Fuentes’ Leadership of County Republicans

* A great rift has grown up among the members and associates of the Republican Party of Orange County.

Under a thinly veiled cloak of ideological reservations regarding local politics, an elite group of multimillionaires sought the undoing of party Chairman Thomas A. Fuentes.

For 16 years, Fuentes has built and rebuilt the Orange County Republican war chest of hardy volunteers, financial contributions big and small, election day strategy and philosophical leadership, making our local party the envy of counties across the nation.

It is due to his stewardship that Orange County Republicans enjoy living in the most Republican county in the United States--”the house that Fuentes built.”

Special interests launched a full frontal assault against what they call the “old guard” of Orange County Republicanism, who have worked tirelessly against government intervention in the private sector and who carry the banner of the Reagan Revolution.

In fact, in the name of reform and an allegedly widespread desire for “new directions,” they subverted the principled foundation of conservative Republicanism of any era.

They cited a desperate need to wrest party control from the hands of the so-called good ol’ boys and move its ideological barometer far from anything recognizably Republican, and closer to centrist, even liberal.

This is merely another spat, you may say, among party insiders seeking the limelight of the chairmanship. This time, however, they had money, lots of it. And they used it. This time, they hired moles to bore into the membership of the Republican Central Committee.

I am a Republican because of Tom Fuentes. His leadership and example as an American shine like a beacon for young people, such as myself, through the clouds of liberal irresponsibility.

ROBERT SAMUEL ZEMEL II

Co-founder, Conservative Student Assn., Chapman University

* On Feb. 20 an alumnus of Chapman University, Tom Fuentes, wrote a letter in response to a Feb. 13 opinion column written by Fred Smoller, chairman and associate professor of political science at Chapman University.

In his letter, Fuentes attacks Smoller for injecting “himself into the vigorous debate of local Republicans.” I believe anyone, Democrat, Republican or whatever, has the right to comment on political issues, particularly a well-respected political scientist like Fred Smoller.

Fuentes also unfortunately attacked Smoller for his “arch-liberal” views and “partisan political rhetoric.”

Not only is professor Smoller one of our very popular teachers, but I have also found him to be very balanced in his approach to teaching and in the outreach programs he has developed at Chapman University.

For example, through his leadership as director of the Washington Semester he has placed many students with Republican legislators as well as with the conservative-oriented Heritage Foundation.

He recently organized a panel discussion with Shelby Steele, an articulate and learned critic of affirmative action. He was also very supportive of our hiring former Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Lungren to teach in his department at Chapman. These are but just a few examples.

So with all due respect to Tom Fuentes, I think he’s just plain wrong on this one.

JIM DOTI

President, Chapman University