Marian Days
Another noteworthy first from the recent elections. Anh "Joseph" Cao on Saturday 06 Dec 08 in a special delayed election (because of this year's hurricanes) became the first Vietnamese-American ever to win election to a congressional office
AFP: Louisiana elects first Vietnamese-American in US Congress . In an example of morphing press coverage the story percolated slowly to full brew. On Sunday the headlines of the stories read "Jefferson Loses"
Bill Jefferson Loses - The Fix. 90,000 in cash, in hundreds, wrapped tightly in aluminum foil jammed in a freezer would only be about the size of a pot roast an easy mistake - could happen to anyone. Monday they were branching out to "Some guy wins" motifs. By Tuesday they seem to have figured out who mr. Anh Cao is, interviewed him , put up a brief bio, and added pictures to the stories
Cao's Upset of Rep. Jefferson in Louisiana Gives Republicans a New Hero - washingtonpost.com. The coverage has gone beyond regional to national also by this point. The Sunday following the WP does a depth coverage piece on the election as a phenomenon, including (only in print) the biggest picture yet of the new congressman and his photogenic family
After the Storm, Mr. Cao Goes to Washington - washingtonpost.com.
There is a difference between getting a seat in Congress, and keeping it. LA-2 is an overwhelmingly African American district with a small but stable Vietnamese-American component. If he wants to keep the office he will need to demonstrate the worth of the New GOP in New Orleans. It's not that being fiscally and socially conservative will necessarily count against him, far from it really. If he can also show a community activist spirit; one concerned with poverty, and a sense environmental stewardship. Which seems to have been his life's bent so far, he could do quite well.
My current congressman Chris Van Hollen [D MD-8] (parts of Montgomery and Prince Georges county MD) is relatively new and flipped the district's party when he took office. He offers a useful example. Basically: go to every school, every church, every bake sale. Meet the owners of every business hiring more than a couple of people. Show up for 5k's and K-P day's: the latter Kennsington-Parkwood elementary's annual fundraising carnival day (my sister Susan is currently PTA head there). The former a reference to a foot race through Kensington Village. Of course it helps that Kensington village is only about seven miles from the capital building. If Mr. Cao has to fly coach back to New Orleans every week to accomplish these things so be it, It is what has to be done.
My friend Trân was aware of and pleased with these events when I mentioned it to her Monday after. Some of the coverage on Mr. Cao's election indicate that hurricane Katrina shook the New Orleans Vietnamese community out of a politically reticent complacency. As well the Vietnamese-American youth demographic may be going democratic according to some polling. I saw an article before the election to this effect. These trends do not include Trân who is quite and demonstrably republican. This is someone who has a map of Vietnam in her office cubicle with a picture of the Pope taped over Hanoi. I'm sure Mr. Cao's firm and Jesuit influenced Catholicism sits quite well with her.
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