by Lisa Graas, editor --

You've probably heard by now that the House has passed the Democratic Party's version of healthcare reform legislation, thankfully including an amendment to specifically bar funding of abortion. You've also likely heard that one Republican voted for the Democrats' final version, HR 3962.

It took no time at all for the cries of "Traitor!" and "RINO!" to emerge on my TweetDeck from the many patriots I follow on Twitter. These tweets emerged even before anyone had learned the name of the Republican responsible, Congressman Joseph Cao (pronounced "Gow") of Louisiana. It truly escaped me, personally, how any Republican could have voted for this legislation........until I heard the name "Joseph Cao". My own dismay then turned away from the heretofore unnamed Republican and toward those who were calling for his proverbial head. You see, I understand why he did it........and I respect him greatly for it.

In order to understand why Cao voted for the bill, you have to know who Joseph Cao is and what his district is like. This story from USNEWS will provide some necessary background information. You can call for Joseph Cao's head all you like, but unless you live in his district, you cannot vote him out. Like it or not, Cao is from a liberal district........and he voted the way his constituents demanded. For this reason, my hat is off to him.

Cao is certainly in a very precarious position as a Republican in a district that voted overwhelmingly for Obama. Two-thirds of Cao's constituents are African-American and are strong supporters of the president's agenda. It's practically a miracle that a Republican could have won the district and if the Democrat whom Cao defeated had not been scandalized, there's undoubtedly no way he could have won.

Cao's situation calls on us to stand for or against the principles we were standing for in NY-23. It would not have been right for Cao to vote completely against the will of his constituents to march in lock-step with his party. New York's 23rd Congressional district is decidedly conservative and when the NRCC made a six-figure donation to a liberal candidate, conservatives nationwide were understandably outraged. We argued that the party should not impose a liberal candidate on a conservative district, and rightly so. This is why I'm amazed that so many of my compatriots have been calling for Cao's head. If we really believe in local control -- if we truly believe that Congressmen should be true representatives of their constituents and if we truly reject a top/down system where the big party moves our delegates with strings attached, then we should understand and support Congressman Cao who is bucking his party and voting with his constituents..........even if we disagree with the legislation he voted for.

Truth be told, if all legislators did what Cao did tonight, the bill would have failed because America as a whole is conservative. It's not right to blame Cao for the passage of HR 3962. His vote didn't affect the outcome, but even if it had, the blame goes to those Democratic Congressmen who voted in opposition to what their constituents wanted, particularly the Blue Dogs and any who represent districts won by McCain/Palin, generally speaking. Bottom line? Representatives in Congress are supposed to represent the people in Washington. Cao did that. Many Democrats did not......and they are the ones guilty of ramming this outrageous healthcare bill through the House.

I believe in more local control. This is one of the many reasons that I support Sarah Palin. If you believe in more local control, you will have some understanding of Cao's situation and be critical, instead, of those Democrats who put their party before the people of their district. They are the ones who need to be booted out of Washington. Not only that, they are the ones who CAN be booted out of Washington. The only way to get rid of Cao is to replace him with a more liberal Democrat who would likely not have voted for the anti-abortion amendment that Cao supported tonight along with other Republicans and several pro-life Democrats.

Joseph Cao did his job. I respect him for it. I have no respect for those who utterly failed the people of their districts and voted for the legislation despite what the people they are charged with representing wanted them to do tonight. I expect they won't last beyond 2010.

In the meantime, the battle now goes on in the Senate. I suggest we all move forward by demanding that Senators use common sense and support Republican initiatives that will give more private, local control. The House bill is a monstrosity. It needs to be destroyed by the Senate. This can happen if we work hard enough. Let's get to work.

Related: Dan Riehl - Cao's Vote

UPDATE: CNN interviewed Cao regarding his vote. He confirms in the interview that his vote was based on the views of the people in his district.