It’s official!
Anh Cao (R), a Vietnamese-American has defeated corrupt 9-time Congressman William Jefferson in LA-02.
In a district that is 61% African-American and ridiculously Democratic, voters have truly come out, tossed away racial lines and voted against corruption and for change.
Let this be a lesson to any politician who feels they sit within a redoubt.
Please share widely!
So, tell us about the guy besides the fact he is a Vietnam native and a Republican. Seems like a really bright guy. What does he bring to the table? What will he fight for against Dems? What will he cooperate on?
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p>Jefferson seemed like a crook. Also, New Orleans has gotten the shaft from the federal government. They deserve good government officials. I congratulate Mr. Cao and wish him luck.
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Will be his experience as an immigration attorney. I’m under the impression that the Republicans need an alternative course for immigration reform besides WALLS WALLS WALLS. He’s also a big fighter for Hurricane preparedenss and restoration after the fact. I’m sure he can offer a unique view in Congress on this issue, as his house got demolished by Katrina.
And I hope you are correct on both accounts.
And I hope he can implement such positive change for the Republicans at a time when they desperately need it. That said, I still believe his main qualification as far as the voters were concerned has not having piles of ill-gotten money in his possession.
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p>How about positive change for AMERICA when WE desperately need it?
… to change not just for their sake, but for America’s.
Do you mean you want the Republicans to change to be more like you or to go back to their roots?
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p>You see, I completely and fully agree with you. I think we’ve strayed from the noble tradition of Burke and Kirk and fallen into the trap of men like Falwell and Bush. Some people say Goldwater was a warhawk like Bush, but the Russians were an actual threat, whereas Iraq was more of an imagined enemy.
… since the GOP has acted like what this system always needs in a minority… a loyal opposition…. not a social movement in search of ideals and incapable of considering any election where they don’t win legitimate.
if this was 2000, I’d say the same about you hahaha.
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p>Alas, you have found the cohesion we lack. Thus I am hopeful we will similarly find our collective voice and come around. Most people are saying its going to be between Mitt and Sarah, but I see Bobby Jindal going farther than both of them.
… of time. Who really knows.
If Republicans want to fight for fiscal responsibility, a nuanced and deliberate foreign policy, and government non-interference with American freedoms, I’m all for it. Those are three reasons I’m a Democrat, the group to whom the Republicans has ceded that ground with enthusiasm.
Positive change for the Republicans IS positive change for America. Massachusetts is an example of what happens when you have only one political party with a policy agenda the electorate takes seriously.
The guy was studying to be a Priest before he decide to go into immigration law instead, but overall he seems like one of those “community organizer” types that the Palin wing of the party likes to deride. He’s unlikely to win reelection assuming the Dems but up someone half way competent in 2010, but we’ll see.
Any Democrat other than Bill Jefferson is a shoo-in to defeat Cao, so he better make the best use of his two years that he can.
The old PVI district was D+28, which means that, on average Democratic candidates for president do 28 points better here than they do nationally, (ie. if Kerry got 48% of the vote nationally, he would get 76% in LA-2), however Hurricane Katrina significantly changed the Demographics of New Orleans and I doubt the district is quite as solid blue as it use to be. Gene Taylor of Mississippi and Jim Matherson of Utah both regularly win with ease in their R+16 and R+17 districts, which is probably what the spread of Cao’s district is closer to now. That being said, their are no districts even remotely as Democratic that have GOP Reps, so perhaps Conservative voters are more likely to ticket split than Liberal ones.
shows that the voters are able to toss out party affiliation and race and vote for or against an individual regardless. If he does a good job, re-election is a definite possibility.