"La puerta es abierta, mis amigos!"
Posted on 01/20/2007 11:20:17 AM PST by VU4G10
WASHINGTON -- Florida Sen. Mel Martinez on Friday took the helm of a national Republican Party splintered over illegal immigration, vowing to reach out to black, Hispanic and "all communities that may have never believed that Republican ideals spoke to them."
President Bush's selection of Martinez sparked a backlash from border-state Republicans and other conservatives who oppose the Cuba-born Martinez's embrace of proposed immigration revisions that they consider "amnesty."
But a charm offensive by Martinez, aided by a White House meeting with Bush for some delegates and what some charged was pressure to accept Martinez, dissolved the protest into a few lonely voices in a cavernous ballroom at the winter meeting of the Republican National Committee.
Still, the rift illustrates a division in the party over the as-yet-unsettled immigration issue and represents just one fissure Martinez faces as he tries to raise money and create a message for a party that lost both chambers of Congress in November.
Martinez said he expected that message to include "big ideas" and more outreach to independents.
"To be the party of the future means that we also have to be a party that opens the door wide open so that all Americans feel welcome," he said in a speech that had the crowd hushed as he recounted his voyage as a 15-year-old from Fidel Castro's Cuba to the United States, sent by his parents, who feared Castro's oppression.
"There are too many Americans who do not understand that the principles of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan speak to their hopes, their dreams and their aspirations. I will take the message of our party to all Americans."
Martinez's selection reflects the party's intent to boost its appeal among Hispanic Americans, the fastest-growing electorate in the United States. Bush attracted record number of Hispanics in 2004 but they returned to the Democrats in 2006.
Democrats said they were skeptical that Martinez could bridge the gap in his party.
"The underlying problem remains that part of the Republican base is xenophobic," said Joe Garcia, the director of the New Democrat Network's Hispanic Strategy Center. "It has become very difficult for the president to reconcile his vision for an American future with a significant portion of his party."
Speakers who introduced Martinez took pains to underscore what they called his bedrock Republican principles.
Martinez, noted Sharon Day, a Republican activist from Florida, has a 100 percent anti-abortion, anti-tax voting record. "Mel is not a halfhearted Republican; Mel is not a wishy-washy Republican," she said.
Rep. Luis Fortuno, who represents Puerto Rico in Congress, suggested that Martinez can reach out to communities where Republicans haven't gone before.
"That should not scare anyone here," Fortuno said. "Perhaps it should scare the other party."
Martinez will serve as honorary party chair; day-to-day details of running the Republican National Committee will be left to Mike Duncan, a longtime committee operative.
In an interview earlier this week with Florida reporters, Martinez said he'd told Bush that his primary role was as a U.S. senator. "I made it very clear to him that I needed to be -- and intended to be -- a full-time senator for the state of Florida," Martinez said, adding that "I will not be going to every Lincoln Day dinner around the country. . . . I'm still going to coach basketball on the weekend."
At a news conference after his election, Martinez illustrated his appeal with little effort: switching into Spanish to answer several "preguntas."
He noted in his remarks that as a Cuban, "it was easy for me to understand that the Republican Party _ the party of Ronald Reagan _ was a party for us."
"I want to make sure that we take that message to the broader Hispanic community, to the African-American community and to all communities that may never have believed that Republican ideals spoke to them," he said.
In a statement, Bush said he expected the new team to "encourage more Americans to join our party.
"Sen. Martinez will help our party effectively communicate the Republican message of hope and opportunity for all Americans."
I'm getting tired of "hope" as a political buzzword. Hope is a virtue, not a policy. Selling hope is selling snake oil and empty rhetoric. Leave that to the democrats - it's their stock in trade.
Where's the beef?
The beef is what the groups that Martinez is already pandering to will receive......."vowing to reach out to black, Hispanic and "all communities that may have never believed that Republican ideals spoke to them."
The rest of us can 'eat cake'.
Hope is a town in Arkansas.
I guess the Republican leadership don't want to win anymore...
I am a middle class working man of modest means. I wish I were a big contributor to the Republican party though, then I could stop my financial support as a way of showing my unhappiness with them!
Mel is one of my two senators here in Florida.
I see NO difference in the two and i would not have either over for dinner. Both are for amnesty of all illegals.
If President Bush thinks this clown is going to help reinvigorate the Republican party he is sadly wrong.
"La puerta es abierta, mis amigos!"
President Bush does not want to reinvigorate the Republican party, he is more interested in getting amnesty for illegals.
That should have been obvious to all quite a while ago.
How about some outreach to conservatives?
I won't donate a single peso to the RNC.
I won't donate a single peso to the RNC.
Maybe we should all send them one.
Not a bad idea.
You are so right: "I guess the Republican leadership don't want to win anymore..."
After working so many years to get almost to the point that we conservatives wanted - we have people who don't care what the conservatives wanted to do and are willing to throw it so easily away!
This appointment of Martinez really angers me. He obviously doesn't understand - like some other Republicans - that in order to get the minority votes - whether Hispanic or Black - you need to follow a true conservative way and Not waver from it!
Just look at Reagan! Conservatism always works!
That is what those in Washington don't seem to understand!
As I said on another thread, same subject:
There were many good Republicans who could have been chosen. Lt. Gov. Steele, Newt, etc.
It is not amusing having a chairman who reps. the Party
who supports amnesty.
The taxpayers of Southern Calif. and other border areas are paying
For the illegals who get their health, education, food, and also
dealing with their crime rate into the multi, multi Millions of Dollars a year.
My City & Co. San Diego has tens of thousands of illegals.
Those who deny there are millions of illegals in the U.S.
or just laugh it off because they can't face it or say so what
should take into their flyover states some of the
millions of illegals and help support them or your states reimburse
we taxpayers who are forced to pay for this disaster
Also you can help by taking over some of the crime rate we
also put up with.
Better yet vote for a candidate who is proven strong on border issues
not one who jumps onboard in expediency or those who support amnesty.
Day-to-day details of running the Republican National Committee will be left to Mike Duncan, a longtime committee operative.
It sounds to me like Mel is the GOP's token Hispanic in charge of pandering outreach.
Just look at Reagan! Conservatism always works!
That is what those in Washington don't seem to understand!
I think they understand, it's just that conservatism is a 180 from where they want to go.
How about some outreach to conservatives?
Pretty soon, an outreach to conservatives will be an outreach to independents because there won't be any conservatives left in the Republican party.
They are fools to think that illegals will come over and vote Democrat Lite when they can have the real thing.
With an influx of millions of illegal hispanics that the GOP wants to legitimize why shouldn't there be a sense of xenophobia?
There is no equity in the source of immigrants both legal and illegal. Why shouldn't Americans be concerned?
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