COMMENTARY ON POLITICS : Clinton Republicans Steadfast Despite Administration Critics : The President deserves good marks both for personnel and for programs--which may brighten county’s future.

At a recent Newport Beach forum, conservative Republican pollster Gary Lawrence asked how many Republicans in the crowd voted for Bill Clinton. Nine people raised a hand.

He then asked how many would still vote for Clinton, four months into his presidency. Eight hands rose.

Loyalty of the Clinton Republicans isn’t confined to Orange County. I recently surveyed Republicans in 17 states who worked to elect the President. Eighty percent of them gave him performance ratings of “excellent” or “good.”

Far from being dismayed by the Clinton policy agenda, these loyalists express some mild concern that their President should fight even more aggressively to implement the kind of change most Americans see. (Of course it’s easy for us to carp and moan, none of us have to wake up each day to the prospect of facing Bob Dole and Phil Gramm’s crafty--and often effective--schemes to derail our efforts.)

President Clinton gets good marks from maverick Republicans for his progress on deficit reduction and tax reform. It’s no surprise to GOP-FOBs (Friends of Bill) that our own taxes will be going up; that was a mainstay of the Clinton-Gore platform, one of many promises the President is working to keep.

President Clinton also pledged greater freedom for women to choose on abortion (accomplished by presidential order;) a national service program to replace the dysfunctional student loan system (approved already by the Senate;) family leave to enable people to care for their spouses, children or parents at no cost to employers or taxpayers (signed into law); campaign finance reform (approved by the Senate); and health care reform (moving steadily toward an overhaul that is decades overdue.)

Health reform and a national service program will help rebuild a sense of community and interdependence across America. And the next few years may hold major opportunities for those of us who live in Southern California.

As programs take shape to convert lost defense jobs, we can expect Administration initiatives to both increase high-skill jobs and improve our quality of life.

These include incentives for industries that manufacture low-pollution cars; a nationwide electronic grid to share information and cut the cost and time of communication; electronic road systems to ease local congestion and improve safety; more use of the rails both for passengers and for freight; and more use of non-polluting natural gas as a fuel source for factories, cars, trucks, even trains.

The Clinton Administration is also good news on the personnel front. California has an extremely important role--and voice--in the Clinton Administration, far greater than during the neglectful Bush years.

Californians in the Clinton Cabinet include Secretary of State Warren Christopher, Director of the Office of Management and Budget Leon Panetta, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Laura Tyson, and U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor.

Reflecting the President’s promise of a bipartisan Administration, Orange County has access and input to the Administration at the very highest levels.

Roger Johnson of Newport Beach has been confirmed by the Senate as director of the General Services Administration. Kathryn Thompson has repeatedly been called to Washington to confer on banking and business policy with the President and members of the Cabinet. Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder has also conferred with a wide range of Administration officials.

These Republicans add clout to the traditional channels open through progressive Democratic leaders like Howard Adler, Richard O’Neill, Wylie Aitken, Michael Ray and William Podlich.

This access to Washington is already reaping rewards for Orange County.

Perhaps the brightest star in the Clinton Cabinet, Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, has twice journeyed into Orange County. He is bringing environmentalists, road officials and property owners together to both protect the environment and deal with the challenges of a growing population with its needs for better roads and a broader range of opportunity.

Never before has Orange County seen this kind of thoughtful, dedicated, personal effort from a Cabinet member. In this case, a Cabinet member known to be extremely close to--and much trusted by--the President.

Have there been some mistakes by President Clinton during these first few months? Of course there have. But these have been almost exclusively errors of style, not substance. The occasional judgment blooper such as Lani Guinier’s nomination to the Department of Justice has been swiftly corrected by the President.

It’s unfortunate that so much fuss has been made of the personnel missteps like the nominations of Ms. Guinier and Zoe Baird and so little time spent applauding the quality appointments like Atty. Gen. Janet Reno and Associate Justice-Designate Ruth Bader Ginsburg, to say nothing of Cabinet members Babbitt, Lloyd Bentsen, Richard W. Riley, Christopher, Kantor, Tyson, Mike Espy. . . .

President Clinton has seen some decline in his popularity ratings, to be sure. Unlike other modern Presidents, he is beset by loud opponents in two well-financed political parties: the Republicans and the Perotistas.

Not every congressional Democrat shares his vision of unlocking America’s potential by abandoning business as usual in Washington. And the Washington press corps has been pretty quick to judge (and usually condemn) his every move.

Despite his difficulties, in the past few weeks President Clinton turned a corner and we can expect steady gains in his popularity:

* Today, 700,000 more Americans are working than on Inauguration Day.

* Interest rates remain low, and home sales are starting to increase.

* The deficit-reduction program helps restore some fiscal integrity to the federal government and brings a little more fairness to how we pay for government costs.

* His new adviser, Republican David Gergen, brings maturity, experience and a bipartisan perspective to the job.

Things will not always go smoothly for President Clinton. Like all Presidents, he will win some and lose some. The occasional stumbles, gaffes and personnel shuffles will probably continue for a few months as he learns the ropes. So what? Everyone remembers Babe Ruth’s home runs, but no one remembers--or cares--about his strikeouts.

What is important is that all of us work to help him succeed, not fail, in his mission to get our country back on the right track. Just like a football team, America can’t hope to win if we tackle our own quarterback.

It’s a message that Congress--Republicans and Democrats alike--should take to heart.

Robert Nelson is chairman of a national public relations agency based in Irvine and was the only Republican on President Clinton’s transition team.