Posted on 01/19/2007 11:17:55 AM PST by PDR
With a few dissents, Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) was elected general chair of the Republican Nat'l Cmte this afternoon. RNC general counsel Mike Duncan was elected chair.
GMTA!
Bad news for Republicans. I submit that the party just pounded the final nail in its own coffin.
Libertarian, anyone? Constitution Party??
No Thanks
Not a chance. I never waste my vote.
Keep your money in your wallet until the 'Pubbies shape up. As RNC chair, Martinez's primary duty will be to raise money for the party. If we keep our money in our wallets, they won't get any and Martinez will be flushed.
The only thing to do is wait and see what happens with the primaries.
If the RINOs in the RNC screw over the conservatives in 2008 and put in Giuliani, Romney or McCain, then its time for conservatives to break away from the Republicans and join a third party like the Constitutionalist party, or form their own.
In either case, the Repubs would no longer be a functioning party. They will get no Democrat votes, few "moderate" votes and the conservatives will have abandoned them.
And it would hardly be a loss considering the ineptitude, callowness and self-interest of many Republican "leaders" and their high-neglect of their party base on so many issues of major concern.
<< Because Chaffee didn't have 100% from the ACU. >>
Martinez does?
>>Might folks recall that this guy's job has NOTHING to do with immigration?
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Judging by the replies on this thread.... most cannot, will not, or don't know. But hey, let the rants rave on!<<
You have a point of course, as you usually do...
But there is symbolism and some policy influence.
Consider, for example the Washington Times story
>>Choice of Martinez sparks GOP rebellion
By Ralph Z. Hallow
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
January 16, 2007
Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) Liz O. Baylen (THE WASHINGTON TIMES)
Rebellion is brewing among conservatives on the Republican National Committee over President's Bush's attempt to "impose" Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida as "general chairman" of the party, who favors "amnesty" for illegal aliens.
"I will be voting against Senator Martinez if he is nominated for any chairmanship of the RNC," Tina Benkiser, Texas Republican Party chairman, told The Washington Times yesterday.
Bill Crocker, the elected national committeeman from Texas, says that when the RNC convenes here tomorrow, "Absolutely, I will vote against Martinez."
The conservatives -- one of whom accused the Bush White House of "outsourcing" party leadership -- say the general-chairman post does not exist under RNC rules, which can be changed only at the party's presidential nominating convention.
Unhappy committee members say that, in the past, Republican presidents and RNC leaders have successfully run roughshod over the rules, because the RNC officer presiding over votes at committee meetings have simply overruled points of order and other objections from the floor, with no accredited professional parliamentarians to exercise a check. <<
And I understand he's not for "open borders" but it would have been good to see someone chosen who has a stronger position on illegal immigration and border security.
BTW, did you just get called a newbie by somebody with even less time here than me? Some people have no perspective. :)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20070116-122754-5361r.htm
The only thing to do is wait and see what happens with the primaries.
--
That being said, dependent on the results, be prepared to spend another 40 years wandering in the desert like a lost tribe.
There are no quick fixes, unless certain folks are willing to abandon some long-time core principles of conservatism and re-master the art of compromise with a clothes pin on their nose.
Yes, he does. These are some of Martinez's 2005 ratings, from some famous interest groups: ACU, 100%; Gun Owners of America, 100%; U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 83%; NARAL, 0%; NOW, 0%; and NEA, 0%. I disagree with him about illegal aliens, but, on almost all other issues, he's very conservative.
I think that the "leadership" of the GOP is fully cognizant of this threat. And I believe that, possibly, their (failed) strategy has been to out-Democrat the Democrats to gain more Democrat and Independent voters. They've moved the party further and further to the left to get more liberal voters to balance out the losses on the conservative end. The result of this strategy is the further establishment of liberalism and the marginalization of conservatism. Hey, but at least we elect people with R's after their name now and then. Right?
Ah but it is. It's an extremely powerful and influential position from which he can impact policy by guiding the creation of the PLATFORM for the Party. He also gets to influence the rules by which everyone must play. Think about that. If you write the rules, do you think it's possible to write them in such a way so as to bolster your positions and be detrimental to the opposition? This guy is from MY state. I've always regarded him as a RINO. He's also no friend to the American gunowner. I know there is some discussion about offering him next opening on the USSC. God help us if he ever becomes a US Supreme Court Justice!
Is this the freak-out thread? I heard there was a freak-out thread.
Full time operations will be handled by Duncan not Martinez.
It seems we're never happy with the RNC's chair. I found this in my search for the chair's job descrption.
National Day of Prayer and Reconciliation
New RNC Chairman Receives Mixed Reviews
Yesterday, President George W. Bush named former Montana Governor Mark Racicot (pronounced RAHS’-koh) as the new Chairman of the Republican National Committee. Racicot takes over from Virginia Governor James Gilmore who has stepped down, citing the difficulties involved with both chairing the Party and carrying out his duties as Governor.
Press reports of reaction by conservatives to the pick are mixed and troubling. CNSNews.com reported on December 5 that Dallas Erickson, president of the Montana Help our Moral Environment issued a statement asking all Americans to "e-mail the President requesting that Racicot’s selection be withdrawn." The statement went on to say that, "While serving as governor, Racicot repeatedly worked to defeat conservative nominees of his own party." According to Erickson, "Racicot, as governor, greatly increased taxes, opposed school choice, got the endorsement of teachers’ unions, covertly gave homosexuals special rights in state employment and restricted firearms. Therefore, Racicot is not a credible messenger for the president’s programs of lower taxes, school reform, moral renewal and individual freedom."
Adding to conservatives’ discomfort is the strong endorsement of Racicot by the Human Rights Campaign, the largest homosexual/lesbian political advocacy organization in the country.
Conservative leader Morton Blackwell, head of the Leadership Institute in Washington, also criticized Racicot on Wednesday during a speech at the Institute’s monthly Wednesday breakfast, according to CNSNews. "He is opposed to right to work. He has, in many ways, done things which are contrary to conservative principles. With White House support, Governor Racicot will be elected (RNC Chairman) next month without opposition." But, Blackwell added, "With White House support, James Carville could be elected chairman of the Republican National Committee, albeit with some opposition."
On the other hand, the selection was praised by National Right to Life Committee PAC Director, Carol Tobias, who said Bush had named "a solidly pro-life chairman to head the national Republican Party." CNSNews.com pointed out that NRLC’s Montana branch director, Steven Ertelt, said, "We felt that he was very fair to us and the pro-life issue. He signed several pieces of pro-life legislation that were of importance to us and our membership."
According to our information, then-Governor Racicot signed three pieces of legislation, which restrict or regulate the practice of abortion. In 1995 he signed a parental notification bill, right-to- know legislation that included providing women about the link between abortion and breast cancer, and a bill preventing non-physicians from performing abortions. However, neither NRLC nor Montana Right to Life have mentioned whether Racicot supports the pro-life principle enunciated in the Republican National Platform, which recognizes the right to life of every innocent individual human being from the moment of conception. The answer to that question determines whether the new RNC chairman is "solidly" pro-life. That remains to be seen.
http://www.rnclife.org/faxnotes/2001/dec01/01-12-07.shtml
That's not true for the House and Senate. The candidates are recruited by the NRSC and NRCC. They handle each house and the RNC is asked to give money but the recruitment comes from the House and Senate groups. My Congressman is head of NRCC and they have a recruitment group out looking right now.
I'm just curious... What kind of republican candidates do you believe can win in blue states?
Ummmmm Could it be that Lincoln Chaffee was defeated in his reelection bid and now a RAT sits in that seat? Although there's probably very little material difference between the two political outlooks. A liberal is STILL a liberal.
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