Nothing to Fear From Clinton, Business Leaders Are Told : O.C. Forum: Western Digital Chairman Roger Johnson not dismayed by post-election revisions of campaign promises.

Republicans and business people need not fear the end of their world once Bill Clinton becomes president, Roger W. Johnson said in a speech Thursday to the Orange County Forum.

“I see the press and politicians trying to paint him into some ideological box,” said Johnson, chairman of computer products maker Western Digital Corp. “But he plays in the cracks between the lines.”

Johnson, a Republican stalwart who turned Orange County politics upside down last year by throwing early support to Clinton in the presidential campaign, has been rumored as a candidate for a post in the new Administration.

He said he hasn’t changed his mind about the President-elect despite post-election revisions of campaign promises to cut the federal deficit and reduce taxes for the middle class.

Johnson spoke to more than 400 Orange County politicians and business people at a luncheon sponsored by the Orange County Forum, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group that encourages newsmaker forums.

He answered questions about his participation in Clinton’s summit on economics in Little Rock, Ark., last month, which he termed an “economic Woodstock.” He said little about specific proposals; rather, he described Clinton’s style for solving problems with a hands-on approach.

Clinton will probably avoid the usual political battles by looking for solutions that make better use of current resources, rather than bog down in an ideological debate about whether to cut taxes or programs, Johnson said.

“The deficit is going to be addressed, and we are not going to like everything that’s done,” he said. “I think he will say he has to raise taxes, cut entitlements, do things that will result in layoffs, but he’s going to do things that are good investments in the future.”

Johnson said Orange County has a chance to be a worldwide leader in the health care and environmental industries that are expected to thrive under the policies of Clinton and Vice President-elect Al Gore. But he said the county will continue to suffer from the political gridlock in Sacramento.

“I don’t think the political leadership of this state on either side of the aisle is leading this state,” he said, drawing applause. “We are still tied up in rhetoric.”

Brian Bennett, former chief of staff for Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove), said Johnson deserves credit for having the courage to support Clinton. But he said after the speech that he remains skeptical.

“It’s not comforting that people are already making apologies for Bill Clinton before he takes office,” said Bennett, who serves on the board of the Orange County Forum. “This call to abandon ideology is ill-advised.”

Johnson says he hasn’t heard from the Clinton campaign about his own prospects for an appointment.

Asked about whether more business leaders will be recruited for the new Administration, he said: “I don’t think anybody will be put in this Administration to pay off something or for show. People who can make a contribution will be appointed.”