Mel Martinez to Take RNC Chairmanship

Mel Martinez to Take RNC Chairmanship

by John Little on 13/11/2006

I didn’t expect this news quite so soon:

Sen. Mel Martinez, the first-term Florida lawmaker who previously served in President Bush’s Cabinet, will assume the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee, GOP officials said Monday.

Martinez, 60, will replace current chairman Ken Mehlman, who will leave the post in January at the end of his two-year term, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid pre-empting a formal announcement.

Martinez will remain in the Senate. Mike Duncan, the RNC’s current general counsel and a former party treasurer, will run the day-to-day operations at the party’s Capitol Hill headquarters.

The choice is drawing ~~mixed~~ overwhelmingly negative reviews:

Hot Air: Update: Hot Air commenters agree: it’s an awful pick, transparently aimed at appealing to pro-amnesty Hispanic voters. If the GOP goes ahead and puts Boehner and Blunt back in place in the minority leadership, you’re looking at a very dire electoral situation in 2008.

Michelle Malkin: Oh, well. Michael Steele has been passed up for Sen. Mel Martinez. Yes, a squish on border security is now the RNC chair. Has the GOP learned anything?

The Spencerian: Really, I don’t see the draw. Sure, he won Bob Graham’s old seat here in Florida… but other than that, what can you say about him? A marginal Senator with at least tangential ties to the Abramoff scandal, not to mention being on the wrong side of the whole Schiavo mess. Huh. Well, they can choose whoever they like, I guess, but it looks like a lousy choice to me.

Say Anything: Martinez has some decent ratings from conservative organizations (a 100 rating from the American Conservative Union in 2005), but I guess I’ve never viewed him as being all that conservative. Do I have the wrong impression of this guy?

Moc’s Blog: While a Mel Martinez chairmanship isn’t the worst thing ever, I can’t say I’d rather see a sitting senator take the job when the GOP is in its particular bind right now. We need a 24/7/365 chairman who can return us to principle and continue to build on the minority outreach efforts brought in by Ken Mehlman. Maryland Lieutentant Governor Michael Steele could do that easily, and has past experience as a state party chair; whereash Senator Martinez will be a figurehead who makes some policy decisions and big speeches, with most of the other work being done by the RNC’s beltway bureaucracy. The latter option does not strike me as a strategy for success.

OpiniPundit: One word, UGHH!

Freedom Folks: The new head of the RNC has been selected. Now, we already knew the White House wasn’t staffed with terribly smart people, but this, this is a new low.

Mary Katharine Ham: A Steele chairmanship and a Pence/Shadegg House leadership takeover would really have helped me warm back up the Republican Party in this cold, cold time, but the first is a bust and the second ain’t looking great. Guess I’ll remain chilly, as will much of the base. Feel the love.

IMAO: I voted for Mel two years ago and have been completely underwhelmed since. I at first hoped this new position for Mel would get him out of the Senate (maybe to be replaced with Katherine Harris or Jeb Bush just to piss off the Donks), but no luck. The Republicans seem intent on rewarding Mel’s low approval rating with more power.

The LLama Butchers: Wasn’t he the asshat behind the Schiavo debacle?

GOP Bloggers: Michael Steele has said if asked that he would serve as RNC Chairman… so what happened? Well, my theory is this… the GOP has bigger plans for Steele. Perhaps a run for Congress, or another run for the Senate.

Irish Pennants: How to stay in the minority – Chapter 1: Make Sen. Mel Martinez chairman of the Republican National Committee instead of Michael Steele.

The Influence Peddler: ..is this really the time to poke out the eye of the conservative base? Do you think that they are basking in the glow of a great election day, and therefore won’t mind you putting an amnesty leader at the RNC? And to have first floated the name of Michael Steele? You couldn’t have engineered the disappointment and hostility any better.

The American Pundit: I saw this about a half hour ago, and still can’t fully comprehend what is happening. Apparently the GOP has learned NOTHING from this past election.

Iowa Voice: Nothing says a hearty “f-you” than putting a pro-amnesty….er, I mean guest worker…politician in charge of the Party, eh?

Texas Hold ‘Em Blogger: These guys are making Howard Dean look brilliant by comparison.

Stop the ACLU: I was really hoping for Michael Steele, instead we get another Harriet Myers it seems. I hate to see things again if Bush has to replace a Supreme Court Justice. I’m really looking for a reason to continue the fight for the Republicans. Are they gonna fight or are they gonna insist on losing even more of the base in the next two years?

The Carpetbagger Report: Martinez’s claim to fame is the ability to pass the buck with extraordinary skill.

Daily Pundit: Some might be wondering if it’s really necessary to clean the establishment pol’s out of the Republican Party. Can’t they reform? Wouldn’t last week’s debacle teach them something? Get real. If he’s approved, the incoming Chairman will be Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fl), a Bush-style double-talker on immigration.

The Astute Bloggers: Another GOP fumble.

Donklephant: Conservative bloggers are a bit less than overjoyed, and I can hardly blame them. The GOP is hamstringing its national operation in the runup to 2008 — and for what? To reach out to Hispanic voters? To reward a Bush loyalist? Is there some way this actually makes sense?

EckerNet.com: If the Republicans aren’t willing to help themselves, certainly we conservatives can’t do anything for them. Is it time to start shopping around?

Texas Rainmaker: From the people that brought us Harriett Miers and Michael Brown comes another underwhelming choice. I guess the Republican party is just tired of existing.

7.62mm Justice: If the GOP continues to ignore it’s base and move towards the center, the GOP will move without its base.

Cold Fury: The Repubs are finished as a governing party for a good, long while, and rightly so. Our only real choice is some as-yet-unformed third party. Which means that right now, unless something changes drastically, the presidency is Hillary’s for the taking in ‘08.

Alabama Liberation Front: The RNC hasn’t had a chance to vote on this yet. There’s still six weeks until the RNC meets in January, and that’s six weeks to get up a posse of pissed-off bloggers, talk-radio hosts and ordinary grassroots Republicans to raise so much holy hell that the RNC will be ready to tar-and-feather the gutless RINO scumbags who tried to shove Mr. Schiavo Memo down our throats.

Aussiegirl: I’m through with this Republican party — it’s now the party of the Bush family. You know, I’ve had this thought ever since the Bushes got so chummy with the Clintons, but I pushed it to the back of my mind as being preposterous. Now I’m not so sure. The Bushes are elitists — and so are the Clintons. They both believe that the people know nothing and that the world is better ruled by enlightened people of the higher economic strata who understand issues that go beyond parochial national interests. They are globalists. As such, and with both families running the Republican and the Democrat parties, they will share the presidency back and forth for the foreseeable future.

Well, now you know what the informed people think. Head over to Democratic Underground for the psychotic (yet oddly amusing) perspective.

My advice to Senator Martinez? I think you and Ken should schedule a blogger conference call ASAP. Although, I’m not sure damage control is going to help. We’re looking at a grade-A shitstorm created by a party seemingly hellbent on implosion. That’s the nicest thing I can say at the moment.

Update:
Hot Air has a poll up. Martinez, Steele, or other? H/T Michelle Malkin

Related posts:
Mel Martinez: This Dog Won’t Bite
I must be naive. I expected to hear something about party reform and rebuilding. Instead we get this: Sen. Mel Martinez, who will become the new general chairman of the...

Support

Please show your support for the work done here, and on Twitter, with a PayPal contribution.

There are 25 comments in this article:

13/11/2006Rupturedduck says:

I have said before Bush was no conservative. Now I think he is not a Republican.
This would be worse than Harriett Miers for supreme court if it were not for only two years.

He’s a light weight. AND, he will not be full time since he is going to continue to serve as a Senator. Which shows that Bush doesn’t feel this job is important.

But this is the person who is suppose to figure out how the Republicans can make a comeback!

I knew there was a problem with Bush in 2000 when during the campaign he said he “would not balance the budget on the backs of the poor”. He plagerized Tom Dashle without giving him credit. Its just taking others longer to understand who Bush is. He’s a Christian, yes, but not a true Reagan conservative.
13/11/2006asdf says:

A party of bigots hiring a minority for the chair? Yeah, that’ll fly well with the tards in the South. Morons.
13/11/2006tommy says:

A party of bigots hiring a minority for the chair? Yeah, that’ll fly well with the tards in the South. Morons.

The only moron is you, I’m afraid. The base was largely enthusiastic about have Michael Steele, a black man from Maryland, as RNC chair. Having a guy who is clearly a mostly (entirely?) white Spanish Cuban isn’t the issue.

Now crawl back to the underground, DUmmy. Your hyperbolic rhetoric may actually garner you some praise there.
14/11/2006asdf says:

Steele is an oreo though.
14/11/2006Iowa Voice says:

Martinez To Head RNC…

A big, fat “ugh” on this one:

Sen. Mel Martinez, the first-term lawmaker who previously served in President Bush’s Cabinet, will assume the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee, GOP officials said Monday.

Martinez, 60, will replac…
14/11/2006Coley and Janna says:

Dear RNC,

We are extremely disappointed in the announced nomination of Mel Martinez to be chairman of the Republican National Committee. A chairman who is in favor of amnesty for illegal aliens, one of the primary reasons normally faithful Republicans stayed at home during the election debacle just ended, cannot re-energize the GOP base for election efforts going forward. Republican rank and file have long favored better border security and more effective enforcement of current immigration law. We are all for attracting more Hispanics into the party, but at what price? Forgiving law breakers, providing them social services, and inviting them to displace our own low skilled laborers in the workplace at lower wages is just plain nuts.

Given the President’s own obsession with amnesty, Sen. Martinez must have been his choice for RNC Chair. A much better choice, a chairman who would have the time, energy, and credibility to bring the base back to the party, would have been Michael Steele. During a time we could be seeing positive improvements in party structure and its attitude toward the Republicans who basically built this party, we will instead be vigorously challenging Sen. Martinez’s nomination every way we can.

Sincerely,

Coley and Janna
14/11/2006Terry says:

Another punch in the stomach for conservatives. After years of defending Bush, I have had it. The GOP is not the party of conservatives anymore. Why is it so hard for these guys to just say “Hey.. we’re conservatives and here’s what we believe in”. The Dems certainly don’t have any problem with being liberal. They came right out and said if we take over, we’re raising taxes…and they won !! In case they haven’t figured it out, let me put the election debacle in simple form for them. Americans didn’t abandon conservatism, the GOP abandoned conservatism.
14/11/2006Good Richard's Almanac says:

Michael Steele The Darling…

Hot Air’s got a poll up asking who the RNC chairman should be. Click here to view the results. With such strong support for Michael Steele, why would the Republican party choose a sitting Senator as chairman? Or am I……
14/11/2006A Repub with a Problem says:

I really wanted Steele, i don’t want this amnesty lover as my Chair, this is disgusting and it shows how serious the Repub are in wining back in 08.

WTF, is with him not stepping down from his Senate seat, instead he going to allow someone else to do the day to day things. What is up with that? Oh, yeah they are real serious about making gains again.

I was really hoping for a Michael Steele as i think he is someone that could have made a real turn around with the party. What a shame, out of steep Repubs once again you would have thought they would have learned on Nov 7th, but guess not.

You can kiss what is left of the Repub party!

Cheers,

A Repub w/ a problem.
14/11/2006EckerNet.Com says:

GOP Falls On It’s Face First Step Out Of The Gate…

Wow….just wow. It’s almost as if Howard Dean is scripting the GOPs every move. The RNC has just chosen Senator Mel Martinez as it’s Chair. [H/T to Malkin for the link]. A few days back I summarized a few things……
14/11/2006Rob says:

‘ASDF’–an Oreo! Talk about bigoted, racist stereotypes. As if the color of one’s skin must dictate the content of one’s mind. Speaking as a southern ‘tard’, as you so charmingly put it, you need to join the 21st century.
14/11/2006consentofgoverned says:

As a Conservative who was purged from freerepublic a while ago for posting opinions that Bush has no loyalty to the GOP or conservatives (wish It was not so) the results of this election and this post election moves sadly support the thesis.
Bush and yes the leaders of the Democrats are members of the same group- Globalists who are working to destroy our sovereignty and form a North American Union ..seen in that light his appointments and unpopular pushing of Amnesty for illegals may make some sense. His borrowing to support social spending while not raising taxes is very transparent as well as it will weaken our economy when combined with the trade balance debt .. In support of these efforts :The GOP has been co-opted by Homosexuals who will support any policy weakening our moral fiber as a country- even the subjugation of our laws to the One World order. The thesis of the One World order seems to fit well with most of Bush’s policy and legislative actions. Prove me wrong please. Consent of governed
14/11/2006tman says:

Homosexuals leading us to a one world government? consentofgoverned that kind of nonsense gives Conservatism a bad rap. Relax dude.
14/11/2006consentofgoverned says:

Tman, Homosexuals have an agenda that fits very well with Globalist plans and blackmail still seems to work – ala Foley NO? or the current head of RNC who has ducked out the back door- no pun intended. Sad to say placing those in power who have these types of problems means one thing- they are easy to control by the shadow gov.of pro globalism and free trade- to coin an MSM cliche..follow the dots.
14/11/2006Valerie says:

Please call the RNC to voice your opinion, in addition to the emails. They must listen or we are DOOMED!
14/11/2006Don Singleton says:

Florida’s Martinez tapped for RNC chief…

They should have named Steele and Martinez as co-chairs….
14/11/2006Aussiegirl says:

The Republican party as we once knew it is dead. The party of Reagan has been razed to the ground by the globalist Bush family and the genius Karl Rove. This is the final slap in the face to the party base. It is now clear even to those of us who wanted to believe otherwise, that the Republican party as presently consituted is in reality the Bushicrat party. They control its pursestrings and its centers of power just as surely as Hillary controls the Democrat party. That is why the two families are so chummy. They have more in common with each other than they do with you and me. Bush will push through is illegal amnesty bill even if it takes destroying the party in order to do it. His elitist globalist policies triumph any conservative principles. The two family dynasties, the Clintons and the Bushes are set to share power in this country as far as they eye can see unless we come up with a viable third party, a Constitutional Conservative party, or unless the remaining elected conservatives still have some integrity in them. Otherwise, we are headed for the New World Order, with the two families firmly in charge of our destinies. Just look at how shabbily Steele was treated. According to the WashTimes article today he was intimidated and strong-armed by the Bush White House and threatened with withholding even the sop of HUD secretary, the ultimate insult to a black man of his caliber. This party is lost. I couldn’t be more disgusted.
15/11/2006Pour_encouragez_les_autres says:

Hopefully there is a new third party in the offing. A voting choice between corrupt traitors and incompetent cowards is really pointless. And to think that I used to be an intern for these morons.
15/11/2006A Repub with a Problem says:

Ill, tell you what iam to the point that iam going to change to an Ind as i cant bring myself to being a Repub, not after this yahoo becoming the RNC chair and he isnt even going to be there to run the RNC. Who the hell put forth this idiot anyhow?

I to once worked for the GOP in California.

Repub w/ a problem
15/11/2006Synthesizer says:

Republican National Committee
310 First Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003
p: 202.863.8500
f: 202.863.8820
e: info -at- gop.com

15 November 2006

Dear RNC,

I write to urge that Michael Steele be made RNC chairman.

Rove was behind Miers being picked. That was a disaster. Rove’s pick of Martinez to co-chair the RNC is another disaster in the making. If you think Martinez moonlighting as RNC co-chair will attract Hispanics to the Republican Party, you’re smoking something. Maybe Rove’s metrics– and we all know how bad those are for the party’s political health.

Hispanics are often Catholics, and Catholics are all-too-frequently Democrats. A Catholic, Steele would be an excellent Republican role model to Catholic Democrats and new Hispanic Catholic voters, and would articulate a conservative vision to Catholics that would attract them to the Republican Party.

Steele is media-savvy, looks great on TV, ran an excellent campaign, and inspires. We need Steele so we get quick responses issued to Democrat insanity and attacks during the coming tumultuous two years. For example, during his Senate campaign, Steele quickly issued a TV ad with his sister rebutting a stem cell ad attacking him– if I recall correctly, both ads came out within 24 hours of each other. As RNC chairman, Steele would inspire involved, attentive Republicans to help beat back the radical leftists who desire to wreck the country and Republican Party with U.S. defeat in Iraq and endless investigations of the Bush administration culminating in the impeachment of Bush and Cheney.

Blacks have been ill-served by their lock step allegiance to the Democrat Party. Leftist ideas have grievously hurt blacks through the years, and were Steele to be on TV frequently as RNC chair, he would present a positive role model to help blacks recognize that their aspirations and conservative views are much better served by and aligned with the Republican Party than the Democrat Party. Abandonment of blacks to leftists is tragic for them, and hurts the Republican Party and the country.

The next RNC chair must be an effective campaign manager, articulate, telegenic, charismatic, and a conservative Republican role model to Catholic Democrats and blacks and Hispanic Catholics. The next RNC chair must be a fighting leader with backbone. Get STEELE!

Sincerely,
David Ford, in Maryland

Michael Steele ads
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=1162330195.733550.225050%40e64g2000cwd.googlegroups.com
22/11/2006Minuteman says:

You have got to be kidding!!!!!! Another open borders globalist traitor for RNC leadership. I fear all is lost.
When do think Bush is going to invite the Russians and Chinese into our nation in order to protect the New World Order,Bildebergers, Council on Foreign Relations, Federal Reserve Dictators. This President just lost the House and The Senate because he is a puppet. I believe we need to have a litmus test and an IQ test for all future candidates for any public office.
22/11/2006Minuteman says:

One more thing is it ok to spend 2 trillion dollars and 3000 brave American Soldiers lives to secure Iraq’s borders but not spend 2 billion to secure our own borders? Instead of bitching we need to send millions of e-mails & letters to the RNC that we are no longer going to support them financially.
There are simple solutions to all of America’s problems our leaders just choose not enable us to carry them out.
As Americans we no longer have to stand for excuses or stupidity or planned globalisation.
Two Presidents who look alike act alike,start two wars, spend trillions on these wars and choose not to win them or allow are Military personnel to win them, both claiming to be Conservative Republicans but acting like New World Order Globalsit and carrying their water. 5 Marines in prison for the murder during war of an Iraqi whom was a militia leader that was attacking our troops( Pendelton 5). Can anyone see the problem here?
19/01/2007Bill says:

Great for Mel, a little extra money mowing lawns! Wait as a resident of the State of Florida isn’t he supposed to be our “Senator?” What next Joe Lieberman bagging groceries at Wal-Marts, Hillary at the Dillard’s Cosmetics counter or maybe some of the former Majority party can get that night job at the NRA they want so much.

Hey Mel get to work doing the job you pleaded with the people of Florida for and moonlight when your term is up, you boot lick!!!
20/01/2007bebebebebe says:

RNC lost my vote, Amnesty Queens. Im just not going to bother voting at all.
21/03/2007Minutman says:

Does anyone out there care!! The Republicats and the Dumbacrats are preparing to give away your nation.

Amnesty for 30 million criminals who will bring an additional 90 million of there loved ones into this nation and you the dumb Americans are going to pay for it and you already are. 120 million people who do not speak English or have any desire to become Americans.

Lost Jobs
40 % lower wages
Welfare
Social Insecurity
Food Stamps
30 % of the prison population illegals they get amnesty also.
Free Drugs
Free Hospitalization
Free education
Surging crime rates
Reduced property values

It is all there and you get to pay for it because most illegals live below the poverty line.
Call your Senators and Congressmen and Women now or you will lose your nation. Call now or you will live in Azatlan.

Blogs of War