Short Cao (tall) 2.0

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/24/AR2010092405221_5.html?hpid=topnews

I have been a long time admirer of Danny DeVito who made it against all the Hollywood odds.

Now, in the hall of Congress, we got another “against all odds” kind of guy.

Congressman Cao is up for reelection.

Once, you are lucky. Twice, you must be good.

His district clearly needs leadership, to rebuild the right kind of neighborhood, and not to build a wrong kind of landfill.

His ability to build coalition, to galvanize community support, and his vote for conscience set him apart, as if he was not already.

Something about the New Orleans’ Vietnamese Catholic community.

They found themselves in a remotest part of town, clustered but not isolated. In fact, culturally and climate wise, Vietnamese American in New Orleans practice their trade (fishing) and their religion (Catholicism) almost as if they were in Vietnam (occasional typhoons are not strange either).

And in the tradition of protest peppered with the struggle of the South, the community found backing in historical precedence.

What made Representative Cao an “accidental” one, is that, he ran on issues, and did not heavily rely on ethnic cards.

The region got enough natural disasters to draw everyone together, Black, White and in between.

When he escaped from Vietnam, the region was under bomb shells.

Now, he lives in a disaster zone (BP Gulf spill).

So his fight is their fight, collectively.

And our man, all of a sudden, stands tall, at least for the rest of his term.

America loves success stories. Don’t we all? As they said, success got many relatives. Failure is an orphan.

It could have been my story (seminary, Boat People relief work, private job, and living in and among Vietnamese community).

But as he says, “God must have a purpose”, in his winning and even losing the upcoming election.

Either way, he is in the game.  And having learned about the spark of divinity in each of us, he should be well ready to accept defeat with grace, just as he enjoys victory with humility, knowing our souls are all anchored somewhere else, while we float to and fro on this side of heaven.