New Jersey Senator Menendez Rallies Miami Republicans for Obama

[Hope And Change]

John Hood
Posted October 11, 2008 | 11:57 AM (EST)

New Jersey Senator Menendez Rallies Miami Republicans for Obama; Florida Pols Avoid Bush

MIAMI -- The Obama campaign couldn't have planned it better. At the exact moment Air Force One was touching down here to deliver the president to a fundraiser for what The Miami Herald called "imperiled members of his party" (read: Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and the brothers Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart), another much more relevant elected official named Senator Robert Menendez was across town addressing a crowd of Republican Cuban-Americans -- on behalf of Barack Obama.

Even better, not one of those "imperiled" congressional incumbents even bothered to show up for the president, either at the airport, the fundraiser (despite the half million in prize money), or even at Havana Harry's in suburban Coral Gables, Bush's last stop in the hour-long drive-by, each citing "prior commitments."

Republicanos por Obama showed up though, and they showed up in force, filling the entire second floor of a Coconut Grove restaurant called Las Culebrinas for an impassioned get-together with the Democratic Gentleman from New Jersey.

Menendez, who co-chaired Hillary Clinton's campaign for the White House, is, of course, diametrically opposed to the other Cuban American senator currently serving in Washington (Florida's Republican Senator Mel Martinez), so his support for Obama is no surprise. What is surprising is what he sees as an increasing amount of Republicans eagerly joining him.

"I think that just as we see in the polls, many of the (traditionally Republican) Latinos (in Florida) are moving in Barack's direction," said Menendez. "Earlier today we were at a senior citizen's center; this is probably the hard core of the more conservative view, yet overwhelmingly there was support for Obama."


more...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-hood/new-jersey-senator-menend_b_133862.html

[gateley]

1. I like Menendez - watched him during a couple of Senate Foreign Relations Committee

hearings and I was impressed.

Great story!

[Mme. Defarge]

2. K&R!

[pberq]

3. Yes - things are moving in the right direction

[immoderate]

4. Mel Martinez is a fucking douche bag.

I'm in Ft Lauderdale. I hope the Diaz-Balarts and Ros-Lehtinen get soundly defeated. It will be a lesson to Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, my DINO rep, who is friends with those Republicans and does not oppose their re-election.

I'm so happy Robert Menendez is making this trip. Many Cubans are really fascists and need to be educated. I don't mean to smear any group, but I have Cuban friends and colleagues, and it is sometimes frustrating talking with them about politics. Some of them talk a bout the desirability of having "a strong leader in charge." Really. I guess it's OK as long as it is not Castro.

My apologies to any Cuban democrats who read this. But I think they will know what I'm talking about.

--IMM

[madmax]

6. You got it.

My husband is Cuban and has many relatives in Miami/Tampa. They're friggen nuts.

[immoderate]

7. Thanks. I hope the younger ones are catching on.

--IMM

[Billy Burnett]

8. When it come to anything Cuba, sorry to say, Robert Menendez is as RW as they get.

Unfortunately the Democratic party panders to the extremist anti Cuba exile elements, despite the fact that these intransigent RW exiles are in the political minority among South Florida's hispanic communities.

[immoderate]

11. You are absolutely right. Cuba policies of both parties are unacceptable.

--IMM

[Tarheel_Dem]

5. This is so encouraging. And it's great to hear that Florida Repubs are

avoiding Bush like the plague.

[Cha]

9. Thank you, Hope And Change! Whoa, do

I get Verklempt when I read about change like this. Thank Senator Menendez!

This is just stupid hardass bush shit..

"And with McCain pledging to continue Bush's restrictions on both travel and remittances to the island nation where many Miamians still have family, it's likely more and more Republicans will be coming over to Obama.

"It's ridiculous," said one of the formerly faithful Republicans. " Ike and Gustav nearly wiped out the whole country and we're only allowed to send back $300 every three months? These are our people we're talking about."

Just so they'll have a boogie man..they're not fooling anyone except those who love being taken in by limpball types.

[City Lights]

10. Wow, this is great news!

Thanks for the information.

:bounce:

[Ozma]

12. Thank you for a link to a wonderful article!

As my Latino-American relatives will say, "si, se puede!"