Rep. Cao’s interest in CBC could spark clash

There could be another clash in the offing about who should be able to join the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC).

Anh “Joseph” Cao, the Republican who upset indicted Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) in a delayed election earlier this month, has expressed interest in joining the caucus, presumably because he represents a minority district.

{mosads}Cao, the first Vietnamese-American elected to Congress, told his hometown paper, the Times-Picayune of New Orleans, that he’s interested in joining the CBC. He also said he’s seeking a seat on the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Appropriations Committee.

If history is any guide, he’ll have a tough time with all three. Despite being lauded by GOP leaders as the future of their party, such “exclusive” committee seats rarely, if ever, go to freshmen.

And though Cao is a minority from a minority district (his district is 64 percent African-American, and 3 percent Asian), the CBC has never admitted a non-black member.

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) learned that after he was elected to succeed Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D) in a majority-black district in 2006. Cohen talked about trying to join the caucus but backed off when leaders made it clear he wouldn’t be allowed to join.

A spokeswoman for the incoming chairwoman of the CBC, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said Lee “wasn’t aware of [Cao’s] interest in joining the CBC.”

The spokeswoman referred questions back to the current CBC chairwoman, Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Mich.), whose office did not respond to messages.

The CBC has been marginally more open to black Republicans. The CBC admitted Rep. Gary Franks (R-Conn.), but his early-’90s crusade for membership earned him enmity from CBC members.

In 1993, the CBC essentially kicked him out after he made forceful critiques of the majority-black districts created under the Voting Rights Act. Members voted to limit his participation to the first half-hour of their weekly lunch meetings but quickly relented after a public backlash.

There have also been discussions of “associate memberships” in the CBC for non-black lawmakers interested in similar issues. But the idea has never firmly taken hold.

Two other black Republicans in Congress since the CBC was founded, Sen. Ed Brooke of Massachussetts and Rep. J.C. Watts of Oklahoma, did not seek to join.

Cao should have better luck with the Asian-Pacific Islander Caucus, which Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) has invited him to join.