The problem is that Bush still is titular head of the Party and his domestic policies are killing the entire ticket up and down. His war policy will not be changed by either Pub winner or even the anti-military Dem winner. Still, Martinez supports illegal immigration ploys, is not exactly connected with the BASE and should have been replaced months ago for the one who best could drive a conservative Agenda. The RNC et al are not drawing monies because people like myself, who are Party members since 1960 are sick and tired of watering down our Party's agenda and trying to appease the liberal Dems. Another reason we should dump the Prez as he tried to tone down partisanship and appease his critics. They rewarded him by calling him Hitler! So much for the Stupid Party, the Pubs and the Evil Party, the Dems.

Look to the RINO to give lip service to being against quota hires and then go out and get a quota hire as chairman of the Republican Party.

Senator Martinez was an empty suit with zero leadership ability. It was picked because of the way that his last name is pronounced and it was a horrible mistake by individuals who go out of their way to make themselves look stupid.

Being a Floridian and having Martinez represent me makes me sick. He was the front man in the ill advised Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill. There was no backing down on his part, despite the overwhelming negative reaction by loyal Republicans.

His actions, I am sure, have cost the fund raising efforts of the DNC a small fortune. I won't give as long as he is RNC Chairman.

He supported a bill that went totally against the grain of those who believe in obeying the law, mainly Republicans. He played footsie with the most partisan Democrats who are out to destroy the Republican party.

But I think the main reason he will be leaving is that Republicans have finally seen the light and will use the illegal immigration issue in 2008 campaign. It is an issue that cuts across party lines. He doesn't want to be part of it.

CB, what's the relationship between Mel and Jeb?

Please.
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A SURGE IN APPLICATIONS FOR CITIZENSHIP

Voter registration is growing among Hispanics as more become citizens and more become enraged at anti-immigrant policies.

JUST A THOUGHT

Several decades ago, immigrants from Hispanic origin came to the USA. They didn't bother to participate in politics. They came to work and nothing else. Why to bother if the country was going OK. They didn't speak the language very well and they thought let's leave politics in the hands of those who are in power. Working and keeping a job was their main goal. Many even didn't bother to change their immigrant status as residents.

But a couple of years ago, particularly this year, something happened. Because they can not be recognized or distinguished by appearance, with the so called illegals, they started to realize that they had to become citizens to obtain a higher level of protection. They realized that they were being demonized. Many of them are coming to vote for the first time.

Some of this population belongs to the group that came with the amnesty offered by President Reagan in 1986-1988. They too started to become citizens. There is no way that anyone can identify an illegal alien just by looking at them. You cannot tell who is an American citizen just by looking. Latino voters are tired of getting treated as something less than real Americans.

They could be legally here; they could have lived in the U.S. for generations. The only marker is skin color. The effect of the immigration debate on many Latino voters has been to make them feel like their Americanness is being questioned, even if they have been here for many generations.

The rampant xenophobia encased in fear of terrorism has made it critical for the legal immigrants, once illegal, to acquire the status that would grant them immunity from narrow legal persecution. However, it is not strange that in this xenophobic wave these people are feeling being threatened and insulted..

In the meantime, the Republicans had their chance for about 6 years to make a statement that the republican party would take care of the American people and they really showed they don't care by their non-actions and clearly directed actions against inmigrants. However, it is not only what Republicans say; it is also what they don't say. Republicans have been filibustering everything that comes up in the Senate.

It is true that some Democrats such as Jim Webb, Jon Tester and Claire McCaskill vote with the majority of Republicans to kill the Senate immigration compromise, without offering a realistic and achievable alternative that would establish a more humane policy.

But, it is also undeniable that the most vicious, the most wretched, the most offensive, the most revolting, the most ruthless, the most vilifying, the most repulsive attacks have come and are still coming from Republicans.

Just a few examples to illustrate it.
1) Sensenbrenner wanted the criminalization of these people.
2) Newt Gingrich, Former House speaker, who coined Spanish as the Language of the gheto
3) Fred Thompson just slammed Cubans, suggesting that they come to America not in search of freedom, but to bring "suitcase bombs."
4) Dana Rohrabacher in his speeches is warning "the end of America as we know it".
5) Tancredo, his motto: "a scourge that threatens the very future of our nation."
6) J.D Hayworth, not reelected, but still instilling hate. No comments.

The list goes on and on.. .

From the beginning, the bill's most forceful opponents were southern Republicans. GOP Sens. David Vitter of Louisiana, Jim DeMint of South Carolina and Jeff Sessions of Alabama led the charge, often backed by Texan John Cornyn.

One thing is certain, the past six years, the Republicans were mum on all issues with immigration reform as just one of them. They controlled the white house and congress. If there is anytime in which a party is able to get things done, it's when they don't have anyone to really interfere.
Immigration was just one of them.

Indeed, the Hispanic vote is hardly a monolithical block. But what the anti inmigrant rethoric has done is bringing them closer together, unifying and solidifying this block.

Therefore, it seems to me that the most recalcitrant and extreme positions are from Republicans, where no room is for middle ground. This whole episode has branded the Republicans as the anti-inmigrant party. So Republicans have done this at a national level. Pretty transparent move they did, and now the immigrant population, IRISH, PHILLIPINOS and many other immigrant groups, particularly HISPANICS, are aware of this issue.

As mentioned before, the most vicious, the most wretched, the most offensive, the most revolting, the most ruthless, the most vilifying, the most repulsive attacks have come and are still coming from Republicans.

For many of them have the following is an undeniable truth: "illegal immigrant" = equals "all Hispanics" = "terrorists" = "Muslims" an statement so widely and shameless repeated over and over.

At any rate, this is the beginning of the legal immigrant backlash directed against the Republican Party for their position on the immigration bill.

By your actions, you shall be judged.!