Bush Appoints Mosbacher as Chief GOP Fund-Raiser

In the first sign of what aides expect will be a broader shake-up of President Bush’s campaign organization, former Commerce Secretary Robert A. Mosbacher gave up his title as general campaign chairman on Thursday and became chief fund-raiser for the Republican National Committee.

The change concentrates authority in the Bush campaign in the hands of two men: White House Chief of Staff James A. Baker III and campaign Chairman Robert M. Teeter.

Mosbacher, whose laid-back management style had drawn complaints from other GOP operatives, protested when Bush and Baker informed him of the change at a White House meeting on Wednesday, a campaign official said.

“You got me to leave the State Department,” Baker reportedly replied--implying that Mosbacher, too, should be willing to sacrifice some prestige for the sake of the campaign.

Mosbacher, in later comments to Reuters news service, said he willingly complied with Baker’s request that he shift posts.

“He and the President feel they need me to raise . . . money” Mosbacher said. “I told Baker I’d do anything, and he said, ‘OK, give me the money.’ ”

The White House announcement of the change did not include any statement from Mosbacher.

Several campaign officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the move was prompted partly by Baker’s desire to streamline the reelection effort’s organization chart, and partly by the RNC’s greater need for Mosbacher’s fund-raising skills.

Now that Baker has taken over the campaign, deputy manager Mary Matalin said: “Everybody’s going to the position that they do best. (Mosbacher) does (fund raising) better than anyone else in the party.”

Baker recently asked Teeter to name a half-dozen campaign officials he considered essential, with the implication that anyone not on the list might be reassigned, one official said.

Other changes that one official said would be coming include naming former White House policy adviser Clayton K. Yeutter as deputy chairman--a move designed in part to “save face” for the former agriculture secretary, who departed his White House job when Baker arrived.

The official said Yeutter will be in charge of organizing “surrogate speakers” for Bush--lesser officials who will make speeches on the President’s behalf.

Mosbacher, well-known in GOP circles for his fund-raising prowess, will become general chairman for finance at the RNC, where he will take charge of raising what insiders call “soft money”--contributions that support the campaign only indirectly, and thus do not fall under federal spending limits.

“After reviewing the overwhelming crucial need for funds to ensure our Republican victory in November, President Bush has again turned to his trusted friend, Bob Mosbacher, for assistance,” the official White House announcement said. “Mr. Mosbacher has been asked to manage, supervise and coordinate to the extent permitted by law the entire Republican Party fund-raising apparatus.”

RNC spokesman Gary Koops said Mosbacher would be in charge of a $10.3-million fund-raising effort “on behalf of the Bush-Quayle campaign,” among other projects.

“The campaign can no longer raise money,” he noted, referring to the federal spending limit. “So we are delighted that Mr. Mosbacher will be directing our fund-raising efforts here.”

A New York-born millionaire’s son who, like Bush, struck out on his own to seek his fortune in Texas oil and gas, Mosbacher has raised money for Republican campaigns since Bush’s unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate in Texas in 1964.

Never known as a campaign strategist or manager, Mosbacher concentrated on fund raising during this year’s primary campaign. Several campaign aides said he seemed miscast in the chairmanship, treating it more as a hobby than a crusade--especially as Bush’s lead in the polls evaporated.

“Everyone’s delighted because it gets him out of (the reelection campaign),” said one official. “There really is a desperate need to get money raised at the RNC.”

Times staff writer James Gerstenzang also contributed to this story.

House Casualties

Even with several primaries and the general election yet to come, it is certain that 87 of the House’s 435 members--or one out of every five--will not return next year. The largest bloc of those vacating their seats--52--chose to retire. Others are running for higher office or face certain elimination in member vs. member races in November. Here is a list of the 17 who have been derailed in primaries: DEMOCRATS Bill Alexander: Arkansas Beryl Anthony Jr.: Arkansas Charles Hatcher: Georgia Ben Jones: Georgia Terry L. Bruce: Illinois Charles A. Hayes: Illinois Marty Russo: Illinois Gus Savage: Illinois Carroll Hubbard Jr.: Kentucky Beverly B. Byron: Maryland Joe Kolter: Pennsylvania Harley O. Staggers Jr.: W. Virginia

REPUBLICANS Robert J. Lagomarsino: Calif. Dick Nichols: Kansas Guy Vander Jagt: Michigan Clarence E. Miller: Ohio Mickey Edwards: Oklahoma

Source: The Hotline political newsletter