O.C. Republicanism Thrives Despite Media ‘Distortions’

While Republicans were certainly disappointed with the national returns in the recent elections, the Republican Party of Orange County can be proud of its get-out-the-vote effort and can rest assured that Orange County remains solidly Republican.

President Bush was the clear winner among Orange County voters, capturing more than 100,000 more votes than his Democrat opponent. U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Herschensohn trounced ultra-liberal Barbara Boxer in the county, netting 58% of the local vote to Boxer’s 34%, a win of well over 200,000 votes. And once again, each of the county’s partisan offices, save one, were won by Republicans with healthy margins.

Unfortunately, on the presidential and senatorial level, voters in the rest of the state and country did not agree with Orange County voters. Therefore, for the next four years the GOP will again play the role it played so effectively in the late 1970s--that of the loyal opposition to the far left elements of the Democratic Party. Perhaps this time will once again remind Americans of how life is under a Democratic administration.

The 1992 election will not cause Republicans to retreat from their beliefs. The common-sense message of the Republican Party is as valid now as it ever was. Whereas Democrats look to government for answers to the nation’s problems, Republicans generally see the government as the cause of many of the country’s woes. While government is certainly necessary to protect the life, liberty and property of citizens, history shows that it is the nature of government to grow in size and power. And the collective power of government expands only at the expense of individual liberty.

Republicans, therefore, will continue to be united in their fight for limited government, lower taxes, more responsible state regulation of the private sector, and the free market system that has helped lead to the creation of the nation’s wealth and given the greatest number of people the opportunity to share in that wealth. Additionally, the GOP remains committed to policies which strengthen and confirm the family unit, the building block of society.

Lately, many in the media have chosen to ignore or distort the basic philosophical message of the Republican Party, instead focusing on a few issues where some Republicans might disagree. The most blatant example in this recent election was the media’s coverage of the Republican Party convention in Houston, where the Platform Committee approved a 1992 platform that many reporters described as a product of the “religious right,” out of step with rank-and-file Republicans. The press told stories of feuding within the GOP, with warring factions going head-to-head.

But the GOP convention I attended as a delegate last August was not notable for its controversy, but its energy, upbeat enthusiasm, optimism, and, yes, unity. The convention speakers were not from any “fringe” group of the party, but a diverse group representing a variety of elements within the “big tent” of the GOP. The 1992 GOP platform was not an extremist product of an alleged fringe group, but a balanced approach to the nation’s needs, like Republican platforms that won so soundly in 1980, 1984 and 1988.

Certainly not all Republicans are going to agree on every tenet of political thought, but the core message of the GOP remains intact. And when that message is delivered clearly and forcefully to the American people, it wins widespread support as it has in recent years, and it will again in 1996.

As the GOP prepares for the next election cycle, I hope my fellow Republicans will be re-energized. Let us consider this as a valuable time to strengthen our party, expand its base of support and revitalize our efforts to effectively send our time-proven message to voters. Meanwhile, let us resist the disastrous policies of the Democrats in power, make our voices heard, and continue to fight for the right changes that will keep America the greatest nation on Earth.

THOMAS A. FUENTES

Chairman, Republican Party of Orange County