Martinez to become new RNC chief

CNN ^ | November 13, 2006 | CNN

[Tulsa Ramjet]

Just breaking.

[steveegg]

Say, what happens on July 4, 2076 (besides me either on the far side of 100 or pushing up daisies)?

[FreeReign]

Say, what happens on July 4, 2076 (besides me either on the far side of 100 or pushing up daisies)?

Our Tricentennial. (Me too on the daisy push ups)

[Soul Seeker]

So, the GOP is comfortable being in the minority. Fine by me.

Since Mel could barely win Florida in an open Senate race, and would have lost without Jeb's support and (at the time) Bush's "popularity" and since then has done NOTHING to recommend his service in the Senate...I can only surmise, as I'm not alone, he is being picked for his race. Beautiful. Nevermind you have someone of actual accomplishment that IS also a minority in Michael Steele with the time to commit himself fully. The GOP wants the amnesty lightweight as a token while some nameless staffers do most of the work.

To hell with them. I have news for the Administration and the elites. You lost the working class union blue dogs in this election. Guess what? They left to support Democrats that ran as protectionists that would guard the border and their jobs. Guess what? You aren't winning them back with amnesty, and you sure as hell aren't making a dent in the Hispanic vote as you couldn't even damn well break a judicial filibuster that (newsflash) was of as much importance to them as to me!

[steveegg]

I figured it was something less obvious than that. God-willing, I'll still be around and sane enough to enjoy it.

[Tulsa Ramjet]

Well well. That's a nice surprise. Anyone in the West Wing reading this?

"Okay, now we've got:

Asa Hutchinson
Mike Steele
Mel Martinez
Newt Gingrich
J.C. Watts
Lynn Cheney

Anyone else?"

[Soul Seeker]

There were far more qualified and accomplished Floridian Republicans passed up in favor of Amnesty Mel. He is the pick of the "Affirmation action" wing the GOP who wants to appoint people on the basis of skin color. Only a week ago the people in Wisconsin voted to knock down affirmative Action. I guess the memo to the GOP about accomplishment dictating employment OVER race hasn't sunk in yet. Evidently they no more can look past the color of one's skin then the Democrats. Whereas Conservatives don't give a damn. We just want someone competant, and that person was Steele.

[Tulsa Ramjet]

Another added to the well that seemed dreadfully dry upon Martinez's nomination.

"Okay, now we've got:

Asa Hutchinson
Mike Steele
Mel Martinez
Newt Gingrich
J.C. Watts
Lynn Cheney
Paul Ryan

Anyone else?"

[shtdisturber]

what, did lincoln chafee turn it down? what an uninspiring, unimaginative, unlikely to help the least bit move. heading back into the wilderness...see you in 40 years or whenever the national party grows their balls back

[FreeReign]

LOL.:) I see you long for the old "member since" banner too.

[steveegg]

Have to root for the classics, especially when you can drag them out to taunt the retread trolls.

[Kimberly GG]

Martinez....nothing but a tool for the OBL. Bush must be pleased as punch with himself.

[Tulsa Ramjet]

This was reported in the Washington Times a few days ago:
"Also last night, Republican officials told The Times that Mr. Steele, who lost his bid for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, has been sought out to succeed Mr. Mehlman as national party chairman. Those Republican officials said Mr. Steele had not made a decision whether to take the post, as of last night."

Bush probably thought that Steele couldn't pull in a lot of black conservatives. But Martinez, man! Amnesty to the illegals by a republican president? Now thats politiking. Hoo-eey! LBJ would be proud.

[Tamzee]

Thanks for some actual information so folks can form a reasoned opinion about this gent, he sounds like he could be great.

Pay no mind to the hysterical brats on the thread calling folks RINO's and channeling Gore's "HE BETRAYED US!" - the bulk of them are the usual third-party-recruiters anyways, those folks that pretend to want "conservatism" yet are screeching like maniacs because Bush supports a pro-life 100% ACU rated fellow as RNC chief?

Very revealing, actually.

[Sam Hill]

Thanks.

I've seen FR go through this before.

They come out of the woodwork.

[JewishConservative]

I agree. I wanted Michael Steele to get the job.

[FarRightFanatic]

It really is true what is said about the GOP--we really are the STUPID party. There is no way we can be even competitive in '08 with bland and boring Mel Martinez running the show.

Am I the only one who feels like they have entered the twilight zone??? The election results, Rumsfeld out, our enemies celebrating, plans to elect the same leadership in the House, now Martinez in....what has happened? Did I wake up in some parallel universe?

[Tamzee]

You handled it elegantly... I guess we should all sharpen up our bookmarks and researching skills. It might help to try to get facts and evidence out in BIG BOLD PRINT early in every thread :-)

[nathanbedford]

We found something to agree about. Here is what I posted a few days ago before this disasterous announcemnet:

The problem I think is that Newt will never get a nod from George Bush and therefore he will not be named chairman of the RNC which is a very great pity. I have long thought that Bush, instead of mediocrities like Governor Ridge and his successor, should have made Gingrich czar of Homeland security. Had Bush done so, we almost certainly would have avoided the catastrophic aftermath of Katrina and its consequences at the polls in November.

But Gingrich is not Bush's kind of man. Gingrich is not button-down. Gingrich is a team leader more than a team player and Bush, if nothing else, wants conformity on his team. Maybe this is what led us to the disaster in Iraq. In any event, Bush will not tolerate Gingrich in any position where he can make policy. So in order to have influence, Newt is left with making a run at the White House in 08. In this respect the Republican establishment's attitude towards Gingrich resembles that of British Conservatives toward Churchill between the wars. Indeed, in many ways including his intellectual candlepower, his prodigious output of writings, and his incendiary tendency to piss off a friend and foe alike, Gingrich resembles Churchill. How nice it would be if the Republican Party could send out a message to its ships at sea, "Newt is back." If the nation finds itself in a fix resembling that of Britain in 1939, after a strike on the homeland for example, such a message might have to be sent.

Meanwhile, we really need Newt to play a bad cop to Bush's good cop for the next two years. Newt can attack, attack, attack, and unmask the lunacy of the coming Pillosi/Reed Congress. Any hope that Bush will even attempt to do this is forlorn.

The really depressing thought is that the only ball carrier we have on our team now is George Bush. We need somebody in some pulpit, bully or otherwise, who can at least fashion a coherent sentence if we are not to be swamped in 08.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

From now on, I plan to divert my RNC contributions to my retirement estate in La Playa.

[Agrarian]

It's almost enough to make one start believing those kool-aid stories about a Bush-Clinton deal to trade W in the last two elections for Hillary in 2008, isn't it? Suicidal.

Just when you think the message couldn't have been clearer that the Republicans who lost were RINO's...