Wilson Is Outta Here, He’s History : He has all the liabilities that brought George Bush down and none of the President’s political virtues.

If there is one overriding lesson to be learned from the 1992 contests in California, it is that Gov. Pete Wilson is finished. Washed up. History. Outta here. Political toast.

While the network news shows are still abuzz with what Republicans have to do to become competitive again on the national scene, the California GOP has a more immediate problem: 1994.

Debacle ’92 proves one thing: Pete Wilson cannot win reelection. The state’s vote represented a complete political repudiation of the governor.

Wilson, whose public approval rating is lower than any governor in decades, has all the liabilities that brought George Bush down and none of the President’s political virtues. Like Bush, Wilson caved in to the pressures of the political Establishment and approved a massive tax increase that resulted in a deepening recession and more unemployment. But unlike Bush, whose most loyal supporters were evangelical Christians, Wilson can forget about the backing of social conservatives because of his enthusiastic embrace of unrestricted abortion and alternate lifestyles.

Republicans can wait around until 1994 and watch Pete Wilson be defeated even more soundly than was George Bush. Or, they can start organizing a viable primary challenge.

Who will do it? It will take a strong personality to win a primary election from a seated governor. Who would be willing to put blind loyalty aside and do what is best for the party and state?

The most logical man for the job is Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren. But as the second-highest ranking Republican officeholder in the state, he is most unlikely to challenge Wilson. He’ll wait until the field is clear in 1998. Rep. Bob Dornan (R-Garden Grove) has been an outspoken Wilson critic. But could he mount a successful statewide challenge to the governor?

Maverick former Assemblyman Tom McClintock of Ventura County was Wilson’s toughest foe in the Assembly Republican Caucus before an unsuccessful bid to unseat Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Los Angeles). But if he couldn’t win a congressional seat on his home turf, could he mount a credible statewide challenge to Wilson?

No, if Wilson is to be successfully challenged from the right in 1994, his opponent will probably not come from conventional political circles. If California Republicans want to keep themselves out of a political dark age for the next six years, they need to find a new Ronald Reagan. They need to turn to central casting.

Republicans need a candidate who understands the principles of limited government and free enterprise and could make a persuasive case that it is time for a real change. And they need a charisma infusion. Who better to provide it than Moses or Major Dad?

Charlton Heston has been talked about as a senatorial possibility for years. Why not governor? And Gerald McRaney, the popular TV actor and articulate conservative, is becoming more politically active all the time.

If California Republicans have any hopes of avoiding the political wilderness they had better search for someone to lead them to the promised land. It’s going to take a miracle--or some magic from Hollywood.