Defending Cao

Jillian Bandes | November 09, 2009 9:29 AM

Quin Hillyer at AmSpec does a great job of defending the one Republican that voted for the health care bill... if he can be defended. I kind of see his point... Joseph Cao's vote wouldn't have made a difference.

But I don't think it reflects well upon the Party as a whole to have even one of our Members vote for this horrendous monstrosity of a bill.

Conservatives need to take a deep breath, relax, and stop bashing Joseph Cao. The man never claimed to be a fully committed economic conservative. He represents a district that is about 75 percent Democrat and 62 percent black (or thereabouts). He SAID ALL ALONG, FOR MONTHS, that he would probably vote for health care reform if it included strong pro-life language such as the Stupak Amendment. He stuck to his guns, even though his district is not majority pro-life. He is a traditionalist Catholic, former Jesuit seminarian, and he stands up for the principles he holds dear, one of which is the sanctity of innocent life. He is willing to lose his office on behalf of that pro-life stance.