Mel voted for the Kennedy-Reid-McCain amnesty. That says it all.
To be expected, I guess. My less than enthusiastic reaction was based on how relatively colorless he is, but maybe that won't matter.
Yeah, and all you Jersey haters can pipe down! Check out my man, Scott Garrett, who by the way was never in danger of losing his seat this time around.
Scott Garrett (R-NJ) House Best of the Best (100%)
Nuthin but race cards in your deck.
Good post. He's plenty conservative. That isn't the problem.
The problem is Martinez is he's dull, and not terribly telegenic. We need someone who can represent us well on all those TV shows.
I didn't see any of that. My beef would be that I wish they'd asked someone younger. We need youth and lots of energy.
Sometimes -- not always -- but sometimes, you make Jesse Jackson sound like a moderate. And, btw, Hispanic should be capitalized. Respect!
You're a troll. Next.
Dihimmicrats will have fun with Senaor Mel Schiavo Memo Martinez.
Harold Ford Jr.'s lifetime ACU rating is only 19.
I thought he, everyone in his campaign, and his lapdog waterboys in the national media said he was a "conservative" Democrat.
Ford was the slickest, lyingest candidate in America since Bill Clinton. Thank God enough voters actually knew what his real voting record was.
loud mouth hispanic haters on FR
Sorry, We never knew you were Hispanic! LOL!
I will say it again, Steele would have made a 100 percent better choice to run the RNC. Are we purposely trying to shoot ourselves in the foot?
Why put someone out there that a lot of Republicans have an issue with? Man oh man, the hits keep coming, this just makes it a lot harder now to bring the party together for 2008. What an idiotic move.
Regards, Ivan
--House Best of the Best (100% ACU Ratings)--
By my calculations, only 3 of the GOP's top 38 House members, and 2 of the Senate top 10 (Allen and Burns) lost their seats.
In the House, one loss followed retirement (Beauprez), another race is still under review (J.D.) and the third was the quirky Hostettler (who apparently refused outside funds for his campaign).
Those who say that this midterm was a huge defeat for conservatism are in for a colossal surprise in 2008 (Shhhh, let them dream and overreach as they usually do).
The ACU rating is based on the year's voting record, isn't it? If so, a generally conservative legislator can have a perfect record one year and not the next. The overall rating is a little better general indicator, although nothing can beat knowing the actual voting record.
Isakson Amendment Exposes Election Year Politics
Yesterday [May 16th, 2006] afternoon Senator Isakson (R-GA) offered his “secure the borders first” amendment to the immigration legislation to prohibit the granting of legal status, or adjustment of current status, to any individual who enters or entered the United States in violation of federal law, unless the border security measures the bill authorizes are fully completed and fully operational.
The amendment failed (40 yeas, 55 nays, five abstentions). Its defeat is being hailed as a victory for the president’s position and foreshadows the margin by which the overall bill will pass in the senate.
On this particular vote, the Democrats carried the day for the president. 37 Dems (including Jeffords) voted against the amendment, seven voted for it, and Senator Rockefeller (D-WV) abstained. By contrast, only 18 Republicans voted against the amendment, and a majority of them (33) voted for it, with four abstaining.
Of the seven Democrats who voted affirmatively, four face re-election in November:
Byrd (D-WV)*
Conrad (D-ND)*
Nelson (D-NE)*
Stabenow (D-MI)*
* indicates re-election in November 2006
(It’s tempting to argue that the three Dems who voted affirmatively but are not up for re-election this year—Dorgan (D-ND), Landrieu (D-LA) and Wyden (D-OR)—reliably vote against anything the president is for.)
Of the five senators who abstained, four were Republicans:
Cochran (R-MS)
Gregg (R-NH)
Lott (R-MS)*
McCain (R-AZ)
Of the 18 Republicans who voted against the amendment, four face re-election in November: Chafee (R-RI); DeWine (R-OH); Lugar (R-IN) and Snowe (R-ME).
The Republicans voting negatively were:
Bennett (R-UT)
Brownback (R-KS)
Chafee (R-RI) *
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Craig (R-ID)
DeWine (R-OH)*
Graham (R-SC)
Hagel (R-NE)
Lugar (R-IN)*
Martinez (R-FL)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Shelby (R-AL)
Snowe (R-ME)*
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)
A majority of Republicans voted against the immigration bill as it came out of the Judiciary Committee. It appears that the bill now being debated on the floor may pass with a majority of Republicans again voting against it.
Well, it seems that Sen. Martinez went against the ACU 3 times out of 15 (twice on immigration), and didn't vote on a 4th issue the ACU pointed out (making English the national language). By my math, that puts Martinez' 2006 ACU rating at 80%.
Nice try though.
That doesn't means the computer program would do a good job as RNC chair.
Amnesty Mel is a incompetant boob and embarrassment to the GOP in the Senate. His past two years have hurt, not helped, GOP prospects to win elections. If it weren't for his last name and willingness to be a rubber stamp for Bush, he'd still be back in the trial lawyer buisness donating to his socialist Democrat buddies. There are FAR more qualified hispanics who would make good Senators, like Henry Bonilla.
Actually, my #1 problem with this choice is that no sitting federal elected official (or Governor, for that matter) should be simultaneously serving as RNC Chair. Both are full-time jobs, and one that Martinez cannot hope to effectively serve as. Bad choice.