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 ...
Maybe it's a failure in our efforts to assimilate these guys, or possibly their mothers whisper words of hate to them in the crib ~ I served in the military and worked in the Postal Service with thousands of people of Latin derivation or origin who actually thought of this as a country worth sacrificing for, and preserving. Martinez stands out as being remarkably unlike them; rather more like the people their folks fled.
Martinez should take his hateful words and attitudes with him to some other place. He doesn't like us; we don't need him.
You are exactly right. Excellent post! :)
Folks, debate too often becomes a series of questions tossed back and forth, so I will forgo that and make a simple statement of fact.
Latino voters, not illegals, voters — are the fastest growing demographic among all US voters due to their very high birth rate and losing high profile Latino Republicans is going to help not one iota in preventing that voting block from becoming equivalent to blacks, from whom GOP candidates get about 10%.
Martinez is a symbol of a liar and pro-criminals. A disgusting man.
No, he appointed Martinez to pressure amnesty through the GOP. Not because us mean little conservatives representing 80% of the public on this INCLUDING many Hispanics hurt their reputation so much.
What hurt the GOP in 2006, listen up propagandists, was betraying conservatives, being arrogant and allowing corruption in your ranks. ALL of the usual GOP demongraphics were down, including the white male vote so screw you amnesty stratagists trying to paint it otherwise.
Yup, and I was one of them. You see, Billy, we took the man at his word. He DID vote quite Conservatively -- until he jumped the shark on shamnesty, and destroyed his reputation entirely. But I'm not sure what the point of your post is other than to fire some gratuitous after-the-fact shots.
"Like the legions of freepers who hailed Condi Rice for President and Arnold for Governor here, the pro-Martinez crowd has suddenly disappeared."
I supported Condi until a lackluster handling of the job in the Middle East, I NEVER back Ah-nold and got suspended from FR for exposing his record (of which I was proven 100% right) and unapologetically supporting McClintock, and I no longer support Martinez. So there you go.
Yep. Yay for us “radical conservatives!” LOL
Bye bye mel. Good luck getting re-elected when your first and only term is up.
>>Latino voters, not illegals, voters — are the fastest growing demographic among all US voters due to their very high birth rate<<
I have heard that Americans are called, “Gringos - the dying breed.” (Due to the millions of abortions). Makes me sick to my stomach.
He’ll get reelected. Count on it. The changing demographics of Florida are becoming unfriendly to conservatives.
You get an actual conservative Hispanic who supports our borders and I will have NO trouble supporting him or her.
Conservatives have NO problem supporting Thomas, but then again he’s a conservative. Nominating someone who is liberal on a core issue just because of their race only hurts the party in the long run and frankly makes me sick. Race and sex are NOT the main reasons we should support someone.
Jindal didn’t just get elected Governor in LA because of his race. he got elected because he’s a competant conservative.
Steele doesn’t have a ton of fans among conservatives because of his race first. He’s a conservative that almost pulled off the upset in a bad year for Republicans in heavy democratic maryland by attracting more blacks to the party in part because of his idealogy.
And conservatives despise martinez NOT because of his last name, but because he’s a race baiter that has no loyalty to LEGAL white, black, hispanic etc...Americans.
I say good riddance to him. but I’ll welcome conservative Americans that happen to be Hispanic with open arms into the party power structure.
Just don’t get a Brazillian woman mad at you. My ass got slapped around a block. I cooked her up. That ended with fun.
I NEVER back Ah-nold and got suspended from FR for exposing his record (of which I was proven 100% right) and unapologetically supporting McClintock,
***I didn’t know you got suspended. Glad you came back. The situation today is very similar to the free-for-all that we had in the Cahleefornya recall election.
Martinez barely won Florida in a year where Bush won Florida easily, and Jeb Bush campaigned for him.
No, I don’t believe martinez will easily win at all. If he could barely lose to a member of Clinton’s posse responsible for the Elian Gonzalez fiasco in the best year for republicans in years, yeah, let him try in even a neutral year to get re-elected.
Hanging on to deadwood like Martinez is a losing proposition for thinking Republicans.
Yes, but “Melquiades Martinez” is of EUROPEAN ancestry. Of course, the retards out there will still put him in with “La Raza Comica, er, Cosmica.”
All manipulated by the power elites to eliminate "white people" and dumb the country down by importing uneducated and lawbreaking masses. Thanks to the ACLU and other Communist organizations, the criminals will soon have even more power and "rights."
“Gonzales was forced out by DEMOCRATS!”
I’ll toast those Dems with my next cerveza..
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