Posted on 02/03/2005 9:25:35 AM PST by kjfpolitical
WASHINGTON - Florida Sen. Mel Martinez, the first Cuban-American elected to the U.S. Senate, on Wednesday apparently marked another first: delivering the first Spanish speech on the Senate floor.
Martinez, a Republican from Orlando, was speaking in favor of President Bush's nomination of White House counsel Alberto Gonzales as the new U.S. attorney general. Gonzales, a Mexican-American, would be the first Hispanic to hold that post.
After praising Gonzales in English as a qualified public servant and a role model for Hispanic-Americans, Martinez switched to Spanish and addressed all "those who came to America to create a better life."
"Judge Gonzales is one of us," he said in Spanish. "He represents all of our hopes and dreams for our children. Let us acknowledge the importance of this moment, for especially our youth.
"We cannot allow petty politicking to deny us this moment that fills us all with such pride."
It was the new senator's first floor speech since he was sworn in last month, and it came during Republican debate on Gonzales' nomination, to a mostly empty chamber. Martinez sought permission to use Spanish beforehand, then gave the English translation for the Congressional Record.
Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, one of a handful of Republican leaders there to hear it, congratulated Martinez when he finished. "I'm sure that this is not only the first time we've had a bilingual first speech in the Senate ... (but) you could not have picked a more important topic," McConnell said.
The Senate is expected to confirm Gonzales' appointment today, despite opposition from many Senate Democrats who say he once advised the Bush administration that torture may not always be unlawful.
Kerry Feehery, Martinez's press secretary, said the senator used Spanish to underscore the importance of Gonzales' nomination to Hispanic-Americans. "It's a historic moment for the Hispanic community and we shouldn't lose sight of the barriers it's breaking," she said.
While Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, whose wife is from Mexico, and President Bush frequently speak Spanish to connect with Hispanic audiences and potential voters, Martinez's speech appears unprecedented in the Senate.
Associate Senate historian Don Ritchie said the Senate has had several other Hispanic members, "but we don't have anything in our files that indicates that either of them ever used Spanish in their speeches on the floor."
Last year, former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., used a Native American language when introducing a bill, and guest chaplains have said prayers in both Chippewa and Sioux, he said. In the 19th century, senators frequently used Latin phrases but never delivered speeches in Latin.
Ritchie said it is difficult to know exactly what has been said over the past 200 years: Remarks delivered in a foreign language generally don't show up in the official proceedings, simply because those who record the floor debates can't transcribe them.
In place of Martinez's Spanish remarks Wednesday, the unofficial transcript says simply, "Speaking in Spanish."
Univision, the Spanish-language TV network, and CNN en Espanol carried the morning speech live, as did C-SPAN. Feehery said she doubts Martinez will give many bilingual speeches on the Senate floor, "but if it's an important issue to the Hispanic-American community, both in Florida and nationwide, he will."
But what about the viewers who only speak German, or Vietnamese, or Italian, or Russian, or Portugese, or Korean, or Turkish, etc. Perhaps Martinez's speech should have been translated into dozens of other languages so as to not let anybody who was watching the speech feel that they were being disregarded or discriminated against just because they don't understand Spanish.
That is the bright side to all of this. There are far more votes to be gained among Hispancis that will be lost among the Malkinbots.
Post back to me if you wish to respond to my inquiry to you about Gonzales' stand on immigration. Otherwise, please give it a rest.
If you are looking for something 'dignified' then the Senate might be the wrong place to look ... seen a Ted Kennedy speech recently?
My beef here is with the same cabal of prigs that immediately start in with the "Tancrediots won't like this" nonsense. There are about 7 extremely self-righteous FReepers who throw around the words 'racist' and 'xenophobe' any time someone argues in favor of law or tradition ...
If this were a Democratic Senator giving a speech in Spanish, I doubt there would be a single freeper defending him (or her, if it were Hillary). I know I wouldn't. This nation's language is English. People who insist on being hyphenated Americans don't help themselves or the rest of us. Martinez may have an R after his name, but that's not going to stop me from protesting this move toward the multilingual (and cultural) chaos that the Left is longing for.
Thanks for your post #154 showing the AG's authority to extend over the Executive Office for Immigration Review. Is it your belief that Gonzales will support the expulsion of illegal aliens from our country?
Martinez should challenge Salazar to a debate on Univision. They could argue about abortion, gay marriage, social security, Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro and school vouchers.
See 148. If a Senator wanted to use his speech to address them from the Senate floor in their first (or only) language, that's fine with me. I think it's nice that someone would think to give that attention from time to time.
If he were a Democrat, and gave a speech in Spanish, I wager you'd be pounding him. We shouldn't operate by a double standard that says it's OK for Republicans to pander to the groups that want to fragment this society and undermine our cultural cohesion.
I'll put you down as NOT WILLING to respond.
Put me down as responding that a candidate receiving the endorsement of La Raza is not likely to be a strong border security advocate.
He wasn't speaking to us Anglos. He was subtly letting the Hispanic community know which party considers each citizen upon his or her own merit and which party considers each Hispanic to be a member of a serville class, to be hired as house servants but who should never present themselves to the United States Senate.
Or Box-O-Rox - Or Reid - Or Biden - Or Kerry - Or some of those other Ciceros on the 'Rat side of the aisle. They are a disgrace to the Senate -- the whole stinking lot of them!
It has to be killing some of those 'Rats that the first speech in the Senate given in Spanish was by a Republican. They think "all your minorities are belong to us". The difference between us and the 'Rats is -- we don't see them as minorities, we see them as Americans. In fact, we've had US Military personnel end up as KIAs that we not even American Citizens -- and many of them were Spanish-speaking, as is my Venezuelan-native US Naturalized Citizen stepmother, who takes care of my ill father -- a former Marine. So, VIVA MEL -- VIVA BUSH -- VIVA Jeb in 2008!
With every posts, you should your ignorance of the facts and the way the government works. Keep it up.
>>the AG's authority to extend over the Executive Office for Immigration Review. Is it your belief that Gonzales will support the expulsion of illegal aliens from our country?
I don't know enough about that office. Do they deal with deporting illegals? I always thought that was the duty of the (old) INS, which I think is called the USCIS now. But that duty might have changed in the DHS creation for all I know
But to answer your question, I really have no idea what Gonzales would support. I suspect he would follow President Bush's lead.
Nonsense. Churchill gave a speech in French from the basement of the Annexe during the Blitz -- to the French. I personally don't care about the language -- what I care about is what the person has to say. Ich habe keine problem, und Sie?
Thanks for your reply. I, too, suspect he will follow Pres. Bush's lead on the immigration issue. That's what worries me.
Good post. Thank you.
"With every posts, you should your ignorance of the facts and the way the government works. Keep it up."
Howlin, has anyone ever told you that, besides being a very bad speller, you don't answer direct questions very well?
Does Gonzales support taking appropriate measures to end the flood of illegal immigration from Latin America?
Sorry.
This is NOT a good sign for the Republic.
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