Commonweal Looks At Congressman Cao

Commonweal has a piece up that links a nice interview with Congressman Cao in Us News and World Report. See The Future of a Catholic Politician .. Be sure to read the whole interview because Commonweal just links one part and ask a question relating to it.

Obviously many people will want to focus on what this avowedly pro-life Catholic will do about abortion and homosexuality. Here’s what he says:

Q: How important were traditional family values issues, like abortion and marriage, in your race?
A: Very little. I was focusing on the need to rebuild the Second Congressional District so the issues of abortion and marriage were not the focus of my campaign at all.

Q: Are those values issue high priorities for your first term in Congress?
A: My main priority in the first couple of years is to focus on rebuilding the Second Congressional District in Louisiana. Three and half years after Katrina, there are areas that remain devastated. The healthcare system is in need of reform. The educational system is in need of reform. We need to develop economically, need to look at the levies and at coastal restoration. Those are the issues right now that concern the majority of my constituents, so that’s what I’ll be focusing on.

The next question, for us, is whether such statements will help or hurt his political career, in the GOP and with the Catholic Church.

Well I would say no it does not hurt.. Cao has made it pretty clear what his viewpoints are on the above issues. I have no doubt he will be a reliable pro-life vote.

The fact of the matter is abortion and gay marriage were not huge issues in the race. New Orleans is in crisis and issues like education, Coastal erosion that threaten New Orleans are paramount. Cao has a slim window here to perhaps get attention to these issues. If he produces he might win again. If he does not he loses and well another pro-life voice is very likely to be replaced by a pro-choice vote.

The fact that a substantial part of his coalition that elected him might disagree with Cao's views is of course in play. However in the not too far distance past Congresswoman Lindy Boggs that was a very much Catholic Social Justice Democrat was very pro-life and was able to be win on a consistent basis. So it is doable. However Cao must produce on these issues that are critical to the city survival.

Cao is in the end a Freshman Congressman and even if Pro-life Issues were going to be the main thing he would be engaging what are the chances he would be noticed in a Republican Caucus that has many more prominent GOP Pro-life spokespeople. Not much.


Related -Mr. Cao goes to Washington as first Vietnamese-American in Congressfrom Catholic News Service

Tip of the Hat to the Dead Pelican