Mel Martinez, ‘the Harriet Miers of RNC chairs’ — redux

January 16, 2007

Republicans are divided on Iraq. And domestic policy. And political strategies.

But even more dramatically, they’re really divided over the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee.

The week after the Republicans were handed a series of devastating election defeats, the White House announced that Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) would take over as RNC chair. The RNC has historically rubber-stamped sitting presidents’ choice for party chairman, but Martinez was immediately controversial. The Republican base immediately labeled him the “Harriet Miers of RNC chairs” and went to work.

At this point, it looks like the fight could get ugly.

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. […]

Unhappy committee members say that, in the past, Republican presidents and RNC leaders have successfully run roughshod over the rules, because the RNC officer presiding over votes at committee meetings have simply overruled points of order and other objections from the floor, with no accredited professional parliamentarians to exercise a check.

This time, the organizers of the rebellion say, their strategy will rely in part on having a parliamentarian present. And violations of Robert’s Rules of Order and of the RNC’s written rules — adopted at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York — could result in legal challenges.

It’s likely to get mighty embarrassing for the Bush White House.

The tradition of presidents picking party chairs began in 1983 when Reagan tapped his friend, Nevada Sen. Paul Laxalt, as “general chairman,” effectively creating a job distinct from “national chairman,” which is generally more responsible for day-to-day management of the committee.

But that doesn’t seem particularly relevant to RNC members now. “I have a hard time understanding the logic,” said RNC member Randy Pullen, who is running for Arizona Republican Party chairman in an election at the end of this month. “Just because the RNC did something wrong once before, somehow that justifies doing it again?”

Looking back, I’m hard pressed to imagine what Rove & Co. were thinking on this one. [tag]Martinez[/tag] is unaccomplished, tarnished by the Schiavo debacle, tied to Jack Abramoff, and currently under investigation by the Federal Election Commission. And as far as the right is concerned, he’s also a trial lawyer who supports a guest-worker program most Republicans hate. When Martinez vowed in November not to be “an attack dog” for the party, it just about sent the activist base over the edge.

And now that the Republican National Committee is getting ready to host its internal election, Martinez’s critics are lining up votes against him. There’s no firm count, but opposition forces appear to be quite strong.

In the bigger picture, if the RNC rejects Bush’s choice for party chairman, the president will have fallen to a humiliating position of weakness. It’s one thing to fail to convince a Democratic-run Congress about escalation in Iraq; it’s something else to fail to convince your own party’s committee about the choice for chairman.

It should be fun to watch.

Gosh what a win win situation for us.

  • Not to mention, but this continues the meme that Republicans are anti-Hispanic. Thus, ripping apart Rove’s and Bush’s strategy for the future. First, Rove and Mehlman fail with African-American voters, now the Republican are about to lose the Hispanics. On our side, we gotta smile!

  • Let’s not gloat yet. The GOP could somehow salvage this.

    My bet is they find an anti-immigration Hispanic.

  • Is there a particular date this will happen? I didn’t figure that out from a light perusal of the article.

    I predict that, despite crocodile tears from the White House, Martinez will remove his name in order to avoid “politicization of the process”.

  • “Unhappy committee members say that, in the past, Republican presidents and RNC leaders have successfully run roughshod over the rules, because the RNC officer presiding over votes at committee meetings have simply overruled points of order and other objections from the floor, with no accredited professional parliamentarians to exercise a check.”

    Now where have we seen that style before (cough) Tom Delay (cough). Looks like even the GOP is tired of GOP style politics.

    I for one hope they tear themselves limb from limb and fragment into billions and billions of little self-interested sub-groups (all packing Saturday Night Specials).

  • Funny how Repubs are now chafing under the Imperial President’s imperiousness.

    Incompetence now seems to be a Republican concern when it threatens their own party’s power. Incompetence on their part affecting other people’s lives? … Not so much.

  • haha

    So Republican rank and file are questioning the presidents ability to choose qualified personnel to lead. Welcome to our world.

  • Republicans have always operated with the assumption that rules and restrictions only apply to others. (A SUV in a compact only parking space almost always has a W 04 sign on the bumper.) It is lovely to see them using the rules against each other.

  • Martinez is unaccomplished, tarnished by the Schiavo debacle, tied to Jack Abramoff, and currently under investigation by the Federal Election Commission. — CB

    Sounds like a perfect Repub presidential candidate to me; chairmanship of NRC offers far too little scope for him.

  • These ReThugs are like delusional kamikaze lemming-children; it’s almost as funny as that killer rabbit in Monty Python’s Holy Grail—but this time, the rabbit goes after—HIMSELF….

  • “I will continue to support Mel Martinez, even if my only support comes from Laura, Barney, and my beloved optimistic carpet”

  • And isn’t it fun to reflect to just a few short months ago when Ken Mehlman would take to the Sunday morning talk shows and say how the Democrats have “no unity”. That was his prize line against the DNC. My how things change. 😀

  • If the stakes weren’t so high, this really would be entertaining. I seriously doubt the GOP will be able to find *anybody* that won’t hurt them somehow. They’re so controlled by the far-right extremists that they won’t take anybody who isn’t also a far-right extremist. And that strategy just isn’t working well for them anymore. The US isn’t buying their bill of goods, no matter how much the “liberal” MSM tries to paint things in their favor.

  • This does put a crimp in the following scenario: Martinez goes to RNC, resigns senate seat, Christ appoints JEB to senate seat; voila, an instant frontrunner for the 2008 repug ticket.

    A few years ago I kept track of cars (including) SUVs illegally parked in handicap spots, particularly at malls and especially strip-malls which seem not to be patrolled by anyone*: I forget the numbers but many of them had Bush-Cheney 2004 or just W stickers; none had Kerry-Edwards.

    * I once pointed out to a meter maid walking by that a car not ten feet from us was illegally parked in a handicapped spot in front of a drugstore; her reply was that they don’t do private property.

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