Latino head of RNC resigns (Sen. Mel Martinez, frustration over anti-illegal immigration stance)

LA Times ^ | 10/20/07 | Peter Wallsten

[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."

[popdonnelly]

Hasta la vista.

[BillyBoy]

>> “The message that it sends is Latinos are not welcome,” De Posada said. “The radical conservative base has a temporary victory right now.” ) What BS is this? Gonzales was forced out by DEMOCRATS! <<

Not to mention it was mostly the "radical conservative base" that handed Martinez his primary victory against Bill McCollum. Go back to the 2004 primary and you'll find legions of freepers beating up on McCollum as a "gun-grabbing, darling of the homosexual movement RINO" and hailing Martinez as the "true conservative" in the race.

Useful idiots, obviously, but members of the "conservative base" nonetheless.

[Joann37]

I think most of us would feel the same whether these invaders were Scandanavian, Canadian, Italian or whatever. There’s just a sense of unfairness about people coming over here illegally, thinking that they don’t have to wait in line as our ancestors did, and how others throughout the world must do to this day.

It is NOT a racial thing; it’s more like “how dare they violate our laws”! Most of us love our country and want to live in a law abiding society, and it is heartbreaking to see people invade our land while our idiot politicians pander to these people to garner votes. And Republicans are too stupid to realize the Mexicans will never vote for them en masse anyway, since the entitlements offered by democrats are always going to be better.

[armymarinemom]

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.

Maybe if he though more about America than race he wouldn't have kept butting his head on a brick wall.

[Rudder]

It is NOT a racial thing...

DePosada is trying to make it appear that way.

[NormsRevenge]

It’s that Big Tent thingy gone awry.. for all those that get coaxed and recruited to hoist the rainbow banner, that many more are leaving that no feel that they any longer count for anything more than a ‘sure’ vote.

A jaded electorate is hard to win back. We’ll see what develops next summer, should be interesting.

[SamuraiScot]

What BS is this? Gonzales was forced out by DEMOCRATS!

Yeah, but you have to admit you were glad.

[ExTexasRedhead]

How about the Al Qaeda operatives who have waltzed across our borders?? No one is mentioning them.

[nicmarlo]

?"The message that it sends is Latinos are not welcome," De Posada said.

Wrong. The CLEAR message is that ILLEGALS are NOT, and NEVER will be, WELCOME.

[NormsRevenge]

should read in #26

many more are leaving that no longer feel

[pallis]

Maybe the RNC can get someone who can work full time to head it up, someone who can mend fences with the base, and start getting in some donations.

[nicmarlo]

Now....to get rid of Grahamnesty!

National Council of La Raza
2007 Capital Award Awardee: Senator Lindsey Graham

The award is based upon the "outstanding support of public policies that are vital to Hispanic Americans." During his acceptance of the award, Graham called Americans who support enforcement of immigration laws "bigots."

May 4, 2007 | Lindsay Graham to La Raza:

“The answer to solving the immigration problem is
to focus on what it means to be an American.
That’s the key to this problem. An American is an idea.
No one group owns being an American. Nobody owns this.
It’s an idea that’s unique to this planet......”

VIDEO | "We’re gonna tell the bigots to shut up”
- Graham says Americans are "bigots" at ~5:46 -

[Cicero]

Gonzalez and Martinez: two lousy appointments that have caused nothing but trouble. Sure, Gonzalez was forced out by the Dems, but he was an incompetent who never should have been given the job in the first place.

There must be some better qualified Latinos out there. As it is, the whole Latino initiative was badly handled. The worst of it was that the President failed to emphasize the difference between Latino citizens and criminal invaders, something that most Latino Republicans understood. Now it has backfired on the party.

[Issaquahking]

Bush and associates just don't get it...GOP political hacks insult every person that is a legal immigrant, or proud to be born here, and be an American, who wants to make America a better place. I get 90% of my schooling from this guy...

Looks are deceiving...He's born and raised in Florida, and has the The #1 site in my industry, nothing easy about that!

Bush, you failed American Conservatism 101...It's not about race, color, sex,. It begins with character, let JC Watts clue you in...

Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that's right is to get by, and the only thing that's wrong is to get caught."

[Liberty Wins]

De Posada said. "The radical conservative base has a temporary victory right now."

I guess he's talking about me. This afternoon I got a fundraising call from the state Republican committee and I just replied with three little words (not "I love you")-----"Build the wall!"

[Kevmo]

Again, I’d like to nominate Jim Robinson for RNC Chairman.

[RJL]

Bush and our Republican leaders are breathtakingly stupid! We've been telling them for six years:

Secure the borders first!

I know it's four words and difficult to understand, but with expert help they might figure out that securing the borders opens the doors to guest worker plans and even a little amnesty, but they have to:

Secure the borders first!

[BobS]

No mas cholos, por favor.

[CounterCounterCulture]

Buh Byyyyye ... Don't let the fence hit ya in the.. uhhh..

What's Spanish for "ass"?

I'm too lazy to press "2."

[Lancey Howard]

The writing here makes little sense, even for an LA Times writer.

Some GOP strategists say the party's poor performance among Latino voters in 2006 helped ensure Democratic victories across the country.

Latinos have ALWAYS voted predominantly rat, so opening the floodgates and granting amnesty could only have helped the rats, mathematically speaking....

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.

Again, Wallsten makes no sense here. It was the rats, not the Republicans, who worked for months to get rid of Gonzales. .