When Karl Rove and his cohorts unilaterally tapped Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) as the new chairman of the [tag]Republican National Committee[\/tag], several key political figures were thrilled. Unfortunately for the GOP, they were all Dems.<\/p>\n
Gone are the days when the [tag]Bush[\/tag] [tag]White House[\/tag] can make a political decision and have it embraced by the Republican machine. The party’s base and activists aren’t at all pleased with Martinez — and they’re not holding back<\/a> in their public criticisms.<\/p>\n President Bush’s decision to back Sen. [tag]Mel Martinez[\/tag] to help lead the Republican Party, a move intended to appeal to disaffected Latino voters, drew sharp criticism Tuesday from some of the party’s core conservatives, who disdain the Florida lawmaker’s support for liberalized immigration laws. […]<\/p>\n Martinez supported legislation to create a guest worker program and a path to citizenship for many immigrants who are in this country illegally; Bush and many Latinos also backed versions of that plan. But the legislation that passed the Senate this year created a firestorm of opposition among conservative Republicans and much of the House GOP leadership, who derided it as amnesty for lawbreakers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n So far, just about everything about the process and the selection has been a fiasco. RNC members don’t like Martinez’s position on immigration, don’t like the idea of the party pandering to minorities, and don’t even approve of how the choice was foisted on RNC members.<\/p>\n Randy Pullen, an RNC member from Arizona, said, “I’m hoping that it’s not another Harriet Miers moment.” It’s a surprisingly common concern. Indeed, conservative blogs are beside themselves<\/a>.<\/p>\n * Right Angle Blog<\/a>‘s Robert Bluey writes: “GOP Overtly Panders to Hispanics”<\/p>\n * Right Wing News<\/a> reports: “I talked to more than a half dozen bloggers and congressional aides tonight about the selection of Martinez and there was not one soul who was the slightest bit enthusiastic about his selection.”<\/p>\n * National Review Online<\/a>‘s Kathryn Jean Lopez shares: “The reaction I’ve heard most often today in response to? “I don’t get it.”<\/p>\n * Michelle Malkin<\/a> reminds readers of Martinez’s position on immigration and pleads with GOP state chairman to reject the nomination in Jan.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n HotAir.com conducted an online poll that drew more than 3,000 responses, about 93% of whom preferred Michael Steele to Martinez. Ian Schwartz asked<\/a>, “When will the RNC try to keep its diminishing base instead of looking for new members?” TownHall.com’s Mary Katherine Ham said, “Count me thoroughly demoralized. Not only is this guy not a terribly distinguished senator, but his pick is a transparent little identity politics stunt.”<\/p>\n A RedState contributor said he would have preferred “a lobotomized sea lion” to Martinez, because the sea lion would “at least know to bark to get some kind of fish on command.”<\/p>\n
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\nHonestly, I’m hard pressed to imagine what Rove & Co. were thinking on this one. [tag]Martinez[\/tag] is unaccomplished, tarnished<\/a> by the Schiavo debacle, tied<\/a> to Jack Abramoff, and currently under investigation<\/a> by the Federal Election Commission. And as far as the right is concerned, he’s also a trial lawyer<\/a> who supports a guest-worker program<\/a> most Republicans hate. When Martinez vowed<\/a> yesterday not to be “an attack dog” for the party, it just about sent the activist base over the edge.<\/p>\n