PRO-IMMIGRATION MARTINEZ STRUGGLES FOR PLACE IN GOP

Mel Martinez is one of the most visible members of a club with an increasingly smaller membership -  pro-immigration Republicans. The Florida Senator is joined by John McCain, Sam Brownback, Arlen Specter and a few others in the Senate, but those ranks could grown even smaller. McCain is expected to have a challenge from popular Democratic Governor Janet Napolitano when he runs for re-election in 2010. Brownback may be retiring as well in 2010. And Arlen Specter could face a tough race in 2010 from MSNBC's Chris Matthews. Even Martinez is expected to face a tough race in 2010.

The Orlando Sentinel reports on his efforts to try and bring his party back to life by making it attractive again to Hispanic voters. But there's no reason to believe Hispanic voters will ever return as long as the Republican Party is viewed as nativist by most Hispanic voters. And that view will only change when the GOP transforms in to a pro-immigration party. There's no indication yet that the GOP's leadership has any intention of changing.

[Update: I forgot to mention Lindsay Graham of South Carolina as another Republican in the sane wing of the party]. There are others I'm probably leaving out and it will be interesting to see if any that were hostile or quiet in previous go arounds - Lamar Alexander, for example - view things differently this time.

Comments

[Another voice]

Iran has a terrible domestic economy and the transfer of reserves does not solve their problem nor it threatens the world at large, that is their own decision. Iran does not even hold the capacity to refine their own oil, like the rest of oil producing countries solely dependent on oil revenues for economic growth their future does not look good right now, specially with a hang over from the high oil prices and their military spending. Further not sure how the moderate senators on the GOP potentially losing their seats interacts with this Iranian situation.

[Legal and no longer waiting]

"Before oil prices plunged by more than 60 percent "

Gold fell by 30%. And will keep on falling. The price of comodities (oil, gold, other metals) is usually correlated. So, good luck to Iranians.

[Peter]

With all due respect to the administrator of this forum and its participants, but it seems that you guys are not focusing your talent on what's happening outside of this country. If you don't understand a little bit of macroeconomics in relationship to immigration, then you are wasting your precious time debating superfluous stuff.

Now, I can fairly assume that the issue illegal immigration will become a thing of the past since worldwide events (read the article below) are unfolding so fast! Fasten you seat belts because the ride will be very unpleasant.

Iran switches reserves to gold - report
Sat Nov 15, 2008 2:26pm IST

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran has converted financial reserves into gold to avoid future problems, an adviser to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in comments published on Saturday, after the price of oil fell more than 60 percent from a peak in July.

Iran, the world's fourth-largest oil producer, is under U.N. and U.S. sanctions over its disputed nuclear programme and is now also facing declining revenue from its oil exports after crude prices tumbled.

"With the plans of the presidency...the country's money reserves were changed into gold so that we wouldn't be faced with many problems in the future," presidential adviser Mojtaba Samareh-Hashemi was quoted as saying by business daily Poul.

He gave no figures or other details.

Before oil prices plunged by more than 60 percent from a peak of $147 per barrel in July, Iran made windfall gains from its crude exports and in April estimated its foreign exchange reserves at about $80 billion.

Iranian officials in July denied reports Iranian banks were moving funds from Europe, with one report suggesting as much as $75 billion had been withdrawn and converted into gold or placed in Asian banks, because of a threat of tightening sanctions.

The International Monetary Fund said in August that if the price of Iranian crude fell to $75 a barrel, Iran would face a current account deficit in the medium term that would be tough to sustain due to Tehran's financial isolation.

On Friday, U.S. crude fell $1.20 at $57.04.

Gold futures ended more than 5 percent higher on Friday and bullion ended the week about $10 higher compared with its last Friday's close of $735.95 as investors covered short positions.

http://in.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idINIndia-36518320081115

[Greg Siskind]

Sounds like sour grapes on your part.

[Senate Staffer]

I'm with you on the policy goal, but please, no more analysis of the GOP Senate "pro-immigrant" members. You are clearly an amateur in Hill analysis and don't understand the dynamics in the Senate GOP on immigration, nor the specific situations of Martinez, McCain, and Specter.

[AD]

Does GOP has a chance? No! Sessions, Vitter, Tancredo ( and ofcourse Lamar smith, who is ready to increase H1B any day for big bucks and refuses to let EB recapture pass) and ilk of the right most wing will keep the party divided to win their seats and lose big time else where. What GOP lacks is a party line stand on Immigration and a leader other than Mac, who can inspire the party itself and then the country. As long as there is no party line stand to embrace immigration, GOP is a toast and the damage/bleeding will continue for ever. Then there is LOU DOGGS telling lies to the american public. One such horrific lie is 400,000 aliens entered on H1B visa this year. yeah right! count the number of I-94's at POE and you get 400k. What a joker and dramatist. W and LD try to live in their speeches and over dramatize it. Loath some idiot Lou Doggs!