He (Vietnamese heritage) was among last two Republicans to vote. It already had 218 votes when he voted. Since he took Jefferson's place in Louisiana, in a fairly heavily minority district, he probably voted Yea just to be able to say he did back home. I doubt he would have voted Yea if the bill had not already passed.
Some Dim Nays were also probably ass covering votes for Blue Dogs once the Dims knew they had the required 218. There's always some of that on any vote.
I thought maybe the newbie voted “Yea” to preserve the rights of the minority to challenge the bill’s vote in the future. I recall some kind of arcane rule about that. Since he was the new guy, he drew the short straw.
If not, he’s a one termer.You don’t buck the party on your first vote.
We only needed two more Blue Dogs.
Well, in 2010, our job will be to see that there are no Blue Dogs re-elected to Congress.
We can’t fence sit anymore. The battle is joined and there is less than one year to accomplish the task.
Buckle up—it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.
And remember—Democrats are the enemy of freedom.