Politics : Thierbach: a Mystery No Longer

It was to be F. Christian (Rick) Thierbach’s big moment, a chance for the Democratic candidate in the 72nd Assembly District to get some publicity from the horde of local and national reporters assembled in Buena Park.

Thierbach, locked in a tight race with Republican Curt Pringle for the Central Orange County Assembly seat, had been tabbed to introduce his party’s leading man, presidential nominee Michael Dukakis, at a rally of 1,500 Democratic volunteers in a union hall.

After speeches by a string of party notables, including U.S. Sen. Alan Cranston (D-Calif.), it was Thierbach’s turn. Trouble is somebody forgot to introduce Thierbach, an Anaheim resident and deputy district attorney in Riverside County, whose face is hardly a familiar one.

Undaunted, Thierbach buttoned his coat, stepped to the microphone and began waxing partisan about Dukakis and his credentials. But his remarks were greeted not with cheers, but a low-level buzz as volunteers murmured, “Who is this guy?”

Finally, somebody shouted, “Who are you?” Without missing a beat, as if he had rehearsed the scene for days, Thierbach smoothly replied: “I’m Rick Thierbach, and I’m going to win the 72nd Assembly District.”

It was a nice recovery. But if Thierbach was feeling a bit heady after his performance, he was rudely reminded of his station in the party when Dukakis arrived on stage. As the crowd chanted, “We want Mike, we want Mike,” the Massachusetts governor peeled off his suit coat and handed it to Thierbach, who spent the balance of the address looking for all the world like a coat-check attendant.

From the “What? Me worry?” file, comes news that state Sen. Marian Bergeson (R-Newport Beach) has left the country with less than seven weeks left in her reelection campaign in the 37th District. But Bergeson supporters, take heart; there’s an understandable reason.

You see, long before Bergeson ran for legislative office she was a mother. And her son, James Bergeson, happens to play water polo real well. In fact, he’s a member of the U.S. Olympic team in that sport, and on Tuesday he scored the winning goal in the last five seconds to beat Yugoslavia, 7-6.

And who was in the stands in Seoul cheering her son on this week? You guessed it: the senator herself.

“It’s the first time in 10 years she has completely taken her political hat off and become a mother again,” said Bergeson’s chief of staff, Julie Froeberg. “She was just thrilled.”

So what about the state senator’s campaign against Huntington Beach Democrat Pat McCabe and Libertarian J. Mark Sugars? Is the senator coming home soon?

“She’s not counting on it,” Froeberg said. “She’s hoping the team goes all the way and wins the gold.”

By week’s end, the U.S. team’s chances of advancing to the medal round were still intact; the players had beaten China, 14-7, and lost to Spain, 9-7.

Privately, Republican congressional candidate C. Christopher Cox is known for his quick, often tart humor. But on the campaign trail during his successful run in June for the GOP nomination in the 40th Congressional District, Cox kept a straight face most of the time, sticking to issues rather than one-liners.

But he is expected to drop his conservative, button-down personality Tuesday when Soviet comedian Yakoff Smirnoff is the feature draw at a $1,000-a-plate dinner to help retire Cox’s $140,000 primary debt.

The 7 p.m. event at the Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach marks the second time that Smirnoff has appeared on Cox’s behalf since he entered the race.

But the ticket price has gone up considerably since Cox became the darling of Orange County Republicans by beating 13 other candidates in the primary. Back in May, it cost only $200 to see Smirnoff and Cox.