The GOP since Ken Mehlman and Mel Martinez:
Posted on 08/17/2007 6:29:39 AM PDT by az4vlad
What is the Republican National Committee doing attacking the two major GOP contenders for president, Giuliani and Romney (who have no history as conservatives) for being too conservative on illegal immigration? The party leadership is out of touch with not only conservative Republicans, but mainstream Republicans as well.
The Republican National Committee chairman, Mel Martinez, has come out criticizing the GOP's 2 top candidates for president, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney for their positions on resolving illegal immigration . What is wrong with this picture? Giuliani and Romney are considered RINOs to many Republicans, with track records to prove it, so the Republican Party is doing Republicans no favors by attacking them for being too conservative. So far Giuliani and Romney are the only two Republican candidates with any real chance at winning the primary election (and if the RNC is that liberal on illegal immigration then it certainly won't support the more conservative Fred Thompson if he enters the race), so why is the RNC trying to scare off the conservative base even more from supporting these realistic candidates? After the Senate immigration bill fiasco, most Republicans, regardless of their stance on illegal immigration, came to a consensus that the bill had too many problems - no surprise considering it was mostly Democrats who supported it. Most Americans are gradually becoming resigned to the fact that Hillary Clinton is probably going to become our next president, unless something extraordinary takes place, like capturing Osama bin Laden. If Republicans want to keep control of the White House - which in fact is supposed to be the primary responsibility of the RNC - it is not the time to be attacking our leading candidates, who ironically represent the views of the middle-of-the-road RNC leadership better than the rest of candidates.
Giuliani is no illegal immigration hawk. He has tried to distance himself from his record in the past as New York mayor. However, even though he says he would emphasize enforcement issues more as President, he still takes a much more nuanced position than hardcore conservatives. In a recent campaign appearance in Boone, Iowa, he stated that he would not require the deportation of illegal immigrants who have children born in the U.S., unless they've committed crimes. He says he will move on to comprehensive immigration reform eventually - issues like paths to citizenship, guest worker program - after the borders are secured. He describes himself as "very practical about illegal immigration." "Good people would be given a chance," he said. "They'd have to earn it, they'd have to pay penalties and back taxes, they'd have to be able to read, write and speak English before they could become citizens. Bad people, or not such good people, would be thrown out depending on how you decided that."
Romney has criticized Giuliani recently for being soft on illegal immigration, but as recently as November 2005 Romney supported the McCain-Kennedy immigration bill, and in 2006 expressed support for a path to citizenship. Here in Arizona, where illegal immigration has been ranked by residents as the #1 issue facing Arizonans, extremely conservative Senator Jon Kyl suffered a severe backlash for supporting the Senate immigration bill this summer. Even though Kyl is considered one of the most solid conservatives in the U.S. Senate, with a lifetime rating of 96.9 from the American Conservative Union (presidential candidate Duncan Hunter only has a 92 and Tom Tancredo is barely any higher than Kyl at 97.8), the outcry from Arizona Republicans was enough to make him back off and vote against the bill's passage at one point.
So what is going on at Republican Party headquarters? The party leadership is supposed to represent the party, not the interests of a select few. Like it or not, Giuliani and Romney, arguably the two most liberal Republicans in the race for president and the only two official candidates with a realistic chance at winning, have chosen positions on this issue which fall somewhere between the liberal wing of the party and the conservatives. They should not be taken down by the very party which is supposed to represent them. Something is very wrong at Republican headquarters, which needs to be addressed before we lose this election.
Why do you think everyone went nuts when Bush put Martinez in there?
duh
The R.N.C. is run by my senator Mel Martinez. This guy makes Bozo the clown look like a genius.
I wouldn’t give the R.N.C. a nickel much less a second thought.
They should be attacking them. For being a liberal and being a moderate flip flopper, repectively. Alas, the RNC is worse than they are.
‘The party leadership is out of touch with not only conservative Republicans, but mainstream Republicans as well.’
Yes, they are.
Snort. The suits running the GOP hate conservatives as much as the 'Rats do.
The RNC is a waste of time, breath, money, and thought. Same with the Senatorial Committee.
Conservatives must re-capture (again) our party.
Because Bush and company are liberal Republicans.
Quite the opposite of Ronaldus Magnus.
These RNC people call me constantly begging for money. I tell them why they are not getting a single dime from me, and the nice person on the phone usually lowers his voice and agrees with me.
We are being betrayed by our leaders.
I dunno, but I do know that if either get the GOP nod Hillary will win the W.H. and there will be a Tsunami of immigrants instead of a flood.
This is what happens when a 'senator' is put in charge of something.
OK, I found it.
Here is the exchange between Al Hunt and Mel Martinez:
MR. HUNT: Senator, two of your party’s leading presidential candidates, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney say that the immigration bill that you negotiated up on the Hill, that it would not secure the borders and that it would amount – the Z visas would amount to amnesty. Is that right?
SEN. MARTINEZ: Well, they are wrong on that and they are wrong in just criticizing. I wish that as presidential candidates, they would take the next step, which is to say, and here is how I would solve the problem.
MR. HUNT: Do you think either Governor Romney or Mayor Giuliani have done that?
SEN. MARTINEZ: No they haven’t, and I wished they would. Look, I’m impartial in the race because I also happen to be the general chair of the party, and I like both of
these gentlemen very, very much. And one of them who emerges as a nominee, whoever it does from our field, I think we’re going to have an excellent candidate. But at the same time, I have to say, on this issue they are falling short. I think it’s been too easy for too many people in the Senate and outside the Senate to simply criticize and find fault. No doubt that this is an imperfect product, but at the end of the day, what is your solution? What is your answer? This is a problem that – 12 million illegals in this country, a porous border, no national identification for work that can be biometrically verified – all of these things have to be done. The status quo is not good enough. And so whether a presidential candidate or a Senator, they need to take the step beyond criticizing and offering a solution.
This is not an attack. This is a joke of an article, meant to create division within Republican ranks.
That is basically what I tell the solicitors that call me from the RNC anymore. I tell them that the RNC has gone off the reservation and are not representing their true base and I will not donate one dime. I donate to individual candidates that are truly conservative.
the RNC in PA was defacto supporter of pig murtha!
It was posted yesterday!
Ain’t gonna happen as long as the party supports RINO turds.
What’s going on is this: Martinez appears to be completely simpatico with La Raza. Over the weekend, CSPAN covered a LaRaza panel on immigration. There were five panelists; not one, but two were members of Martinez’s staff.
One of the two was belligerent in her opposition to actions by local governments to deal with illegals. She asserted that “we” (presumably Hispanics) have the numbers to make clear that such actions are “not acceptable.”
Why has the RNC put Martinez at the top? Because of one of Karl Rove’s more ridiculous ideas. Hispanics are the fastest growing demographic. Rove decided that they are therefore crucial to the survival of the GOP. So this is part of the pandering.
It won’t work, and meanwhile the GOP is losing its base, which is presently many times larger than the Hispanic vote.
Same thing happened to me about a month ago.
Poor girl. She was nice
VictoryGal you’ve got that right.
Why, just being consistent with what they did to Randy Graf, Pat Twomey and other pubbies who didn't toe the RNC corporatist cheap lobby agenda.
Martinez chides GOP candidates
"Sen. Mel Martinez, the head of the Republican National Committee, took a swipe Tuesday at the leading Republican presidential candidates for not offering solid solutions to America's immigration crisis."
"In his remarks, Martinez did not directly refer to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney or former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, but he later suggested both candidates, who were critics of the controversial Senate immigration proposal, had mischaracterized the plan. He also urged audience members to pin down the Republican candidates on immigration when they come to St. Petersburg for the YouTube/CNN Republican presidential debate Nov. 28.
"It can be a little awkward," acknowledged Martinez, a Cuban-immigrant who is neutral in the presidential race but has called Republican presidential candidate John McCain "courageous" for being a champion of the immigration plan that was so unpopular with much of the Republican base."
Martinez is the one who should STFU.
After Labor Day weekend FDThompson announces none of us will be talkin this crap!
Jusy hold on for couple weeks. Jeez.
Mel Martinez is the head of the RNC, and he criticized Rudy and Mitt's statements against shamnesty. Deal with it.
After Labor Day weekend FDThompson announces none of us will be talkin this crap!
Just hold on for couple weeks. Jeez.
Bigger than the one that already exists you mean?
See my post#16 where I show the exchange.
Martinez does not criticize their “harsh stance” on illegal immigration. He criticizes their attack of the bill without offering alternatives (which is not true, both offered alternative ideas).
This is the MSM trying to drive a wedge in the Republican Party over nothing.
Martinez has been discredited before these statements.
“The party leadership is out of touch with not only conservative Republicans, but mainstream Republicans as well.”
______________________________________________________________
Add to that 72% of the general public....both Dumocrats and Republicans.
Stuck on Stupid comes to mind....
They have offered an alternative solution, just not the one that Martinez likes. It is called enforcement first. Secure the borders, including tracking and deporting visa overstays, and enforcing the existing laws on the books against employers who employ illegals.
The major exception is McCain, who already knows that the Immigration Bill he helped forge was suicidal. He is toast.
“...so why is the RNC trying to scare off the conservative base even more from supporting these realistic candidates?”
So many hidden (and false) assumptions in that one phrase. LOL.
The accusation is true, as the chairman of the RNC he should not be criticizing any of our candidates, Mel Martinez is the one driving the wedge.
Add McClintock to the list. Hell, they didn’t even back Santorum after dissing Toomey!
Martinez is still the head of the RNC. He should have resigned after the comprehensive immigration bill was defeated this summer. He has become the poster boy for amnesty, which began with the 2006 Hagel-Martinez comprehensive immigration reform bill, that was voted against by Senate Reps 32-23.
Bush's appointment of him as RNC chair has hurt the party. Contributions are down [including mine] because he is still the chair. And the fact that he is interjecting himself into the campaign calling McCain courageous and attacking Romney and Giuliani for mischaracterizing the Senate bill is beyond the pale. Instead of you telling others to STFU, you should direct that comment to Martinez and demand his resignation.
It is not the MSM driving a wedge in the GOP, it is Martinez. The immigration could and should be one of the defining issues of the 2008 campaign. I can assure you that the Martinez position on immigration won't be the one reflected in the GOP platorm for 2008.
If the RNC is attacking those candidates, it is probably an attempt to make them appear conservative, which they are not. The best way to get press coverage is for Republicans to attack other Republicans. You know “it” and I know “it” and Karl Rove knows “it” and, I’m sure, the RNC knows “it”.
Why wouldn’t they attack Rudy? He’s a RINO.
Are you trying to make the claim that Rudy is more conservative than Bush?
The RINOs have only recently supported an enforcement first approach. They were holding secure borders and enforcement hostage to comprehensive immigration reform.
True, the RINOs were supportive of the Immigration Bill until they saw the outrage of the conservatives. The Senate telephone meltdown and the flood of faxes proved a few things.
BTTT! Very good thread.
The RNC called me last Saturday and I told them my position on giving money this election will be to candidates that I support. Like Jeff Beatty in MASS who might just upset John F’g Kerry - I’ll donate directly to good candidates, but refuse to throw money to the party kitty so they can waste it on people like Arlen Spector!
I am no fan of Rudy--but he would be a FAR FAR better President than any of the kooks in the Democrat party.
Dear Chairman Martinez,
SUBJECT: TERMINATION OF RNC MEMBERSHIP
President Bush has not enforced the existing immigration laws nor has he secured our Southern border almost six years after 9/11. Despite the fact that the 854-mile fence was approved and funded by Congress, only 2 miles have been built to date. The President's support of "comprehensive immigration reform" and a "guest worker" program runs counter to the wishes of the overwhelming majority of Republicans, including those in Congress.
Before any further immigration laws are passed, including the legalization of the status of illegal aliens, the true test of the President's commitment to securing our borders will be the construction of the fence and the creation of the administrative infrastructure to track down visa overstays. The construction of a fence should not be held hostage to comprehensive immigration reform. It is a matter of national security.
During his recent testimony before the Senate on immigration reform, Secretary Chertoff referred to illegal aliens as "undocumented workers." Words mean something. When the people charged with enforcing our immigration laws use such terminology, they are adopting the language of those who wish to keep our borders unsecured and wish to reward those who have violated our laws by allowing them to stay and work here.
I will not be making any further contributions to the RNC until the President demonstrates by his actions that he will enforce our laws and secure our borders. With regret, I wish to terminate my RNC membership effective immediately. I will continue to vote Republican and contribute to individual Republican candidates who reflect my views on this issue, which will have an enormous effect upon the future of this country.
Sincerely,
One could almost make the wild assumption that George Bush
is being instructed by a higher power to NOT build the fence.
Guiliani is conservative?
Damn, I must be a Nazi then.
He’s to the left of everything I know conservatism to stand for.
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