Republican Joseph Cao Breaks Ranks, Votes Yes For Health Care Bill

Republican Joseph Cao broke ranks this week when he crossed party lines and became the only Republican in the House of Representatives to support the Pelosi Health Bill. Just hours before his vote was cast, House Minority Whip Eric Cantro promised that not a single Republican would vote for the bill.

Cao, a republican from Louisiana had won his seat in a surprising victory in a largely democrat area near New Orleans and according to the NYT’s had vowed to “put aside partisan wrangling to do the business of the people.”

With a large democratic base in his area, not a single call was placed to his office by the White House leading up to the vote. He also voted minutes before voting closed, ensuring that his vote wasn’t viewed as a last minute attempt to “do whatever was necessary” to push the bill through.

It’s still unclear if Cao will be “punished” by the Republican party. However one thing is clear, the Democrats can now claim some level of “bipartisan support” regardless of how small that support truly is.