Posted on 11/13/2006 3:17:45 PM PST by MindBender26
Please pardon the Vanity, but Mel Martinez is a friend and I thought FReepers might like some insight in him.
Mel Martinez and his wife Kitty are outstanding people. Mel was born in Cuba. At 10 and 11 years old, with Castro in power, he wouldn’t take off his Catholic scapula. Other boys would hit him during basketball games because he wouldn’t disown his religion, as Castro demanded.
Mel came to this country under Kennedy’s Pedro Pan program. Imagine arriving in Miami with nothing, absolutely nothing!
I’ll cut to the chase; 25 years later, a very successful and honest lawyer, he has the happiest day of his life when he and his beautiful wife, and their kids, welcome his mother on her escape from Cuba, into the house they bought for her.
In 2000, he was recruited to run for he House seat being vacated by Bill McCollum, but said no, because he didn't want to be away from his family 3 nights a week.
When the RNC needed someone to debate Charlie Rangel, Fidel Castro's favorite congressman, on Larry King Live on CNN, we recruited Mel with just a few hours warning. Mel was the Orange County [Orlando area] mayor at the time and Rangel made the fatal mistake of underestimating him. After 60 minutes of debate, not even Larry King's "assistance" could help Rangel score even one point against Mel. In plain English, on the issue of the Elian Gonzalez, Mel Martinez had Charlie Rangel for lunch on live TV!
The Bush family saw him on Larry King and the rest is history. The president chose Mel to be HUD Secretary in his new administration, and in what is probably one of the toughest jobs in Washington, was the most successful HUD secretary was seen in 30 years.
Mel then returned to Florida and ran an uphill battle to be our senator. He beat a reasonably strong opponent, and even more importantly than that, never once veered away from his long-held principles. He is an adamant opponent of abortion, understands that the most important thing in America today is to defeat terrorism and return a sense of personal responsibility to each and every American.
I had the pleasure of flying with Mel back to Washington the day after the election. Trust me on this one, he sharp, conservative, understands the issues better than 99% of the people in Washington... and most importantly, has seen the vicious or press the nature of communism and other leftist governments up close. If there is one man in the United States that Hugo Chavez fears more than anyone else, it's Mel Martinez.... and it would be a smart if the Islamic terrorists and their fellow travelers feared him too!
There are many more wonderful things Mel has done during his career in public life, and before but I won't go into them here.
With the Hispanic vote critically important for any success in any future national election, (and growing faster than the Black vote) , the selection of Mel Martinez as a new RNC chair is a brilliant move.
God, I love FreeRepublic!
You mean to say you don't have a single issue at all that would be a tipping point for you, something you just could not support? I think virtually everyone does (and a poltical consultant should understand that).
Anyway, for me, at this point (after YEARS of watching the current illegal alien mess come about--from way back in the 80s in West TX) and watching with amazement as our supposed conservative politicians sold us down the river, this is of the utmost importance. Time is very short to put this in order, so, yeah, it's my biggest issue at the moment. If we give amnesty and then citizenship, it won't matter, because we will not have a Republican majority again in my lifetime. I could be wrong, but I am just sharing with you what I think. Now, go ahead and call me an idiot. I don't really care.
susie
Thanks for your personal insight. This is something that makes this forum "the place to be."
Mel Martinez is NOT Howard Brush Dean III, child of privilege, Birkenstock doc, and beneficiary of some $3.8 million in trust funds, equities and financial instruments.
And THAT is the person you should be contrasting him with.
I voted for Mel for the Senate. I don't disagree with the administration often- but I am so opposed to "amnesty" and guest worker cards and a "comprehensive" solution to illegal immigration I can't see straight. I know Mel is for the "comprehensive" package and that just sent me over the top this afternoon when I heard he would be the new RNC chair.
My other question is how will he be an effective senator for my state when the RNC chair is a full time job- PARTICULARLY in light of our recent losses?
Hispanics are not monolithic. Most Mexicans do not consider Cubans real Hispanics. Just Whites who happen to speak Spanish with a funny accent.
Yes, Pacifica Radio is totally repugnant, but back in the '70s they actually gave some regular token air time to conservative POV.
Eventually, they gave up that pretense. But if you look at the poster's homepage again, he broadcast on pacifica in the early '70s.
Thanks for the feedback.
Could you tell us who you work for in DC? (Don't want to be presumptuous, but it will help us to know if your motives are simply friendly or professional in nature.)
I don't know. I'd really have to see who the second head is on this beast. It's going to be a 2-headed position. Mel is going to be the "Meet the Press" RNC chair and somebody else will be wearing the green eyeshade.
The fact is that the RNC chair's job is twofold: raise money and recruit candidates. Mel could raise money. The fact is, you will read a lot of borderbot complaints about him. He has two issues on which he differs from conservative orthodoxy. He's for the guest worker plan and he opposes drilling off of Florida. The second is serving his constituents. As to the first, I don't know why people think that they'll find somebody who agrees on everything, but they do. Certainly the NAU crowd will just see this as a bigger part of the conspiracy.
I think Mel will be able to raise money and recruit good, responsible candidates. I don't know how he will appear on MTP, though.
Oh, minority party Republican Senators aren't all that busy... fetching coffee, sharpening pencils, emptying ashtrays.
Minority party Democrat Senators are very busy since the media requires so much of their time for their newscasts.
He'll have the time if he want to work hard. I don't care for a few of his views but as long as he doesn't try to foist a liberal Rudy upon us he might be a good choice.
".... I see alot of people down on this choice without knowing much about the man. I'm one of them and what I do klnow is he is half of hagel/martinez. This guy would go down to the border and direct traffic up from Mexico if he could. Please don't let this be true!!!!!!!!
Very good info. Thanks.
Why don't you show us a picture of yourself or your wife, huh?
Then we can decide whether you are good enough.
Gosh, maybe he should have read the bloody thing before he voted for it.
I'm fed up with the GOP. People can carry on about one issue voters all they want.
THIS issue is pretty much going to guarantee the survival of our Republic, or not.
As if you'd EVER change your point of view.
Call them names and insult them. Very impressive.
That certainly is what you Border Freaks do 24/7.
Mel is a fine person and if his ACU ratings were 500 it
still would not change my mind.
I speak with many liberals every day and try to make points re. what Bush is trying to do and why re Iraq and just basic education where they are wrong.
With these liberals being zapped by their liberal profs.
and the MSM, they need communication and explaination, they won't get it with a nice guy who won't get the message across especially when they are on the talking head shows.
So we are still playing the "get votes" game instead of advancing conservatism?
I'm about to completely give up on Bush.
LOL!
That "one issue" just HAPPENS to be OUR SECURITY, our CULTURE, the stability of our INFRASTUCTRUE (public services), our LANGUAGE, our Job market, cmall business survival, our economy, our SOVEREIGNTY.....(list goes on, my friend) Not to mention the HUGE threat to destroying the power of the vote of the American Citizen....
when we deligitmize the vote of American citizen...we are no longer a nation run BY the people...but BY ILLIGAL INVADERS....and politicians more interested in finding a new group of voters to win over than gaining votes by just doing a good job and working in the best interest of America.....open borders, amnesty, and law-breaking invaders voting is not a good thing for America....
hello?
not exactly "one" issue...
Good gosh; can you be this dense?
Guess who ELSE the Democrats "suggested" for a Supreme Court justice.
None other than Ken Starr; but I'm sure you have something against HIM, too.
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