Bush Stumps in Little Saigon

Presidential nominee George W. Bush made his first full-fledged Orange County campaign stop Wednesday for a taste of the bread and butter that long has defined this Republican-rich county: an appearance for the GOP faithful at a colorful venue and fund-raisers to rake in large sums of money.

The Texas governor delivered a standard, if brief, campaign speech in a familiar staging site for local Republican campaigns--the green tile and red pagoda columns of the Asian Gardens mall in Little Saigon.

He spoke to about 2,000 cheering spectators before heading to a $1,000-per-person campaign fund-raiser at the Irvine Hyatt Regency and a second fund-raiser that broke new ground, both by location and the size of the ticket price. It was a $25,000-per-couple dinner for 40 couples at the Newport Beach waterfront home of Sandy and Ron Simon, chairman of RSI Holdings, which manufactures bath fixtures and vanities.

The estimated $1 million take for Victory 2000, the state Republican Party’s fund-raising effort, was expected to top a fund-raiser at the Irvine Hyatt in 1988 with President Reagan and then-Sen. Pete Wilson that raised somewhat less than $1 million.

The son of former President George Bush was expected to stay Wednesday night at the Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach. He will continue his Southern California visit today by discussing education reform and “closing the achievement gap” at Santa Ana High School before heading north to the Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona, then flying to San Diego for a Victory 2000 reception.

Wednesday’s Western-themed private party was co-hosted by Ron Simon, Mark Johnson, Tom Tucker and George Argyros, the state party’s head of fund-raising. All are members of the New Majority, a group of local Republicans who support mainstream GOP candidates locally and statewide.

“We were approached by George Argyros to see if we wanted to work with him on this [dinner],” New Majority Chairman Tom Tucker said. “This is not part of our mission. Our group is a California political action committee that backs candidates in Orange County and California. We did this as individuals.”

The garden of the luxurious estate on Harbor Island was decorated with “horses, haystacks and saddles,” for an al fresco, sit-down dinner, said Sandy Simon. “We didn’t want it pretentious--we wanted it casual and loose.”

Earlier, Bush spoke in shirt sleeves without a script in the Westminster mall’s parking lot. He called for new leadership in Washington, with Republicans reconnecting with the less fortunate. At one point, he chided Democrats for encouraging failure through diminished expectations in schools and society at large.

“This is a campaign that will challenge the bigotry of soft expectations,” Bush said. “This is a campaign that listens to those that struggle to get into the middle class.”

People in the crowd hollered “Bush! Bush! Bush!” and held signs that read: “OC loves Bush,” “Viva Bush!” and “Bush--like father, like son!” Vietnamese Americans waved the flag of the former South Vietnam along with blue Bush-Cheney posters.

“We’re very impressed with his speech,” said Henry Ngo, 30, of Cerritos, who works as a computer executive at a Brea company. “He touched all the bases of education, welfare and taxes. He’s very charismatic.”

Ngo and friend Angie Vo, 26, of Rosemead, were children when they fled Vietnam by boat in the late 1970s. While they are staunch opponents of the Communist government in Vietnam, having grown up in the United States, they are more worried about issues such as education and taxes.

“We pay taxes so we’re more concerned about what happens to us here first,” Ngo said.

But at a rally located in the largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam, Bush did not mention the Southeast Asian country.

“He’s at the heart of the Vietnamese community, how can he not mention a word about Vietnam?” asked Lan Quoc Nguyen, an attorney and community activist. “His speech was so generic.”

“All my life is left behind in Vietnam,” said Sa Phan, 81, of Garden Grove. “I’m sad that Bush didn’t address about Vietnam and the fight for freedom there.”

Phan, a Republican, said he still plans to vote for Bush because he is more concerned with Bush’s promise on lower taxes and better Social Security and prescription drug programs--issues that affect him.

“I live in America and I’m first concerned about the economy here,” Phan said. “If he can help us here, we can help the people of Vietnam.”

Vietnam Unmentioned in Little Saigon Remarks

One Bush supporter suggested that the candidate did not want to raise false hopes about change in the Communist nation.

Others such as Tony Tran, 59, of Santa Ana were more interested in close-to-home issues--such as money.

“The question is whether he can deliver his promise,” said Tran, who now receives $692 a month in Social Security income. If Bush keeps his promise, it would rise to $920 a month.

Some organizers were disappointed at the lower-than-expected turnout of Vietnamese for a Little Saigon story. They blamed poor attendance on late notice and the time of the event during working hours.

Meanwhile, Democratic operatives made sure reporters at the mall got copies of Bush’s sagging poll ratings in California, including a survey last month by the Field Institute that showed Vice President Al Gore leading Bush by 13 percentage points in the state.

Most polls show Gore solidly ahead in the nation’s largest state but the race is in single digits nationally. That has led to Republican fears that Bush will write off the state--electorally, if not financially. So far, he has helped raise about $6 million for the state party.

Orange County traditionally has been a must-stop for GOP candidates looking for votes and cash. In a close election, the county’s strong Republican majorities have been able to boost candidates by counterbalancing majorities from Democratic strongholds in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Some GOP activists quietly questioned why Bush managed to find time to visit Southern California while party delegates are preparing to fend without him at this weekend’s state Republican convention in Palm Desert. McCain will be there on the Bush campaign’s behalf.

It will be the third time that Bush has skipped a state GOP conclave: He didn’t make the trip a year ago after the convention conflicted with a previously scheduled golf tournament; in February, he spent the day at home and sent his brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, instead.

“Why is he going to Westminster, which is nice and all that, when he should be attending the Republican convention?” said a Republican activist who asked not to be named.

Times staff writer Ann Conway contributed to this report.