Menendez Sworn In As New Jersey Senator

[Judi Lynn]

Menendez Sworn In As New Jersey Senator
Wednesday, January 18, 2006



Menendez, Corzine

WASHINGTON — Robert Menendez, a congressman who was raised in a New Jersey tenement by parents from Cuba, on Wednesday became the first minority to serve in the U.S. Senate from the Garden State.

Menendez is the sixth Hispanic ever to serve in the Senate and the body's third sitting Hispanic, joining Democrat Ken Salazar of Colorado and Republican Mel Martinez of Florida.
(snip)

New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine chose Menendez last month to serve out the remaining year of his Senate term, passing over several other Democratic congressmen.

Menendez's first vote as senator will be whether to confirm fellow New Jerseyan Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court. Menendez has said he remains undecided on Alito. The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote on Alito's nomination on Jan. 24, and the full Senate is slated to begin debate the following day.
(snip/...)

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,182064,00.html



In this photo, Menendez stands behind Republican Dan Burton,
surrounded by Cuban "exile" Congresspeople Mario Diaz-Balart,
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and Lincoln Diaz-Balart

[davepc]

1. I hope he serves there as well has he served my district in the house

[flordehinojos]

2. i don't know menendez..i don't like menendez...i distrust all the

cuba-americans in congress with political power especially when they have said cuba first, u.s.a. despues!

[davepc]

3. He's a good man, and a good Democrat from the bluest county in the state

I don't see how the fact that he traces his ancestors back to Cuba puts any dampers on that.

[flordehinojos]

5. the damper comes from other cuban americans in the house of rep. and now

in the senate with martinez from tampa have done, historically, and also the fact that menendez has joined with them on an occasion or another, as in the elian gonzalez matter.

[mcscajun]

4. I heard him speak last Saturday...

and he indicated that as he was not a participant in the Senate hearings, he was going to meet privately with Alito before making up his mind.

[flordehinojos]

6. so his vote will be a surprise.