Idle Speculation: Mel Martinez Is Retiring Early Because He Supports Marco Rubio

Word just came down the wire that Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida, who had already announced that he wouldn't run for re-election, is stepping down early. My first reaction to this news was, WTF? It makes no sense. None at all. The senator offered the usual explanation for such out-of-left-field moves in politics: "My priorities have always been my faith, my family and my country, and at this stage in my life, and after nearly 12 years of public service in Florida and Washington, it's time I return to Florida and my family," he wrote.

But, come on now, who believes that crap anymore? No one actually steps down because of "faith" or to "spend more time with family" or "the fishing is good this time of year" or "I've got this '69 Camaro Rally Sport fastback on cinder blocks in my garage, and I'd really like to get around to restoring it." Or whatever the lame, half-hearted excuse. None of them make any sense, and what's worse, in this day and age, when the electorate is more informed than ever, these excuses insult our intelligence.

So, what's the point here? Well, when I ask "cui bono?" I come up with a pretty good explanation. With Martinez retiring, it will be up to Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running for Martinez's Senate seat, to name a replacement. This puts Crist in an impossible position. If he puts in some drooling, mindless supporter who will serve out the term and then leave the seat open for Crist himself in 2010, he looks like a conniving, Machiavellian politician. If he puts in a competent politician, said politico will want the seat for himself in 2010. And of course, if he nominates himself, he comes off looking like a jackass. There's no good option.

And that, of course, is great news for Marco Rubio, the former House Speaker of the Florida state legislature who is running for Martinez's seat as well, competing against Crist in the Republican primary by running to his right. Rubio has already picked up the endorsements of far-right politicians like Jim DeMint and Mike Huckabee, but with Martinez's early retirement, he may just have picked up his most important endorsement yet.

Update: One thing I certainly should have mentioned in this piece -- Martinez said a couple months ago that he supported Crist.

Comments

[hansulrichrudel]

It seems that Obama Care is going to work something like this: When you reach the age of 65 you will get an appointment with the "Death Panel" and be asked how long you plan on living and how you would most like to die. Then if you exceed your allotted years you'll get "overdue" notices from the "Death Panel" telling you that your future benefits may be in jeopardy if you file any more claims for health care other than hospice care or assisted suicide.

[LMPE]

First Sarah Palin and now Mel Martinez. The GOP can't stay, can it?

[desertdweller]

This should be good news for Florida Democrats, but alas, they can't put forward a dynamic and viable candidate. It doesn't take a lot of imagine to see that Rubio's appeal will be centered around the panhandle (South Alabama, Redneck Riviera), The Orlando area, and Miami, but his hard-Right lean will not play as well elsewhere in the state. This is a gift to Democrats, like Toomey in Pennsylvania. The question is, will they capitalize on it?

[Xarnego]

Rubio is unlikely to get the support he wants from Martinez because Martinez was a moderate surrounded by Carl Rove's political operatives while Rubio is trying to run to the right of David Duke on most issues while taking the Latino vote for granted because of his name.

In doing so, he commits 2 fatal errors that will doom his campaign

1. Republicans outside of Miami or Orlando will not vote for a Latino given the xenophbia of their base.
2. Latinos outside of Miami will not forgive his opposition to Sotomayor, or his shoddy record of service.

[apoyo]

Crist should appoint himself.

And then change parties after 2010.

[TexasDem0]

Idle Speculation: The usual and customary GOP scandal that precedes a resignation is about to become public.

[PorkBelly]

The solution is easy.

Just appoint a caretaker, state rep, good government type to the position who does not intend to run in 2010.

Should make everyone happy.

[RhodaA]

Idle Speculation: It's not political and it's not complicated. There is only one reason Martinez left early - because of the shameless, degrading way his "fellow republican senators" treated Sotomayor. How could it not be felt as a profound insult to the core?

[Decipherer]

Third time's the charm, I suppose.

[VJKramer]

Yeah, or waiting more than 23 minutes for your post to show up on an early Sunday morning usually works too.

Still I do agree 100% with RhodaA's comment. It seems very likely that Martinez resigned due to the treatment of Sotomayor.

[desertdweller]

You have a valid point, but I suspect that Mel drank enough of the GOoPer kool-aid so that partisan politics is thicker than ethnicity. Besides, despite a common linguistic heritage, Martinez is of Cuban origin and Sotomayor is of Puerto Rican origin; and there is no natural affinity.

[RhodaA]

Idle Speculation: It's not political and it's not complicated. There is only one reason Martinez left early - because of the shameless, degrading way his "fellow republican senators" treated the first Hispanic nominated to the Supreme Court. How could it not be felt as a profound insult to the core?

[RhodaA]

Idle Speculation: There's only one reason Martinez left early - because of the shameless, degrading way his fellow republican senators treated the first Hispanic nominated to the Supreme Court. How can it not be felt as a profound insult to his core?

[cornelison]

Did Martinez quit because of the racism in his party? It didn't bother Mike Steele.

[Vere15]

Ok Charlie - do the Cheney thing and appoint yourself

[elji]

PART 3. Oh also remember some of these end up IN a hospital bed one you no longer can have even with your insurance for your new hip, an emergent open heart surgery or needing your gallbladder out, or your fractured leg, or stroke so you can get back to work, I hope you can survive until you find an ER and hospital bed, I hope you’re not out to long or permanently disabled so you can get back to work or I hope you still have a job after all that time off. Hey then you won't have insurance either...hmmm doesn’t that sound like what the opponents to reform preach about the Canadian system? Months for surgery, or CT's, no beds. People if you don't stop this nonsense and agree on some type of reform. NO ONE WILL HAVE DECENT HEALTH CARE.

[cheeriogirl]

This is a very valuable post as to WHY we need reform. As a health care professional, I know that all you have said is true.

Insured patients go and visit their own primary care physician when ill. Uninsured patients cannot afford to do this, so they tend to use the ER as their "doctor's office".

Most patients are unaware that the very health care they receive in an ER or acute care setting costs hundreds, sometimes thousands more than the same care received in their physician's office.

This is just one way that health insurance for all would lower health care costs for every single American- whether you are aware that you are paying for others care now or not!

[DougDeWitt]

It is human nature to fear things we don't understand. It is unfortunate that the efforts to fix what is wrong with the system have been labeled "health care reform", when what is really needed is "getting everyone's health care paid for in a way that is fairest to everyone".

Insurance for your house or your car is relatively simple math. The probability that any of us will have their house burn to the ground is low; we spread that risk among a large population, whereby the PRICE is but a fraction of the cost of replacing any of our homes in the event of such a disaster.

Health insurance can work in the same manner, so long as each person's coverage pays the cost of providing services for the 1-in-10 of us who will need health care this year. With everyone in the same pool, and everyone's coverage paying the cost of services, the PRICE can come down to a very reasonable level.

The problem is Not that we can't provide care to everyone who needs it -- we have that now. The problem is with getting everyone's care paid for, a responsibility that we, as a society, and as a nation are obviously willing to accept.

Follow more: http://whigsntories.blogspot.com/2009/08/short-primer-in-health-care.html

[elji]

PART 2. Here's another tid bit for you to consider with your luck in having insurance. For Profit Hospitals will eventually just close their ER (they use to transfer the charity case's to the county hospital that is illegal now look up EMTALA it’s a law) so as not to deal with charity cases and increase profits and only the county hospitals and county trauma centers will have an ER supported by your tax dollars. Now when you or your spouse, parent, child or friend have a car accident or a heart attack and you show up with your golden insurance policy your money won't be any good because there won't be room, so you'll have to go to the next ER miles away or cities away and hope they aren't full also. So having insurance won't do you a dam bit of good (but your insurer will still collect your premium and the tax man will collect your taxes) so you choose but don't whine when it happens to you. CONTINUED

[tomasedison]

i'm scared to death

[elji]

PART 1. I have worked in health care for over 20 years. I spend all day trying to get patients insurance companies to provide the care they are entitled to in their contracts, or finding charity funding for those who don't. To those who have insurance and think you shouldn't pay for those that don't. Well surprise you already do. By law we are required to treat ANY PERSON who walks through our ER doors regardless of ability to pay, medical needs, criminal, illegal we don't and can't discriminate. So to you insured here's what you have to look at. You can help pay for an insurance policy $300-400 a month that covers the uninsured so they go to a Doctor for the flu and preventive medicine to keep them healthy or you can continue pay for your county hospital through taxes and that flu visit instead of costing the price of insurance coverage a month now costs you 1500.00 dollars for an ER visit, think of how many times you have to go to the MD well these people have to use the ER pretty costly huh? CONTINUED