Mel Martinez 
Thu Jan 29, 2009 at 12:30:43 PM EST
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You probably know by now that Senator Martinez (R) will not be seeking a second term in 2010. I cannot help but wonder how much his choice was influenced by his rather lackluster abilities in the Senate and the need for new Republican blood on the national scene. These considerations, I think, are not as important as his approval rating. A good example is his Approval at 23% and Disapproval at 43% as of July 1, 2008. Eitherway, he would have been a remarkably good target for Democrats. This Senate race is, perhaps, going the be the most interesting of 2010. All the big players, specifically former Governor Jeb Bush (R - No Surprise) and Alex Sink (D), have decided not to run. The two main players right now are Rep. Meek (D) and State Sen. Gelber (D). Interestingly, the Republicans don't have a frontrunner, or even any serious contenders since Attorney General McCollum decided not to run. Rep. Mack is really the only Republican with clout in the race, and he's about equal with the Democratic Representatives. |
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Thu Nov 15, 2007 at 18:25:05 PM EST
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(The movement is building. Website launched: http://draftgarcia.com/ Look for more to come soon. Originally promoted by Progressive Florida - promoted by Florida Politics)
It’s tempting to think that this is emerging now via the “Cuban newspapers” because the mails are so slow between Washington and Havana. Ha ha. Actually, the Cuban Interests section in Washington was hot on the Internet as soon as The Hill published this topic back on Oct. 18, and Havana learned in a microsecond that Joe Garcia was tempted enough to be saying to The Hill he’d run for Congress if the party asked him. “Ouch!” They said there in Havana. (What’s Espanol for Ouch?) “Bad for us if Joe Garcia takes over in the House of Representatives from one of those shirt-tail relatives of our Leader.” So they probably said in Havana. And then it took them almost a month to figure out how to say it in their press. So here’s the way I imagine their triple-twist thinking went: - “The Diaz-Balart brothers and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen – don’t forget Mel Martinez! – are so useful to keeping us Communists in power that we can’t imagine life without their neo-con faces in the House and Senate.” [This occupied them for a week.]
- “But if we came out and said we favor their being re-elected in 2008, the voters there would think it was a trick, and then Joe Garcia and Raul Martinez would run and be elected.” [This took two more weeks of deep thought.]
- “So we’ll publish a subtle analysis of the Miami political situation in Granma, our party organ, and appear to approve the likely challenges by Joe Garcia and Raul Martinez against the Diaz-Balarts, whom we’ll label as ‘Batista supporters,’ and, Voila! The Diaz-Balarts and their gang will be elected again as the voters react against what we endorse.” [Another week passed working this up.]
Here in peaceful South Florida, we raise our heads from the newspapers and TV screens full of news of police and criminals killing each other, and realize slowly that Cuba is messing around in our politics. Damn! That’s what they’re trying, is it? We’ll show them! Let’s Draft Joe Garcia and show them they can’t discourage us with their triple-twist trick! Well, this may – or may not – be what happened, but in any case it’s a good idea. The Florida Politics blog has a diary up since last night with that goal – Draft Joe Garcia – and it’s also up on DailyKos with a way to vote and say whether you’d be willing to donate $5 to get him to run. Check it out. All the links are therein. Next step: the future. Time for change. Also posted on Miami-Dade-Dems.blogspot.com
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Sat Jun 30, 2007 at 16:53:34 PM EDT
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I was musing to myself yesterday that I feel thoroughly impotent on a federal representation level with Gus Bilirakis presiding over my district in the US House (unreachable and uncaring when I try contacting him or his office) and Florida's Senators Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez.
Two Republicans who will not waiver on there stances (or listen to anyone registered with the Democratic party) and a DINO who has been unreachable since his initial election to Senate.
While wallowing in frustration, I decided to humor myself and venture to Google. Just for fun and games, I typed in "Recall Mel Martinez" (and had every intention of following it up with "Recall Bill Nelson". I was surprirsed, and humored by results (more below)
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There's More...
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Tue May 08, 2007 at 13:34:27 PM EDT
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Today, the Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform announced a new phase in their campaign to get comprehensive immigration reform passed this year. The coalition, joined by representatives from the Campaign for Community Change, Democracia Ahora and SEIU Florida Healthcare Union, unveiled its plans for a media campaign urging Senator Mel Martinez to lead and not retreat on immigration reform. As the Chairman of the Republican Party, the group expects Martinez to lead his party and break the gridlock in Congress.
The opening salvo of the national ad campaign will start in Florida ...
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There's More...
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Wed Apr 25, 2007 at 07:30:54 AM EDT
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"Florida Needs Democrats" posted at Daily Kos that U.S. Sen. Martinez violated election law in 2004 with oversized donations. The Sun Sentinel reported:
Researched for more than a year, the FEC audit details four violations committed by Martinez during a campaign that raised about $12 million to narrowly defeat Democrat Betty Castor.
Whether the FEC findings would lead to civil penalties is unknown. In the audit, the commission notes it could "initiate an enforcement action, at a later time, to any of the matters discussed in this report."
The FEC found that the "Martinez for Senate" committee accepted more than $300,000 in donations that exceeded legal limits. Most of these 186 violations were the result of improper filing.
The audit also said Martinez did not properly disclose proceeds from fundraising efforts with other politicians and did not keep complete records on the identity of many contributors.
His campaign released a statement that said Martinez had learned from the mistakes and would adjust for the future.
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Wed Jan 17, 2007 at 07:22:10 AM EST
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Rebellion is brewing among conservatives on the Republican National Committee over President's Bush's attempt to "impose" Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida as "general chairman" of the party, who favors "amnesty" for illegal aliens. "I will be voting against Senator Martinez if he is nominated for any chairmanship of the RNC," Tina Benkiser, Texas Republican Party chairman, told The Washington Times yesterday.
The website StopMartinez.com says:
"Mel Martinez is Spanish for Harriet Miers."
This writer (TampaBay Democrat) supports amnesty but does not support the guest worker program sponsored by Senator Martinez for reasons explained by Robert J. Samuelson in the WaPo last spring.
Give amnesty to those who are here. Stop the fence. Adopt a sensible immigration policy.
However, the Nativist wing of the Republican party frames Mel's miserable bill in such a way as to be generating much protest. A coalition of the creepy has banded together to stop him:
Jim Boulet, Jr., English First
Paul Weyrich, Coalitions for America
Richard Falkner, Maryland Taxpayers Association
Sandra Crosnoe, Associated Conservatives of America
Edward Nelson, U.S. Border Control
William Greene, Right March
Cathie Adams, Texas Eagle Forum
Carolee Adams, Eagle Forum of New Jersey
Collin Hanna, We Need a Fence.com
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Tue Nov 28, 2006 at 16:36:06 PM EST
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(Hmmmmm ... - promoted by Florida Politics)
Mel Martinez has been propped up his entire political career; now he is being promoted as some sort of bi-partisan marvel. See, e.g., "Mel Martinez's remarkable journey".
Well, here's a test for Mel, if there is a reporter out there willing to try it: you will recall that the RNC-sponsored an advertisement attacking Harold Ford, Jr., depicting a (white) woman beckoning him to follow her. There was no legitimate purpose of that ad but to convince people that Harold Ford Jr was disreputable and morally corrupt; moreover, the ad was pure sleaze, designed to inflame racial biases. The ad was vigorously defended by Ken Mehlman, the RNC Chair whom Mel replaces.
A question for Mel might proceed along these lines: Do you agree that the RNC-sponsored ad attacking Harold Ford Jr. was a racist attack; do you condemn the your predecessor's support for such an ad, and do you pledge that the RNC will never utilize racist ads of this sort during your tenure?
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Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 08:00:06 AM EST
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Foreign Assistance: U.S. Democracy Assistance for Cuba Needs Better Management and Oversight, GAO-07-147, November 15, 2006.
Nearly all of the $74 million a federal agency has spent on contracts to promote democracy in Cuba over the past decade has been distributed without competitive bidding or oversight in a program that opened the door to waste and fraud, according to a report released yesterday by the Government Accountability Office.
In one of the more extreme cases of apparent abuse, the GAO said a Miami-based group used government money to purchase "a gas chainsaw, computer gaming equipment and software (including Nintendo Game Boys and Sony PlayStations), a mountain bike, leather coats, cashmere sweaters, crab meat, and Godiva chocolates."
And here is Mel Martinez asking Donald Rumsfield for TV money.
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Full report is here.
Abstract.
U.S. law authorizes aid for nonviolent democratic change in Cuba. From 1996-2005, the Department of State (State) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded grants totaling $74 million to support such change. A presidential commission recently recommended increasing funding for these efforts. This report examines (1) agency roles in implementing this aid and selection of grantees; (2) types of aid, recipients, and methods of delivery reported in 2005; (3) oversight of grantees; and (4) data about the impact of this aid. To address these objectives, we analyzed the activities and internal controls, and USAID's oversight and management of, 10 grantees with about 76 percent (in dollars) of total active awards for Cuba democracy aid. Our review focused on USAID because State's first awards were not made until mid-2005.
The Department of State State and USAID implement U.S. democracy assistance for Cuba through an interagency process. However, communication between these agencies was sometimes ineffective, most critically about grantees' on-island activities. About 95 percent ($62 million) of USAID's total awards were made in response to unsolicited proposals; however, after 2004, both USAID and State used formal competition to select grantees. Dissidents in Havana said that U.S. assistance provided moral support and enhanced their ability to work for democracy. In 2005, the 10 grantees we reviewed delivered humanitarian and other aid, training, and information to human rights and political activists, independent librarians and journalists, and political prisoners and their families. Assistance shipped to Cuba included food, medicine, clothing, office equipment and supplies, shortwave radios, books, and newsletters. Grantees also conducted international advocacy for human and workers' rights in Cuba and planned for a future democratic transition. Given the Cuban government's repressive policies and opposition to U.S. democracy assistance, grantees employed a range of discreet delivery methods that varied in terms of security, flexibility, and cost. The U.S. Interests Section in Havana, Cuba, a State post, has played an important role in distributing the aid provided by some grantees. Internal controls--both over the awarding of Cuba program grants and oversight of grantees--do not provide adequate assurance that the grant funds are being used properly and that grantees are in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Preaward reviews of grantees were not always completed before awards, and USAID did not follow up adequately after awards to correct weaknesses in grantee policies, procedures, and accounting systems identified by these reviews. In addition, standardized grant agreements did not provide sufficient details to support program accountability or the correction of the weaknesses identified by preaward reviews. The Cuba program office also did not adequately manage at-risk grantees and lacked formal review or oversight procedures for monitoring grantee activities. We performed limited testing for 10 grantees and identified questionable expenditures and significant internal control weaknesses with 3 grantees that USAID had not detected. The Cuban government's active opposition to U.S. democracy assistance presents a challenging operating environment for State and USAID. Although USAID and its grantees have some evaluation and anecdotal information about program results, they have focused on measuring and reporting program activities, such as the volume of food, medicine, or books sent to Cuba. USAID recently took several steps to collect better information about program results, such as increasing staff expertise and meeting more regularly with grantees.
FULL Report is here:
http://www.gao.gov/d...
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Wed Nov 15, 2006 at 13:46:20 PM EST
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The alleged journalists over at the Orlando Sentinel editorial board never cease to amaze. Today's daily "We Heart Mel" editorial, "Caution flags", is absurd even by Sentinel standards.
After acknowledging that Mel has been a consumate party hack (my words), and even conceding - and this is huge for the "obsequious" Sentinel folks - that "[p]olitics has brought out the worst in Mr. Martinez." Indeed, the board actually went so far as to mention a couple of Mel's more prominent embarassments, including recalling that Mel's "2004 Senate campaign labeled Republican rival Bill McCollum the 'new darling of homosexual extremists.' [For more see 'Karl Rove's Florida Frankenstein'. And, further recalling that] [i]n 2005, one of his aides wrote an appalling memo outlining the political advantages of intervening in the Terri Schiavo case."
As usual, Mel was the poor victim, and the real culprits were others, like Mel's "2004 Senate campaign" or "one of [Mel's] aides" who really were at fault, and poor Mel was an innocent dupe. After all, Saint Mel has apologized for both incidents, and said he has learned hard lessons from them. On Tuesday, he told us [the Sentinel editors] he plans to discuss "big ideas" rather than engage in tit-for-tat exchanges with Democrats. "I will not be an attack dog," he said. Here's the problem, so plain that even the fawning editors can see it:Mr. Martinez is sure to face a choice on some issues between doing what's best for his party and what's best for his state. Not to worry, though; Melassured us he would put Florida first, and would not hesitate to resign his party post if it conflicts with his primary obligation to represent his state in the Senate. He intends to keep working with Mr. Nelson. That's it?!? Mel "assured" the editorial board that he will be a good boy, and won't place partisanship above Florida's interests. So Mel gets a pass. Pathetic.
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Tue Nov 14, 2006 at 09:59:20 AM EST
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As the MSM fishes around trying to figure out who who this Mel Martinez fellow is (as we read that "Sen. Martinez reportedly gets job of restoring GOP fortunes"), one hopes they look past the Orlando Sentinel puff pieces, and check out some of the more substantive articles like ...
First and foremost, Mary Jacoby's October, 2004 Salon article, "Karl Rove's Florida Frankenstein". The piece, argues, among other things, that Martinez is a Rove marionette, and includes juicy subheadings like:
-- "Did Team Bush turn once-moderate GOP Senate candidate Mel Martinez into a gay-bashing, reactionary ogre?"
-- "Rove began twisting Martinez's arm to get him to run for the Senate";
-- "Martinez 'has got some pretty important Florida Republicans who are not going to forgive or forget'";
-- "Floridians have begun to notice that Martinez's strings are being pulled from Washington";
And then there's this too short Slate column by Timothy Noah, "Bush's Mr. Cellophane". In additioon to being quite funny, the column scratches the surface a bit on Martinez being little more than a do nothing empty suit.
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Mon Nov 13, 2006 at 15:49:11 PM EST
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Interesting.
CNN reports that our Mel will be running the RNC. With all due respect to the Senator, he doesn't exactly seem too qualified to run the RNC. Personally, I think this is a move to make the Republican Party more Hispanic friendly. However, I still think this is one tough obstacle to overcome after the GOP's extremist nativism was on full display during the immigration "debate" earlier this year.
I will say I don't think Mel stands a chance against Dean, Rahmbo, and Schumer.
Also, I forgot to mention the most important fact here: Mel will remain in his Senate seat. Damn.
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Thu Sep 28, 2006 at 14:53:01 PM EDT
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SurveyUSA has their latest approval ratings for all 100 US Senators. Our senators continue to fare rather poorly:
Senator Martinez (R)
Approve 44 (42)
Disapprove 41 (46)
Senator Nelson (D)
Approve 42 (47)
Disapprove 39 (38)
What's your explanation for these unimpressive numbers?
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Sat Mar 11, 2006 at 08:42:19 AM EST
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"Secretary Martinez?" from the Buzz: "Sen. Mel Martinez's office wants to quell any rumors you may have heard. The former Housing and Urban Development Secretary is not interested in replacing Interior Secretary Gale Norton, who resigned Friday after five years in Bush's Cabinet."
What an arrogant jerk. He is so used to being "appointed" and otherwise "placed" into positions that every time a vacancy occurs, he naturally assumes it is "he" - the Hispanic who is safe for GOoPers - will be appointed.
Get over it Mel, your service as a useful idiot to Bushco is over. You sold your soul (former president of the Florida Trial Lawyers) and you got your reward (a Rove directed sleazeball victory over Castor); the Bushies have paid you back and you're now on your own - too bad that Floridians will have to suffer through 4 more years of your inarticulate ramblings, and self-serving incompetence before we throw your ass out of office.
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