By John Gizzi (Human Events, 12/29/00)
For James L. Martin, President of the Sixty Plus Association, the excited political speakers, high school band and overflow crowd at the airport in West Palm Beach, Fla., the Sunday before the November 7 election, stirred vivid memories of 32 years before. At similar rallies throughout the Sunshine State, Martin had watched his boss and mentor, conservative Rep. (1962-68) Ed Gurney, campaign to become Florida’s first Republican U.S. Senator since Reconstruction.
Even before Gurney’s historic 1968 win, Martin had envisioned an eventual bid for President by his magnetic, World War II hero boss. Indeed, the campaign team he had assembled for Gurney had the makings of a national operation: campaign manager Jimmy Allison, who had an impressive record of political success in Democrat-dominated Texas, and a 22-year-old campaign staffer fresh out of Yale named George W. Bush.
But it was not to be-or was it? Gurney, who died in 1996, never ran for President. But former campaign aide Bush did, and Martin was on hand in Palm Beach to speak on his behalf.
As the temperature rose and the airport crowd swelled to 5,000, Rep. Mark Foley (Fla.), the rally emcee, introduced Martin as “the respected head of a national senior citizens organization.” Paying tribute to his 33,000 Florida members and “to my two favorite seniors, my 84-year-old mom and 101-year-old stepdad,” the Sixty Plus head promised the cheering audience that Bush would be a President of his word, one who would sign into law what Martin had been working for fall time over seven years: outright repeal of the “death tax.”
Martin was followed on stage by a cavalcade of political and entertainment stars, including New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, singer Wayne Newton, and Actress Bo Derek. (“After her speech, I told Bo she was an ‘ 11,` joked Martin.) Finally, the plane carrying the “main attraction” touched down. Flanked by his brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and nephew George P. Bush, the Republican nominee for President thanked his wildly cheering supporters and predicted a victory in Florida in two days.
And his prediction proved correct eventually.
Cox’s Vision ‘Almost A Reality,’ Says Martin
For Jim Martin, the photo-finish of the 2000 presidential election is less the triumph of an old friend than the stagesetting for achieving his goal. “Abolishing the death tax is something my organization has worked on since 1993 and something George W. Bush underscored repeatedly. And it can happen this year.”
Martin credits Rep. Christopher Cox (R. – Calif.) with guiding him toward repeal of the estate tax instead of simply raising the exemption from its present $650,000.
“I was presenting awards to House members in 1993 and they were talking about increasing the exemption as a form of tax relief. [Rep.] Cox asked me to get behind his proposal-to simply repeal the tax.”
Martin became an eager partner in the repeal movement and made it the linchpin of his organization.
In the next few years, Sixty Plus delivered to Capitol Hill more than a quarter-million signatures from seniors demanding death to the death tax.
Martin himself jetted to 30 states, presenting donations from his “GrayPAC” political action committee and his “Friend of the Seniors” Award to those who promised to vote for repeal.
Along with friends Cox and Bush, Martin’s highest words of praise go to his members-now 500,000 strong nationwide. “They write letters, send postcards to Congress, and get on the phone.”
He used the example of his membership in Florida’s 22°a District (Fort Lauderdale), home to Martin’s younger brother, decorated Vietnam War veteran Robert Martin. This year, members signed a full-page newspaper ad thanking Rep. Clay Shaw for supporting prescription drug coverage. Shaw won reelection over State Rep. Elaine Bloom-a death tax repeal opponent-by just over 500 votes, one of the closest House races in the nation.
In the state on whose electoral votes the entire presidential race hinged, the 33,000 Sixty Plus members actively backed George W. Bush. Overlooked in the noise about butterfly ballots, Bush ended up carrying the senior vote in Florida, 51% to 47%, almost the identical percentage by which Gore carried the votes of seniors nationally.
The Final Days
As the Texas governor was leaving Palm Beach less than 48 hours before his rendezvous with destiny, he spotted Martin on the airport tarmac chatting with Palm Beach resident and longtime GOP contributor Gay Hart Gaines.
“Buddha,” Bush whispered to Martin employing a years-old nick name for the now slimmed-down Sixty Plus head. “Did you ever think we’d be doing this 30 years ago?”
“No, George,” Martin replied. “Did you?”
“Hope,” said the candidate as he bounded up the ramp to his plane, ” Me neither.”
On the day that Gore conceded a second time, Martin was greeted by a friend who told him ,” you must be the third happiest man in the country.”
Asked who could be happier, she replied, “the President-elect and his father.”
While Martin told me be was proud, he quickly added that there were many who were just as proud, “Karl [Rove], Karen [Hughes], Joe [Allbaugh], Don [Evans], Jack [Oliver], Ari [Fleischer] and others.”
