38th Cong. District

Two years ago voters in the 38th Congressional District put Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove) back in Congress.

Dornan has been an embarrassment to the district, and the Congress. His style is brash, bullying and off the wall. He shoots from the hip and lip, and too often misses the mark. In discussing issues he is prone to lapse into fits of frenzy, punctuated by rapid-fire one-liners, fist-pounding gestures, statistics, facts and rambling emotional rhetoric. This has made him the darling of some right-wing Republicans. It has mortified others.

Dornan’s unsuccessful quest for a U.S. Senate seat in 1982 took him out of Congress after three terms representing Santa Monica. In his first term representing the 38th District, Dornan managed to draw national attention with several controversial gaffes.

In one, perceived by many in the Jewish community nationwide as being anti-Semitic, Dornan earlier this year referred to a Soviet commentator as a “disloyal, betraying little Jew.” It wasn’t the first time his ill-chosen words, whether intended that way or not, were taken as being anti-Semitic.

In another incident, just several months after taking office, Dornan lost control on the House floor and seized Democratic Rep. Thomas Downey by the tie and scuffled with him after Downey objected to being called a “draft-dodging wimp.”

Curiously enough, Dornan’s preoccupation with military service, both his and his opponent’s, is also present in the current congressional campaign against Richard Robinson, the Democratic nominee.

Robinson, who is leaving the state Legislature after 12 years, has demonstrated legislative ability that we believe could serve district residents well in Washington. But Robinson has one disturbing blemish, an association with W. Patrick Moriarty, the fireworks manufacturer who was convicted by a federal jury of money-laundering, fraud and bribery of public officials.

Robinson, who voted for a fireworks bill introduced on behalf of Moriarty and later reported receiving $3,000 in campaign contributions from him, also was identified by former Moriarty aides as being one of the legislators provided with prostitutes paid for by Moriarty. Robinson has never been charged with any crime and denies the prostitution allegation. If nothing else, his good judgment is suspect.

We wish we could endorse Robinson, but in all conscience we cannot. Certainly we cannot endorse Dornan.