Bill Saracino
April 29,  2004

Republican county chairmen in California run the gamut of effectiveness and dedication.  This year marks my 40th in politics, and during that time I’ve known county chairmen (yes, yes, and chairwomen) who were good, bad, and a few who were indeed quite ugly.  Tom Fuentes, recently retired as Chairman of the Orange County Republican Party, is a stellar example of what a county chairman should be.  The GOP, both in California and nationally, as well as the conservative movement, are diminished by his retirement.

Fuentes became chairman in 1984. Orange county earned it’s reputation as a conservative bastion in the 1964 presidential primary and 1966 gubernatorial elections, when it delivered crushing majorities for Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan. But even many political people forget that in the mid to late 70’s Orange County was trending  Democrat. At one point in the decade Democrats actually held a majority of legislative and congressional seats in the county, and the GOP registration edge disappeared.

The turn around started with Fuentes’ able predecessor Lois Lundberg.  Fuentes took that foundation and built the county party back into the 800 pound gorilla of state politics – able to consistently deliver majorities of 300,000 – 400,000 votes for statewide GOP candidates. It was under Fuentes’ leadership that the county once again became exclusively Republican, as for years the GOP held all the county’s legislative and congressional seats, and all 5 supervisorial seats. 

Fuentes did this by emphasizing the un-glamorous “blocking and tackling” aspects of political organization – volunteers, precinct operations, registration, and fund raising. The results speak for themselves. Orange County under Fuentes’ leadership became one of the most efficient and effective GOP organizations in the country. Were he of a more megalomaniacal bent, he could have had any of several safe GOP legislative or Congressional seats for the asking.  He turned down all entreaties to run in favor of concentrating on building the party. Who could possibly be unhappy with this kind of performance?

Meet the California GOP’s moderate cabal, organized as the “New Majority Committee” in Orange County.  To give you some idea of what kind of “new majority” these folks have in mind, their top target in last March’s primary was an Assembly candidate who in 1996 was Chairwoman of Republicans for Clinton. I’m not joking, you couldn’t make this stuff up. Made up mainly of millionaire elitists, “New Majority” spent over $500,000 in one primary election trying to elect “moderates” to the county central committee. They failed miserably in that effort, and of course that $500,000 was not available in November to defeat Democrats.

Winston Churchill remarked about the Germans that “they are always at your throat or at your feet”.  So it is with the GOP moderates. Immediately after their failed $500,000 coup attempt, the “New Majority” types actually increased their demands that Fuentes accommodate them and pander to their ever-so-delicate political sensibilities.  Fuentes you see had committed the unpardonable sin of being an erudite, persuasive and outspoken conservative.  That was more then the moderates could bear. 

In the face of unprecedented GOP success and prosperity, they continued to wage guerilla warfare on the central committee level, not to mention recruit candidates whose idea of “mainstream” Republicanism was heading up a Republicans for Clinton organization.  The “New Majority” showed themselves to be rank hypocrites.  They most specifically do not want a GOP majority if that majority is a conservative one.  

They are plutocrats through and through. Theodore Roosevelt had precisely this kind of people in mind when he warned about “malefactors of great wealth”.  They indeed have great wealth, and are using to for malicious means, attempting to make the Republican Party a pale imitation of the Democrats. Their Holy Grail is accommodation with the Democrats no matter what the cost. They specifically reject Ronald Reagan’s “banner of bright, bold colors”, never mind that Fuentes used that banner as an “In Hoc Signo Vinces” for the GOP, leading it to unprecedented power in the county. 

In addition to keeping the Orange County GOP robust, Fuentes also stood up to these folks, and for that they never forgave him, witness the $500,000 spent to try to oust him.  The insanity of attempting to defeat a Hispanic county chairman in order to make the GOP “more diverse” apparently never dawned on the moderates. Yet Fuentes never failed or flagged, never seemed to grow tired of dueling with the would-be oligarchs while keeping the county apparatus hale and hearty.  

On retiring he left the county party in good hands, as former Assemblyman Scott Baugh was elected his successor.  Fuentes will stay active in GOP politics through a variety of causes and organizations, and that is good news for all who value moral clarity, intestinal fortitude and cogent ideology in politics.  

The Bible tells us that the ultimate praise for a worker is the phrase, “Well done, good and faithful servant”.  Well done, Tom Fuentes, very well done indeed.  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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