Rep. Cao Ignores Republican Groupthink

AP–Republican Anh ‘Joseph’ Cao waves as he holds his daughter Betsy Cao, 4, with his wife Kate Hieu Hoang.

Rep. Anh "Joseph" Quang Cao of Louisiana appears to be an independent thinker and does not subscribe to the Republican Party Groupthink mindset.

He was the only common sense House Republican to join the Democrats in voting for the sweeping overhaul of the nation's health care system.

Vietnam born, Cao, defeated former US Representative and convicted criminal William Jefferson (D-LA) during the last election. Jefferson was found guilty of 11 counts of corruptions and is expected to serve up to 150 year in prison.

Anh "Joseph" Quang Cao, was born in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam, the fifth of eight children. He grew up in Vietnam during the most turbulent years of the Vietnamese Civil War and can vividly remember bombs exploding next to his elementary school. After the fall of Saigon in 1975, he and his family fled to United States.

Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao said he put the needs of his predominately poor and African American district over the desire of his party in being the lone House Republican to vote for a sweeping overhaul of the nation's health care system. Cao's made his decision to join ranks with the Democrats after he received a call from President Obama.

According to Rep. Cao, "I felt last night's decision was the proper decision for my district even though it was not the popular decision for my party," Cao told CNN.

He also added, "A lot of my constituents are uninsured, a lot of them are poor," Cao said. "It was the right decision for the people of my district."

Asked about the reaction of fellow Republicans to his vote, Cao said the party's leaders "respect my decision, and I respect theirs."

"To tell you the truth, neither one of us really knows what is the right decision," he said of the complex health care bill, citing differing reports and differing studies on its impact. "Ultimately, we have to make that leap of faith."

As the bill reaches the Senate, it is hopeful that Rep. Cao's decision will encourage other Republican Senators to separate themselves from the party's Groupthink mindset.