Mel Martinez Defends Gonzalez in Spanish on Senate Floor

St. Petersburg Times ^ | February 3, 2005 | WES ALLISON

[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."

[Dane]

Spanish on the Senate floor?? This is sure to drive the Tancretoids nuts.

Tancredo no doubt is blast faxing his condemnation of Sen. Martinez who escaped Castro's gulag, to his flying monkeys right now.

[BullDog108]

Thanks for the 411. I had heard this Urban Legend numerous times also.

[Joe Brower]

Florida Freeper

I'm compiling a list of FReepers interested in Florida-related topics.
If you want to be added, please FReepMail me.

[brooklyn dave]

Ok so Mel martinez spoke Spanish to make a point. He didn't introduce a bill to make Spanish an officail language of the Senate. Actually I'd prefer them all to use American sign language so we don't have to listen to all their blather.

[COBOL2Java]

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.

Presumably Teddy was not present in the chamber at the time. Teddy would have come out of his drunken stupor and yelled something like "Consuelo! Your husband's in the servant's quarters, asking for you!" before going back to sleep.

[canalabamian]

Ditto!

[brooklyn dave]

Who remebers lawrence welk? I think he was born in the dakotas...but he still had a german accent. Ah one An a two...oompah pah..Those bubbles really got to me.

[Red Badger]

We're talking about government employees here. Translation would require extra intelligence.......

[WestTexasWend]

"...torture may not always be unlawful."

Proven just last night when the FCC allowed the democrats response.

[econ_grad]

Noone should be allowed to speak in a foreign language on the floor of Congress. Shameful act by Martinez.

[hchutch]

Mind explaining why you are posting this speech of questionable provenance that originally was posted on VDARE and orgiinated from Media Bypass?

[sully777]

Spanish on the Senate floor?? This is sure to drive the Tancretoids nuts.

Yeah, there are a lot of xenophobes on FR.

---

A wise old Puerto Rican lady told me that she came to the 48 in 1950's. Although PR was a US commonwealth, she had to learn english. She said she learned english because she was in America not Puerto Rico. "Americans speak english, not spanish or portugese, or anything else. Are people crazy thinking they are going to change America into a spanish province?" She was old school.

She has no patience with the lazy, selfish, and unthankful legals/illegals that speak badly of Americans in their native tongue and then smile to their hosts/hostesses, "No habla inglais." She thinks it's all absurd and rude.

I think Gonzalez's speech was a political ploy. I cannot comment on the appropriateness of his, or Bush's, or Teresa Heinz Kerry's speeches. I don't know if it will set a precedent. I just remember what my old Puerto Rican friend said to me about speaking the mother tongue of the mother country, especially in official capacities.

Now, I work with hispanics and have gotten to know many personally. The illegals are about 50/50 pro-american. The pro-american illegals try to assimilate while the anti-american illegals stubbornly keep their culture totally. And the anti-americans abuse the system the most, all the while cursing our hospitality in spanish while they smile. They're getting theirs then heading back to their origin as "head boss man" which translated into american culture is similar to Tony Saprano.

Xenophobic? I hope your comment is in jest. The legal immigrants are probably the most xenophobic. Maybe the reason they are xenophobic is because they hear the anti-american BS in the native tongue, in the private moments we all miss.

[Luddite Patent Counsel]

Any language other than English should be noted in the official record by the phrase, "speaking gibberish". He's in the Senate of the United States of America, not the U.N. We conduct our government in English. If you want to speak Spanish, go to Spain, or Mexico, or Cuba, or whatever.

[Dominick]

Bata su culo Mel!

[fr_freak]

Yeah, there are a lot of xenophobes on FR.

Xenophobe is one of those labels thrown around, like "racist", "sexist", etc. to get people to shut up and accept whatever agenda the labeler wants to promote. Well, guess what - you're on a conservative activists' web forum, and one of the goals of most conservatives is to prevent our culture, and thus our country, from being dismantled by the corrosive influence of such things as multi-culturalism. As a US Senator, Martinez was out of line giving a speech in his offical capacity on the Senate floor in Spanish. Either he is an American, and conducts official business as one, or else he is just another part of the problem.

[ClintonBeGone]

Noone should be allowed to speak in a foreign language on the floor of Congress. Shameful act by Martinez.

Is there some sort of exemption to the first amendment for members of congress? I must have missed that part. Seems like your side only wants to follow the law when it comes to foreigners.

[mudblood]

"Holy pandering, Batman!"

So he should only pander to you? Or English speakers? English isn't the official US language, its just the customary one. I'd like it to be the official language, for the record. But back to pandering: you do realize that this speach will hit all the Spanish-speaking airwaves, right? And its in the defence of Bush's nominee. Hispanics who can't have children who do, and they'll be telling their kids how great Bush is, and how great the Republicans are. This wasn't pandering - it was communication.

[cyborg]

He should speak english, the language of the government.

[ClintonBeGone]

Xenophobe is one of those labels thrown around, like "racist", "sexist", etc. to get people to shut up and accept whatever agenda the labeler wants to promote.

And sometimes the term is throw around to help the reader understand the truth.

[livius]

Brilliant strategy! I think Mel Martinez is great.