Ultimo goal being to make millions off his political contacts. He's a money grubber
He quit so he is ready to make millions off the Cuba trade if/when Obama establishes relations with Fidel's island paradise
Posted on 12/09/2008 2:00:07 AM PST by redk
Senate sources confirm for me that Mel Martinez was the famous “Senator Anonymous” from three weeks ago. Martinez, not wanting him name used, told the Politico “I don’t think we have learned much from the election in terms of what people want to see.” This senator said the Republicans needed someone who could “speak from the center” and wanted it known that “Sarah Palin is not the voice of [the Republican] party.”
(Excerpt) Read more at humanevents.com ...
Ultimo goal being to make millions off his political contacts. He's a money grubber
He quit so he is ready to make millions off the Cuba trade if/when Obama establishes relations with Fidel's island paradise
Hold on, Billy. I’ll eat half the crow, but you gotta eat the rest. You know full well McCollum wasn’t going to win the Senate race, either. He won AG in a relatively low-profile race, but he got swept in on the ticket. He would’ve had to run alone in ‘04, and he did that in ‘00 and still lost. Martinez did appear to be better, and did score (amazingly) a 100 from the ACU, but he literally lost his mind on immigration. A Cuban Republican was worthy of getting a Senate seat here, just not THIS Cuban.
If Mel was intellectually honest he would admit that the top of the ticket should take the blame for the GOP defeat and with that his ‘moderate’ positions and his emphasis on bipartisanshhip; what also really irked many Republicans was McCain was more apt to criticize conservatives but loath to criticize Democrats, especially those who caused the sub-prime crisis.
The only reason the RNC pushed Martinez for the Senate was to push W’s immigration reform agenda - Martinez pretty much guaranteed Florida would follow along.
Martinez failed in the immigration issue ans so his job is done. He very well make tons of cash if we normalize relations with Cuba but thats not why he’s leaving - he’s leaving because he will have his a$$ handed to him if he runs again.
Agreed.
Rino = XXX years democrat rule.
Well I backed Johnnie Byrd in that Senate race, citing concerns about McCollum's electablity (check my FL Senate posts in 2004), so I can't eat crow on that one. I did react angrily to the freepers who called McCollum "RINO" and said McCollum is more conservative than the lying trial lawyer Martinez will ever be, so I'm serving crow on that one.
>> He won AG in a relatively low-profile race, but he got swept in on the ticket. He would’ve had to run alone in ‘04, and he did that in ‘00 and still lost. <
I think the jury is out on whether McCollum could have pulled off a "win" in 2004. First off, you keep acting like the Dems had a big name candidate when in reality they were stuck with the third tier candidacy of Betty Castro. Second, McCollum is no Oberweis who loses statewide over and over again. He seems to have learned from his bumbling 2002 campaign and ran a much better race in 2006, but he still does come across with a nerdy persona and is certainly not the FL GOP's star player. In short he's not my first choice by any means but if it was a two man race of him or a RINO I'd take my chances with McCollum.
In short I don't either Martinez or McCollum had any better chance of "winning" in 2004 (in hindsight, my guess is they both would have squeezed by with 51%), but given the events of 2002 it's certainly understandable that freepers were hestitant to back McCollum again. He hadn't established himself as A.G. yet. Where they erred was backing Martinez when there were six other highly competant conservatives in that primary.
What you seem to be ignoring,Field, is that not only did McCollum win by a higher percentage statewide than Martinez, but he won bigger in the HUGE Democrat turnout year of 2006, which as you no doubt reminded us was truly unprecedented because no sitting RAT was even defeated that year. Martinez, on the other hand, squeezed by in the GOP friendly 2004 election, mainly on Bush's coattails. Bush polled FAR ahead of Martinez in Florida that year -- the exact OPPOSITE of what Mel's fans predicted would happen (they said we needed to run Martinez because his pull in the Cuban community would "carry" Bush to victory)
So the "having a guy with a Cuban last name magically makes him more electable" crowd needs to eat crow as well, as the anglo name "Bush" was more endearing to FL voters. Guess they care more about a candidate's credentials than their ethnicty (though sadly, GOP primary voters cared more about the latter)
>> Martinez did appear to be better, and did score (amazingly) a 100 from the ACU, but he literally lost his mind on immigration. <<
I don't think Jeb Bush would be much better than Martinez on immigration, though I'd prefer Bush for the simple reason that he'd be a competant Senator who would actually get things done and not embarrass the hell out of the FL GOP (which Martinez began doing on day one when he "accidentially" handed the Terri Schaivo talking points memo to the Dems and gave the nation's first speech "en espanol" on the floor of the U.S. Senate in a shameful attempt to pander to TV cameras). In other words, the problem isn't so much that Martinez is a RINO (he's pretty good on issues besides immigration), it's that he is a empty suit loser who got his job because of affirmation action. And let this be a lesson to the GOP to back the most qualified person next time.
>> A Cuban Republican was worthy of getting a Senate seat here, just not THIS Cuban. <<
I agree. Which is why you are eating crow for backing this embarrassing doofus in the primary. It's not different than rooting for America will elect a black man president one day to prove race is not a barrier to presidency, but refusing to back THIS black candidate in 2008 because he will do more harm than good to race relations.
America would have eventually gotten an Cuban Senator and I would have welcomed it. But 2004 was not the time and Martinez was not the right candidate. And I resent being called "racist" by some of Martinez's more ardent RINO supporters because I wouldn't back THEIR Cuban.
I personally wish Daniel Webster had entered the race, though.
Based on Martinez's pre-2004 career (liberal illegal alien sympatherizer trial lawyer who donated oogles of cash to socialist Dems, conviently switched parties when FL became a Republican state, Bush brown nosing yes-man in the cabinent, etc.), my guess is he was lying through his teeth during his Senate campaign and didn't believe one word of what he said about immigration.
Kinda reminds me of that Romney fellow in that regard.
Hit the road, Mel! You have no idea how happy we all are that you are not going to seek re-election. Here’s an idea: Why wait until 2010? Resign NOW!
And this is particularly for Cedric.
FR was simularly divided in 2004 between those of us who saw thur Martinez's phony "secure the borders" act and those of us who thought it was he full of crap. I'd say the boards ran about 50-50. Turns out those of us that were on the "Martinez is full of crap" mindset were correct.
I guess I could eat crow for thinking Lindsey Graham would be anti-illegal alien though, but who didn't think that?
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But he has an (R) behind his name and that’s all that matters. LOL
Bye Mel
Part of the cancer afflicting the republican party.
OUCH,but so true.Did you hear that saxby?
Well said but don’t expect to many attaboys from FR.
Figures.
Mel Martinez my Senator from Florida is supported by president Bush.
Shows ya a thing or two about Bush.
Martinez is a piece of excrement RINO. This assclown amnesty supporting fool has no clue and will go down as the worst senator from the state of Florida in my 40 years of living here.
Hey Mel, go back to Cuba ya pos.
This is sort of like the Arnoldbots crying foul in California -- they can't say they weren't warned.
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