In the end, satisfied that the House health care reform bill would not subsidize abortions, Rep. Anh "Joseph'' Cao, R-New Orleans, voted "yes" late Saturday night, making him the only Republican in the House to vote for a bill that passed 220-215.
Even with the compromise...
Cao also was the only member of Louisiana's seven-member House delegation to support the Democratic plan.
Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-Napoleonville, who is running for the Senate, joined the other five Republicans in the delegation in voting "no.'' Melancon was one of 39 Democrats to vote against the plan.
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"Twenty percent of the people in my district are uninsured and we have tremendous health care issues in the district, and I believe this is good for the people of my district," Cao said minutes after the vote.
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Cao, who said he was sitting next to Republican Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va., during the historic vote Saturday night, was asked whether he felt courageous or lonely after the vote.
"I feel both courageous and lonely," he said.
I'm sure that Charlie Melancon's district, which is my district, includes a good many uninsured. At times like this, what good is it to have Democrats like Charlie and the rest of the 39 in the House? And doesn't Charlie care about his uninsured constituents?
I'm tired of Obama's compromises for the sake of bipartisanship, but I want a health care bill that includes the public option.
H/T to Oyster.
Charlie's a good old boy from up the bayou at Napoleonville, who used to be a lobbyist for the sugarcane industry. Liberal is not a word that sticks to him.
ReplyDeleteOrmonde, I know Charlie, the former lobbyist. When he was president of the Sugar Cane League, he and I had several "discussions" about the pollution caused by burning the residue in the sugar cane fields. I truly thought he would be less right-leaning, but I was wrong.
ReplyDeleteMy Democratic Congressman, Allen Boyd, also voted against the bill. Not the first time that he has not represented me, or many of my friends. And yet they'll keep voting for him. I think it's time to demand better.
ReplyDeleteMy Blue Dog congressperson also voted no. The online Dems in my area have had it. They said they might as well vote for a Republican since that is what we have now, just with a Democratic label.
ReplyDeleteI actually worked for and supported Charlie Melancon's campaigns until he voted against the anti-torture bill. That was the end of the line for me.
ReplyDeleteI wish I lived in Cao's district. He's one of the few representatives with integrity, who votes the way he believes, no matter what. Gerrymandering has carved out my uptown, heavily Republican neighborhood and dumped it in Steve Scalise's (aka Sleaze) district.
ReplyDeleteOrmonde, I'm having a conversation on another blog about Cao, where some think he votes on the basis of expediency. I happen to think he votes his conscience. Of course, I'm not inside his head, so I could be wrong.
ReplyDelete