This year\u2019s presidential candidates are taking a different approach to their campaigns: they\u2019re going to avoid mentioning important yet sensitive topics that Americans can\u2019t handle. Like immigration.<\/p>\n
Or at least, that\u2019s how election season would play out if former Senator Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) had his say. Last week, he generously bestowed his personal advice to Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney: \u201cThe immigration issue is too difficult to deal with in the public context,\u201d said Martinez. (The Hill<\/em><\/a>, Aug. 29, 2012)<\/p>\n Martinez, who was announced in June as a National Advisory Board member of Romney\u2019s Hispanic Steering Committee, eagerly spoke on behalf of the presidential hopeful. (Boston Globe, <\/em>June 6, 2012) \u201cI think [Romney\u2019s] decided that he\u2019s going to deal with this issue as president and not as a candidate,\u201d said Martinez, who, according to The Hill<\/em>, also encouraged immigration reform discussions to be held in private, away from the watchful public. (The Hill<\/em><\/a>, Aug. 29, 2012)<\/p>\n It\u2019s not surprising to hear Martinez encourage Romney to put off immigration talks until after he\u2019s secured the oval office. After all, Martinez is likely hoping Romney will support pro-amnesty policies\u2014something voters don\u2019t want to hear.<\/p>\n Martinez, referred to by some as \u201cAmnesty Mel,\u201d spent his entire term as a Senator pushing \u201cpathway to citizenship\u201d policies, before becoming a lobbyist for international business interests. (Orlando Sentinel<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Sep. 10, 2009) Martinez also had a run as the President of the Republican National Committee (RNC) from 2006-2007, brought on to help carry President Bush to a \u201ccomprehensive immigration reform\u201d victory. (RealClearPolitics<\/a>, <\/em>Nov. 16, 2006) Those initiatives failed, as have countless other pro-amnesty pushes in Congress.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, that isn\u2019t deterring Martinez from attempting to reignite that particular wing of the Republican Party. He already has allies from his home state: Rep. David Rivera (R-Fla.) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who compiled their own versions of the DREAM Act earlier this year. Rep. Rivera\u2019s bill can be viewed here, though Sen. Rubio\u2019s bill admittedly was shelved after being upstaged by President Obama\u2019s decision to grant deferred action and employment authorization to nearly two million illegal aliens. (The Hill<\/em><\/a>, June 18, 2012; see also <\/em>FAIR Legislative Update<\/a>, June 19, 2012)<\/p>\n Vice Presidential candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis), recently gave a big hint that he subscribed to that blog, praising \u201cMarco Rubio\u2019s leadership on this issue.\u201d Ryan said, \u201cMarco Rubio was on the cusp of introducing the bipartisan solution to immigration problems.\u201d (FLDemocracy2012, <\/em>Aug. 19, 2012)<\/p>\n Despite this harbinger that Ryan might be open to amnesty discussions, Romney\u2019s policy positions will be the ones that prevail in their campaign. Hopefully Romney will listen to the voices of the American people and leave the failed amnesty agenda in the past.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This year\u2019s presidential candidates are taking a different approach to their campaigns: they\u2019re going to avoid mentioning important yet sensitive topics that Americans can\u2019t handle. Like immigration. Or at least, that\u2019s how election season would play out if former Senator Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) had his say. Last week, he generously bestowed his personal advice to<\/p>\n