NationStates Jolt Archive

As a Native Cuban I feel proud but with caution, U.S. born Democrat New Jersey U.S.Rep Robert ( Bob) Menendez has been appointed U.S. Senator of the State of New Jersey.

We now have 3 Cuban American U.S. House of Representatives,
Republican Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Ileana Ross-Lehtinen, and Mario Diaz-Balart Of
Florida and 2 U.S. Senators, Florida's Mel Martinez and New Jersey Senator
Robert ( Bob Menendez ) a Liberal Democrat.

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.

Menendez's selection, Democratic strategist Joe Garcia said, would ``speak volumes about Gov. Corzine and the party's commitment to the future of the party.''

Menendez would be New Jersey's first minority senator and the third current Hispanic in the Senate, along with Republican Mel Martinez of Florida and Democrat Ken Salazar of Colorado.

Menendez will have to defend the seat in November against a potential Democratic challenger and what is expected to be an aggressive, well-funded challenge from Republican state Sen. Tom Kean Jr., the son of former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean.

But Menendez's supporters note he has amassed more than $4 million for the effort -- and is scheduled to add to the tally Saturday with a fundraiser at the Biltmore hotel in Coral Gables. According to federal campaign reports, Floridians make up the third largest group of contributors to Menendez, after contributors in New Jersey and New York.

Those present are likely to include as many Republicans as Democrats because of Menendez's strong anti-Castro stance, said Miami Republican political consultant Ana Navarro.

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.

BROKERED DEAL

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. In 1999, the three fasted for a day to show solidarity with Cuban dissidents engaged in a hunger strike in Havana.

And in 2000, Menendez was among several lawmakers to push legislation that would have granted Cuban rafter Elián González permanent residency in the U.S.

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.

Menendez was born in New York City on New Year's Day in 1954 -- five years before Castro's rise to power -- to parents who had already left Cuba. He grew up in a tenement in New Jersey's Cuban-rich Union City, and first entered politics when he was elected to the local school board at age 20.

''Bob is one of the few men in American political history who have earned the right to be a senator,'' said Gus Garcia, who has a grandson named after him. ``Bobby did it the American way. He did it from the bottom up. No blessing, no godfathers, no king makers, and that's a hard story to top. He's done it little by little with a grass roots, street organization.

I plan to post other news storys related to his appointment or record as I find them, thank you.

Here is some Biography and Issues information on Senator Robert ( Bob ) Menendez.

Congressman Bob Menendez

A Representative from New Jersey; born in New York, NY on January 1, 1954;
graduated from Union Hill High School, Union Hill, NJ, 1972: B.A. Saint Peters College in
Jersey CIty, NJ, 1976; JD Rutgers University School of Law, Newark, NJ, 1979: Lawyer,
in private practice; member of the Union City, NJ Board of Education, 1974-1978, and
Chief Financial Officer, 1978-1982; Mayor of Union CIty, NJ, 1986-1992; member of the
New Jersey state general assembly, 1987-1991; member of the New Jersey state senate, 1991-1993;
elected as a Democrat to the 103 rd and to the six succeeding COngresses ( january 3, 1993 to the present;
Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus ( 108 through 109 Congresses).


CONGRESSMAN BOB MENENDEZ

Chairman of the Democratic Caucus
109TH CONGRESS

Bob Menendez grew up the son of immigrants in a tenement building in Union City. A product of New Jersey's public schools and a graduate of the state's universities, he has served as a school board member, a mayor and a state legislator. Since 1992, he has been fighting for New Jersey families in the United States Congress, where today he serves as the third-highest ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives.

Bob first entered public service as a 19-year old college student when he launched a succesful petition drive to reform his local school board. He learned then the importance of standing up for what's right, no matter how powerful the opposition.

That same commitment led Bob to stand up to the powerful mayor of Union City when he saw him abusing his office for personal gain. He took on the mayor and testified against him in court, even though it meant wearing a bulletproof vest after receiving threats to his life. Bob stood up to the entire political establishment in his hometown, and led a coalition of reformers that cleaned up the city.

In Congress, he has fought to make health care more affordable for New Jersey's families and to improve schools so they prepare our children for a successful future. Now he is fighting to make college more affordable for the next generation of leaders.

Bob believes we should honor our parents by making sure they can retire with dignity and has introduced legislation to make it easier for families to care for their aging loved ones. And he has led the fight to stop the privatization of Social Security.

After September 11, 2001, Bob earned national recognition for his leadership in reforming our country's intelligence and public health systems and for fighting to establish an independent commission to investigate the terrorist attacks on our country. His Congressional district sits just across the Hudson River from Manhattan and Ground Zero, and today, he is working to improve the security of our bus, rail and public transit systems.

Elected by his colleagues in 2002 as the Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, Bob Menendez is the highest-ranking Hispanic in Congressional history. He previously served as the Vice Chairman of the Democratic Caucus and has led key Task Forces on Education and Homeland Security. He serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where he has succesfully fought to protect jobs in New Jersey, and on the International Relations Committee, where he is the ranking Democrat on the Western Hemisphere Subcommitee.

Bob was born in New York on January 1, 1954. He received his B.A. from St. Peter's College in Jersey City and his law degree from Rutgers University. He currently lives in Hoboken and has two children, Alicia and Robert.

On the Issues according to my source:

Robert Menendez on Abortion
Click here for 9 full quotes on Abortion OR background on Abortion.
Voted NO on banning partial-birth abortion except to save mother’s life. (Oct 2003)
Voted NO on forbidding human cloning for reproduction & medical research. (Feb 2003)
Voted NO on funding for health providers who don't provide abortion info. (Sep 2002)
Voted NO on banning human cloning, including medical research. (Jul 2001)
Voted NO on banning Family Planning funding in US aid abroad. (May 2001)
Voted NO on federal crime to harm fetus while committing other crimes. (Apr 2001)
Voted NO on banning partial-birth abortions. (Apr 2000)
Voted NO on barring transporting minors to get an abortion. (Jun 1999)
Rated 100% by NARAL, indicating a pro-choice voting record. (Dec 2003)


Robert Menendez on Budget & Economy
Click here for the full quote on Budget & Economy OR background on Budget & Economy.
Voted YES on restricting bankruptcy rules. (Jan 2004)


Robert Menendez on Civil Rights
Click here for 9 full quotes on Civil Rights OR background on Civil Rights.
Voted NO on protecting the Pledge of Allegiance. (Sep 2004)
Voted YES on constitutional amendment prohibiting flag desecration. (Jun 2003)
Voted YES on Constitutional amendment prohibiting Flag Desecration. (Jul 2001)
Voted NO on banning gay adoptions in DC. (Jul 1999)
Voted YES on Amendment to prohibit burning the US flag. (Jun 1999)
Voted NO on ending preferential treatment by race in college admissions. (May 1998)
Supports anti-flag desecration amendment. (Mar 2001)
Constitutional Amendment for equal rights by gender. (Mar 2001)
Rated 67% by the ACLU, indicating a mixed civil rights voting record. (Dec 2002)


Robert Menendez on Corporations
Click here for 3 full quotes on Corporations OR background on Corporations.
Voted NO on replacing illegal export tax breaks with $140B in new breaks. (Jun 2004)
Voted YES on Bankruptcy Overhaul requiring partial debt repayment. (Mar 2001)
Rated 37% by the US COC, indicating a mixed business voting record. (Dec 2003)


Robert Menendez on Crime
Click here for 6 full quotes on Crime OR background on Crime.
Voted NO on funding for alternative sentencing instead of more prisons. (Jun 2000)
Voted NO on more prosecution and sentencing for juvenile crime. (Jun 1999)
Voted YES on making federal death penalty appeals harder. (Feb 1995)
Voted NO on replacing death penalty with life imprisonment. (Apr 1994)
Rated 60% by CURE, indicating mixed votes on rehabilitation. (Dec 2000)
More funding and stricter sentencing for hate crimes. (Apr 2001)


Robert Menendez on Drugs
Click here for 3 full quotes on Drugs OR background on Drugs.
Voted NO on military border patrols to battle drugs & terrorism. (Sep 2001)
Voted NO on prohibiting needle exchange & medical marijuana in DC. (Oct 1999)
Voted NO on subjecting federal employees to random drug tests. (Sep 1998)


Robert Menendez on Education
Click here for 5 full quotes on Education OR background on Education.
Voted NO on allowing school prayer during the War on Terror. (Nov 2001)
Voted YES on requiring states to test students. (May 2001)
Voted NO on allowing vouchers in DC schools. (Aug 1998)
Voted NO on giving federal aid only to schools allowing voluntary prayer. (Mar 1994)
Rated 100% by the NEA, indicating pro-public education votes. (Dec 2003)


Robert Menendez on Energy & Oil
Click here for 6 full quotes on Energy & Oil OR background on Energy & Oil.
Voted NO on passage of the Bush Administration national energy policy. (Jun 2004)
Voted NO on implementing Bush-Cheney national energy policy. (Nov 2003)
Voted YES on raising CAFE standards; incentives for alternative fuels. (Aug 2001)
Voted YES on prohibiting oil drilling & development in ANWR. (Aug 2001)
Voted YES on starting implementation of Kyoto Protocol. (Jun 2000)
Preserve Alaska's ANWR instead of drilling it. (Feb 2001)


Robert Menendez on Environment
Click here for 3 full quotes on Environment OR background on Environment.
Voted NO on speeding up approval of forest thinning projects. (Nov 2003)
Remove PCBs from Hudson River by dredging 200 miles. (Apr 2001)
Rated 95% by the LCV, indicating pro-environment votes. (Dec 2003)


Robert Menendez on Families & Children
Click here for 3 full quotes on Families & Children OR background on Families & Children.
Voted YES on establishing nationwide AMBER alert system for missing kids. (Apr 2003)
Voted NO on reducing Marriage Tax by $399B over 10 years. (Mar 2001)
Rated 15% by the Christian Coalition: an anti-family voting record. (Dec 2003)


Robert Menendez on Foreign Policy
Click here for 5 full quotes on Foreign Policy OR background on Foreign Policy.
Voted NO on keeping Cuba travel ban until political prisoners released. (Jul 2001)
Voted YES on withholding $244M in UN Back Payments until US seat restored. (May 2001)
Voted YES on $156M to IMF for 3rd-world debt reduction. (Jul 2000)
Voted NO on Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China. (May 2000)
Voted YES on $15.2 billion for foreign operations. (Nov 1999)


Robert Menendez on Free Trade
Click here for 6 full quotes on Free Trade OR background on Free Trade.
Voted YES on implementing the US-Australia Free Trade Agreement. (Jul 2004)
Voted NO on implementing the US-Singapore free trade agreement. (Jul 2003)
Voted YES on implementing free trade agreement with Chile. (Jul 2003)
Voted NO on withdrawing from the WTO. (Jun 2000)
Voted NO on 'Fast Track' authority for trade agreements. (Sep 1998)
Rated 28% by CATO, indicating a pro-fair trade voting record. (Dec 2002)


Robert Menendez on Government Reform
Click here for 6 full quotes on Government Reform OR background on Government Reform.
Voted NO on limiting attorney's fees in class action lawsuits. (Feb 2005)
Voted NO on restricting frivolous lawsuits. (Sep 2004)
Voted YES on campaign finance reform banning soft-money contributions. (Feb 2002)
Voted NO on banning soft money donations to national political parties. (Jul 2001)
Voted YES on banning soft money and issue ads. (Sep 1999)
Keep campaign soft money; allow legal resident contributions. (Jun 2001)


Robert Menendez on Gun Control
Click here for 3 full quotes on Gun Control OR background on Gun Control.
Voted NO on prohibiting suing gunmakers & sellers for gun misuse. (Apr 2003)
Voted NO on decreasing gun waiting period from 3 days to 1. (Jun 1999)
Rated F by the NRA, indicating a pro-gun control voting record. (Dec 2003)


Robert Menendez on Health Care
Click here for 10 full quotes on Health Care OR background on Health Care.
Voted NO on limiting medical malpractice lawsuits to $250,000 damages. (May 2004)
Voted NO on limited prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients. (Nov 2003)
Voted NO on allowing reimportation of prescription drugs. (Jul 2003)
Voted NO on small business associations for buying health insurance. (Jun 2003)
Voted NO on capping damages and setting time limits in medical lawsuits. (Mar 2003)
Voted NO on allowing suing HMOs, but under federal rules & limited award. (Aug 2001)
Voted NO on Prescription Drug Coverage under Medicare. (Jun 2000)
Voted NO on banning physician-assisted suicide. (Oct 1999)
Voted NO on establishing tax-exempt Medical Savings Accounts. (Oct 1999)
Rated 89% by APHA, indicating a pro-public health record. (Dec 2003)


Robert Menendez on Homeland Security
Click here for 10 full quotes on Homeland Security OR background on Homeland Security.
Voted NO on federalizing rules for driver licenses to hinder terrorists. (Feb 2005)
Voted YES on continuing military recruitment on college campuses. (Feb 2005)
Voted YES on supporting new position of Director of National Intelligence. (Dec 2004)
Voted NO on adopting the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. (Oct 2004)
Voted YES on emergency $78B for war in Iraq & Afghanistan. (Apr 2003)
Voted NO on permitting commercial airline pilots to carry guns. (Jul 2002)
Voted YES on $266 billion Defense Appropriations bill. (Jul 1999)
Voted YES on deploying SDI. (Mar 1999)
Stopping Vieques bombing range good; sooner is better. (Jun 2001)
Rated 89% by SANE, indicating a pro-peace voting record. (Dec 2003)


Robert Menendez on Immigration
Click here for 4 full quotes on Immigration OR background on Immigration.
Voted NO on reporting illegal aliens who receive hospital treatment. (May 2004)
Voted YES on extending Immigrant Residency rules. (May 2001)
Voted YES on more immigrant visas for skilled workers. (Sep 1998)
Rated 0% by FAIR, indicating a voting record loosening immigration. (Dec 2003)


Robert Menendez on Jobs
Click here for 4 full quotes on Jobs OR background on Jobs.
Voted NO on end offshore tax havens and promote small business. (Oct 2004)
Voted NO on $167B over 10 years for farm price supports. (Oct 2001)
Voted NO on zero-funding OSHA's Ergonomics Rules instead of $4.5B. (Mar 2001)
Rated 93% by the AFL-CIO, indicating a pro-labor voting record. (Dec 2003)


Robert Menendez on Principles & Values
Click here for 2 full quotes on Principles & Values OR background on Principles & Values.
Religious affiliation: Catholic. (Nov 2000)
Member of Congressional Hispanic Caucus. (Jan 2001)


Robert Menendez on Social Security
Click here for 4 full quotes on Social Security OR background on Social Security.
Voted YES on raising 401(k) limits & making pension plans more portable. (May 2001)
Voted NO on reducing tax payments on Social Security benefits. (Jul 2000)
Voted YES on strengthening the Social Security Lockbox. (May 1999)
Rated 90% by the ARA, indicating a pro-senior voting record. (Dec 2003)


Robert Menendez on Tax Reform
Click here for 10 full quotes on Tax Reform OR background on Tax Reform.
Voted NO on providing tax relief and simplification. (Sep 2004)
Voted NO on permanently eliminating the so-called marriage penalty. (Apr 2004)
Voted NO on making the Bush tax cuts permanent. (Apr 2002)
Voted NO on $99.5B economic stimulus: capital gains & income tax cuts. (Oct 2001)
Voted NO on Tax Cut Package of $958B over 10 years. (May 2001)
Voted NO on eliminating the Estate Tax. (Apr 2001)
Voted NO on eliminating the "marriage penalty". (Jul 2000)
Voted NO on repealing the estate tax ("death tax"). (Jun 2000)
Voted NO on $46 billion in tax cuts for small business. (Mar 2000)
Rated 24% by NTU, indicating a "Big Spender" on tax votes. (Dec 2003)


Robert Menendez on Technology
Click here for 4 full quotes on Technology OR background on Technology.
Voted YES on increasing fines for indecent broadcasting. (Feb 2005)
Voted NO on promoting commercial human space flight industry. (Nov 2004)
Voted NO on banning Internet gambling by credit card. (Jun 2003)
Voted YES on allowing telephone monopolies to offer Internet access. (Feb 2002)


Robert Menendez on War & Peace
Click here for 3 full quotes on War & Peace OR background on War & Peace.
Voted YES on approving removal of Saddam & valiant service of US troops. (Mar 2004)
Voted NO on authorizing military force in Iraq. (Oct 2002)
Voted NO on disallowing the invasion of Kosovo. (May 1999)


Robert Menendez on Welfare & Poverty
Click here for 3 full quotes on Welfare & Poverty OR background on Welfare & Poverty.
Voted NO on promoting work and marriage among TANF recipients. (Feb 2003)
Voted NO on treating religious organizations equally for tax breaks. (Jul 2001)
Voted YES on responsible fatherhood via faith-based organizations. (Nov 1999)

I think I made a good Thread with alot of information on the Senator's views
to be able to vote well informed, this does not have to be just about the Cuba, Fidel Castro issue even though it is bound to come up and you all know my views well on the subject.

I here by post a simple but fairly neutral article :

Posted on Sun, Dec. 11, 2005

Banking on South Florida's Cuban ties

New Jersey Sen.-elect Bob Menendez raised campaign funds Saturday at the Biltmore Hotel and talked about being Cuban American.

BY CAROL ROSENBERG

crosenberg@herald.com


It sure was swell to be New Jersey Sen.-elect Bob Menendez on Saturday.

The day before, the 51-year-old Cuban-American congressman stood in the frosty shadow of Ellis Island as Gov.-elect Jon Corzine declared Menendez his choice to serve out the last year of his term in the U.S. Senate.

By Saturday, he was in sunny South Florida, schmoozing would-be Democratic and Republican donors and candidly calculating that he needed $20 million to run for the seat in his own right, next year.

''I can't self-finance my campaign,'' he said, in sharp contrast to the man he is replacing -- Corzine, a former Wall Street chief executive who spent $60 million on the Senate seat and $35 million to become governor.

Instead, Menendez said fundraisers would be key because, even though he already has built a whopping $4.1 million campaign war chest, campaigning in New Jersey means buying costly ads in the New York and Philadelphia television markets.

His likely opponent in the November 2006 elections is Thomas H. Kean Jr., a Republican New Jersey state senator and the son of the state's popular former governor.

So, Menendez was weekending in South Florida, sitting comfortably in suit and tie Saturday during a Herald interview and recounting not for the first time his rags-to-riches tale, as the New York City-born son of Cubans who fled Havana in the 1950s and raised him in a Union City, N.J., tenement.

''It was pre-Fidel; they didn't like Batista,'' he said, using classic Cuban-American shorthand for the current leader, Castro, and the man he toppled, Fulgencio. ``They didn't have anything. I was the first in my family to go to college.''

MIAMI CONTINGENT

By some measures, the moment was accidental. Menendez and his Democratic supporters had more than a month ago set the date for the brunch meet-and-greet at the posh Biltmore Hotel in fashionable Coral Gables.

But by others it was fortuitous. Participants said he drew a crowd of 50 to 60 Cubans, other Hispanics and a few Jewish supporters from both the Republican and Democratic parties on the first day after he had secured the spot.

He goes to the Senate in January, after Corzine is sworn in as governor, to end Florida Republican Sen. Mel Martinez's two-year reign as first and only Cuban American in the 100-member chamber. And as only the sixth Hispanic in history.

''I have a very good relationship with the community on both sides of the aisle,'' said Menendez, who has been coming to Florida as a politician since 1986. That year he ran for mayor of Union City, N.J., and decided to campaign in Miami's Spanish-language -- so relatives down here would put in a good word for him up north. ''It worked,'' he said, chuckling. ``I won.''

POLITICAL HISTORY

Asked to distinguish himself from Martinez, Menendez said he hadn't yet studied the Republican senator's record, then reeled off positions that throughout his seven-term career in Congress have cast him as a liberal Democrat:

He opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq as ''a war of choice'' that has over-stretched U.S. military and financial resources.

Homeland security has gotten short shrift, he says, especially in New Jersey, home to 700 victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.

He opposes tax cuts for the wealthy and argues the Bush administration is leaving a legacy of debt to his children.

Still, he said, Martinez was ''very nice, very gracious'' when he called Friday night to congratulate him in a five-minute chat that blended English and Spanish.

Menendez reminded that, even as a Democrat, in the minority, he is the highest ranking Hispanic in the House of Representatives.

He campaigned in Miami for both Al Gore and John Kerry in their failed presidential elections.

But he says his positions on Cuba are the same as those of ''Díaz-Balart and Ros-Lehtinen,'' referring to Lincoln, Mario and Ileana, the Republican Cuban Americans from Miami in Congress.

He backs the U.S. economic embargo and advocates greater support for island political dissidents, human-rights activists and independent journalists there.

Menendez said he had no hard figures yet for how much money he raised in the weekend -- but guessed that 5 percent of the funds he's raised across his political career came from South Florida.

And, in a cheerful, giddy interview he paused to conjure up questions about his Cuban-American pedigree that might arise only in Miami:

His parents left in 1953, he said, then paused to figure out how long his family had been on the island -- three generations on one side, two on the other. So far as he knew all sides were Spaniards originally.