Well, the Martinez pick sure isn't playing very well.
Of course, it's not meant for current Republicans. The pick is meant for that gigantic, untapped illegal immigrant constituency that Rove and Bush plan to legalize real quick. And, of course, all the Hispanic citizens who want that constituency legalized real quick.
Legalize your way back to the Majority! Don't adhere to principle or make a better case for yourself. Just create new voters out of people who were formerly unable to vote, according to law. Wait, isn't that the Democrat way-- felons, dead people? Yep, and it seems Republicans have adopted it.
Count me thoroughly demoralized. Not only is this guy not a terribly distinguished Senator, but his pick is a transparent little identity politics stunt. Even though the idea of Steele had the base charged up and had the potential to reach new constituencies while adhering to conservative principles, I think the White House boys thought the Hispanic vote was more likely to go Republican than the black vote, which is undoubtedly true, but a really horrible reason to appoint an uninspiring, part-time RNC Chair after the drubbing the Party just got. And, an uninspiring, part-time RNC Chair who has actively worked to pass the very legislation that has had the Republican base climbing the walls the entire Bush presidency.
Part-time??? My bosses wouldn't let me work part-time, and I daresay my job is less important than the RNC Chair.
But is there hope? Red State calls Martinez the "Harriet Miers of RNC Chairs." I guess that means we should get to work voicing our displeasure. Sarah K already has, in her eloquent open letter to Republican leadership-- "Dear Dumb Stupidheads."
You can write them, too, at info@gop.com.
Allah is tracking down rumors of some Rove treachery pulled on the RNC Members, who are by all accounts, ticked. From the Washington Times:
Some RNC members, already dismayed by last week's election that swept Republicans from control of Congress, expressed anger at the way Mr. Rove leaked his choice of Mr. Martinez immediately after a conference call in which the Florida senator's name was floated for the first time.
During the call yesterday with RNC members in which Mr. Rove, Mr. Mehlman and White House Political Director Sara Taylor participated, some members raised the names of Mr. Martinez and Mr. Duncan as possible successors to Mr. Mehlman, said an RNC member who was involved.
"But Rove and Mehlman never said they were going to name these people as chairmen, and we never voted or even gave our opinion," the member said.
The move was seen as a signal that the White House intends to push through Congress the "comprehensive" immigration bill -- which Mr. Martinez and Mr. Hagel backed in the Senate -- that was blocked by conservative Republicans in the House.
Chances of blocking that baby?
In the Senate: zero. I mentioned in the Kyl post yesterday that there were only 36 Senators who voted against the immigration bill that passed in June, three of whom were Democrats. What I overlooked was that four of those Senators — Allen, Burns, Santorum, and Talent — are now gone. That leaves the anti-amnesty Republicans fully eight votes short of a filibuster, assuming that the three Democratic holdouts join them. Which is unlikely.
So it all comes down to the House. You’d need all 200+ Republicans plus close to 20 blue dog Democrats. I’m not optimistic.
Me neither.
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