I Can Hear The Sound Of A Beating Heart, That Bleeds Beyond A System That Is Falling Apart

Last night, the House of Represetatives passed Obama's healtcare reform bill, with a very small margin of 220-215. Thirty-nine Democrats voted against the bill, mostly due to the bill not being tough enough of health insurance companies. A lone Republican voted for the bill. Anh "Joseph" Cao stepped over party lines in support of the bill, which boasts a government-run public option, because, as he says, "I had to make a decision and I felt that last night's decision was the right decision for my district."

In an interview this morning with CNN's Betty Nguyen , Rep. Cao of Louisiana said that he had to
"make a decision of conscience based on the needs of the people in my district" despite the clear opposition of his party. Amidst accusations that he voted with the Democrats in a behind the scenes deal to get more help in the Katrina rebuild, Rep. Cao went on to add that he and the President Obamba have a good relationship and he is confident the president would have continued to help the people Louisiana no matter how he had voted. He reitterated, "Based on my own conscience, it was the right decision for my district."


I think it is unfortunate that our country's politics have become so divided and so partisan that if one member crosses the party lines, there must have been some underhanded deal that got him to do it. It is possible that someone could be a Republican because they believe in capitalism and small government when it comes to economics, but they also see the needs of their people and are interested in doing what is best for their constituency. It's really not that radical of an idea, but in American poltics, it really seems to be. It's sad really that Republicans can't just admit that they are in it for the money. They are opposing this healtcare because they are in the pockets of big insurance and they don't want to lose money. They can't possibly be doing what is best for their people. The Republican Party has used scare tactics, such as made up phrases like "death panels," to scare their people out of healthcare, even when it would actually benefit them. I'm happy to see that one Republican has had the courage to step out of this political struggle and actually just do what he feels is best for the people, not his party or his pockets.


Below is the CNN interview with Cao after the vote.