Martinez Critical of DeMint's RINO Hunt
Sam Stein reports:
Former Senator Mel Martinez offered an unusually blunt assessment of the role that Sen. Jim DeMint is playing within Republican circles, going so far as to question the South Carolina Republican's definition of success for the party.
At an election-themed breakfast organized by the prominent lobbying shop DLA Piper, Martinez said he disagrees with DeMint's strategy of pushing for the most ideologically pure candidate in Republican primaries. The result, the former RNC Chairman said, is that the party is ending up with candidates who can't win and a party that in all likelihood can't govern.
"I think Jim DeMint is a fine gentleman," Martinez said. "As every American has a right, he has created a fund and helped people in races and he has taken a contrarian's view that this year has had successes. I would not have guessed it but it has... the traditional Republican candidate, like I guess in Delaware, Mike Castle in Delaware, would be the best example; perhaps in Kentucky [as well]."
Ceding that Christine O'Donnell, the candidate who knocked off Castle, would lose the election, Martinez added, "I believe in winning myself, but, you know, I'm just saying."
"[DeMint] got his candidate nominated so he was successful. But he defines success differently than I would. I would say success is how many R's we put into the Republican side of the ledger. He views that it is better to lose and have people that actually stand up 100 percent in line with his point of view."
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