New Majority Seeks To Revive GOP

The Modesto Bee/AP ^ | 12/31/01 | None identified

[Gothmog]

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A group of wealthy Republicans in Orange County has created the state's largest GOP political action committee in an attempt to broaden the party's appeal.

The New Majority was formed in early 2000 in Orange County, the historic center of the state's Republican Party.

Membership has more than doubled since its inception, from 44 to 110, and 14 members have joined Team 100, which requires a donation of $100,000 or more to the national Republican party.

The group has riled some established Republicans who contend that its wealthy members are out of touch with working-class Republicans.

New Majority members include: George Argyros, the U.S. Ambassador to Spain; Henry Samueli, founder of technology heavyweight Broadcom and Donald Bren, billionaire chairman of The Irvine Co., a real estate development firm.

Each member pays $10,000 to join the New Majority, which hopes to expand to Los Angeles and San Diego counties. The group's goal is to promote more mainstream Republicans in key GOP primaries, believing they stand a better chance of winning against Democrats.

Members raised $3 million for the President George W. Bush's campaign in 2000, gaining most of that during two high-profile fund-raisers in Orange County.

The group last month also formally endorsed former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan as its Republican candidate for governor. Riordan supports abortion rights and gun control, which sets him apart from the two more conservative GOP candidates - businessman Bill Simon Jr. and Secretary of State Bill Jones.

The endorsement for Riordan came with $100,000 and individual members contributed another $400,000.

New Majority leadership also helped lead an internal coup of the state GOP apparatus organized by Bush's California political strategist, Gerry Parsky. Changes adopted in October transferred party power from a group of conservatives to a professional manager accountable to a board of directors, including a representative of the party's major donors.

"They're a vital new element in the Republican party," said California Republican Party Chairman Shawn Steel, a lawyer from Palos Verdes. "They represent a new generation of entrepreneurs who will help make the Republican Party the major party in California in the next 10 years. Their timing was exquisite."

Of the state's 15.3 million voters, 45 percent are Democrats and 35 percent are Republicans, while 14.5 percent decline to state a party affiliation.

[Gothmog]

These guys have every right to raise money, organize, etc., and I wish whoever wins the CA GOP primary the best of luck against Davis, but I do not think the GOP wins when it abandons its conservative base.

I'm also not happy about Bush's involvement.

"New Majority leadership also helped lead an internal coup of the state GOP apparatus organized by Bush's California political strategist, Gerry Parsky. Changes adopted in October transferred party power from a group of conservatives to a professional manager accountable to a board of directors, including a representative of the party's major donors."

Bush supporting the moderates? Moving from ideologically driven workers to the "pragmatic" kind? Not too happy about that. I thought Rove was recently quoted as being worried about losing millions of conservative GOP voters in 2000? This is not the way to get them back.

[marajade]

How awful... Bush actually supporting candidates who are Republicans.

[Dan from Michigan]

I'd vote Davis over Riordan.

[Dan from Michigan]

The group has riled some established Republicans who contend that its wealthy members are out of touch with working-class Republicans.

BINGO!!!

[keithtoo]

"GOP come forth!"

[GaConfed]

Bush actually supporting candidates who are Republicans

I agree. That's why I've never been a repub, and held my nose real tight when I voted for W. Still the party of the tyrant Lincoln.

[Cicero]

The old, old story is that Country Club Republicans, whose chief interests seem to include abortion and special tax deals for rich people (yes there are such abuses, even though liberals misuse the language) have the money, while conservative, gun-owning, working-class and middle-class slobs have the votes. Every so often the Country Club Republicans think they have reinvented the wheel. They put up money, they "broaden" the party to make it into a "big tent," and they lose most of their base among the voters. Their idea of a broad party is they, themselves, and them.

So, now we see it happening again. It wasn't the conservatives who kicked away California. It was Pete Wilson, a typical Rino idiot.

Richard Riordan is even worse than Pete Wilson. Dumb as a rock, unimpressive as a speaker, pro-abort, a fund-raiser for Democrats, virtually everything that will inspire the Republican base to stay home and not bother to vote. Why vote for someone who is only marginally better than Gray Davis, and then get stuck with him and his kind of Republican party for who knows how long, leaving conservatives effectively with no one to vote for in either party?

[Magnum44]

As a transplant californian, I will be happy to see the GOP revived in this state in any manner it can manage. The existing liberal/socialist regime is gagging me.

One battle at a time...

[CounterCounterCulture]

The group has riled some established Republicans who contend that its wealthy members are out of touch with working-class Republicans.

Ugh. There's that "working-class" phrase again that "liberals" love to use.

It's the country-club squishy "moderate" pubbies that are out of touch with the working-class. I'm sure if they could convince Bill Clinton to run as a pubbie, they'd back him in a heartbeat. It's all about winning, yaknow?

[LS]

"Tyrant Lincoln." Thank God for Abraham Lincoln. I suppose you are enamored with that Marxist John Calhoun, who wanted to enslave poor whites as well as blacks? Or that fine communist advocate of slavery, George Fitzhugh of Virgingia? Or Jeff Davis, who abused every civil right he could find, and led the Confederacy into outright property confiscation and imprisonment of war opponents to a degree that the "tyrant Lincoln" never dreamed? THAT fine group? I'll take Lincoln any day.

[marajade]

That's your right. Davis has done a lot of damage to CA in four years why not give someone else a chance?

[Cicero]

The thing about Bush is that he is neither a RINO nor a conservative, but something in between. Sometimes he goes one way, sometimes the other. Since he was electable, that was a lot better than nothing. But his advisers gave him terrible advice in the recent elections in New Jersey and Virginia, and they are getting ready to screw up royally in California as well. Someone needs to get his attention, because he is a sensible man, and he isn't going to throw California away deliberately if he understands that's what will happen. You may need to put up a RINO in Vermont to have any chance of getting someone elected, but it's not necessarily the formula for success in California. In California you need someone more like Bush, in fact. Broadly conservative, but appealing to the middle as well. Not a pro-abort liberal.

[Dan from Michigan]

Riordan has come forward for a total handgun ban. He's also a business partner of Feinswine, the worse senator in history. He also backed Davis and Klinton in previous elections. He is worse than both of my senators, even Carl Lenin. He makes Debbie Stabusall look conservative.

Luckily, I don't have to worry about him since he's too old to run for president.

Bill Simon would have my vote hands down.

[Jesse]

How awful... Bush actually supporting candidates who are Republicans.

No, how awful...Bush actually supporting candidates who say they are Republicans.

Not many Republicans left anymore since the GOP achieved more power since 1994 on promises to reduce government, lower taxes, reign in spending. They're mostly statist democrats in drag. The Congressional GOP and many State GOP governors and legislatures are spending money, expanding government control over private industries and writing new regulations faster than the democrats ever did in the last 20 years.

And the GOP so-called tax cuts are pathetic...backloaded for years after the current GOP kleptocrats will be out of office.

[marajade]

That's not true. Registration is about 50-50 among Dems and Reps.

[Gothmog]

I agree with most of what you've said. IMHO, Bush is "ideological" on a few issues like taxes, missile defense and his 'faith based initiative' -- in other words he will fight for them. On other issues conservatives care about, Bush is much more "pragmatic" -- he will go where the votes are or follow his advisors.

Some of his advisors are very good (Rove, Hughes), but I can not vouch for them all.

[Jhoffa_]

Every so often the Country Club Republicans think they have reinvented the wheel. They put up money, they "broaden" the party to make it into a "big tent," and they lose most of their base among the voters. Their idea of a broad party is they, themselves, and them.

Exactly..

Them they do a dole like flameout and run around wondering what could have possibly happened? Oh my, what could it be?

Such a mystery..

[Magnum44]

Thats it. Blame the people on your side for tings not being the way you would like. No problem with the libs who opposed larger tax cuts or let Dasshole think he is running his own little country within the Senate.