His Task: Sell Hispanics On GOP

Washington Post: Immigration Conflict Puts Sen. Martinez In Tough Position

(Washingtonpost.com)  This story was written by Jose Antonio Vargas.

For many in the country's fastest-growing segment of the electorate, Sen. Mel Martinez is the face of the Republican Party.

The Florida senator was handpicked by President Bush to become the first Hispanic chairman of the Republican National Committee, and when Univision announced its plans to sponsor groundbreaking Spanish-language forums for the presidential hopefuls - one for Democrats, the other for Republicans - Martinez was thrilled. The largest Spanish-language U.S. television network and the fifth-largest overall, Univision is MTV, ESPN and CNN rolled into one for millions of Latinos.

"I think that to have candidates address the largest minority group in America would be a terrific thing," Martinez said in June, "and to do it on a network that the Hispanic community of America watches would be the right forum."

But though all the leading Democratic presidential contenders are scheduled to attend the 90-minute forum at the University of Miami tonight, only one Republican - Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), who co-authored a failed compromise immigration bill - has accepted the invitation.

The estimated 41 million Latinos are a force in American politics, and in few states will their decisions be felt more than in Florida. The state is home to an estimated 3 million Hispanics, two-thirds of whom are Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and South Americans, who lean Democratic, and the other third are Cubans, who lean Republican.

In recent elections, anti-Castro Cubans have consistently voted Republican, and they helped deliver Florida to Bush in 2000 and 2004. But Martinez and other GOP leaders worry that Republicans, by skipping events such as the Univision forum, are alienating a crucial voting bloc.

Citing scheduling conflicts among the candidates, Univision postponed the GOP forum, originally scheduled for next Sunday. Earlier this year, the Republican hopefuls snubbed two other high-profile Hispanic conferences - the first held by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, the biggest gathering of the Latino political class, in late June, and the second by the National Council of La Raza, the largest Latino civil rights group, in late July. The Democratic candidates showed up for both events.

"I was hoping that there would be good participation in the Univision forum," Martinez said. "It's a very busy primary calendar, and their schedules are such that this forum didn't fit in. Now is this a rejection of Hispanic voters? Of course not. And I hope it's not seen that way."

Capitalizing on his experience as governor of Texas, Bush made historic inroads with Hispanic voters for a Republican, earning 30 percent of their votes in 2000 and 40 percent four years later.

"That was a remarkable achievement," said Roberto Suro, founder and former director of the Pew Hispanic Center, the Washington-based nonpartisan research group. "Bush and [former chief political adviser Karl] Rove believe that Hispanics are natural Republicans. Predominantly Catholic, they're socially conservative. And Bush and Rove sold them the old Main Street Republican approach of upward mobility into the middle class. It worked."

Last year's midterm election was a turning point, however, and the Republicans' share of the Hispanic vote dipped back to 30 percent. The turnaround, analysts said, was the result of the GOP's anti-immigration image. In late 2005, the House passed a bill that sought to toughen border security, authorize local police officers to detain illegal immigrants and crack down on businesses that hired illegal immigrants. Latinos responded by taking to the streets across the country.

"In politics, perception is reality. And in the past two years, the perception among Hispanics - not just Hispanics who are undocumented but also those who were born and raised here - is that they and their family are not welcome in the GOP. And that perception may stick," Suro said.

The Hispanic vote has been so important to Bush, allies said, that he shepherded the relatively obscure Martinez, a refugee from Cuba as a teenager, to election as the RNC's chairman. But now Martinez is in an increasingly awkward position.

On the eve of the Senate vote on the immigration bill, Fred Thompson, now the newest addition to the Republican presidential field, made headlines by declaring, "I don't imagine they're coming here to bring greetings from Castro. We're living in the era of the suitcase bomb." Rudolph W. Giuliani and Mitt Romney, two of the GOP front-runners, continue to exchange heated rhetoric on illegal immigration. And Rep. Tom Tancredo (Colo.), who has built his long-shot bid on the issue of illegal immigration, has referred to Miami as a "Third World country."

"The Republican Party is consumed with illegal immigration right now, and Martinez is really in a very tough spot," said Sergio Bendixen, a pollster advising Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) on Hispanic issues. "He's got to represent the GOP, which is looking at immigration in one direction, and he's got to represent the Hispanic community, which is looking at that issue in another direction."

Added Simon Rosenberg, who has studied the Latino electorate and runs the New Democrat Network, a think tank that helped put together today's Democratic forum: "To be frank, every day Martinez's job is to put lipstick on a pig. It's not a pretty job, but he took it, and now he's got to live with it."

[antoniof123]

I am from Florida and Mel needs this job because he won''t be re-elected next time any way. What a relief the most usless Senator that Florida has ever produced.

[lars008-2009]

it is fascist nazi terrorislam stupid%u2026.

non muslims of the world unite... fight against the tyranny of the fascist nazi terrorslam imperialist empire of the darkside...

I was a fanatic...I know their thinking, says former radical Islamist
By blaming the Government for our actions, those who pushed this "Blair''''s bombs" line did our propaganda work for us.
More important, they also helped to draw away any critical examination from the real engine of our violence: Islamic theology.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pa
ges/live/articles/news/news.html?in_arti
cle_id=465570&in_page_id=1770

Bless the Beasts and Children
Fascist nazi terrorslam kills every man woman and child in the village again%u2026 typical mo for terrorslam%u2026
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/bless-the-beasts-and-children.htm

Our Prophet commanded us to fight the kaafirs when we are able and to attack them in their homelands and to give them three choices before we enter their lands: either they become Muslim and be like us, sharing our rights and duties; or they pay the jizyah (poll tax) and feel themselves subdued; or they fight, in which case their wealth, women, children and homes become permissible as booty for the Muslims.
http://islamqa.com/index.php?ref=13759&ln=eng&txt=before%20islam%20arabia%20pagan

the truth about fascist nazi terrorislam...
http://www.terrorismawareness.org/what-really-happened/

[sgtrds]

Mel is Bush''s next token house boy, meant to show that he actually likes "them kinda folks, them brown ones". He tried it with Powell, until Powell realized he was nothing more then a house nig*ger to Bush. He tried it with Condi, with MUCH more success since she''s become his bed slave and chocolate fantasy wench. he tried it with Gonzales and had some more success, until it turned out he was one of the very few human beings more ignorant then Bush himself. I wonder who his next token will be?

[tylenol6]

Most people here in Florida think Martinez is a total kiss *** to Bush and a complete twit......and
a traitor to the people of Florida.

[tnichlsn]

maybe when he''s done he can try and sell Blacks on the KKK?

[tbweb]

Posted by toldyouso21 at 10:29 PM : Sep 09, 2007,,,

Hey SharnCedar, you can borrow my fire extinguisher if you like to put out those flames! LOL!!

[toldyouso21]

But the facts are Hispanics are abuot 50/50 Republican to Democrat.

Posted by SharnCedar at 08:45 PM : Sep 09, 2007


Nope. The numbers for Bush were 39 to 40% Republican to 60% Democratic. The Republicans were on the way to evening and possibly even courting a majority--but that all changed with the racism . Here is a clue--most Hispanics know that there skin is brown and most will agree that when they hear derogatory remarks made about blacks, they know those same people will say the same about them or worse. According to the latest numbers, the Hispanics who backed Bush are disappearing in droves--funnily enough it is not really the illegal amnesty problem--it is the war and what many people of color see as a covert war on people of color NOT an American vs Middle East thing or Christian vs Muslim. They note that after WWII, the only wars America has ever entered into were against people of races other than white. Many people of color will say this ...but perhaps not in a room full of white neo cons.

[toldyouso21]

by SharnCedar at 08:45 PM : Sep 09, 2007

To be fair, blacks and Hispanics tend to vote Democrat (at about 90% and 83% respectively)due to the fact that both groups are normally relegated to very low paying jobs with little to no benefits and consequently find the Democratic support of Education and healthcare and other subsidies (housing, WIC) to be a necessary adjunct to help them have even remotely decent lives.

If and when they finally become wealthy, depending on their mindset--they may then embrace the Republican party to protect and perserve what they have--NOT ever because it is a party of tolerance or understanding. Not saying the Democratic approach is correct, but if the choice Hispanics and Blacks must have are mostly poor paying jobs and help with rent, hospital bills and head start, but being ignored by Dems most of the time VS Republicans offering low pay with no benefits, and draconian methods to ensure Hispanics do not live near them and no living assistance in any way, all the while enduring racism and possibly even ethnic violence--they will probably continue to choose the Democratic party.

Because pragmatically, even if they believe in the family and no gay rights and and no abortion--the reality is that they have to eat and live under a roof everyday--so pragmatically they will take whatever help that they can get--and the Republican party does not believe in helping anyone whose net worth is less than 500K.

[toldyouso21]

Interesting that when Blacks were the largest minority, the debates could be held in English, since that is what they spoke also (sort of).

Maritinez seems poised to be another figure head akin to what Foley was to the secret Log cabin Republicans or gay contingency--so Martinez will be the poster child for Hispanics. And the Message?

We may not like you people and we may actively campaign against what you want and who you are--but hey, we will give one of you a job--so be stupid and vote for us--because if we will hire one of you to a prominent position, then that means one day, we may hire another ONE of you to one other position. But as for the rest of America--keep your nonwhite, nonhetero mitts off and don''t come into our neighborhoods unless you plan to garden or clean our pools or tell us how to redecorate our dens.

[likeitis5050]

Just like Bush to think about consequences after the fact. He honestly thinks if he covers his eyes no one else can see him. He is an idiot!!! The Republican Party should get a court order to halt any attempt he makes to help them. It''s too little too late, dumbo. Can anyone possibly be any dumber? Paris Hilton is a total air head and she has more to work with than Bush.

[tbweb]

The stereotype is that Hispanics will naturally be Democrats, ...

No one is as dumb as American blacks, ...

Posted by SharnCedar at 08:45 PM : Sep 09, 2007,,,

In the one sentence you blast "stereotype" and in the next sentence you do that very thing and stereotype yourself, labeling all blacks as being dumb! Me think SharnCedar speaks with forked tongue! LOL

[sharncedar]

The stereotype is that Hispanics will naturally be Democrats, because of course they are dumb people with slightly brown skin (the thinking goes) and so just like the dumb blacks, they will turn out year after year and vote straight Democratic ticket like some semi-human species.

But the facts are Hispanics are abuot 50/50 Republican to Democrat.

Because whatever the thinking of racists like Hillary, Hispanics are not as dumb as American blacks. No one is as dumb as American blacks, actually, not even Africans as guys like Obama show you. American blacks are dumb precisely because the Democrats have fed their bodies and not their minds all these years, they are wasting away on the Clinton plantation.

Many Hispanics are so right-wing they are almost neo-nazis. I think you knee-jerk plantation master Democrats are in for a surprise, the Hispanics once not illegal may not be as docile and easy to intimidate as you think either. They may not want "big white mother" to condescend to them, they may feel as I do, a visceral and enduring hate for anyone who dares to enslave humanity here on the soil of LIBERTY.

There are many still willing to die for LIBERTY, as big white plantation mother is going to find out.

[sgtrds]

LOL!!!

Good luck Mel! After the average republican base member spent this last summer practically calling for lynching of every brown person who MIGHT be in the US illegally your job is going to be like selling white KKK sheets to the NAACP!!!

[tbweb]

"To be frank, every day Martinez''s job is to put lipstick on a pig. It''s not a pretty job, but he took it, and now he''s got to live with it."

ROTFLMAO!!!

Put lipstick on a pig and camouflage it to look like a donkey too!! Just hope it doesn''t squeal when it see''s Pres. Bush! Hispanic''s are wayyyy too smart to fall for this, but who knows. Talk about desperate measures! LOL!!

[mcvet]

Yeah all you Hispanic''s Join the party of Senator Wid Stance... but before you join you''d better check out the Snake Oil these "Family Values" Fascist sell... I jsut don''t think you''re going to like it that much... just a guess. ROFLMAO Sieg Heil Bush!!