Chris Cox: Offering give-and-take with Washington

S.J. Cahn

Chris Cox sees his job in two parts.

As Newport Beach’s Congressional representative since 1988, he

takes Orange County views to Washington D.C. and reports back to

Orange County what he is doing “and what the government is doing to

us and for us.”

That constant give-and-take, he says, is what keeps him in contact

with his constituents. So does having to get reelected every two

years.

“The job itself melds with getting around the community and doing

what’s necessary to let people know what I’m doing,” he said.

While he has been in his district -- the redrawn 48th that now

includes more of South Orange County -- during this fall’s race, he

has heard voters talk about a litany of issues both global and local,

Cox added. The list runs from homeland defense and the Bush

Administration’s policy on Iraq to water quality, urban runoff and

beach erosion in Newport Beach.

And voters, Cox added, are sophisticated enough to understand how

the disparate issues tie together and where the federal government

has a role. The government, for instance, can demand tighter control

of urban runoff, help pay to educate the public about the changes and

find money for treatment facilities.

“It isn’t a question of big, national issues exclusively, or local

issues, exclusively,” he said. “It can be and is both.”

With his dozen years in the House and prior work in the Reagan

White House, Cox brings with him a wealth of knowledge of such

issues. He can rattle off the Irvine Water Ranch District’s plans to

develop a natural treatment system and how much it costs. He points

out the need for work on Aliso Creek in South County. And he can

speak at length about the federal government’s important role in

protecting Newport Harbor.

On the larger scale, he is a noted expert on foreign policy

matters, in particular China and North Korea.

He also is a strong backer of President Bush’s policies, including

his aggressive stance on forcing Iraq to agree to weapons

inspections. Those efforts, Cox said, are in line with the

administration’s war on terrorism.

Iraq, North Korea and Al Qaeda -- even the IRA, to a great extent

-- are all part of the same network, Cox said. They use the same

suppliers and often the same training grounds.

“What all these groups share in common is a hatred for the United

States,” he said.

As a result, each demands attention, Cox said.

This month’s bombing in Bali, in which a longtime Newport resident

was killed and another hurt, point to the problem, he continued. Al

Qaeda did not detonate the bomb, but an affiliate did.

As chairman of the House Policy Committee, he also is considered

the fifth-ranking Republican in the House. The policy committee helps

establish Republican priorities on issues and bills. He also is a

member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the House

Committee on Financial Services.

After so many years in office, Cox said, he is still engaged in

the job because it is only since President Bush’s election that he

has a chance to work with a Republican president while being in the

House majority.