Yeah! I wish they would put in someone who would be more pro-active and push the agenda of the Republicans. We desperately need spokesmen for our positions especially since Bush refuses to do it.
Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) resigned Friday as general chairman of the Republican National Committee, leaving all top-level leader duties for the embattled GOP to Mike Duncan, the current chairman.(via)
Martinez, who took the job nine months ago as the public face of the national GOP, stepped down during a tough time for the Republican Party, out of power on Capitol Hill and trying to gain traction in the national campaign under the shadow of an unpopular, lame-duck president. Martinez, who publicly parted ways with GOP congressional leaders earlier this year on immigration issues, will not be replaced as general chairman.
Republican sources say there were two key factors in Martinez's departure. First, he's facing a much tougher than expected re-election race for his Senate seat in 2010 and believes he needs to focus more on taking care of his political and policy priorities in Florida. According to a Quinnipiac University poll released in July, Martinez had an approval rating of 37 percent in Florida, the lowest since he was elected.
Second, Martinez may have underestimated how much time the role of general chairman would take, and was unable to create as much visibility as some GOP insiders wanted from the national chairman of the party. The job of general chairman was largely titular and did not involve operational duties, but the position was demanding because he had to be the public face of the party nationwide, taking away time from his day job in the Senate.
