Posted on 10/20/2007 6:39:22 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON -- The Republican Party's highest-ranking Latino official abruptly resigned Friday, marking the latest casualty in the GOP's bitter internal fight over immigration and dealing another setback to President Bush's years-long effort to court Latino voters.
The announcement by Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida that he was quitting as general chairman of the Republican National Committee came after he had expressed frustration over the tenor of the immigration debate within his party. ...
"Mel Martinez was a symbol of the party's outreach to Latinos, and that seems to be disappearing," said Lionel Sosa, a longtime Republican strategist and advisor to GOP presidents since Ronald Reagan. ...
The White House had engineered the ascent of the Cuban-born Martinez over the objections of many conservatives as part of an effort to repair the GOP's image among Latinos. That image suffered when Republican congressional leaders and conservative activists stymied administration-backed measures that would have created a path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants.
Some GOP strategists say the party's poor performance among Latino voters in 2006 helped ensure Democratic victories across the country. Now, some worry that Martinez's early exit from the RNC foreshadows more trouble in 2008.
Robert de Posada, president of the Republican-leaning Latino Coalition, said Martinez's departure is especially disheartening because it follows the resignation of another high-profile Latino in the GOP: former U.S. Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales.
"The message that it sends is Latinos are not welcome," De Posada said. "The radical conservative base has a temporary victory right now."
The RNC will be run by Mike Duncan, who shared the title of chairman and was responsible for the party's day-to-day operations.
--snip--
Bush issued a brief statement saying that Martinez "represented the best of the Republican Party and its core values."
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
What a load of crap. More pandering to illegals on the base of their race. If its up to Democrats and RINOs, this country will become the worlds largest balkan state.
Herb Alpert was the first record I ever owned! Loved that stuff.
susie
To tell the truth, I was thinking more of Gonzalez when I said that. I think Bush gave the job to an incompetent, out of misguided personal friendship, much as he tried to do with Miers.
Gonzalez was an odd political ally for Bush, since he is pro-abortion (as a judge in Texas, he struck down a parental consent law), and there’s no doubt that Bush is sincerely pro-life. More than that, Gonzalez proved incapable of cleaning the clintonoids out of the Justice Department. He was a weak AG. He should have been fired for not firing enough US Attorneys for political reasons, not for firing too many of them.
Mel Martinez is also doubtfully conservative, but I think he’s reasonably smart and capable. When it comes to the immigration issue, he was only saying what Bush wanted him to say.
Your last sentence said what I was trying to say. I agree about Gonzolaz, and also about Bush’s misplaced loyalty to his friends. If one is a good friend, they understand why they can’t have a job they aren’t suited for (or they respect your opinion that they aren’t suited for it.)
susie
Martinez better keep his own seat and try to repair his fences back in Fla. We need Latino votes but not at the cost of the law being enforced against illegality. That Bush and Mel cannot see this is not only strange but dunce-like.
Corruption and arrogance emcompasses the two you name. They arrogantly thoought they could buy votes, and they were corrupted by the lobbies that they attained earmarks for.
I don’t think Bush cares. He has only one agenda along with his father and brother and apparently don’t care who they sacrifice.
The thing that bothers me about Bush and other politicians is how blatent they are and how sneaky they are together.
Sacking trolls and other destructive elements. There’s nothing “Conservative” about Precious Willard. He’s a damnable liar and phony and ruins anything Republican he touches. A stark contrast to Fred Thompson, who is a statesman.
We are NOT estupido.
Comprende usted?
LOL...worth repeating!!!<<
Worth Repeating? OK.
Nope, amigo, it's really that activist pro-amnesty Jorge Bush-appointed moles are not welcome in the highest GOP echelons. We are NOT estupido. Comprende usted?
Go to hell, Mel. You jerk.
How ‘bout Adam Putnam ?
That’s a thought.
Supporting Mel Martinez seemed like a good idea at the time (2004).
As I said, Fred’s a globalist and that’s an automatic disqualification; therefore, I really don’t care what his public speaking skills are or are not, “statesman” or otherwise.
Yeah...what you said. lolol!
hehehe
We believed, still do, that we need to expand upon just having a sea of White male faces carry the banner of Conservative Republicanism (running a retread of McCollum was simply a no-go in ‘04). Half the reason why some folks don’t want to support our party, even if they agree with our points, is because they don’t see enough people that look like them. It may be shallow, but it’s the reality. Martinez looked like a hopeful voice for expanding appeal to Hispanics, and for a short time, he was... until he lost his mind on this one issue. Worse, yet, because of him, he has caused considerable damage to Hispanic Republicans hoping to move up, because many voters will automatically assume that they ALL support the illegal invasion, and it isn’t true.
Well, then good luck supporting Ron Paul.
Good luck supporting a globalist backer of the Council on Foreign Relations....the American sellout agency for the NAU.
This isn’t the 19th century anymore.
Justifying selling out of American will never be a conservative or patriotic position, I don’t care WHAT century in which we live.
I’ve already read enough of your commentary to note that you want those who don’t agree with YOUR views sacked and that your back and defend a globalist, one who has aligned himself with the Council on Foreign Relations, the entity which is pushing for the NAU and, thereby, the elimination of American sovereignty. They, and all globalists, are no friends of America or Americans.
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