If the Richmond v. Cao grudge match was a high school, Anh 'Joseph' Cao would be the jealous, unpopular kid who tried to make friends by spreading rumors about the cool kids. Cedric Richmond, meanwhile, would be that kid that wasn't necessarily selling drugs or anything cool like that, but still seemed to know the cool people. Richmond lined up some of the Democratic party's cool kids this week, signalling that he's not going to let Cao drag him mudward. To add to his Obama spot, Mayor Mitch lent Richmond the Hype Machine for an ad that rolled out during the LSU-Florida squeaker. Today, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine was in town to talk up the Ced. We remain unimpressed - until he gets Oprah.

It's playoff time in baseball, and you know what that means: It's time to use America's pasttime as a metaphor for life! In the race to represent NOLA in Congress, we've got a pickle in full swing. Picture it with us now! 'Da Paper is running toward third, thinking everything will be alright. But the ball comes to the third basemen, Anh 'Joseph' Cao, who chases 'Da Paper back toward second. Waiting till he's got 'Da Paper cornerned, Cao throws to second basemen American Zombie, who chases 'Da Paper back toward third. Read how it ends after the jump!

If Anh 'Joseph' Cao read it on the Internet, it must be true. 'Da Paper has a big old feature today on unsavory stuff the Congressman wants you to know about his opponent Cedric Richmond's past. But wait! Something seems amiss! Cao - who as a Republican Congressman and well-funded candidate has presumably ample access to resources who can dig some shit up -  frequently cites his sources as websites, then says he's still investigating all of these allegations. Don't people usually do that before they go to the paper? Details after the jump.

Even as he basks under the microscope of national election eggheads, Congressperson Anh 'Joseph' Cao is still feeling a little hurt. He's made a lot of friends in Washington, but he still hasn't been able to coax old Uncle Barry around to his side. He even told those threatening Republican leaders to shove it and voted for financial reform and health care.  So when Obama ran an ad for Cao's opponent, state Rep. Cedric Richmond, over the weekend, Cao apparently flipped, and said he would call up the president with a lot of dirt on Richmond. Wait, what this? The serene, former Jesuit who almost became a priest is about to go neggy? So much for those arguments against politics sucking the soul. From the Hayride, here's some rampant speculation on what this dirt might be - and it involves hot tubs!

Local Congressperson and national media specimen Anh 'Joseph' Cao gets what is likely to be his send-off this weekend from the Washington Post. Like Cao's ascent to Congress, there's some looney stuff here, such as a photo of the former Jesuit seminarian flashing a come-hither stare around a Captiol column and the re-appropriation of "R-New Orleans" as "R-Disaster Area." But they finally get to the truth of Cao's run with a guy sitting in the shade on Marigny Street: "If he is black, I'll vote for him. If he's not black, I won't."