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Streetcar Line
Should Congress Have a Cao?
Sit down and make yourself comfortable, because this is one of those stories you just won't want to miss. It's the kind of story for which this poor pen might not do justice. And it's the kind of story of which the world of politics needs more examples.
It's a story that effectively starts three days before the fall of Saigon in 1975, when eight-year-old Joseph Cao escaped South Vietnam with a brother and sister and eventually made his way to the United States, where he settled with an uncle. As the story continues today, Cao is the Republican nominee for Congress from Louisiana's Second Congressional District (mostly New Orleans), running against William "Cold Cash" Jefferson -- also known as "Dollar Bill" -- who for years has been fighting multiple-count bribery-related indictments after federal agents in 2005 caught nefarious activities on tape and then found $90,000 from the taped transaction hidden in his refrigerator freezer.
Because the congressional primaries were delayed by Hurricane Gustav, the general election was pushed back to Saturday, December 6.
But before you read about the congressional campaign, you'll want to know about what happened between Saigon and today.
What happened first was that Cao's father, a South Vietnamese military officer, was sent to a Viet Cong "re-education camp" for six years. That's why his children had to escape Vietnam without him. As a certain recent presidential candidate could tell you, a Viet Cong camp is not a place where one is treated well.
Anyway, Cao settled in Indiana for four ears, then resettled in Houston for high school, then earned a B.S. in physics in 1990 from Baylor University. Baylor is a Baptist university. But upon graduation, Cao joined the Jesuit order. For six years he remained a Jesuit -- novice, scholastic, regent -- while earning a graduate degree in philosophy from Fordham University, several times doing social (anti-poverty) work abroad (including in his native Vietnam) and then teaching philosophy at Loyola University of New Orleans.
But he was never ordained a priest. He had become interested in politics, and "religion and politics don't mix," he told me. Cao continued teaching philosophy at Loyola while attending Loyola's law school. (From physics to religion to philosophy to law -- quite the intellectual journey.) Along the line he married, and eventually fathered two children. He found that New Orleans East had a vibrant Vietnamese expatriate community boasting a nursery run by Vietnamese nuns and an active church. He set up a shingle as general-practice attorney. He was appointed in 2001 to the National Advisory Council for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He became a board member of a charter school, and a board member for a community development corporation that runs a medical clinic, a retirement center, and an urban farm.
Meanwhile, he and his father, who was eventually released to the United States in 1991 and eventually wheelchair-bound, both greatly admired a U.S. senator named John McCain, whose service to both their native country and their adopted country had been so valiant -- and so similar, in so many ways, to that of Cao's father. He supported McCain strongly in his race for president in 2000 -- and again in 2007-2008, when he was one of McCain's earliest Louisiana backers and eventually a national convention delegate pledged to the senator.
But along the way, there came two little hurricanes. Or maybe not so little. Katrina in 2005 left eight feet of water in Cao's house (in an area mostly home to commercial fishermen, a few miles east of where most of his fellow Vietnamese expats lived), and effectively wiped out the Vietnamese community. "We lost everything," he said, simply.
Local businessman Fenn French, a Republican stalwart whose family has been in New Orleans (and Mardi Gras "royalty") for generations, takes up the story. New Orleans East, he rightly notes, is one of the most unprotected parts of the whole metro area. It was utterly destroyed. "But," he says in enthusiastic admiration, "the Vietnamese community was the very first to stand up its neighborhood again, and they did it without government assistance."
Cao -- short, slight, soft-spoken, and described by French as "one of these good-hearted, salt-of-the-Earth guys" -- was a leader in that effort. After brief sojourns in Baton Rouge, in a nearby town called Westwego, and then in a rental home back in New Orleans East, Cao's own family rebuilt as well.
"It's peaceful out there [where he lives]," Cao told me. "The people are extremely nice, and it's a close-knit community."
IN 2007 CAO MUSTERED the gumption to run for a state legislative seat. He carried the New Orleans part of his legislative district, but he was swamped in the portions that crossed into neighboring St. Bernard Parish, and he thus missed getting into a runoff by a mere 250 votes.
Undaunted, Cao looked at the developing scandal around Rep. Jefferson, and his background in philosophy kicked in. Forget the 66% to 11% (23% "other") Democrat-to-Republican edge in the Second District. Forget the 62% black voter registration (Jefferson is black). "Clearly," said Cao campaign treasurer Murray Nelson, himself the loser last year of a state legislative race and recently the statewide executive director of McCain's Louisiana campaign, "this is a real David going up against a Goliath, but he's a guy who actually taught ethics going against a guy facing multiple indictments. I think he's just offended [by Jefferson's ethics], and he's doing this race for the right reasons, not for himself."
"I want to bring reform back to the Second District," Cao told me. Again, simple as that.
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Deborah Durkee| 11.20.08 @ 7:49AM
Great story, Mr. Hillyer. God willing, this wonderful American (of whom we need many more) will be serving as a Republican congressman from Louisiana. We could use some good news about now. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Coleman in MN and Chambliss in GA (where I live)...the Dem election theives are hard at it in both places.
David | 11.20.08 @ 9:33AM
After reading this article I thought to myself, 'Now this is the person for whom the Constitution was written.'
Paul| 11.20.08 @ 11:43AM
Fantastic Story - Where do I donate?!!
MatthewM| 11.20.08 @ 1:25PM
Wow, what an incredible story. If that crook beats him it will show that racism is alive in well in the south...just not quite how people like to characterize.
http://josephcaoforcongress.com/
WJ| 11.20.08 @ 1:49PM
Great story, and I hope Mr. Cao wins.
However, can you ask him why he keeps rebuilding where it FLOODS for goodness sakes?
Dick Lambert, Virginia| 11.20.08 @ 3:18PM
This man picked himself up after our beloved congress betrayed South Vietnam, became an real American and accomplished the American Dream. Instead of playing the victim game, so loved by Democrat minorities, he and his fellow Vietnamese-Americans (although the hyphen is truly superfluous) picked themselves up and rebuilt instead of waiting for Momma Government to do it for them. If this American hero doesn't wrest the congressional seat from that criminal, he'll still be a success in the best sense of that word. Inspiring!
Bill Catalanello| 11.20.08 @ 3:54PM
Thank you for a great story about Mr. Cao. He deserves it. Having lived in Louisiana's 2nd district all my life, I've been praying for someone like Mr. Cao to emerge and KO Rep. Jefferson from his congressional seat. Unfortunately, this is a black-majority district in which, up to now, race is the only factor that matters to the electorate. It infuriating that a crook can re-elected solely on the basis of skin color. Here in the 2nd District some of us are ready for REAL change.
Bywater Bob| 11.20.08 @ 4:45PM
Unfortunately Cao is a complete unknown for most people in the second district. Most people could not even tell you who the Republican candidate is. While Dollar Bill doesn't have to campaign because he is so well known here, Cao is running completely below radar. Too bad he sounds like a great guy and this comes from a democrat. He needed to spend huge money over the past few months just to get some name recognition and that hasn't happened. No one in the New Orleans area has ever heard of this guy and that is a shame.
Katie| 11.20.08 @ 9:59PM
I'm in the district and I'm working for him, so are a bunch of Tulane kids. There's hope.
ANYONE WHO WANTS TO DONATE, PLEASE GO TO THE WEBSITE:
http://josephcaoforcongress.com/
Mike Spinato| 11.20.08 @ 11:54PM
I work with a former Colonel of the South Vietnamese Army, himself also a P.O.W. for five years. He says Cao is very well known and respected among the Vietnamese community here in New Orleans .
Anyone who knows the history of these people can not but admire their work ethic, love of democracy, and disdain for government corruption.
Jason| 11.21.08 @ 2:22AM
Great story. If conservatives will rally behind leaders like Joseph Cao, there is great hope for the Conservative movement.
http://rightklik.blogspot.com/
Thuy| 11.25.08 @ 11:25AM
Shame that it's a popularity contest but that's how politics work does it not? I hope Mr Cao wins because I would like to follow his footsteps one day.
mj| 12.7.08 @ 9:03AM
Incredible story! I'm glad he won!
Md| 12.7.08 @ 12:11PM
I am very thankful for the many kind messages posted on this link regarding the Vietnamese community. I believe Mr. Cao will be a great representative of the Vietnamese American community in the US.
Larry McKinnon| 12.7.08 @ 2:11PM
Mr. Cao Makes me proud to be an American.
He has won the election, and the respect the people of the United States. I also salute his father and mother for raising a son under difficult condtions that stop most people before they start.
This is what America is all about, it is not easy, but if you are willing you will make it.
LeQuan| 12.7.08 @ 6:58PM
If Mr. Cao really wants to help the Vietnamese community he will work to reduce the very long waiting times legal immigrants overseas face.
Because of these long waiting times, my mother and my brother both died in Vietnam before being able to set foot in the USA, it was a very long, sad, and heart wrenching experience the US government inflicted on me.
This was in addition to my father, sister, and another brother who died fighting the Communists in Vietnam.
John Quy Tran| 12.8.08 @ 12:26AM
Very, very inspiring story! Exceptional example for many people, including me! Thank you, Mr. Hillyer for writing this article!
And congratulations to you, Mr. Cao! May you have wonderful graces and blessings, and be good instrument in order to bring good things to many people, to many places (here and abroad).
Nick| 12.8.08 @ 12:58PM
History was made in America this election. Fisrt Black becomes president and first Vietnamese to Congress and more to come. Proud to be American.
Benjamin| 12.8.08 @ 7:39PM
Very inspiring story!! With all of the talents and abilities, Mr. Cao can choose to live a better life in a place where no hurricanes can reach his house but he chooses not to do that. As I have heard by this moment, he has won the election.
May his good heart will be put to use for his community and many others who are in need of a better chance!
thanh hoa hoang| 12.9.08 @ 1:05PM
thank you for writing such a wonderful story! it very inspiring! i ve been gone through the same thing like he did but i wasnt even born yet but my mom do . thank you very much! God bless mr. Cao
Tri Huu Ha| 12.9.08 @ 4:20PM
Many thanks to Mr. Hillyer for incredible article about Mr. Cao. Vietnamese-American second generation are working very hard to archieve their dreams & goals today, just to names a few as Ms Duong Nguyet Anh, a scientist who was in charge of creating thermobaric weapon, or Ms Le Duy Loan, Senior Fellow Scientist at Texas Instrument, or Andy Quach, Westminster City Council, or Mr. John Duong, White House API director...etc. and many more...that very successful in US that came from barehand and no knowledge of this country 30 some yrs ago. So I would like to congratulate Mr. Cao and his family. I aslo would like to send a message to Mr. Cao that whatever you do, don't believe in Communist. God Bless Mr. Cao.
CHIEU LE| 12.10.08 @ 2:47AM
My hat is off for the writer of this article and to the wonderful achievement of Mr Cao. Mr Cao has made the dream of most red blood Americans come true. Being a veteran of both Republic of SVN and US Army National Guard, I know how much effort Mr Cao had put out to accomplish such a great journey. Congratulations, Mr Cao! and thank you , to both Mr Cao and Mr Hillyer
HPham| 12.10.08 @ 6:03PM
It is a shame that democrats who always say they are pro-diversity ignore Cao's victory simply because Cao is a republican. Some even make fun of Cao by puning with his last name. That is absurd. Cao's story is a wonderful story of the Amercian dream, and it explains why this country is the most poweful country in the world.
JPhan| 12.10.08 @ 9:05PM
Congratulation to Congress Elect Cao, May Gob Bless you and our American. Also Thanks to the Writer of this Incredible Article. You guys just did a wonderful job. I am so proud of you all
Happy X mas
jay1949| 12.28.08 @ 1:56PM
"Cao" is pronounced like "gow" - - not "cow."