WSJ - The Lone Republican: Cao Likely to Oppose Health Care on Final Vote
In an interesting sidebar to the Massachusetts election to replace Sen. Ted Kennedy, Congressman Joseph Cao who was the only Republican to cross the aisle and vote for the House health care reform bill could become a major player in the Democrats' fight to pass health care reform.
If the democratic contender Martha Coakley were to lose the GOP challenger Scott Brown, Democrats would lose the super-majority in the Senate.
According to Jonathan Weisman, “some White House and Senate aides have determined that getting the House to pass the Senate health care bill unchanged is their last best hope for victory on President Barack Obama’s signature issue.”
“Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao of Louisiana, the lone Republican vote for the health care overhaul on either end of the Capitol, will not vote for the Senate bill, Cao spokeswoman Princella Smith said this morning. The language roping federal funds away from abortion services is not sufficient,” writes Weisman.
The Nation endorses James Perry for mayor
Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor for the Nation, threw her support behind candidate James Perry in a gushing editorial for the magazine.
Taking a play from mayoral candidate Troy Henry, she takes a shot at the press, saying, “The New York Times has declared the race all but over--pushing a "white mayor in NOLA" storyline--and while it might be an uphill climb in this final stretch, it's worth paying attention to Perry's ideas and passions about a city he has worked hard to build and rebuild as a life-long resident.”
She quotes Perry, who agrees with her that the race for the Mayor’s Office is not over, saying there plenty of time left and the polls the Times used, which had Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu as a strong favorite, are wrong, only sampling white neighborhoods.
Citing Perry’s civil rights works for the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Center, his desire to open a racial dialogue and Perry’s promise to cut New Orleans’ notorious murder rate by 40 percent, Vanden Heuvel believes that Perry is the right man to lead to New Orleans.
