A fresh wind blowing from across the Pacific will soon be hitting Washington, D.C.
His name is Anh "Joseph" Cao, the newly elected congressman from New Orleans who defeated a heavily favored incumbent. He fled his Vietnam homeland in 1975 at the age of 8, and has lived out his own American success story with hard work, virtue and smarts.
I had the privilege of gaining a phone interview with Mr. Cao three days after his delayed election. Though he was flooded with media requests from around the world, he took the time to return my call, and I found him humble, direct, plain-spoken and willing to talk about his Catholic faith and family values.
An attorney and community advocate who turned to politics because of the corruption he saw in his own backyard, Mr. Cao said his main goal will be to rebuild his district, which is still suffering the effects of Hurricane Katrina.
You can read my story on the Fathers for Good website, under Newsworthy Dads.
I wish to comment here about a recurring theme in this blog: politics.
Why is politics in this country so corrupt, as the recent arrest of the Illinois governor further underscores?
Part of the reason, I think, is that good people tend to stay clear of the political arena. They are put off by the intense media scrutiny into every part of your life, especially if they don't like you. Witness the obscene trashing of Gov. Sarah Palin, to the point where we were told about the cost of baby Trig's clothing.
Decent people don't want to expose their families to this kind of bare-knuckle treatment.
A friend who spent years working in the nation's capital says that good conservative men and women don't enter politics because of the toxic environment of the Beltway. You will find the bright Catholic conservatives at the best think tanks, drafting policy statements and political tactics, but not sitting in the legislative seats themselves.
This is a shame, but a result of the scorched earth approach both parties have taken to political discourse.
Let's hope Joseph Cao (the "C" sounds like "G") brings a new wave of energetic, reform-minded faithful Catholics into politics. We pray for him and his family, and wish him well!
You are right about the pro-abort president. How any Catholic could vote for someone who promises the FOCA act !
Posted by: Avery | December 11, 2008 at 02:05 PM
I wish Mr. Cao well, let's hope he sticks to his moral code while in Washington, D.C. What stunned me was the percentage of Catholics who voted for Barrack Obama, knowing his stand on Abortion!
Posted by: Ed G. | December 11, 2008 at 01:31 PM