With the economic stimulus package receiving zero votes from any Republican members of Congress, that means the two Asian American freshmen Congressmen, Steve Austria (OH-07) and Joseph Cao (LA-02) sided with their party bosses and against their own constituencies. Austria had already proven himself to be a wingnut, parroting the recent revisionist Republican talking points about the Depression. But there was some hope for Cao. That was until it came time to vote. According to Politico.com:

Cao told reporters an hour or two before the vote that he was strongly considering a vote in favor of the stimulus measure after rejecting an earlier version – “At this point, I’m leaning ‘yes,’ but I’m not absolutely certain.” He reasoned that his heavily Democratic district could use the money with many of his constituents still struggling to rebound from Hurricane Katrina.

I guess that's what happens when:

U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., the Republican whip, said he had talked to Cao regularly, including the last 24 hours.

So much for being an independent voice for Louisiana voters.

Norman Ornstein, a congressional scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, said Cao’s hopes for winning a second term depended on “people in the district identifying him as a thoroughly independent person who is not in the thrall of the Republican leadership. Now anyone running against him can say, ‘He’s a Republican mouthpiece.’”

And so much for being a Congressman from Louisiana.

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