Republican party chief Mel Martinez criticized GOP presidential contenders...
BY LESLEY CLARK
Posted on Sat, Jun. 09, 2007
miamiherald.com
Republican party chief Mel Martinez criticized GOP presidential contenders Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney in a televised interview Friday, saying their opposition to the Senate immigration plan he and President Bush have championed is ``wrong.''
''I have to say, on this issue they are falling short,'' the Florida Republican senator told Bloomberg Television. ``I think it's been too easy for too many people in the Senate and outside the Senate to simply criticize and find fault. No doubt that this is an imperfect product, but at the end of the day, what is your solution? What is your answer?''
''The status quo is not good enough,'' said Martinez, the general chairman of the Republican National Committee. ``And so whether a presidential candidate or a senator, they need to take the step beyond criticizing and offering a solution.''
The unusual criticism, coming just hours after legislation Martinez helped craft was derailed by a procedural vote on the Senate floor, underscores the fissure the issue has opened in the GOP as it tries to appeal to ''border security first'' advocates without alienating Hispanics.
But Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has pleaded with her colleagues in the House to consider an immigration proposal that doesn't stop at building a fence along the U.S. border.
The Miami Republican said in an interview this week that neither emotional appeals nor statistics about perils the GOP faces by seemingly rebuffing Hispanics -- the fastest growing bloc of voters in the United States -- has convinced House members that embracing a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants would be anything but political suicide.
''The future electoral landscape is of little to no concern to our members,'' Ros-Lehtinen said. ``They're not worried about mañana. It's all about hoy.''
Romney and Giuliani criticized the proposal at the Republican presidential debate Tuesday night in New Hampshire. Giuliani called it a ``typical Washington mess.''
Arizona Sen. John McCain, who worked with Martinez on similar legislation last year, defended the proposal at the debate. Martinez -- who prefaced his remarks by noting he was, as party chairman, impartial in the race -- acknowledged McCain's stance may have cost him points with voters, ``but at the same time, I think he really has taken a very, very principled position.''
Giuliani's camp declined to comment but pointed to earlier statements in which the former New York City mayor said the bill needs to ``guarantee a uniform, tamper-proof, biometric identification card, a single nationwide database of foreigners in our country, and full implementation of a biometric check-in, check-out system.''
Romney's camp, too, said the former Massachusetts governor opposed the Senate plan because of the ''indefinite nature'' of visas that would be available to undocumented immigrants. Officials said Romney would insist on an employment verification system with a tamper-proof card.
Martinez, whom President Bush selected for the party spot after a November election in which Hispanic voters were lukewarm to the GOP, said he is worried the debate will make matters worse.
''If we get the same type of Hispanic support in the next election cycle that we did in the last, there is no way we could elect a Republican president,'' Martinez said.
Bush will meet with Republican senators Tuesday to try to get the measure back on track. Even if the Senate manages to revive the bill, its difficulties there are likely to be dwarfed by resistance in the House from conservative Republicans and newly elected Democrats from Republican-leaning districts.
They include Rep. Kenny Marchant, a freshman Republican from Texas, whose district includes Farmers Branch, the Dallas suburb that voted to prevent undocumented immigrants from renting apartments.
''There wouldn't be enough Hispanics to save me if I voted for amnesty,'' Marchant said. He acknowledged his district has experienced a rapid growth in immigrants but said angry constituents blame undocumented immigrants for school overcrowding, rising healthcare costs and crime. 'My district is `Build a fence, enforce the law,' '' he said.
He said his Hispanic constituents are less likely to be politically involved.
''I can show you 1,000 letters,'' he said. ``Ten wouldn't be from Hispanic households.''
We Are America Alliance, a pro-immigration advocacy group, estimates about 7.5 million legal permanent residents are eligible to become U.S. citizens in the 22 states with the most immigrants, including Florida, California, Texas, Arizona and North Carolina. They argue politicians need to start recognizing those potential voters.
Some analysts suggest many of them will register as Democrats, but Republicans have stepped up efforts to woo Hispanics.
Ros-Lehtinen said she has brought up the future political landscape with colleagues.
'I've said, `Look at the demographics,' '' she said. ``It's of no concern. I guess you can't accuse them of pandering.''
Rep. Ed Royce, a California Republican who appeared with a faux fence at a Capitol news conference last week to oppose the Senate legislation, said he was not convinced legal immigrants support legalization for those who are illegal.
''A lot of folks said to me they went through the legal process, they waited in the queue and it's unfair to them to have people circumvent the rules,'' said Royce, who argues that the U.S. economy can't absorb an influx of immigrants.
Resistance in the House is nearly as fierce among a band of Democrats who were elected in November with slim margins -- in Republican-rich districts.
Rep. Nancy Boyda, a Kansas Democrat, told a Capitol Hill newspaper this week that her constituents are ''furious'' at the Senate bill and doesn't believe House Democratic leaders are ``ready for the backlash on this.''
Said Martinez: ``At the end of the day, if the issue fails, it will not just be because of Republicans, because a lot of Democrats took their shot at this issue during the past week's debate as well. It's a bipartisan failure.''
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