Bayou Buzz reports that Rep. Joseph Cao, the Republican who replaced scandalized Democrat William Jefferson, now faces a recall petition over his stimulus opposition by a group of ministers.
Cao had indicated that he would be voting in favor of the controversial legislation but instead voted against it.
Papers have been filed with the Office of the Louisiana Secretary of State which started the process requiring sufficient signatures to force a recall election for the office held by Representative Cao.
Rev. Toris Young, one of the leaders of the effort, said the stimulus vote was the “last straw.”
Cao represents a majority African-American, and traditionally Democratic, district. However, the Times-Picayune says the ministers will have a hard time unseating him.
The Recall Anh Cao Committee faces daunting odds. The effort has 180 days from its filing Monday to gather 100,000 valid signatures from registered voters in the district — a third of all district voters — in order to get a recall vote. And even if they succeed at that, and voters approve the recall, it appears that Congress would not accept the result.
According to a report to Congress last year prepared by Jack Maskell, a legislative attorney with the Congressional Research Service, “the United States Constitution does not provide for nor authorize the recall of United States officials such as United States Senators, Representatives to Congress, or the President or Vice President of the United States, and thus no United States Senator or Member of the House of Representatives has ever been recalled in the history of the United States.”
Rev. Aubry Wallace of Marrero, who heads the recall committee, told the paper that they have already gathered 8,000 signatures. “This is going to be a successful effort,” he said.
