Lincoln Club
http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgot.php?cmte=C00148882&cycle=2012 The Lincoln Club of Orange County, located in Orange County, California, is a non-profit corporation that operates Political Action Committees (PAC) for conservative political causes. | Contents [hide] | History and membership The Lincoln Club of Orange County was formed in 1962 by Dr. Arnold O. Beckman, the founder of Beckman Instruments, Walter Knott, the founder of Knott’s Berry Farm, and Si Fluor of the Fluor Corporation, among others. Past members include President Richard Nixon and actor John Wayne. Today, its membership consists of businessmen and women in Orange County who come from a variety of industries. Leadership The Lincoln Club is managed by the President, Chairman, two Vice Presidents, Treasurer, and Secretary, and a Board of Directors. All positions are appointed. The President is elected by the Board and may serve for up to two two-year terms. Robert W. Loewen has been President since 2009, succeeding Richard K. Wagner, who now serves as Chairman. Within the Club, there are six standing committees: Local Elections, Legislative, Issues, Communications, Membership, and Programs. These committees meet on a monthly basis and are open to all member. Political activities Throughout its history, the Lincoln Club of Orange County has been involved in many political issues. It was an early supporter of Proposition 13, the property tax reform voter initiative that led to a taxpayer revolt beginning in 1978. The Lincoln Club of Orange County also was an early supporter of the movement to recall Governor Gray Davis in 2003 and the 2004 election of South Dakota Senator John Thune, who unseated then-Senate majority leader Tom Daschle. Since the Club's founding in 1962, nearly every Republican president has addressed the Club either before, during, or after his presidency. Richard Nixon,Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush have all addressed the Lincoln Club. Other speakers have included General Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., Vicente Fox Quesada, and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. More recently, speakers included political candidates such as Senator Jim DeMint, Pennsylvania Senate candidate Pat Toomey, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, former Senator Norm Coleman and Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. The Club has also hosted events with pundits such as Mark Steyn, Jonah Goldberg, Stephen Moore, Amity Shlaes,Victor Davis Hanson, and Michelle Malkin. The Lincoln Club of Orange County is not affiliated with a political party, though it has historically supported Republicans. Each election cycle, the Club's Board of Directors endorses candidates in national, state and local elections, but it does not endorse in every race. The Club's Local Elections Committee conducts diligence on local candidates at the city council level based upon questionnaires, interviews, a review of past votes and inquiries of others who live in the area. The result is a list of endorsements to assist voters in selecting local office holders who will promote a government that aligns with the Club's standards. The Club's Legislative Committee researches the pros and cons of ballot measures and makes recommendations to the Club's membership, which then votes to determine the Club's position on each measure. National issues On a national scale, the Lincoln Club of Orange County works to reduce the size and function of the federal government, decrease government spending, and cut taxes. The Club is against centralized healthcare, regulations that hinder businesses, and government spending that pushes the country further into debt. In 2007,the Club was an Executive Producer of "Hillary the Movie," a documentary focusing on the controversial views of then-Senator Hillary Clinton, who was a candidate for President of the United States at that time. Though the film was shown at selected theaters and copies of the film were distributed, the Federal Elections Commission prohibited its producer, Citizens United, from allowing the film to be shown on cable TV under the McCain-Feingold Act, also known as the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. Citizens United successfully challenged the campaign finance law at issue in the United States Supreme Court. California issues In California, creating jobs and limiting the power of special-interest government groups are the top priorities for the Lincoln Club. In 2009, the Lincoln Club joined with the Tea Party Patriots,a grassroots political group, to create and support the Citizen Power Campaign, which sought to ban California labor unions from automatically deducting funds from union members' paychecks for political purposes without their consent. Though the initiative did not qualify for the 2010 ballot, the Lincoln Club has continued to support the Citizen Power Campaign. In November 2009, the Club and its members funded publication of Plunder: How Public Employee Unions are Raiding Treasuries, Controlling Our Lives and Bankrupting the Nation, written by Steven Greenhut with forwards by Tom**McClintock and Lincoln Club member Mark Bucher. References Land of the Lincoln Club from the Orange County Business Journal, December 6, 1998 Fred Thompson announces his Presidential candidacy at Lincoln Club Annual Dinner (video) May 7, 2007 Lincoln Club of Orange County Endorses Shawn Nelson for Supervisor from the Fullerton Press Center, March 16, 2010 Lincoln Club of Orange County Endorses Ed Reno for Newport Beach City Council from Newport for Reno, March 15, 2010 Lincoln Club of Orange County home page August 4, 2010 Categories: <ul style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style: none none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><li style="margin: 0.125em 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.25em; border-left-style: none; padding: 0px 0.5em 0px 0.25em; zoom: 1;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Political_organizations_in_the_United_States" title="Category:Political organizations in the United States" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none;">Political organizations in the United States</a></li><li style="margin: 0.125em 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.25em; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0px 0.5em; zoom: 1;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Orange_County,_California" title="Category:Orange County, California" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none;">Orange County, California</a></li></ul> ===:{While the consultants paid by Issa propelled the recall, Issa personally intimidated one Republican consultant to shut down his operation against it. As founder of Republicans Against the Recall, political consultant and former Lincoln Club CEO Scott Barnett called the recall "a political weapon of mass destruction." Even though he}: shares Republicans' disdain for Davis, Barnett opposes the recall because he believes it will :{set a dangerous precedent that will widen the partisan divide. "If this recall goes through here, there will be retribution by Democrats against Republican officeholders across California," he said. "This will open the door to say, 'It's acceptable to go after officeholders who have committed no crime and are mentally and physically capable of governing.'" Barnett claims that in retribution for his own principled stance, Issa personally called one of his clients, a Republican state legislator, and told him to fire Barnett as his pollster. Barnett also claims that Andy Gharakhani, Issa's district director, called another of his clients and threatened to run a Republican against Barnett's client in the upcoming primaries if the client did not fire the dissident Barnett.}: "I don't take it personally," said Barnett. "You know,Darrell Issa has got a lot of money and because of that he has very little accountability -- that's just Darrell." Still another consultant who has been instrumental in setting the recall in motion -- and profiting from it -- is the Washington-based Luntz, a former pollster for Enron and Newt Gingrich. Thomas F. Stephenson :{Born: c. 1942 Birthplace: Wilmington, DE }: :{Gender: Male Race or Ethnicity: White Sexual orientation: Straight Occupation: Business, Diplomat Party Affiliation: Republican [1]}: :{Nationality: United States Executive summary: US Ambassador to Portugal}: [1] Finance Chairman, California Republican Party. Wife: Barbara (four children) :{University:AB Economics, Harvard University (1964) University: MBA, Harvard Business School (1966) Law School: JD, Boston College Law School (1969) Administrator: Board of Overseers, Harvard University Administrator: Board of Advisors, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research }: :{ US Ambassador to Portugal (2007-) Sequoia Capital General Partner (1998-) Sequoia Capital (1988-) Fidelity Investments President, Fidelity Ventures (1977-87) Fidelity Investments (1965-87) Member of the Board of Adesso Specialty Services (1996-) Member of the Board of Axis Personal Trainers Member of the Board of BenefitPoint (as Chairman) Member of the Board of Landacorp (1998-, as Chairman) Member of the Board of PartsAmerica.com Member of the Board of Sequana Therapeutics, Inc. (1994-) Conservation International Board of Directors Hoover Institution Board of Overseers Kennedy Center Corporate Fund Vice Chairman Lincoln Club of Northern California Finance Chairman Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Council}: :{ }: also condi rice |