Florida's Martinez tapped for RNC chief

By Aussiegirl

The Republican party as we once knew it is dead. The party that Reagan built has been destroyed and razed by the Bush family and Karl Rove. We unknowingly elected a Manchurian Candidate of sorts, a globalist elitist who has more in common with the Democratic party than with the Republican party. The Republican party is now the personal plaything of the Bushes for as far as the eye can see. They control the pursestrings, they control the power -- just like Hillary does in the Democrat party. That's why the two families are so chummy. They have more in common with each other than they do with the likes of you or me. It is time we finished with this Bushican party and created a party of Constitutional Conservatives that will answer to the people of this country, because God knows, neither party is now paying the slightest bit of attention. The article makes it clear that Bush is pleased with the democrat win because now he can push through his beloved amnesty bill.
Although there is perhaps the meerest glimmer of hope that the state chairs will vote for Steele rather than Martinez, I wouldn't count on it. The state reps usually act as a rubber stamp for the White House choice, and they will be strong-armed and intimidated just as Steele has been. This is now the party of illegal immigration and wholesale amnesty and a brotherly North American Union.

Florida's Martinez tapped for RNC chief -- The Washington Times

Florida's Martinez tapped for RNC chief
By Ralph Z. Hallow
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published November 14, 2006

Florida Sen. Mel Martinez, co-author of a bill to grant amnesty to illegal aliens, has been picked by White House strategist Karl Rove to be general chairman of the Republican National Committee, RNC officials confirmed yesterday.
Some RNC members greeted the news as another example of White House cronyism, reminiscent of President Bush's attempt to name his personal friend and general counsel Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court, a nomination withdrawn in response to outrage from the party's conservative supporters.
While the chairman is elected by the 165-member RNC -- which next meets in Washington in January -- the committee traditionally acts as a rubber stamp for a Republican president when the party controls the White House.
The surprise Martinez appointment, leaked yesterday to selected TV outlets and wire services, cut off a move by conservative Republicans to have Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele take over the national party chairmanship. Current Chairman Ken Mehlman announced last week he would step down at the January meeting. [....]
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. [....]
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.
"Clearly, Martinez is going to lead the fight for amnesty that Bush couldn't win when Republicans controlled the Congress," the RNC member said.
While campaigning for the Senate in Maryland, Mr. Steele was an outspoken critic of the Hagel-Martinez measure -- which would have created a guest-worker program and allowed most illegal aliens to become citizens -- blaming "the partisan gamesmanship of Washington insiders" for the failure to deal with the problem.
"Until we see Congress take some real and immediate steps to secure our borders, we can hardly expect Americans to seriously consider proposals for dealing with those illegal immigrants already in our country and those employers who fail to adequately report them," Mr. Steele told the Baltimore Sun in August.
Aides to the lieutenant governor confided that Mr. Steele was "furious over his treatment by Bush operatives," who they said accused him of "not being a team player" because he had spoken to The Washington Times last week after his name was first proposed for the RNC post. Steele aides said White House officials threatened to withhold from Mr. Steele a Cabinet appointment he had been promised in lieu of the RNC chairmanship. [....]
Some RNC members yesterday saw the naming of Mr. Martinez as a continuing tendency of the Bush administration to manipulate the national party.