CNN: Sources: Menendez tapped for U.S. Senate seat (New Jersey)

Sources: Menendez tapped for U.S. Senate seat
Democratic Caucus head reported to succeed Corzine
From Mark Preston
CNN Washington Bureau
Wednesday, December 7, 2005


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- New Jersey Gov.-elect Jon Corzine will name Rep. Robert Menendez, chairman of the Democratic Caucus, as his successor in the U.S. Senate, multiple New Jersey Democratic sources told CNN Wednesday.

Menendez will serve the remaining year of Corzine's Senate term in 2006 while launching his own campaign for a full six-year term, the sources said.

Menendez was chosen over a handful of other Democrats being considered for the appointment, including Rep. Robert Andrews and Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., the sources said....

***

The appointment would make Menendez the front-runner for the Democratic nomination to maintain the party's hold on the New Jersey Senate seat. He has more than $4 million in his campaign war chest for the 2006 midterm election....

***

The likely GOP nominee in the race is state Sen. Tom Kean Jr., who received the backing of National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Elizabeth Dole at a fundraiser this week. His father was chairman of the 9-11 Commission and New Jersey's governor from 1982 to 1990.


http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/07/senate.menendez/index.html

she was a longshot at best, despite the blogs hyping her up (and me myself in a yahoo group I ran). Menendez was always the odds-on favorite.


She would have been an excellent candidate, but she still has another two years in her hard fought-for state senate seat, and she wasn't seen by most other than her fans as ready for jumping right into the US Congress so soon. However, thanks to her brief exposure as a possible candidate for this seat, she will be surely be a front runner for Lt. Governor and perhaps Governor, not too far in the future.

But Menendez will be a stronger candidate come election time.

is it blacks never seem to be ready.?

AS it is, it sounds as if you're taking a racist shot. Why would you want to do that? This is not the place for it.

Wasn't Kean a popular governor? Is JR a similar moderate?

I was really hoping that Richard Codey would be willing to serve as senator. But he's not. And Menendez has some political baggage, some skeletons in his closet. He's viewed as a machine-type politician, plus some rumors about his private life. Kean Jr. does not have those handicaps, is young, and is the namesake of a venerated governor.

Despite what a lot of people think, NJ is not a Blue state. I would have preferred Rob Andrews over Menendez.

Posted on Thu, Dec. 08, 2005

Second Cuban senator elates Miami friends

The U.S. Senate will get its second Cuban-American member with the elevation of a New Jersey congressman, a Democrat who's a welcome figure in Miami's Cuban-American community.

BY LESLEY CLARK
lclark@herald.com

U.S. Rep. Robert Menendez will become the second Cuban-American in the U.S. Senate, with New Jersey governor-elect Jon Corzine expected to name the Democrat today to fill his remaining term in office.

The selection of the former mayor of Union City, N.J. -- the second-largest Cuban stronghold in the United States -- carries major significance for Cuban-Americans in Miami. Menendez is a frequent visitor to South Florida, raising money, campaigning for Democrats -- and proving a stalwart voice in efforts to oust Fidel Castro.

Said Menendez's Agustin ''Gus'' Garcia, a Miami Democrat who has known Menendez since they were teens in New Jersey, ``For a little island to produce two U.S. senators, for those who work factories and clean floors, it's a great honor.''

Garcia, his voice breaking, said he got a phone call late Tuesday from Menendez, who didn't confirm his selection, telling him only that ''the news'' would probably be announced today. Democratic congressional aides, speaking anonymously because Corzine has not publicly tipped his hand, told the Associated Press that the decision to select Menendez had been expected to be announced as early as Tuesday.

Hispanic Democrats across the United States had launched a full-court press on Mendendez's behalf, contending that the party would miss a major opportunity to prove to Hispanics that the party had their best interests at heart if Menendez was passed over.
(snip/...)

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13355173.htm
(Free registration required)

The U.S. Senate will get its second Cuban-American member with the elevation of a New Jersey congressman, a Democrat who's a welcome figure in Miami's Cuban-American community.

BY LESLEY CLARK
lclark@herald.com

U.S. Rep. Robert Menendez will become the second Cuban-American in the U.S. Senate, with New Jersey governor-elect Jon Corzine expected to name the Democrat today to fill his remaining term in office.

The selection of the former mayor of Union City, N.J. -- the second-largest Cuban stronghold in the United States -- carries major significance for Cuban-Americans in Miami. Menendez is a frequent visitor to South Florida, raising money, campaigning for Democrats -- and proving a stalwart voice in efforts to oust Fidel Castro.

Said Menendez's Agustin ''Gus'' Garcia, a Miami Democrat who has known Menendez since they were teens in New Jersey, ``For a little island to produce two U.S. senators, for those who work factories and clean floors, it's a great honor.''

Garcia, his voice breaking, said he got a phone call late Tuesday from Menendez, who didn't confirm his selection, telling him only that ''the news'' would probably be announced today. Democratic congressional aides, speaking anonymously because Corzine has not publicly tipped his hand, told the Associated Press that the decision to select Menendez had been expected to be announced as early as Tuesday.

more: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13355173.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

"elates." sh1t, when i first glanced at the headline, i saw something totally different.

whew.

Thought how the hell did they get rid of Nelson without an election.

make it to the senate?" and i continued to think, "now i want to throw up"... and the reality is, that this guy bob menendez ... has at times made me feel like puking when i've listened to some of his cuban-american tinted views.

What is wrong with "Cuban-American tinted views?" Why is it acceptable to say something like that, but if you had said "African-American tinted views" it would have been considered racist?

i, being a true cuban-american (my mother was from mississippi-my father from santiago de cuba and i was born in cuba but held dual citizenship until i came to this country many, many, many years ago) meant "cuban-american tinted views" as a put-down to all the right wing cubans in the miami & new jersey areas.

Democrat is a right-winger?

yeah... those are not pure true blue democratic views. and for his stance on elian gonzalez as well.
he aligned himself with the miami right wingers. whatever gave him the right to speak for elian gonzalez--nothing but butting in where he shouldn't have... just like the rightwingers in the terry schiavo case butted in where they did not belong.

From the lead article (bold mine),

In 1995 when his fellow Democrat, President Clinton, repatriated several Cuban rafters, Menendez was among a handful of Democrats to protest vociferously. ''On the subject of Cuba, Cuba comes first and then the party,'' Menendez said at the time.

-

In the mid 1990s, Menendez was Clinton's unofficial advisor on Cuba. In 1996, he brokered a deal on the Helms-Burton bill, sweeping legislation that seeks to punish foreign investors in Cuba. Shuttling between the National Security Council and congressional Republicans, Menendez struck a compromise that the once-reluctant president agreed to sign.

The efforts earned Menendez praise across the aisle.

''I am convinced that Bob Menendez will go down in Cuban history as one of the great patriots,'' U.S. Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart, a Miami Republican, said at the time.

The two often joined forces with U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, another Miami Republican, to hold the line on Cuban issues.

IMO, US representatives main concerns should represent the US first, not a foreign country first.

Pushing harder on an embargo policy meant to impoverish and punish the Cuban people (so they will rise up agin Castro) has failed for 45+ years. It is a morally bankrupt policy. A majority of Americans do not support the embargo. It has only united the Cuban people behind their post '59 revolution.


Mr. Menendez was born in the USA, that means that he is an American, not Cuban-American. His family fled Batista's blood soaked dictatorship that was backed by the US gov/military as well as US organized crime syndicates. He became vociferously anti Castro because, like Joe Lieberman, his campaign managers calculated that he could score mucho campaign contributions by doing so. Because of this exilio Miami is where a lot of his campaign contributions come from (Joementum's too).


charts from opensecrets.org

"He became vociferously anti Castro because, like Joe Lieberman, his campaign managers calculated that he could score mucho campaign contributions by doing so."

So every Cuban-American who opposes Castro has that stance because they are recieving campaing contributions?

"So every Cuban-American who opposes Castro has that stance because they are recieving campaing contributions?"


I said no such thing. I said that about many politicians, including some Cuban-Americans and Americans of Cuban descent, as well as others who have no connection to Cuba like Joementum. I said that transforming to a vociferously anti Castro rhetoric gains significant campaign contributions from the Batistanos and anti Cuba pro terra foundations (like the CANF, Alpha 66, Brigade 2506, etc) in Miami.

:rofl: :rofl:

yeah, that's kinda the joke.

This part sounds really good:

"LIBERAL RECORD

Cuba aside, Menendez is generally strongly aligned with liberals in Congress. He voted against going to war in Iraq and against drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

And his supporters note he has been a team player. After endorsing former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean for the Democratic nomination for president last year -- the two men shared an early aversion for the war in Iraq -- Menendez campaigned hard for the eventual nominee, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.

In a visit to Miami, Menendez bashed the Bush administration's crackdown on travel to Cuba and said Kerry would pursue more effective strategies to take down Castro."

Essentially that means that he supports interventionist policies against a different nation, sovereign Cuba. (Mainly because that's a political issue that nets him campaign contributions. IMO, morally bankrupt for $$.)

Interesting, for a man who champions democracy and free/open elections while railing with anti Cuba lies at Miami fundraisers, that he is being hailed in Miami for being appointed to a seat that will assist their interventionist agenda against Cuba instead of being elected to it. Typical Miami gusano hypocrisy.

~snip~

They are the three Cuban-Americans currently in Congress, who generally represent not only their geographic constituents but the national Cuban-American community as well. Without question they are the staunchest of the Anti-Castro/pro-embargo politicians. Along with Torricelli, they are the top four recipients of Cuban-American campaign donations, and all four in the group tower above all others in dollars received. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R) of Florida has served in the House since 1992 and is the fourth-ranked recipient of funding with over $204,000. Robert Menendez (D) of New Jersey has also served since 1992 and comes in third with $240,000 in contributions. Finally there is Florida's Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R), who despite serving in Congress only since 1989 still ranks as the top individual recipient of Cuban-American money since 1979, having drawn in over $289,000. Collectively, the three Cuban-American Representatives have introduced many smaller Cuba-related bills over the years. Some of these have been symbolic statements against Castro and the situation in Cuba, while others have been larger, more stringent policy moves against the Castro regime which were too extreme to garner broad support in Congress. In all cases, these three have been dedicated supporters of the legislation outlined above and co-sponsors of those acts introduced since their elections to Congress.
(snip/...)

http://www.opensecrets.org/pubs/cubareport/legislation.asp

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Undoubtedly many people remember from the New York Times interview with Cuban "exile" terrorist/mass murderer/bomber Luis Posada Carriles, that he stated he had been funded by the Cuban American National Foundation for YEARS, including his bombings of Cuban hotels more recently, which killed an Italian tourist. This organization has funded all kinds of violence against Cuba and Cubans for decades. They are beyond any possiblity of a doubt VERY right-wing, even though they contribute to both parties to make sure they can reach all politicians who are short a few bucks and can be seduced.

The Miami relatives (at the request of their CANF handlers) had selected Orlando Bosh as the child's pediatrician. (Bosch was a pediatrician prior to becoming a terrorist along with Posada.) Menendez was there with the family celebrating Dan Burton's congressional subpeona of the child, who was held aloft the shoulders of plane bombing terrorist Orland Bosch with the subpeona paper in hand.

Being seen with Orlando Bosch scores points (and campaign $$) in Miami among the extremist terra supporting minority of Cuban-Americans (like the membership of the CANF, Alpha 66, Brigade 2506, etc).

Since they (American politicians) can keep Americans out of Cuba, and keep most of us from finding out the truth of the matter, they imagine their stories will never be publically challenged here. That's also why they fight removal of the travel ban like wildmen! They really don't want their lies to be exposed.

The Americans who DO go to Cuba and stayed in Cuban homes, met lots of Cuban people, have maintained relationships with them over the years don't seem to have any of these horror stories to pass on to the rest of us. Wonder why!

who is currently the Cuban "exile" Speaker of the New Jersey House. He has also been the Mayor of West New York.