Latino head of RNC resigns (Sen. Mel Martinez, frustration over anti-illegal immigration stance)

LA Times ^ | 10/20/07 | Peter Wallsten

[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."

[longtermmemmory]

He was supposed to step down in January.

I suspect he was eased out because of the immigration fiasco.

(don’t forget the Dream Act AMNESTY is still on the table with intended passage before thanksgiving)

Which presidential candidate does this affect?

I suspect it is insider Giuliani.

[libbylu]

I very much hope a republican is going to run against Martinez next time. If not I will be voting democrat.

[Vn_survivor_67-68]

(don’t forget the Dream Act AMNESTY is still on the table with intended passage before thanksgiving)

DREAM ACT is back as a standalone Senate bill:

October 18, 2007 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE

By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. HAGEL, and Mr. LUGAR):

S. 2205. A bill to authorize the cancellation of removal and adjustment of status of certain alien students who are long-term United States residents and who entered the United States as children, and for other purposes; read the first time.

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the RECORD.

There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be placed in the RECORD, as follows:

S. 2205
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2007’’ or the ‘‘DREAM Act of 2007’’.

snip
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?position=all&page=S13097&dbname=2007_record

Complete text at the link....conveniently not printed until fri nite.....

[longtermmemmory]

now his is claimed by the “latinos”

before he was called “hispanic”

This is so LA. latinos used to be a slur term and Hispanic refered to all those who were of hispanic decent.

[Lancey Howard]

The worst of it was that the President failed to emphasize the difference between Latino citizens and criminal invaders, something that most Latino Republicans understood. Now it has backfired on the party.

I have NEVER seen an administration with worse communication skills. Some of that has to do with guts and a willingness to get mean against mean, lying political enemies. Bush just can't stomach a fight, and apparently neither can anybody else around him.

Gonzales whipped puppy-dog performance, speckled with about fifty apologies, before the Senate Judiciary Committee was one of the most pathetic and embarrassing things I ever saw.

[Lancey Howard]

If not I will be voting democrat.

You're rude.

[Charles Martel]

Right now I'm blasting some ACDC. It really annoys the Mexican neighbors

Want to *really* annoy them? Crank up the "Ameriachi"... they *hate* it!

[Gritty]

"The message that it sends is Latinos are not welcome," De Posada said.

Latinos are welcome.

Illegal aliens and their enablers are not. There is a difference.

[Kickass Conservative]

Paging Michael Steele, paging Michael Steele.
Please pickup the white courtesy phone for your job offer.
(I can only hope)

[BillyBoy]

There was a very large group of vocal Martinez supporters here on FR. They loudly proclaimed he was the "true conservative" in the race and triumped his great "pro-life" credentials and the fact he would "deliver" Florida to Bush by bring out massive Hispanic crossover votes (in fact, Mel ended up running far BEHIND Bush in the 2004 general election and barely got elected over a C-list opponent). Many freepers hailed the need to elect Mel so we would have an "hispanic" Senator, as if the GOP should reward people on the basis of affirmative action, rather than qualifications. (I'm all for electing a "hispanic" Senate who DESERVES a Senate seat based on their past "record", but Mel, like Harriet Miers, was anything but.)

Like the legions of freepers who hailed Condi Rice for President and Arnold for Governor here, the pro-Martinez crowd has suddenly disappeared. Any vocal Martinez supporters who trashed McCollum & Johnnie Byrd have now revised history to pretend like Martinz was the only Republican to step up the plate and run, so they "had to" vote for him "because the only alternative was Betty Castro". In reality, most of the GOP candidates would have won in Republican leaning Florida against a no-name opponent like Castro. They deliberately stabbed more conservative candidates in the back and pimped Martinez as a solid conservative choice in the primary -- not held their noses for him to simply "stop" Castro in the general.

Like the Arnoldbots, they simply can't come to terms with the fact that they WERE warned Martinez was a sleazy trial lawyer Bushbot who was lying about his positions to get elected, and they ignored the facts.

Martinez is now the Senate instead of a principled conservative because of useful idiots in the conservative "base" believing candidates who say anything to get elected.

[darkangel82]

I voted for Martinez in 04 because he was the GOP guy running against an awful Democrat.

[BillyBoy]

But did you vote for him in the PRIMARY? If so, why?

[TomGuy]

"The message that it sends is Latinos are not welcome," De Posada said. "The radical conservative base has a temporary victory right now."

The GOP/RNC bigwigs still don't get it.

"The message that it sends is Latinos ILLEGALS are not welcome."

And if the GOP/RNC bigwigs don't clue themselves in soon, they are setting themselves up for a remedial lesson in 08.

[darkangel82]

I voted for Bill McCollum in the primary.

[Jane Austen]

Didn’t he then pretend to be against illegal aliens (until he got elected)?

[BillyBoy]

Yes he did. And it was clear he was lying, since he was a rubber-stamp in Bush's cabinent who never questioned the President's policies and was hand picked by George W. & Jeb to run in the primary over more conservative candidates.

Of course, those of us who warned Martinez had supported amnesty in the past and was lying to get elected were denounced as anti-hispanic bigots here on FR.

[Celtman]

but illegal immigrants from any country aren’t supposed to vote, right?

      But ... but .. but . how else are the dims going to keep winning elections???

[BillyBoy]

Good choice.

I backed Johnnie Byrd in the primary, because I thought McCollum didn't have what it took to win statewide, but in hindsight I was probably wrong and should have went with McCollum.

Many Florida freepers are revising history, insisting Martinez was the only Republican on the planet who could beaten Betty Castro (a C-grade opponent -- NOT a big name legendary Florida Democrat), and that simply isn't the case. Seeing how well McCollum did in 2006 (a huge Dem year), I think he probably would have won in 2004 with Bush atop the ticket. As would have Doug Gallenger or Johnnie Byrd for that matter.

So the freepers saying Martinez was the only viable option the GOP had in order to "stop Castro" are lying. Plenty of Republicans from Jeb Bush, to Connie Mack, to Bill McCollum, to George W. Bush, have won handily in statewide Florida races, and they don't have a drop of "hispanic" blood.

I agree Martinez makes a better Senator than a socialist like Betty, but not that we "had to" run him for office. Quite the opposite. He was probably one the worst "electable" candidates the FL GOP put worth.

The Florida freepers who backed this scumbag in the primary were wrong to do so, and need to come to terms with that. THEY, not the "party leaders", are the reason we have a amnesty talking-head in the Senate. Pretending Martinez was the only Republican to run doesn't help their case.

[Liz]

If our nation and its leaders cannot protect the integrity of our borders and the true meaning of citizenship, we are heading toward a Third World status, and inviting another 9/11, or worse. When American citizens cannot freely exercise their rights guaranteed by our founding documents because gangs of illegal aliens pose a threat, something must be done.

It's time our government protects US citizens instead of illegal aliens. These invaders are turning Ameirca into a Third World-----Americans are losing their constitutional and civil rights. A wake-up call should be delivered to the next president on the importance of stopping illegal immigration.

Those who cross our borders illegally harm the quality of life on our streets, inn our schools; they burden our medical facilities, and are clogging our courts and prisons. Some of these invaders threaten to intimidate American citizens who want to exercise their right to peacefully demonstrate and air grievances.

We demand that the violation of any US law by any alien on our shores constitute a reason for deportation.

Those who cross our borders illegally are law-breakers, not "undocumented residents." Only US citizens have rights guaranteed by our Constitution and Bill of Rights.

We know our politicians are pandering idiots, sucking up to these invaders for a few votes. We demand politicians obey the constitution they were sworn to uphold.

It is nothing short of disgusting to watch politicians, who consider illegal aliens a potential source of votes, suckup to illegals with plans designed to grant endless US government freebies, free citizenship, and voting rights to these criminals.

Americans will reject any candidate offering these proposals.

[ozzymandus]

Damnit, GOP, stop sucking up to illegal aliens!!!