Wilson Fires Up GOP Faithful but All Is Not Peaceful in State Party

There are two sides to the California Republican Party at this juncture and both were evident Saturday at its semi-annual convention in Anaheim.

The pragmatic side is represented by U.S. Sen. Pete Wilson, who is now a candidate for governor in 1990. His crowd-pleasing speech left GOP mouths watering for winning not just the governorship but also for taking control of the Legislature and sending 12 new GOP congressmen to Washington before the turn of the century.

Wilson delighted the activists with his prediction that the initiative process will, in 1990, reform the heavily politicized drawing of legislative and congressional districts.

Republicans believe that more of their number would be elected to the Legislature and Congress if the districts were drawn to reflect their increasing share of the electorate.

If he is to tackle California’s problems as its next governor, Wilson told the partisans here, “I intend to have the help in Sacramento that Gov. (George) Deukmejian deserves but does not have.”

Wilson said he is likely to support not just one, but several competing ballot measures to strip the Democratic-controlled Legislature of its current power to draw district lines.

Wilson listed his accomplishments as legislator, San Diego mayor and U.S. senator going back two decades and predicted that the Democrats will not be able to nominate a gubernatorial candidate next year who can match his record.

The other side of the state GOP is inward looking and ideological. Here, in the Hilton Hotel foyers and suites, party activists bickered and argued and called for purges.

One group of activists, led by Rep. William E. Dannemeyer (R-Fullerton), demanded that homosexuals be purged from the party. This is part of what has now become a years-long and almost wholely unsuccessful crusade by the conservative congressman against anything having to do with gays.

One of the largest crowds of the weekend, outside of the formal mealtime speeches, gathered to hear Dannemeyer in a finger-pointing, full-decibel hallway debate with interloper Gloria Allred, the liberal activist, who surfaced at the convention.

“I’ll put my hand down if you’ll put your’s down,” Dannemeyer said as fingers went wagging. “You put your’s down first,” Allred snapped. And so it went.

Dramatic Blowups

Elsewhere, Angela (Bay) Buchanan, a candidate for state treasurer, dramatically produced blowups of notarized documents showing that incumbent Treasurer Thomas W. Hayes, also a Republican, had throughout most of his life registered to vote as a nonpartisan.

Buchanan bills herself as “the real Republican,” but the use of the documents left onlookers puzzled because Hayes has the backing of GOP Gov. Deukmejian, who appointed him and who apparently was satisfied when Hayes registered as a Republican upon his appointment.

Puzzled about another matter here were state GOP leaders, who admitted that they could not explain why the party still has no credible candidates for state controller and secretary of state, two of seven statewide constitutional offices at stake next year.

At the very least, said former state party Chairman Robert W. Naylor, “you’d think we would have somebody operating on the ‘bus theory.’ You know, the incumbent Democrat may get hit by a bus.”

Wilson Disappointed

Wilson expressed his disappointment at his failure so far to recruit candidates to take on Democratic incumbents in the two offices. But he said he will continue to seek Republicans to take a dare.

“But it’s not an easy decision. It can change your life. I know,” said Wilson.