Our Anti-Martinez Effort Gains an Ally

"A Certian Slant of Light".

More Grassroots Resentment of Martinez's Abuse of His Office

Via The Conservative Beacon, Joshua Price weighs in:

As I feared, the national chairman of the Republican Party Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Florida) is trying to make the failed Senate immigration bill the cornerstone of the Republican Party’s position on immigration. ...

I am tired of the condescension coming from the elites of the Republican Party. I expect this sort of behavior from the Democrats, but the increasing trend of this type of rhetoric from high-level Republican officials, especially on immigration issues, is indeed disturbing.

"To be a leader, you have to have followers."

National Review weighs in on the latest Martinez tirade. Their August 17th editorial, "Rethinking Immigration," begins:

It is bad enough that Sen. Mel Martinez, the national chairman of the Republican party, is out of step with a large majority of the party’s voters and volunteers on immigration. What’s worse is that he is now attacking the party’s presidential candidates for being in step with them. Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani have turned against the “comprehensive” reform that Martinez has tried to push through the Senate, so Martinez is accusing them of not “leading on the tough issues.” Neither is Martinez: To be a leader, you have to have followers; and the country does not want to follow him down the path to amnesty. Romney and Giuliani are right to seek another route.

"It is Mr. Martinez whose conduct ill suits his office."

says the Washington Times in an editorial.

The smell of pants burning

Mel Martinez's pre-election promise to the RNC.

Pesos for the RNC?

"Frank Templeton," a former Republican activist, explains why he sent the Republican National Committee 50 Mexican pesos. (Hat tip: A Certain Slant of Light).

Amnesty not helping Martinez's popularity in Florida

One recently released Florida poll reported that his disapproval rating of 38 percent was two percentage points higher than his approval rating (Source: Florida Today, July 30, 2007).

RNC Resolutions Committee backs border security

Ever wonder if Washington listens? They do (at least if the people are plenty loud).

Breaking news:

[T]he RNC's Resolutions Committee also pleased conservatives by endorsing a resolution calling on the federal government to devote all means necessary to securing the nation's borders against an influx of illegal aliens.

The Republican national committee has taken the first step toward telling Congress the highest priority is to secure our borders now," said Mr. Pullen. "If you don't do anything else, we don't need to have a guest workers program, we don't need comprehensive immigration reform — we need to secure the borders now."

The full 165-member RNC is expected to approve the resolution today, the second day of the four-day RNC annual summer meeting here.

The resolution, presented by Arizona GOP Chairman Randy Pullen, conspicuously lacks any reference to programs supported by President Bush, Arizona Sen. John McCain or Florida Sen. Mel Martinez, the RNC's general chairman, to legitimize illegal aliens already in the United States or launch a "guest workers" program.

Identity Politics at the RNC

RNC General Chairman Mel Martinez offered some of his thoughts on immigration recently:

Question: How much did your background as a Cuban refugee color your views on the immigration bill, both as you shaped the legislation and then later as you pushed for its passage?

Answer: I don’t think there’s any question it was central to my involvement. When I came to the Senate, I didn’t envision immigration as an issue being something I would be deeply involved in. However, once I got here, being the only immigrant in the Senate, I felt a great sense of responsibility and a need for me to be involved and to be a participant in the debate. The deeper I got in it, the more I became convinced that the current system is completely broken. I became a passionate advocate for it and I was disappointed that it didn’t pass.

RNC's Immigration Revolution?

John Gizzi of Human Event reports on the RNC's August 3rd midsummer meeting:

The Republican National Committee is poised to officially break with the President, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), and its own national chairman by enacting a resolution coming out foursquare against any measure that provides legal residency for illegal immigrants in the U.S.

The measure, which so far has 47 co-sponsors among the 169-member RNC, is expected to be enacted on Friday when the party’s governing body holds its summer meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Should it receive the blessings of the RNC’s Resolutions Committee on Thursday and then be endorsed by the full committee the next day, the resolution would, in effect, put the national Republican Party on record against measures such the Administration-backed comprehensive immigration package that died in the Senate last month.

Understand that most RNC folks (only two per state or territory) achieve their prestigious posts only after years of toil in the GOP vineyard. This is not a group readily prone to rebellion. For 47 RNC members to sign their names to a resolution defying White House immigration policy is the GOP equivalent of the French Revolution.