Not So Fast

Despite polls showing Americans giving a great deal of approval to the stimulus package, Republicans have been insisting that Americans are against the stimulus package, which makes sense, I suppose, as they all live on Bizarro World. Out of blind, pigheaded, uncaring, vicious greed and partisanship, they all agreed (or arm-twisted) to not cast a single vote for the stimulus, suffering Americans be damned.

Well, some people aren't taking that sitting down.

Earlier this month, New Orleans’s new congressman Joseph Cao (R) stated that he would vote for the economic recovery package. “I believe that more likely than not, I will vote for it because the 2nd Congressional District needs a stimulus package,” he said. Even on the day of the vote, Cao was telling reporters that he was “leaning yes.” In the end, however, Cao succumbed to GOP arm-twisting and voted against the package. The Republican party’s chief deputy whip stood near the freshman lawmaker during the entire vote, and Cao admitted that the leaders had applied some “pressure” on him to vote no, so that they could boast 100 percent opposition from their party. BayouBuzz.com reports that many of Cao’s constituents are now angry and may launch a recall petition:

Congressman Joseph “Anh” Cao, a Republican, who defeated William “Bill” Jefferson is facing a recall petition because of his vote on the Barack Obama stimulus package. The recall has been initiated by a group of ministers. […] One elected official, State Representative Juan A. LaFonta, Democrat of District 96 told Bayoubuzz that he does not know about the existence of the petition but that he would sign it. … “People are starving and Cao needs to represent the people of the district”, LaFonta said.

It's about time that people started holding these Republicans responsible for their actions when they put party before the lives of their constituents. It's all a goddamn game to them; fucking political theatre so they can brag about "100% opposition" while jobs vanish at a ridiculously frightening rate, people are losing their homes and going hungry, not to mention dying. Maybe if some more of these heartless ghouls were yanked out of their cozy little positions and had to sweat a little over where their next paycheck was going to come from, they'd start voting thinking of the people they serve, rather than their own goddamn wallets.

By the way, you gotta love the Republican whip standing over Cao as he voted, huh? What was he going to do, pull out a bat and break his kneecaps if Cao voted in favor? Was he cracking his knuckles, chewing on a toothpick and flipping a quarter in his hand while he did it? What a bunch of goddamned thugs.