O.C. Congressmen: Time for Assessment : Rantings of some obscure delegation’s achievements

Orange County’s five representatives in Congress are without significant opposition in the Nov. 6 general election, all Republicans occupying “safe” seats in heavily GOP districts. They will be returned to Washington without the inconvenience of having to defend their records. Nevertheless, the election provides an occasion to assess the incumbents’ service to their districts, Orange County and the nation during the last two years.

As a group, the delegation has one major achievement: gaining approval of long-awaited federal funding for the $1.5-billion Santa Ana River flood-control project. The project is vital to Orange and other counties in the event of a catastrophic flood, thought to be inevitable in the next century. But finding federal dollars required hard work and cooperation to push the project through the budget process.

Unfortunately, Orange County’s delegation is better known in Washington for the rantings of Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of Long Beach about the National Endowment for the Arts. Or the homophobia of Rep. William E. Dannemeyer of Fullerton, apparent when he takes the microphone to speak about AIDS. Or the excessive oratory of Robert K. Dornan of Garden Grove on just about anything. They have made Orange County somewhat of a joke in the Capitol.

What tends to get lost in the shuffle are the accomplishments of Orange County’s other two legislators, Rep. Ron Packard of Carlsbad, who is up for his fifth term, and Rep. Christopher Cox of Newport Beach, who is seeking his second.

Packard, who represents South County, is a good-government legislator who does his homework and has something to show for it. A member of the Public Works and Transportation Committee, he has made his mark on water rights and aviation legislation.

Cox was quickly identified as a leader among the 1988 crop of new congressional members. He has focused on much-needed federal budget reform and brought energy and conviction to an office that his predecessor, Robert E. Badham, used primarily as a resting point between trips abroad.

Dornan is the hardest to assess. He blusters and is melodramatic and corny. And he has angered homosexual groups with his invective on them during floor debates. But he’s charming and shows a surprising ability to work with members of Congress on the opposite side of the aisle. Recently, for example, he and Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) co-authored a bill that would create an ROTC-like Police Corps to train and educate law enforcement officers. It’s a good idea that is still on track in Congress.

As for Dannemeyer, he has undermined his legitimate concerns about the health community’s response to the AIDS epidemic by dismissing all gays simply as “sinners” in need of redemption and perhaps even punishment. It’s a cruel and simplistic approach to a disease that is killing people in all socioeconomic groups.

That leaves Rohrabacher, who seems to be trying to take the path from Orange County to political fame first blazed by Richard M. Nixon as a congressman: adopt an extreme position on one issue and demagogue it to death. Having no Alger Hiss to kick around, Rohrabacher joined with Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) to try to dismantle the NEA. So far, Congress has wisely resisted their efforts, but much damage has been done to artistic expression.

All in all, it’s a mixed bag of representation for Orange County, which deserves better.