653 (65%) to 43,364 (33%). Richmond wiped him out in Orleans Parish (71-28%) but beat him handily in Jefferson Parish as well, where Cao had hoped he stood a slim chance to save his seat. In 2008 Cao had beaten the corruption-scarred incumbent 49-47%, becoming the first Republican to represent New Orleans since 1890, by racking up a huge win in Jefferson Parish while William Jefferson only took Orleans Parish with 51% of the vote.

Cao was born in Saigon and his father had been a rightist who fought against Vietnamese liberation and unification. He was imprisoned after the war and young Cao came to the U.S. (well... Texas) at age 8. He wound up in a Jesuit seminary for 6 years but decided against becoming a priest and pursued a career in law instead, as an immigration attorney. He wasn't involved in politics before Katrina and only managed to win because of William Jefferson's exploding corruption scandal. Once in Congress he set about to support the aspirations of his-- mostly African-American-- new constituents by supporting a lot more Democratic legislation than almost any other Republicans and by bringing home the bacon in terms of earmarks. With a 17.50 Progressive Punch voting score, only Vern Ehlers (MI), Ron Paul (TX) and Tim Johnson (IL) crossed the aisle more frequently than Cao. He voted with the Democrats about as frequently as Alabama Blue Dog Bobby Bright-- though not on the same issues as Bright. In fact, Bright was one of Congress' most bigoted homophobes and one of the Democrats' most persistent opponents of the legitimate aspirations of working families. Cao was one of the only Republicans to support the LGBT community. He was also one of only 2 Republicans to vote for the DISCLOSE Act and he was the only Republican to vote with the Democrats on the original healthcare reform act, although he ultimately voted against final passage because he felt it wasn't anti-Choice enough. That's what made the attack against him by Tony Perkins and the demented right wing hate group, Family Research Council, so tough to take.

Cao remains angry at Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council for launching a last-minute radio ad against him, and for effectively fragging a fellow pro-lifer who is a former Jesuit seminarian and was once considered a model for a more diverse Republican Party.

"For a conservative Christian organization to attack a Republican pro-life candidate in a general election is as ignorant as it is inexcusable," Cao told Warren Throckmorton, an evangelical Protestant psychologist and author.

...Cao's approach to homosexual rights also got him into trouble with Perkins and the FRC, despite his own conservative Catholic and pro-life bona fides. Cao co-sponsored both the Hate Crimes Protection Act of 2009 and legislation to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military, and that was enough to label him a traitor to the cause in the eyes of Tony Perkins, who had enthusiastically endorsed Cao in 2008.

Perkins was very clear about what he was hoping to accomplish by attacking a wounded Republican in battle. He says he "wanted to send a very clear message to Republicans across the country; if you take a stand against the family, we will take a stand against you. These squishy Republicans need to know that we will come after them, just like the Democrats." Perkins ran his attack ad on WRNO, a Hate Talk Radio station that is the New Orleans home of Rush Limbaugh and other far right extremists. It actually calls itself "Rush Radio" and also features Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, John Osterlind and Dennis Miller in the GOP propaganda lineup. The tag line was "Washington doesn't need more liberal Republicans. Stop Joe Cao on Election Day."

"Who is Rep. Joseph Cao representing in Washington?" the FRC ad asks. "Cao has repeatedly voted for extra protections for homosexuals at the cost of religious liberty. Cao voted to use the military to advance the radical social agendas of homosexual activists and he voted for a so-called hate crimes bill that places your personal liberties at jeopardy."

Cao co-sponsored both the Hate Crimes Protection Act of 2009 and House legislation to repeal the policy that prohibits openly gay men and women from serving in the armed forces, known as "don't ask, don't tell."

"I believe it is a human rights violation to impose government-sanctioned penalties on a group of people just because of their sexual orientation, just as it would be a human rights violation to impose penalties on a group because of its religious affiliation or race," Cao said. "I will continue to fight for the protection of human rights for all people.