New GOP Group Brings Hope to Party

* Re “O.C. Execs Want to Steer GOP to Center” (Jan. 18):

Glad to see a little Republican shifting going on.

However, until they acknowledge a need for environmental work I will still vote across my Republican registration for an environmentally aware Democrat.

KAREN M. PHELPS

Dana Point

* The New Majority Committee, notwithstanding its heavyweight names, has undertaken a significant and difficult task that is long overdue, namely to bring back inclusion into the GOP in Orange County, the state and hopefully nationwide.

The U.S. has a significant societal standards problem that the current Republican direction is just not properly addressing. Nor are the Democrats, hence the great opportunity.

The entrenched people, like county GOP Chairman Thomas Fuentes, with their dogmatic positions on gun rights, against women’s abortion choice, and religious right issues, simply do not represent California’s moderate, mainstream Republicans.

As a long-standing Republican National Committee member, who resigned for similar reasons last year, I am somewhat put off by the $10,000 membership fee.

I trust this is simply start-up money, which will lead to inclusion of lots of us less well-heeled Republicans, as well as independents, Reagan Democrats, women and Latinos.

It’s going to be a long fight to replace the current party ideologues, hardly in time for the 2000 elections. And 100 wealthy business executives and $1 million can’t do it alone.

But recognizing it takes leadership and money. It’s a beginning, and there’s hope.

DARRACH G. TAYLOR

Huntington Beach