Mel Martinez

Summary (posts follow):

Republican U.S. Senator from Florida (2005-present). Former chairman of the Republican National Committee. Ally of president George W Bush and a strong supporter of amnesty.

Last modified Dec 2, 2008

Discussed in (click each link for the full post):

White House immigration meeting of amnesty all-stars: Obama, McCain, Graham, Cornyn, Gutierrez - 6/26/2009

Yesterday, Barack Obama met with various members of Congress to discuss comprehensive immigration reform. His remarks are at [1], a list of attendees is at [2], and some quotes from attendees is at [3]. Nothing very important appears to have happened or been said. Note also that before the meeting, Rahm Emanuel said, "If the votes were there [for amnesty], you wouldn't need to have the m...

Republicans that Obama administration listens to include McCain, Schwarzenegger, and Mel Martinez (on immigration) - 6/10/2009

... Grassley, Judd Gregg, Orrin Hatch, Mel Martinez on immigration matters, the National Association of Manufacturers, Lindsey Graham, and governors Charlie Crist and Arnold Schwarzenegger on "policy matters". No wonder Obama's ideas are so very great. [1] politics.theatlantic.com/2009/06/the_five_conservatives_obama_listens_to.php

Marco Rubio: illegal immigration amnesty supporter, or not? - 5/13/2009

... this interview he speaks about Mel Martinez: "I would just say that Mel is a friend, someone I admire and respect. . . . There's nothing about Mel that I’m disappointed in today. I think he's done the best he can under the circumstances. On immigration, he voted for a package I probably would not have voted for, because I believe that we’ve got to secure the borders in our exis...

Dream Act re-introduced: you need to organize local efforts to block it - 3/27/2009

... Kennedy, Pat Leahy, Joe Lieberman, Mel Martinez, and Harry Reid. Those quoted at the description link above in support of the bill include Harry Reid, the Fair Immigration Reform Movement, the National Council of La Raza, and the National Immigration Forum.

Mel Martinez to be "irritant" to get immigration "reform"; Gebe Martinez has no concern for U.S. workers - 3/18/2009

... Politico informs us (link) that Sen. Mel Martinez (no relation) is initiating an unfocused push to get comprehensive immigration reform:

Senator Mel Martinez won't seek re-election in 2010 (mind the door) - 12/02/2008

Senator Mel Martinez will not seek re-election in 2010, and might even leave before his term is up, according to this. According to this, a Jeb Bush spokesman says that Governor Bush has not given serious consideration to running for the U.S. Senate, or any other office at this point, which probably means the opposite. As for Martinez, despite being from Cuba he was a strong supporter of basically...

Steve Schmidt should find a new line of work (immigration and the failed John McCain campaign) - 11/10/2008

Steve Schmidt - former chief strategist of the John McCain campaign - was interviewed by Ana Marie Cox about the various failures he was involved in and presumably he tries to defend himself against charges that he's completely incompetent; I didn't bother reading the whole thing (link) since this bit is all we need: If you look at the returns from the southwestern and mountain west stat...

Senate blocks DREAM Act - 10/24/2007

The DREAM Act was up for a cloture vote earlier today; the Democrats needed 60 votes to proceed, but they only came up with 52 versus 44 opposed. UPDATE: The votes are here. Those voting for it included current or former presidential contenders Joe Biden (D-DE), Sam Brownback (R-KS), Hillary Clinton (D-NY), and Barack Obama (D-IL). Republicans voting for it were: Bob Bennett (R-UT), Norm Coleman (...

Mel Martinez quits as RNC chairman; Peter Wallsten/LAT offers pro-illegal immigration spin - 10/21/2007

... even sooner than was hoped, Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) has quit as the head of the RNC. Don't let the door hit you, etc. Now comes Peter Wallsten of the Los Angeles Times to put the worst possible face on it ("Latino head of RNC resigns", link).

Mel Martinez may quit as RNC chairman when candidate emerges (not soon enough) - 9/30/2007

... National Committee general chairman Mel Martinez may quit his post as soon as a GOP candidate emerges, sources say.

Senator Mel Martinez: revive illegal immigration amnesty in the House (recall petition!) - 6/29/2007

... Republican Party chairman and Senator Mel Martinez said he wants to revive the Bush/Senate massive illegal immigration amnesty scheme, this time starting in the House. Short answer: see this recall petition. Longer answe

America empty boxed: Kennedy immigration press conference - 6/18/2007

An old scam is to sell someone something and then to send them a box full of bricks or even an empty box. Along those lines, Ron Brynaert of RawStory finally has a story with which I don't disagree: Lawmakers were pointing to "empty boxes" at a press conference last Thursday, a Capitol Hill newspaper reports. "At a pro-immigration rally Thursday, a group of politicians incl...

Democratic - but not GOP - candidates to appear at Mexico-linked NALEO gathering - 6/12/2007

The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials has at least one link to the Mexican government: they nominate persons for Mexico's highest award to those outside Mexico, the Ohtli award. That's certainly not as objectionable a link as other groups have, but it's a link nonetheless. At the end of the month they'll be holding a shindig in Miami and all the ...

Kennedy, Graham, Reid, Kyl, Bush to try to revive Senate illegal immigration amnesty bill - 6/08/2007

Like Jason or Michael Myers, the "Grand Bargainers" behind the Senate's illegal alien amnesty bill are promising to bring it back within a few days or a few weeks. If you want to prevent this from happening, it's within your power to do so. All we need is one well-known amnesty supporter to be roundly discredited and that will send a loud and clear message to the rest. [Sen.

Senate immigration amnesty bill: the supporters - 5/21/2007

... the party's chairman, Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida, Mr. Chambliss and Mr. Kyl, the Senate Republican Conference chairman, were at the press conference announcing the bill... * DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff meanwhile challenged critics to offer alternative solutions instead of simply saying "this isn't good enough." (link; the obvious answer is, of course, that he should do hi...

GOP Senators plotting immigration "reform" in private meetings - 3/15/2007

As discussed here, several GOP (U.S.) Senators have been holding meetings to discuss how to come up with a "comprehensive immigration reform" bill. Others in the meetings include Michael Chertoff of the DHS and Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez.

Alfonso Chardy and the "moratorium movement" - 3/04/2007

Alfonso Chardy of the Miami Herald offers "Activists urge Bush to stop deportations". It's about as biased as you would expect, including offering sympathetic portrayals of scared "immigrants" who are avoiding lawful enforcement of our laws. "Immigrant rights activists" drop by: "It is a great tragedy," said Jose Lagos, president of Honduran Unity, a M...

Kennedy-McCain illegal alien amnesty nearing completion; business, racial groups - 2/22/2007

From this: Senators and lobbyists are putting the final touches on a comprehensive immigration-reform bill that includes an easier citizenship path for illegal aliens and weaker enforcement provisions than were in the highly criticized legislation that the Senate approved last year. Sen. Edward M.

Rudy Giuliani is full of $#*| - 2/05/2007

Rudy Giuliani announced that he's running for president on tonight's Hannity & Colmes, and watching his remarks on immigration I realized that he's completely full of $#*|. A transcript is here. Giuliani's euphemism for a massive illegal alien amnesty is "regularization".

Mehlman warns GOP; John Broder/NYT distorts - 1/20/2007

... capitulates to instead: [Senator Mel Martinez], who emigrated from Cuba as a child, will be the public face and voice of the party as it tries to reach out to Hispanics and other minorities who have abandoned the party in large numbers in recent years. If Mehlman had principles, he'd oppose the hidden assumptions of statements such as that. If Hispanics supposedly only support a party that s...

Mel Martinez is GOP "general chairman": abandon the GOP - 1/19/2007

Senator Mel Martinez has been elected to the made-up title of "general chairman" of the Republican Party's National Committee (RNC). Despite a secret ballot, not that many might have voted against him. I would strongly suggest to all GOP members that now is the absolute best time to turn your backs on the party in an attempt to change their pro-illegal alien amnesty ways.

Mel Martinez, Republican National Committee Chair: the upside - 1/16/2007

... illegal alien amnesty proponent Mel Martinez to be the "general chairman" of the RNC.

Feinstein, Larry Craig to push AgJobs (illegal alien farmworker amnesty) - 1/09/2007

... Sens. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, and Mel Martinez, R-Fla... Reps. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, and Howard Berman, D-Calif., are sponsoring the House version. It has the backing of House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn. and Rep. Adam Putnam of Florida, a member of the Republican leadership team.

Darryl Fears: the Democratic line on immigration - 11/20/2006

... Cuban - and thus non-Chicano - Mel Martinez). Those marches might have indeed had widespread support, and most Americans should consider that alarming. Those marching were doing so in support of illegal activity, and many were in fact foreign citizens making a show of force in our streets. Many of those marching seem to think that they have a right to move here at will, and some of those even cal...

Gerardo Sandoval (S.F. Supervisor) pushes illegal alien amnesty - 11/18/2006

Gerardo Sandoval is a San Francisco Supervisor, and he offers "Democrats must push immigration reform". Everything about it is wrong or just plain loony, so a full treatment isn't possible.

Arlen Specter wants "comprehensive immigration reform" this year - 11/17/2006

Yesterday Roll Call offered the subscriber-only "Specter to Take Another Stab at Immigration Bill Before Year Ends", which is excerpted here: After meeting privately with Sens.

Mel Martinez stabs base in back, will promote massive immigration - 11/15/2006

One of the leading MSM themes is to falsely accuse those who support our immigration laws of being bad people, mean-spirited, meanies, and the like. Unfortunately, some corrupt Republicans join in that bashing. In effect, those GOP members are crossing over to the other side and they're doing the MSM's (and the Democrats') work for them. Such moves undercut the GOP base and give po...

Amnesty supporter Mel Martinez to head Republican National Committee - 11/13/2006

Florida Senator Mel Martinez will be the new head of the Republican National Committee ("RNC"), sources say.

Orlando Florida: Meet the amnesty all-stars on October 9 - 9/30/2006

If you're in the Orlando Florida area, you might want to visit the University of Central Florida on October 9 for a "symposium" on illegal immigration. While a few of those speaking might be opposed to amnesty, most are cheap labor cheerleaders. It's free, but it's not known whether there will be a Q&A session; if there is, I strongly urge you to think up a series ...

Gen. Peter Pace cries for illegal aliens - 7/11/2006

Alfonso Chardy of Knight Ridder offers the disgusting story "Senate hearing in Miami touts immigrants' contributions": "My dad came here, sometimes worked three jobs, but the jobs were there for him and the opportunities were there for him," Gen. Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said as he choked back tears during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing...

Send a brick to Senator Mel Martinez - 5/23/2006

... bricks in the office of Senator Mel Martinez.

Mel Martinez opposed illegal alien amnesty... in 2004 - 5/18/2006

... massive illegal immigration, Mel Martinez (R-FL) seems to have done a 180, and much more recently. From October 24, 2004: Our immigration policy should first and foremost ensure the security of our nation and those individuals posing a terrorist threat should be prevented from entering our country.

Bush favors a massive illegal alien amnesty. Should he switch parties? - 4/26/2006

... critics"). According to Mel Martinez (R-FL): "There was a pretty good consensus that what we have put into the Hagel-Martinez proposal here is the right way to go...

Senator Bill Frist plans to sneak illegal alien amnesty through - 4/24/2006

From this: Republicans are planning to make end runs around opposition to a border security bill with the expected Senate approval of billions of dollars in immediate spending and with the Bush administration announcing an increase in workplace enforcement. Party leaders hope the moves will satisfy voters concerned about illegal immigration and pave the way for more comprehensive reforms, such...

Today's foreign citizens marching in our streets roundup, Part 1 - 4/10/2006

First, this needs much more attention: Dallas illegal aliens march: George P. Bush was scheduled And, from Neal Boortz: Rights? What rights? Tell me, please, just what rights these demonstrators are marching for today? The right to cross our borders illegally? The right to remain in this country illegally? The right to work here illegally? The right to stay here illegally?

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