Repeated Candidness & Going It Alone
November 13, 2009 by Kristen Hayner
In politics, it’s pretty typical for a lesser-known legislator to break through the usual suspects and make a name for him or herself based on a single incident. How will we ever forget Joe Wilson’s outburst this past summer or Cynthia McKinney’s scuffle with the Capitol Police. Media loves it – and they made sure that we loved it, temporarily at least.
But it’s less typical for a freshman legislation to gain a name for himself on an actual procedural move.
The legislator: Republican Rep. Ahn Joseph Cao of Louisiana’s 2nd District, in New Orleans. The move: breaking ranks and casting the sole Republican vote in support of monumental healthcare reform (meanwhile, his GOP colleagues cast 176 nays and 39 Dems voted against the bill, bringing the total count to a narrow 220-215 victory ).
So why did he do it? That’s the question many Republicans and Democrats alike are asking. And to Cao’s credit, they’re getting the same answer.
Cao references his “constitutional duty to make the right decision for my district whether or not the decision was popular” in addition to his need to “make a decision of conscience based on the needs of the people of my district…A lot of my constituents are uninsured, a lot of them are poor.” Reports also show that Cao spoke directly with the president before the vote, securing his commitment on several health-related issues important to the state.
Politics and policy leanings aside, there’s a lesson for community leaders here – hospital leaders included. When making tough decisions, your best defense is a down-right honest, repeatedly-defensible rationale. It’s a candid response that you can say over and over to silence your harshest critics – whether they come from outside of your organization or from within your own ranks.
Cao's comments are repeatedin the media and he used a modified variation of it -- still referencing his district -- when responding to GOP Chairman Steele’s claim to “come after” legislators who break ranks. When all the press has been written, there will be only one answer out there as to why Cao voted the way he did. For his district.
There’s a lot of strength in that – not only in the content of the response but also in the unequivocal way he has delivered it on several occasions.
Take note: repeated candidness is key. You may disagree with the politics, the policy or the way Cao finally made his decision. But, because Cao’s actions and comments all point to a central conviction, it’s hard to argue the merits.
