By a Vietnamese candidate! How cool is that! He’ll be the first Vietnamese representative in Congress:
Voters in Louisiana ousted indicted Democratic Rep. William Jefferson on Saturday, instead electing a Republican attorney who will be the first Vietnamese-American in Congress.
Unofficial results showed Anh “Joseph” Cao denying Jefferson a 10th term. Republicans made an aggressive push to take the seat from the 61-year-old incumbent, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery, laundering money and misusing his congressional office.
Cao, 41, won a predominantly black and heavily Democratic district that covers most of New Orleans.
A barrage of election-day automated telephone calls on Cao’s behalf flooded the district, including a pitch from the national Republican Party.
New Orleans voters had long been loyal to Jefferson, re-electing him in 2006 even after news of the bribery scandal broke.
I thought for sure he was going to win a second time even though he’s been indicted but the Republicans pushed the fact that he’s tainted and doesn’t have as much clout:
But Republicans argued the scandal had cost Jefferson his clout in Congress. Election Day brought excitement to the state’s usually low-key Vietnamese-American community, said David Nguyen, 45, a store manager and Cao supporter.
I’m pretty sure that even a tainted Democrat has a lot more clout than a Republican in the new Congress. They might have made a mistake there 
posted December 7, 2008 at 10:21 am
Looks like a good guy.
http://www.catholic.org/politics/story.php?id=30662
posted December 7, 2008 at 10:35 am
Well, when a politician becomes an indicted felon, let it be a Democrat or a GOP, he/she is gonna get kicked out. In that sense, Jefferson got what he deserves; Ted Stevens got what he deserved.
posted December 7, 2008 at 11:44 am
Jefferson is not an indicted felon, he has been indicted on felony charges. To say one is an indicted felon means he is already a felon and is now indicted on new charges.
This may not seem important but it is. Gaining an indictment is easier than using the McD’s drive-through. It does not make one guilty nor a felon by any stretch, those only occur after a plea or verdict of guilt. However, in the case of Jefferson, the public knowledge of the details of his alleged misdeeds and suspicious behavior are what heaped upon him his discredit, not merely the indictments.
In any case though…how grand another LEFTY LIB bites the dust!
Next Please!
posted December 7, 2008 at 12:02 pm
“By a Vietnamese candidate! How cool is that! He’ll be the first Vietnamese representative in Congress.”
Ya, maybe you can get a Chinese in there too, how cooooool. Maybe an Indian (dot or feather, whatever) and a token Muslim as well. That will show the world how non-racist and progressive the vast majority of Republicans really are.
/Sarcasm
You aren’t fooling anybody.
posted December 7, 2008 at 2:49 pm
The Times-Picayune endorsed Cao and pushed his candidacy relentlessly — and in a town where the TP is now the center of civic life after Katrina, that may have made a difference over partisanship. (Cao only joined the Republicans this year; he was previously an independent.)
So did Bobby Jindal’s prominent endorsement — and, of course, the fact there is a small but politically active Vietnamese-American community in New Orleans (and throughout the Gulf Coast) mobilized for Cao.
Not to mention the fact that white voters turned out at twice the rate of black voters (which means more whites than blacks may have voted in the district, despite its overall population) — and the fact that Jefferson’s favorable rating among whites was 4%. (4 as in “four” — not a misprint.)
posted December 7, 2008 at 5:50 pm
It’s about time the people looked at the evidence and not the color of the persons skin. The new Rep. is an American. Too many people think that American’s are just Blank & White, there not. We are all Americans. Now, it the new Rep. really represents the people that elected him and not the party line, the people will see that the Republican party can be a good, honest party. After all, the Republican party is the party of Abraham Lincoln. Enough said.
posted December 7, 2008 at 5:51 pm
It’s about time the people looked at the evidence and not the color of the persons skin. The new Rep. is an American. Too many people think that American’s are just Blank & White, there not. We are all Americans. Now, it the new Rep. really represents the people that elected him and not the party line, the people will see that the Republican party can be a good, honest party. After all, the Republican party is the party of Abraham Lincoln. Enough said.
posted December 7, 2008 at 6:25 pm
As an Obama supporter, I am thrilled to see a clearly corrupt politician go down to defeat, and it is even neater that he will be replaced by the first Vietnamese person to assume Congressional office. One more hopeful sign of American overcomong ancient divisions and old wounds! I wish Congressman-Elect Cao, and his long-suffering district, much success.
posted December 7, 2008 at 11:51 pm
“the Republican party can be a good, honest party. After all, the Republican party is the party of Abraham Lincoln. Enough said.”
Even the Lefty Attack Hamster prefers Cao over the congressman who kept $80,000 in bribe money in his freezer, but it’s premature to be pronouncing the Republicans either good or honest. But I’m an optimist, maybe there will be a day they will be.
posted December 8, 2008 at 1:35 pm
This is totally racism. Jefferson was framed, Cao is Hitler, yada yada. But wait. Cao’s not white. Am I a racist???? My head is spinning!!!