The American Spectator

jiji| 11.8.09 @ 9:12PM

On July thirteenth, eighteen sixty-three, a crowd Gucci formed outside a New Louis Vuitton draft office.

Tom| 11.8.09 @ 9:17PM

Healthcare is either bad legislation or not. If it is bad, as Mr. Hillyer presumably believes, then it is bad for Mr. Cao's constituents, whether they know it or not. Passing Mr. Cao's stupid vote off as due to economic illiteracy does not excuse his vote for being stupid, and indefensible.

Mark S| 11.8.09 @ 9:31PM

And if Scozzafava made it, then the odds were she and Cao would have been the deciding votes because at least one Blue Dog would have been scared off a Tuesday night sweep.

MattSwartz| 11.9.09 @ 2:22AM

That's not how it works.

They have some power in committee, and they can sometimes team with the GOP to get amendments through (Stupak's, for example) but when it comes to actually voting on the passage of bills that come from the party leadership, the Blue Dogs are actually far less independent than they appear.

The House Democratic caucus was inevitably going to get to 218. They sat everyone down, figured out who was under the most pressure in 2010, gave them the green-light to vote "no", and instructed the 217 members in the safest districts to vote "yes". One or two more Republican "no" votes wouldn't have changed anything.

Crap&Trade; was the same deal. The leadership controls the campaign funds without which the Blue Dogs would be dead in the water, so their opposition is nominal and planned in such a way as to be entirely ineffective.

Conservative Reader| 11.8.09 @ 10:02PM

Hillyer's post makes no sense to me. He typically seems to type faster than his brain works, in a rush of bloviating indignation, which gets tiresome. This vote on the signal issue facing us this year demostrates that Cao is worthless to the GOP and may as well join the Democrats. He might be a decent Democrat, he's an abominable Republican.

Etiquette Man| 11.8.09 @ 10:08PM

Hear! Hear!

Etiquette Man| 11.8.09 @ 10:07PM

Well-said, Mr. Antle.

There are honest Democrats, too, (well maybe a few) but that doesn't mean that we conservatives have to defend their votes. Let RINO's like Rep. Cao put out their own fires. Why should we help them defend votes that undermine our goals? It makes no sense.

Hillyer's motivation in telling conservatives back off Rep. Cao is muddled, to say the least.

EM

Pete2| 11.9.09 @ 12:54AM

FOX news states the house bill is "DOA" in the senate, much like the political careers of those who supported it ( except for a few). What seems to be lost in the debate about this and ither things, is that the opposition is being driven by independents with the GOP tagging along. If it wasn't for the opposition generated by independents, the GOP would have become a footnote in this Congress and the RINOs would still be in charge. It's an whole new ballgame out there. Owens, who beat Hoffman, is already damaged goods in his district and Sczzafloozy is political history...the winner is Hoffman. It's the people who have taken over and it's politicians who will be scurrying for cover next year. We won't get all of them but we'll get enough so the survivors won't matter. It clean house time.

bert| 11.9.09 @ 1:18AM

The Cao story is Obama state media spin to distract the public from the 38 Dems that voted against Obama death care. Look over here , see the Gop is falling apart , all thje while the Dems were infighting and barely pass a bill.
Lets face it Cao was a useful fool for the Marxists and destined to be a one timer since his district is 70 % Dem !

Matthew Burke| 11.9.09 @ 2:12AM

The first obligation Congressman Mao has is to uphold the United States Constitution. He did not. We are a nation of laws, not a nation of men that caves in to mob rule. Mr. Mao violated his oath of office and must be held accountable.

The government does not have the constitutional power to force a citizen, under the penalty of jail and fines ($250,000 and five years) to purchase their "approved" product or service.

The government does not have unlimited powers, which this bill creates. This is clear.

Mr. Mao knowingly voted in favor of an unconstitutional bill, and must be removed from office.

Crusader| 11.9.09 @ 8:48AM

Constitution? Are you serious? Come on man Quin don't need no stinking Constitution! Its more important to have Rs (even if they vote like Ds) in the House.

Like I posted on the original article, maybe Mr Cao had an obligation to explain the benefits of economic and personal liberty to his constituents, and why voting for this bill would be a bad thing? You think? To just pass it off as his constituents are black and mostly liberal is damn near racist. So if my constituents are white and mostly KKK members can I vote to pass laws that violate the Constitution too? Maybe laws that take from blacks and give to whites? Why or why not?????

Conservative Reader| 11.9.09 @ 2:35AM

Cao was given a puff piece on CNN last night. So one GOP vote for the bill outweighs 39 Dem votes against the bill in the Obama media, naturally.

Cao is now allowing himself to be used as propaganda for one of the most monstrous pieces of legislation in the history of this Republic; whether or not it's in a cynical bid to hold office doesn't matter, it stinks in any case.

Quin Hillyer is very close to people in Lousiana, maybe to Cao himself for all I know. But his little print tantrum (so typical of him) is utterly irrelevant to most of us. Let Cao fend for himself next year, or simply switch parties. We don't need Spectors, Scozzafavas and Caos.

dum&dummer;| 11.9.09 @ 10:25AM

well said conservative reader. i agree wholeheartedly.

Stephen Zierak| 11.9.09 @ 11:22AM

Can someone explain why Republicans didn't simply vote "present" on the Stupak amendment? I believe it would have then lost, putting those blue dogs even more on the spot. Republicans could have justified a non-vote by simply observing that no amendment could save the irrational stupidity resident in that bill of abominations.

Quartermaster| 11.9.09 @ 6:06PM

Stephen, the reason is really quite simple and plain. The GOP leadership is utterly brain dead. Boehner is an idiot and must be replaced.