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Cao jolts the House - Yahoo! News
I wish that Obama were approaching things more like this guy, with a bi-partisan staff, for instance.
In December 2008, the nationally unknown Vietnamese community activist captured a seat for Republicans in majority-black New Orleans, becoming an instant — albeit short-lived — celebrity for the GOP.
On Saturday night, he handed Democrats their only Republican vote on the centerpiece of their domestic agenda, a massive overhaul of the nation's health care system that promises to enhance coverage for tens of millions of Americans and thousands of Cao's constituents. Now he's a bit of a cult hero on the left — a profile in courage, Democrats say — and television bookers were scrambling to find cell phone numbers for his aides Sunday.
Republicans and Democrats who have worked closely with Cao in Louisiana and Washington say they weren’t a bit surprised — even if much of the political world did a double take — when Cao registered a green light on the scoreboard in the House chamber.
“I think he works hard. I think he studies things, and I think he tries to do the right thing,” said an administration official who has worked with Cao. “People in the administration reach out to him a lot because he’s willing to talk about things nondogmatically.”
I wish that Obama were approaching things more like this guy, with a bi-partisan staff, for instance.