The Tao of Cao: a *Iighthearted* view of how to SWITCH PARTIES!
Cao was about to make a fool out of Cantor, who in believing his own bombast was not realistic about the heavily African-American district where Cao lived, and maybe hadn't expected that nervy noon phone call from the African-American President to the Vietnamese-American Congressman.
The thing is that Cao can easily switch parties and presumably should as he's a long shot now. Popular accounts are that Cao's district is 75% to 85% Democrat (bear in mind, though, he's strongly pro-life). Rahm went "all out" to get his yes vote (which Cao silently cast at last moment by hitting the button unnoticed while Dems were raucously applauding the just-reached threshold of 218). If he switches, Rahm and Dems can probably protect him from a Dem. challenge in 2010. If he stays, the GOP can't protect him from a wingnut challenge by Club for Growth, etc., whereas in a general, he can lose to almost any Dem. I was trying to figure out if Repubs have a primary and whether it's a closed primary; does anybody know? Probably not as scheduled right now, but there is always a way to inject an opponent as in NY 23. The greater risk is that even Club for Growth may accept they can't win that district, so if Cao wants someone to push him into switching parties for job-security reasons, he may need to manufacture something devious.Simple as pie!
Provoke public Republican fury, and then, mortified, leave the party in a huff -- tsk-tsk-ing all the way! Among the cruder strategies:
(1) harshly attack Limbaugh, Club for Growth and Palin, and await the reaction. Shouldn't take long, and the "reaction" may very well come as early as early as Monday anyway BTW, so he may not even need to provoke it. (You wonder if the GOP has been on the horn to Limbaugh imploring him to STFU about this, or how much he'd even listen.)
(2) Cao goes on TV and say that the reaction is appalling and claim that even he believes Jim De Mint and Bachmann are agreeing with him and are also somehow denouncing the Tea Parties as far as he knows (i.e., douse the flame with high-grade jet fuel) and *demand* that party leaders issue a statement of support, while saying in a wounded way that many leading Republicans recognize that Limbaugh is a fat, uneducated, drug addict.
(3) Base, Limbaugh, and whoever else all go bananas! (3a) [OPTIONAL, for amusement only] get Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to say the Republican Party needs more diverse voices like Cao's, (3b) [OPTIONAL, for amusement only ] visits to the District by Bill Clinton and/or Joe Biden to publicly call for Republicans to show understanding of brave Cao and encouraging Cao to be an even more independent voice in Republican Party (maybe in an inner city Rally in heavily black N'awlins itself.) (3c) [OPTIONAL for amusement only] when Fox tries to interview Cao, say he can't talk to Fox because he tends to agree with White House that Fox is not news and ask them on behalf of his concerned constituents if Glenn Beck will step down why is Chris Wallace being so unprofessional in arguing with WH? (3d) [OPTIONAL, for amusement only, only with (3c) launched first] Cao urges a statement of support from Richard B. Cheney and says he believes Cheney should back him as conciliatory gesture even if Cheney's war record will always remain a question mark, as will his Grand Jury testimony. (3e) [OPTIONAL, for amusement only] praise Michael Steele for as a man who has always celebrated the vital role that ethnic minorities play in he Republican Party and given them special treatment, and watch that one take off...
(4) With the unfortunate shitstorm raging, which Dems formally calls Cao (as he realizes, boo-hoo that Republican "big tent" was just not there for him after all)? Steny Hoyer? Pelosi herself? I tried to think of a Southern Democrat who could, without damaging himself/herself. No ideas for the moment.
Anyhow, it's like 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover: there's almost no end to Cao's possible techniques! And he can explain bittersweetly to his constituents that he was forced into it, but on the good side, he'll be able to do more now to benefit them.
For now, Cao is darkly reprising the Charles Bronson vigilante character from Death Wish:
Repubs: We want more control of the voting from that unruly seat!!
Cao: "You'll have to take it."
UPDATE: The truth is always struggling to get out our mouths and it takes a substantial and constant effort to contain it. Cao was able to say little about the real reason for voting aye for the first six and a half minutes of this video but around 6:30 he spills the beans, or some of them: he has worked with Obama on Katrina reconstruction and thinks he can get more aid for New Orleans by playing along, and also for the Vietnamese community nationwide. In addition to not being tarred and feathered in his heavily Democrat district, that is.












