BREAKING on CNN: Mel Martinez (R-FL) Will Replace Mehlman, Stay in Senate

[stopbush]

On right now

[xultar]

1. Sad being gay means you can't be a head honcho in the GOP.

[Kelly Rupert]

7. I think it's more

totally blowing your "permanant republican majority" in both houses that means you can't be head honcho any longer. If only we had been so quick to cast off our failures of leadership we might have won leadership back sooner.

[xultar]

11. Problem is I don't think Jesus Christ could have won that for them. BUSH

fucked up that election. I forgot we gotta count all the theiving bastards and illegal goings on by the GOP all over the effin map.

[kanrok]

49. I think it's a combo

Blowing the majority can be interpreted in more than one way.

[Kelly Rupert]

59. Heh,

got me there.

[AlCzervik]

27. i heard a few weeks ago Mehlman was leaving to be Guiliani's campaign manager.

i don't remember where i read it though, sorry

[xultar]

31. That's before he was branded as GAY on national television. Which

makes me wonder if he is still in the mix for that. Though Guliani might try to use him to garner the GBLT community's vote.

But you know how the fundies are. If G wants to run as GOP he'll have problems reigning in the fundies.

[Marnieworld]

2. How is it possible to do both?

Was this person just re-elected? I wonder how his constituents would feel about getting less time and attention from their representative now? This should be against the rules iMho.

[xultar]

6. I didn't hear....is it effective immediately?

[Norquist Nemesis]

8. How is it that U.S. Taxpayers will be paying the salary of the RNC Chair?

Or, do we get a 50% cut on Rep. Martinez salary and the salaries of his staff?

[Eric J in MN]

21. Rep. Rahm Emmanuel (D) and Senator Charles Schumer (D)

...each chair party committees.

[ShaneGR]

32. No, different positions.....

Those two, and their Republican counterparts on the Republican side lead their respective congressional caucas and their election attempts. They are paid with the funds raised by those organizations. The RNC and DNC are the national party apparatus. Howard Dean leading the DNC and now Martinez leading the RNC. It is HIGHLY unusual to have a sitting elected official lead a National party.

[Marnieworld]

34. See that's what I thought

Those repubs are always trying to bend the rules to their advantage. It's so annoying.

[Eric J in MN]

38. I know that the DNC is more anagous to the RNC, but...

...if it's OK for the head of the DSCC to be a Senator, why not the head of the RNC?

DNC, RNC, DSCC are all party committees, the same type of organization legally.

[IronLionZion]

83. The DSCC is for the Senate, the DCCC is for the house

the Republicans have similar positions.

It's not only OK for the head of the DSCC to be a senator, it makes perfect sense for a senator to help senate campaigns and for a congressman to help congressional campaigns.

We don't need a sitting politician to chair a party's national committee so I hope this backfires on the RNC.

[n2doc]

20. Martinez is a bushbot

He just gets his votes from Rove. Nothing to think about...I am sure he has plenty of spare time.

[Dr.Phool]

28. He was elected 2 years ago.

Wanna see Jebthro appoint himself?

[shawn703]

41. I remember when Jim Gilmore was RNC chairman

while he was governor of Virginia. He earned the nickname Governor Gonemore since he spent so much time out of state, attending to party business instead of state business.

[Marnieworld]

43. I guess the brightside is Dems get his seat when he's up for re-election

Since by then he will have neglected his state for his party. :D

[ContraBass Black]

66. Virginia didn't miss him.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

50. He was elected for the first time in 2004.

And he'll answer to the voters soon enough.

[kestrel91316]

51. It's called CONFLICT OF INTEREST and IMHO it's a major

no-no, if not downright illegal.

How can he serve ALL his constituents properly if he is actively working against half or more of them in an official capacity??? That's right, sports fans, HE CAN'T. Fire the bastard.

[elehhhhna]

54. DING DING we have a winner!

[C_U_L8R]

85. Are Senators allowed to moonlight??

so this guy is gonna get two salaries
and do a half-assed job on each ???

ummmm i don't think so.

[NewJeffCT]

88. I think Chris Dodd headed the DNC before, no?

and, he's a senator.

[NewJeffCT]

89. Edit time expired - Dodd was chair of the DNC from '95-'97

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_National_Committee

[KharmaTrain]

77. Why? These Are Politicians First

Schummer ran the DSCC which did as much in the last election as any political operation to win the election and Chuckie was still able to play Senator.

Someone's head had to go on the platter for Tuesday's disaster...it wsan't gonna be boooosh's or Rove's...Mehlmann took the bullet...or so he thinks.

I suspect he'll joing the chattering class, play lobbyist and cash in on his connections. The fact he is gay has nothing to do with this...only being a winner or a loser. For a majority of us, he's always been a sad loser, now he's viewed that way by his own party.

[lcordero2]

3. nothing more than

a fakeout of Latino voters. I'm not buying.

[SouthernBelle82]

9. Isn't this the guy

who earlier this year got caught sending out some memo (I think it was on Terri Schavio) and the democrats got a hold of it and instead of him taking responsibility he blamed someone on his staff? And this is the guy who is going to do that type of job?

[bluedog]

30. He a Man of MANY LIES

Sen. Mel Martinez told the Washington Times he did not see the Schiavo memo until ABC News and the Post publicized it. But Sen. Tom Harkin told the Post that when Martinez handed him the memo, " said these were talking points — something that we're working on here."
"How could Sen. Martinez describe the contents of the memo if he had not seen it? And who is 'we?'

But then The Note had a recollection—

... remember, from the '04 campaign, when Martinez's Senate campaign put out a nasty mailer on primary opponent Bill McCollum, alleging that McCollum catered to the "radical homosexual lobby?" Martinez said he hadn't seen the flier and disavowed its contents, even though it was sent out with the usual "paid for by Martinez for Senate" line.
Now all of this is "Washington insider" stuff that normally wouldn't raise a blip on the radar

http://simplyappalling.blogspot.com/2005_04_03_simplyappalling_archive.html

[Fenris]

4. At least it wasn't Steele.

[n2doc]

23. It would have been interesting to see if Steele could have done it

I mean, think about the core Repuke groups. Having a Black man ask them for money? No way would some of them have gone for that. And on top of that Steele would have to deal with the "So why did you try and fool people into thinking you were a democrat? " questions.

[stanwyck]

65. Although I don't care for Steele, the

smart move would have been appoint him. The Repubs. really have a problem with black voters -- they don't have any. And with races being as tight as they are now, the right can't afford to lose any more voters.
Pretty soon, the only lock the right will have will be older, angry white men without much education who get their "news" solely from talk radio.
You can fool some of the people all of the time - and that's this group.
The smart move would have been to go with Steele.
Here it is, 2006, and the Republicans still do not have ONE black member of Congress.
Unbelievable.

[Fenris]

68. Actually, I think Martinez was the smarter choice.

Courting black voters has traditionally been a lost cause for the GOP. Courting Hispanic voters, on the other hand, has generated more success. In 2004, according to CNN's exit polls, 40% of Hispanic voters went with the Republicans. That percentage dwindled this year to a mere 26% for the GOP. Their reliance on immigrant-bashing during the campaign likely turned some Hispanic voters against the GOP. The way the GOP sees it, the growing Hispanic vote is a more pressing target than the staunchly Democratic black vote. If the choice was between Steele (an appeal to black voters) or Martinez (an appeal to Hispanic votes), the more strategic choice was Martinez.

Of course, if they were interested in courting Hispanics, perhaps they should have gone with a Hispanic member of Congress that isn't an ultraconservative swimming in Abramoff money.

[Cha]

70. Hispanics are too

smart for the bushits. HOw many of their votes did they lose this time? And I don't care if they put mel fucking martinez in melhman's place.

[Fenris]

75. I agree they are too smart to be roped in by GOP talking points.

However, the GOP is not smart enough to see Hispanic voters outside the "Catholic = Pro-Life = Conservative = Republican" equation.

[beltanefauve]

73. Another issue

in the Latino community that's turning them away from the GOP: Iraq. More and more of the dead and wounded have names like Hernandez, Alvarez, etc. etc. The longer this war goes on, the more likely all of us will either know someone or know someone who knows someone who has been affected by this most directly.

[Fenris]

74. I agree.

[stanwyck]

78. You're right. Strategically, the GOP

has to work hard to not lose any more of the Hispanic vote. Again, with elections this close, how many people can a party afford to alienate? The GOP has, as you note, apparently written off the black vote. And the "security Moms" are abandoning the GOP for the Dems. Even evangelicals are becoming disenchanted - still in the GOP corner, but skeptical. Both parties know that the Hispanic vote is critical.
And as Dick Morris noted last week, Lyndon Johnson signed the civil rights bill and said the Democrats "had lost the South for 100 years."
Well, Bush signed that ludicrous "fence" on the border legislation - unfunded - and there had to be at least a few in the GOP who were wondering if they'd lost the Hispanic vote for 100 years.
The GOP has got to kiss and makeup fast. So, I guess Martinez is a start.

[Norquist Nemesis]

5. Huh? A twofer?

:shrug:

[wicket]

10. So he's going to be a Senator while running the RNC?

:wtf:

[Eric J in MN]

22. It's similar to being a Senator while running the DSCC,

...as Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) does.

[Bucky]

45. Not quite. Schumer heads a campaign organization consisting of senators

There is a Republican Senate campaign committee that corresponds to the DSCC (I think it's called the RSCC). Mehlman and Dean have treated their parties' committees as full time jobs. I doubt Martinez can do so. That, or he's feeding the Democrats an excellent campaign issue for 2010.

[wicket]

81. Thank-you

:hi:

[YDogg]

12. mel replaces ken. jeb appoints k harris. k harris doesn't write tell-all book.

that's my theory and i'm stickin' to it.

[KingFlorez]

13. That's very possible

I agree with you.

[wicket]

14. Would it be possible for Jebby to appoint himself?

Since he'll be out of a job in 2 months and all...

[Hippo_Tron]

63. You forgot the ending, K Harris again loses in a landslide in a 2008 special election

Maybe Robert Wexler could challenge her. Although I could see Harris trying to attack him by taking his statements on the Colbert Report literally.

[William769]

15. Thats great news!

When Mel Martinez was our Governor in Florida he really fucked things up and he was thrown out of office in the next election.

Now he can do it to the RNC! :rofl:

[turbo_satan]

17. Wrong Martinez -- You're thinking of Bob

[William769]

29. Ooops.

Sorry,that was one person I have tried to forget about.

[Tatiana]

16. GREAT NEWS!

I look forward to him running the republican party into the ground and establishing a record as a do-nothing Senator from Florida (which should help us out in '08 and beyond).

[ronnykmarshall]

18. Que?

So he going to draw his salary as a Senator and work for the GOP???? Bullshit.

[geomon666]

19. Typical

They just slide in a thief and liar to head the RNC. They go well together.

[wakeme2008]

24. Why is Bush playing the Cuban card

:shrug:

[fooj]

39. Headline read yesterday that Castro wasn't expected to live through 2007.

[civildisoBDence]

25. HELP WANTED: Someone with strong stomach and good shoveling skills.

Must be able to keep up with large pack of elephants, have good tap dancing abilities, and not mind stepping in large piles of elephant shit.

Minorities encouraged to apply (but not to ask for promotion.)

Newsprism

[lander]

26. Isn't this a conflict of interest?

Like, legally? How can a Senator — who is supposed to remain objective on certain matters — also head a partisan organization?

[Freddie Stubbs]

44. Isn't the head of the DNSC a Senator also?

:shrug:

[lander]

48. Do you mean the DSCC? Or the DNC?

That would be Schumer (Senator) and Dean (Governor), respectively. I can understand that a Senator would be chosen to chair the Senatorial Campaign committee, but the national GOP? I mean, this would be like putting Kennedy, Levin, or Biden in charge of the DNC.

[Perky]

33. I think that can be horribly `conflicted and this happened awfully fast

I think they must we worried about the Hispanic vote. Is he up for election in '08? I guess their leadership has no concerns.

The odd thing about this is that Michael Steele was being touted as a leading candidate becasue the the camoaing he ran in Marland and because he was african American.

[Perky]

35. Hispanic window-dressing n/t

[wicket]

36. Link here:

Fla. Senator Mel Martinez to chair RNC

[Synnical]

80. Jr Senator sucking up to the GOP in a Swing State

Hardly surprising. BTW - I'm a Constituent, and send him letters constantly, he never, not once, has ever replied.

-Cindy in Fort Lauderdale

[PATRICK]

37. Rationale resolved

Not up for re-election in 2008. In a safe state shielded by a GOP governor. In Bush territory with all sorts of favorable legislation for money handling. Etc. etc.

SAFETY is the big concern after what happened to reynolds and others. The pathos of the GOP in retreating to such strengths is extreme and extremely hilarious. A real crisis and vacuum in leadership following the implosion but continued dominance of the Bush dynasty black hole has passed beyond the event horizon.
I don't think we can yet fathom how far the GOP can yet fall because of their anti-democratic overreaching.

[underpants]

40. This goes to why they are dipping into 41's pool-running out of people to trust

there are only about 6 or 8 people in the White House who have ever been a part of THE inner circle and they are falling off from attrition as it is now they need someone to replace Mehlman as Rove's appointment keeper --I guess Mel can do that job.

[Avalux]

42. He can't do "the people's business" and be a partisan hack -

unprecedented to try to do both jobs (also absurd). :eyes:

[elehhhhna]

56. LOL tell that to DeLay

[Avalux]

57. Where's he now?

DeLay couldn't do it - that's why he's sittin' at home waiting to go to jail (thank god). :D

[elehhhhna]

60. Hiding out w/ DickCheney? One can only hope they'll go hunting together.

[Pacifist Patriot]

46. As a Floridian and a Democrat this is fantastic news!

The less time Martinez spends voting on the Senate floor the better off we'll all be. He is so far up Bush's backside he can see out of his drink-blurred eyeballs.

[Roland99]

47. Martinez under FEC investigation for campaign finance fraud

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/CNN_Bush_picks_Florida_Republican_to_1113.html

The Senator has been the target of an FEC investigation into the under-reporting of campaign debt by half a million dollars, and another FEC complaint regarding improper solicitation of corporate donations.

His chief legal counsel resigned early last year after it became known that he was responsible for the Terri Schiavo talking points circulated among Republicans.

[Dudley_DUright]

52. Quit your day job Mel

We could use another Democratic senator from FL.

[Jack Rabbit]

53. The Republicans lost an election

Florida Republicans know who to fix that.

[NastyDiaper]

55. mr smear the queer, shaivo, responsibility dodging fool?

bring in the clown.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200504080009

My favorite FL memory was when he called bill mc collumn, a strong social conservative, supportive of the radical gay agenda as a result of some disconnected vote.

Mel only wanted to prove that he was the biggest biggot, willing to tell the biggest lie, to prove loyalty to party above all. Republicans love that shit.

Welcome hombre mel. To the real world.

[Scoot420fla]

58. Ney Ties Martinez To Abramoff Scandal

Details at http://www.truthstream.org/?p=250

"In the document, Ney fessed up to lobbying Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL), then a Bush cabinet official, on behalf of an Abramoff client. The official’s department later acted favorably toward Abramoff’s client, according to news accounts."

http://www.truthstream.org/?p=250

[MGKrebs]

61. How was this arranged?

For the Dems, the Party members elect the party leader. I guess the Repubs do it differently? Who appointed him?

[Hippo_Tron]

64. The President gets to appoint the chairman of his party

Technically the RNC or the DNC has to approve the President's choice but they pretty much always will. The party that doesn't control the White House has to have a real election for their Party Chairman.

[Grebrook]

62. Is anyone watching the right-wing blogs? They're PISSED about this, they hate Martinez

they associate him with amnesty. This is very good news for us. It's leading to all out civil war.

[SoCalDem]

67. So when he's gallivanting around on GOP "bidness",

that would be a good time to schedule close votes :)

[burythehatchet]

69. this is the guy I wanted to poke with a stick

[LTR]

71. So, the GOP chairman position is now a part-time job?

Stick a fork in 'em, they're done!

[onehandle]

72. A desperate attempt to keep Florida and attract Hispanics.

Figure it out Florida. 2008 is your year to shine.

Hispanics already know that the GOP is full of shit.

[malaise]

76. Until that Larry King programme with

Bill Maher, on Friday Mehlman wasn't leaving until January. He has vanished with amazing speed.

[bdamomma]

79. mel martinez is a jerk too.

[peekaloo]

82. A rubber stampin', arse lickin' Bu$hbot! Color me surprised.

NOT.

[brg5001]

86. Exactly, peekaloo! I wrote to Martinez and told him to stop kissing Bush's ass!

I live in Florida and emailed Sen. Martinez on several occasions castigating him for showing ZERO independence. His complete unwillingness to challenge the so-called leadership or decisions of "President" Bush or his boss, "Vice-President" Cheney, disgusts me. He is a major Bush ass-kisser who, to my knowledge, has NO policy positions at variance with those of Chucklenuts. He is literally a tool of the president, with the emphasis on "tool." Unless the Repukelicans hold a vote of No Confidence in the president, he's still the leader of their party and Sen. Martinez is his perfect front man because the man literally downloads his daily instructions on what to think (I use that term loosely) from W himself. Martinez ran on a phony "American Dream" myth scenario but last time I checked, the American Dream did not consist of surrendering one's critical thinking skills completely, and turning oneself into a toady for a thoroughly scurrious individual whose position is solely based on the family name "Bush". Martinez sucks ass, and that's all there is to it.
:rant:

[peekaloo]

87. May I say

Welcome to DU! :hi:

Lovely rant. :-)

[brg5001]

90. Thank you, peekaloo.

I feel so much better now. I'm really enjoying these rants!

[IronLionZion]

84. so they go from a gay jew to a hispanic immigrant

Enough party loyalists were royally pissed that their chairman was a gay jew. I wonder how they feel about a hispanic immigrant. I so hope the Republican party continues the circular firing squad. It's nice to see them being disorganized for once and the Dems organized for once.

But the publican party leaders probably think this will help them with hispanics and Florida.